Tippy’s notes: So this chapter focuses on my BloodBound MC Aminah Moreau, what she has been up to lately. For Eleanor, we are starting with her before or kind of right at the point that The Royal Romance started. With Aminah, we are well into BloodBound, like chapter 11 or 12. She is quite integrated into the vampire world at this point. The fic starts with rescuing Adrian and continues from that place but a little different.
Misha’s Notes- I love the contrast between the two stories and the two voices. With Eleanor’s chapters, we are getting a careful introduction into the world while Aminah is already there, which means the readers get both experiences and viewpoints and I think it is a lot of fun.
Trust Me
The late night air hits my face as I leave the Baron’s dungeons with all of the escaping prisoners. My nerves are on fire. I can feel the energy of the adrenaline just underneath my skin. I know my heart is racing, but I don’t feel it.
Jax and I are helping Adrian escape. He is usually so powerful. So imposing. I looked over at him, and he is trying to fight through the drugs they used to subdue him. Even in the moonlight, I can tell that his usually radiant russet brown skin was ashen. Adrian let more of his weight fall on my shoulder as we got closer to the getaway car.
“Just a few more steps,” I encourage. “A few more steps and you can rest again.”
Kamilah is waiting for us by the car. She sees that we have Adrian. I think she smiles before her usual determined demeanor returns.
“We don’t have much time. Get him in the back,” Kamilah cooly commands.
Jax and I guide Adrian into the back seat. He relaxes now that he is no longer being carried. I head to the other door. Kamilah is already in the driver’s seat, and Jax is about to enter the front. As I reach for the handle to get in, I feel my body being pulled against someone’s chest.
I scream as I struggle against him. He feels super strong. It must be one of The Baron’s guards. A Vampire. Jax quickly leaves the car and runs towards me. The guard who grabbed me is walking backward, pulling me away. It feels like it’s in slow motion, but I know vampires move fast.
I try to pull my body towards the ground, kicking my legs hoping my heels would scratch him or something. His grip only got tighter and was crushing me.
“Aminah, duck!” Jax shouts as he gets closer.
The person who is dragging me stops and laughs. Jax unsheathes his katana I bow my head low. The arms that were wrapped around me went slack as we both fall to the ground. I roll over to see the headless corpse of the guard by my side. I frantically move away as his body becomes ash. I can’t see where his head went. It’s probably ash now too.
Another set of arms grabbed me, bringing me to my feet. I see Kamilah’s face.
“Thankfully the pup has great aim, or there would have been two heads on the ground,” she quipped. I offer a small smile.
“Don’t look now. We have company,” Jax warns.
I look over his shoulder, sure enough, a dozen people vampires are barrelling towards us. I can’t tell if they are The Baron’s men or Vega’s men. Either way, we have to leave now.
“Aminah, do you know how to drive?” Kamilah asks.
“Yes.”
Kamilah removes a pair of daggers from her coat pocket. She most likely took them from The Baron.
“Get in the car and get him out of here!” She shouts.
Without missing a beat, she stabs one of the nameless henchmen in the eye with one dagger. The henchman screams out in horror before Kamilah stabs him in the heart. He clutches his chest, and an audible gurgle comes out of his lips with some blood. Within a blink, a dark grey cloud of ash appears where the henchman was a moment ago.
“What about you guys?” I call out.
“Can’t you see that the pup and I are busy? Just GO!”
A guard tries to tackle Kamilah, and she grabs him by the collar and throws him into a parked car setting off the car alarm. Another one heads toward me, and I run to the car. His fingers graze my ankles, but nothing happens.
“Not so fast my guy.” I hear Jax quip from behind me. “Those ankles belong to me.”
I look over my shoulder as he rolls the man who attempted to grab me onto their back and then he drives the tip of his sword into his heart. Our eyes meet, and Jax winks at me. My lips curl into a smile for him. It’s really juvenile to think this, but even in the middle of chaos, one look from Jax could make me smile.
I don’t waste any more time and get into the car and speed off into the streets. My eyes flick up to the rearview mirror to check for any vampires. The car bounces as it drives on the eroded road.
