Children of the Fallen: Bloodlines (BOOK #3)

Chapter 60: Transference

Victoria Brooks-Finley

I don't have much time.

Rushing to find Aurelia, Scarlett trails behind me, and asks, "Why is Morgan trying to kill herself? What's happening?" 

"She has a blood bond with Lucien. What happens to her, happens to him and vice versa so her thought process is kill herself, kill Lucien."

"No, she can't do that," Scarlett raises her voice.

I snap over my shoulder, "I know! Hence why she's in a cell."

Quickly searching the palace quickly peeking in every room I hear movement in until shuffling gets my attention from one of Morgan's libraries. Walking in, the room is in shambles not just from Aurelia searching the bookshelves but from the battle. Blood and gore paint the room, furniture is broken, bookshelves destroyed, and the coppery tang of blood like everywhere else in the palace is prominent. "Aurelia."

"I'm in the middle of something. I will speak to you after," she said, adding to the pile of books in her arm.

I shake my head. "I have to speak to you now," I demanded.

She turns over her shoulder, her irises bright red and glassy. "Victoria-"

I cut her off, crossing my arms, I say, "I know you know there's a way to get the blood bind off of her." She squares off to me, giving me a single nod. 

"You do?" Scarlett asks, all hopeful.

"It could be transferred to someone of the same blood as the afflicted," I state. Years ago Zade informed me in passing recapping his weekend that he spent helping a friend of his whose crazed sire blood bound her to him. She transferred the bond to her father who was a hunter actively trying to kill her. It was a story and information that I never thought would be of use to me but once in Morgan's room and Aurelia dropped the fact that the branding on Morgan's hand indicates a blood bond, I remembered. And what a perfect opportunity.

Aurelia rambled a bit as she continued scanning the shelves, "Yes. I caught a witch before she left and in exchange for her help, she wants a specific spell book that she knew was somewhere in this palace. I don't know which one, I don't have the time to figure that out, she can sort through all of them."

"Scarlett has a witch friend who will do it for nothing."

"Well-" Scarlett started but I waved her off to not further that sentence.

Aurelia didn't acknowledge what I had just said, too zoned in on finding spell books in the myriad of spell books residing in this older library. "Aurelia, stop." 

She whips around, scolding me, "Do not tell me to stop. I am going to save my daughter and your sister, and get rid of that bastard. Let me do what I need to do."

"You're not taking the blood bind from her," I tell her. Aurelia narrows her eyes, such a cold, intimidating look from her it's like staring at Morgan. "I am."

Scarlett steps in my peripheral, shock all over her face. Aurelia continues her glaring, "No. She needs her sister. Let me do this for her."

I huff out a breath and feel my heart join the knotted mess my stomach quickly became. My fingers grow tingly as I admit, "I'm dying." My voice didn't feel like my own, as I admitted the truth verbally. I lifted my shirt showing the injection mark in my stomach, reddened and dark black veins starting to protrude from it. "During our fight with Lucien, he stuck me with Nephilim blood." I swallowed then lowered my shirt. "I'm dying already. She won't have me much longer regardless. Don't make her lose more people than she needs to. I'm doing this, I only came to tell you to stop."