Contract Bound [Rewriting]

Chapter Twelve

After everything that had occurred, Belinda still went out for her stroll. Locking herself in the house wouldn't help at all. She needed fresh air to think. Part of her wanted to get answers from Denarius, but she had to accept that in the end, it was his decision and had to be respected, even if she disagreed with it.

From where Belinda sat beside the enormous tree adorned with tiny snow-colored flowers, Harper appeared to be okay, but then again, it could be all a facade. She had tricked them all, including Fane and Charlotte.

Harper stood at the riverbed, a hand pressed against her ribcage, staring at the crystal clear waters. "I should have known it was him the moment I bit him."

Alaric's gaze snapped to her. "You fed from him and did not notice?"

"I have been told slayer blood can be addictive."

"True, but his would have been far more alluring."

"I now know that... The sight of him stirred the vampire within. I was such an idiot not to see the truth."

"Would it have made a difference?" Eloise inquired, seated next to Belinda. "In the end, knowing it was him wouldn't have changed anything. Denarius is an exceptional slayer, but... I suppose this would apply to all of them. Their animosity towards you all prompts them to act first and ask questions afterward. This is why my parents kept the truth from them. They feared they would kill me without a second thought."

"The law forbids such a thing." Harper coiled her arms around herself. "Any supernatural can live in human towns and cities."

"That could be the law, but once someone is revealed to be supernatural, they turn on them. I saw it with Ezra... Hatred plagues most slayer's hearts."

"If his words would have held any truth to them, my mark would look more like a scar."

Eloise seized the blades of grass beside her feet, yanked them off the earth, and tossed them aside. Before they hit the ground, they turned into flowers. "I would have thought you'd be experts in the bond between two beloveds." Her gaze focused on Harper, who remained rooted to the ground. "You listened to his heart. His rejection is real. The only thing keeping that mark from turning into a scar is that his heart can still be changed. You have three years from his rejection."

Alaric appeared surprised. "How would you know such a thing?"

"When the mark appeared on me, I became obsessed with researching more about the bond, and from what I've found, the chains forcing the beloveds together were created by a powerful coven long ago. After all the chaos, when the war ended, this ensured no one would stand in the way of the beloveds, or they would grow mad. In my opinion, this magic should be severed."

"Forced?" Alaric inquired. "No one is forced, Eloise—Do you think you are chained to me?"

"I, like many others, have fallen for my beloved, but Alaric, let's not pretend there haven't been occasions where they have been forced."

"Bonds have existed long before the war." Harper turned to them, her eyes glimmering in the sunlight. "No chains are forcing Beloveds together."

"Then why are five vampires growing mad? If such magic didn't exist, they wouldn't be in such mental states. The magic of the chosen zone has protected many from being dragged from their homes and kidnapped. Don't deny the events of the past."

Harper averted her gaze. "I would never be that blind to think there is no supernatural who would do such a thing, but that is forbidden. Kidnapping a human, even if that human is one's beloved, is punishable by death."

"Were those who committed such crime actually punished?"

"Fane's father had no mercy for those who dare do such a thing... Perhaps that is why some clans hated him. They thought he was too merciful with humans... Even after the war."