I am headed towards one of Jax’s old safehouses. Adrian groans in the back seat as I take a left turn into an alley. In the rearview mirror, I see Adrian lift his body up. Some of what he was sedated with must have left his system. Adrian looks out the window his eyes trying to recognize the building or get a clue of where we are.
“Take the next left,” he says.
“I already know the address of the safe house.”
“We’re not going there. Take the next left,” Adrian firmly commands.
I do as he says. I didn’t want to risk being in a position to backtrack. That could make it easier for us to be followed, I assume. Not that I am an expert in subterfuge and evasive driving techniques. Those skills weren’t exactly in the job description.
“If we are not going to the safehouse, where are we going?”
“Keep driving. I’ll tell you when we get there.”
Adrian presses his back against the seat as I continue to drive. Luckily even in New York, the city that never sleeps can have moments of low traffic. Nothing is said between us as we head to wherever we are headed. It was just quiet. Our eyes meet every so often in the rearview mirror. Each glance shows him regaining some of his strength.
A few more left turns, and I recognize where Adrian is taking us.
I see the MoMA in the distance. He directs me to a discreet place to park the car. The last time we were here, he wanted to wipe the memory of meeting him or any other vampire from my brain. I have no idea what we are doing now.
When we leave the car, I see Adrian stop and shake his head, as if he was dizzy.
“Are you okay?” I ask, gripping his muscular shoulder. “Do you need to feed?”
I saw the reluctance in his face before I heard it in voice.
“Aminah. I shouldn’t–”
“It’s okay. I want to help.”
He pulls me towards a dark alley. Adrian brushes my braids to the side, clearing a space for him to bite. I feel his breath hot on my neck. He steadies my body and leans in, his fang resting atop my skin. My heart races. I was used to Jax and Lily feeding on me. I liked how it feels when they do. I think about Adrian feeding on me and feeling that way, and it feels wrong. Like I am cheating on Jax. And Lily. While I am sure Lily could understand, I don’t think Jax would.
Usually, I wouldn’t care. We are not exclusive. We fucked my best friend together. Yet I still don’t want to let Adrian make me feel that way, or possibly better. I don’t want to hurt Jax.
Adrian bites down a little, and it’s too much.
“Stop, stop.”
He pulls away. His eyes are wide with worry.
“What’s wrong Aminah?”
“This feels a little too close. Can you bite my wrist?”
I felt guilty as soon as the words left my mouth. Adrian looks taken aback. His brown eyes flash his pain. He studies my face carefully. I know he knows that I am doing this because I have let someone else feed on me and I don’t want him to do that. I wait for him to ask the question but it never comes. Instead, he solemnly nods, and I extend my wrist to him. Adrian bites down. I hiss at the sharp pain of that initial bite. It dulls down, and the warmth of arousal takes its place. It’s not as intense as it is from Jax. I feel sharp bits of pain every now and then, but it still feels good overall. I think if Adrian wanted to he could debrief me by feeding. I ponder what death by massive orgasm would feel like.
Quickly enough, Adrian withdraws his fangs from my wrist. He pricks his thumb and closes the wounds.
“Feeling better?”
“Much,” he says curtly. “Thank you.”
We continue walking towards our destination. Adrian enters the code, and we are now in the Musea Sanguis. It hasn’t changed from the last visit. As much as I want to look around in awe of the all of this secret history I am surrounded in, all I can think of is why he came here and not the warehouse.
My eyes look over to Adrian. Now that he has fed, the pallor from earlier is gone, and his radiant skin has returned.
“Why are we coming here and not—,” I hissed.
“Welcome!” Jameson greeted exiting from the room with the sarcophagus. “I see you have brought this lovely young lady again. Changed your mind on the debriefing? Many mortals do. You have managed to stay engaged longer than I thought which is impressive.”
I cock my head to the side. “No.”
“Actually, I came to look into a few things. Privately.”
Jameson nodded.
Adrian turned back to me. “Aminah, wait here.”
Adrian and Jameson go into a different room, and I start to wander around the museum thinking about the last time I was here. It’s hard to believe that it was only three weeks ago. Then again if you are pulled into a supernatural underworld by a charismatic technological billionaire vampire, it’s not like you can just go step-by-step.
Everything between then and now feels different even though the museum has not changed.
The last time I was here I had spent the most thrilling life of my life with my hot boss wearing an exquisite Priya LaCroix original, and was just saved from a feral. I just refused to have my memory erased. The tension in the air between Adrian and I was so thick.
“There is no limit to what you’ll find when you go looking in the shadows,” Adrian said with a wink as we were walking down the aisles of old and older books. I give him a sly smile as I follow after him.
“That’s wild…How do you know so much about this stuff?”
“I have studied it for decades,” he says matter of factly.
I raise an eyebrow. “So a supernatural fanboy?”
Adrian chuckles. His eyes meet mine. “I believe the technical term is ‘scholar.’ I can tell you about anything in this library.”
“Anything?” I ask. “Let’s put that to the test.”
My eyes circle around, looking for something to ask about. I want to stump him, but I also wish to know what is behind his lingering stares.
“Try me,” Adrian said. He took a step closer to me. His gaze never wavering. “I am sure that I can meet your challenge.”
“Okay.”
I glance around the library one more time. I already know what I am about to do, but you have to draw it out. Make him anticipate what you have to say. I learned that tidbit from an acting class I took in college.
“I meet his eyes once again.
“Tell me about… me.”
“You?” He replies in shock.
“I am in the library,” I smirk. “And you said ‘anything.’”
I reach out to play with the lapel of his expensive suit. He shakes his head, but I can see him fighting a smile. He locks eyes with me.
“You continue to surprise me.”
“I should. You don’t know me.”
Adrian steps closer, his hands cupping the back of my arms.
“Well, you asked me to tell you about you…” he challenged. “…So you must think I know something.”
He quirked an eyebrow. Now I am trying to hide my smile from him.
“Alright let’s see…”
Adrian’s hands glide up to my bare shoulders, and my skin tingles underneath them. My whole body feels his gaze as he studies me. Trying to formulate an answer to my challenge. I look away trying to lessen the intensity of his focus. I don’t know why it feels intimidating to feel the full brunt of his attention and why it’s alluring to me at the same time. I look up, and his dark brown eyes meet mine.
“You’re fierce and compassionate…and far braver than I ever expected.”
He smiles as he strokes my shoulders. I feel my tan cheeks blush. I shouldn’t be as thrilled by this as I am.
“Flatterer,” I deflect.
He flippantly shrugs his shoulders. “You asked. I am just telling you what I know.”
It was all so glamorous then. Now, I am running for my life covered in dirt. Adrian is not in his usual expensive suit. The shine is kind of gone.
I shake my head leaving the moment in the past. Adrian comes into the room. He pockets some empty syringes.
“Aminah I just have to look up a couple more things, and then we can talk about our next moves.”
I nod, and he takes off towards one of the stacks further back. I walk around aimlessly in the museum, touching an old book here, admiring an artifact there. My wandering brings me closer to the room with the strange sarcophagus again. That pit in my stomach returns as the pull to take a closer look. I walk closer and closer to the curtain. I reach to pull it back when I hear voices that bring me to reality.
Your plan is close to fruition my master.
Is that Jameson? I think to myself.
Soon there will be war and chaos among the Clans, and the setting would be ripe for your return.
I covered my mouth and walked away as quietly as possible. Whose return is Jameson talking about? The thought gives me bad vibes. Don’t know why. It just does. I walk away from the curtain quickly, and I rush over to Adrian who was still reading and shook his shoulder.
“We have to go. We can’t stay here.” I hissed.
Adrian’s eyes narrowed, then he intoned through gritted teeth,“ What are you talking about?”
I reached out and touched his arm. “Do you trust me?”
His eyes searched mine. Looking for a reason to say no. I have given him so many.
He took a deep breath before giving in. “Yes.”
“Then we gotta go. I will explain outside.”
Adrian considers my words for a moment and then nods. We gather our things and start to leave when Jameson comes out of the room.
“Going so soon?” Jameson asks, seemingly reappearing out of nowhere.
“I’m afraid so,” Adrian says. I can hear his effort to maintain the tone he had earlier. Jameson frowns then gently kisses my hand. I fight not to snatch it away from him delicate touch.
“Until we meet again,” he says. He bows with a flourish as I mutter a hasty goodbye.
We walk the streets of New York. The sky is starting to get brighter hinting that we need to find somewhere to lay low before daybreak. He sees a dark alleyway and pulls me in. I lean against the wall. Adrian stands in front of me, a stern expression on his face.
“Care to tell me what has you suspicious?”
“I saw something weird. You know that room with the weird sarcophagus?”
Adrian nods.
“Well while you were waiting, I heard him muttering about ‘things going to plan,’ and he wants there to be ‘chaos’ and stuff.”
Adrian leans back against the brick wall. “Hmm.”
I stand in front of him. “Hmm? That’s all you got? I got some bad vibes in there.”
“Okay. I will follow your gut on this one. Besides we would have needed to leave soon anyway. It’s almost dawn, and we need to find somewhere to lay low.”
“Well, we can always go to the safehouse that Jax told us about. Like we had planned before.”
Adrian studies my face for a moment before shaking his head. His jaw tightened.
“No. Absolutely not.”
“Why?”
“We need longer-term arrangements than a Clanless safehouse. Also if the other Clanless or Vega and the other Clan Leaders find us there, it could bring more trouble to the Clanless.”
Adrian let his glance become a stare before adding, “That is an outcome we do not want.”
I nodded. Adrian was right. Any association with the Clanless would do more harm than good. There is a part of me that is really disappointed that I wouldn’t be in Jax’s immediate vicinity. It would be nice to be able to sneak away with him with ease.
“Then we should leave town,” I offer.
He shoots that down instantly as well. “I have to be available to my clan members as well as get a few important things from my office.”
“The serum?” I asked.
The serum was a game changer. The day I saw Adrian use it and walk in the sunlight unaffected let me know that this was no ordinary drug. I knew he was working on other vampire experiments, but this was different than the others. He didn’t make this to necessarily help anyone as he did it to reclaim a part of himself.
“Yes. Vega and his men want it and have gone out of his way to pull this stunt to get closer to it.”
Vega could definitely benefit from the serum for his political career.
“Where are we going to go?”
“I have a different plan,” he said, and we continued to walk.
“We are going to the Cordonians to hide out there.”
I stopped walking. “The who?”
“Not all of the world’s vampires live in New York,” Adrian explained. “There are small populations in other countries, Cordonia is one of them.”
“I feel like I know that place.”
“Watch The Crown and the Flame?”
“That’s it! Lily loves that show.”
I briefly remembered how she made me binge watch the show before the new season started. I am still not so sure about it, but if Lily likes it, I love it.
“Well, the Cordonian Vampires are here in New York. Not many people know they are in town. They like to lie low.”
“What makes you think they would take us in or that we would be safe there?”
“I don’t know for sure if they would take us,” Adrian admitted.
We slip into another alley. I look around, and I notice that we are close to Times Square.
He continued as we walked, “but I do know that with the clans divided as they are this is not going to just blow over. This could be the start of a war.”
I stop again. “A war?”
“Yes. If or maybe when that happens, we are going to need allies. Cordonians may be isolationist in terms of participation on the world’s stage, but on the same token, they keep their treachery amongst themselves.”
I raise an eyebrow.
“In America, we keep the truth about the Vampire world hidden. In Cordonia, they don’t. The citizens there know about the vampire world. The Vampires and the Cordonian Monarchy ruled peacefully together then 3 years ago there was a coup. The Vampire Queen Turned the next in line and effectively took over. The ruling king died shortly after his son was Turned. Afterward, the one-time prince became part of the Vampire ruling body there, and they are moving forward.”
I stand in front of him and put a hand on his chest.
“These are the people you think will help us.”
Adrian looks down at the ground then looks into my eyes. He lets off a dejected sigh.
“They are our best shot.”