Demons (Darkness #4)(15)

“You have to figure out a way to link with her magically,” the Boss retorted.

“You think this is over?” Toa shot back, stunning everyone mute with his uncustomary animation. “There’ll be more demons. There’ll be more perils. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe in a week. Right now, you are her only hope. And you’ve failed once—what about the next time? What then? Will you let your pride kill her, or will you let someone else help her to live? A blood link is the only way!”

Charles barely had time to witness a flash of anxious defeat cross the Boss’ face before he was hobbling up with Sasha in his arms, Jonas helping him stand. He didn’t have time for the challenge that was sure to follow—Sasha wasn’t out of the woods yet.

Chapter 4

I was giving Toa a run for his money in the blank stare department. “I’m sorry, come again?”

Toa sat across from me in one of the many rooms in the mansion. Calm and unaffected, as normal, he was trying to convince me to gnaw on his vein. This, to him, was a perfectly normal request.

“With magic like yours, it is sometimes necessary to establish another blood link so you can acquire help in times of…stress,” Toa explained for the millionth time.

“You are creating the current times of stress, Toa.” I grimaced. The thought of drinking his blood was…revolting. Drinking blood period, when I logically thought about it, turned my stomach. But with Stefan it was intimacy so acute that I felt it the length of my body. It didn’t seem abnormal with him. Even the taste was sweet and earthy, pleasurable.

“No, Toa. Just…ew. No. And Stefan would flip.”

“Stefan has given his consent.”

My flat stare became incredulous. Toa’s stare never wavered. “Stefan gave his consent? Stefan. The guy that made my bodyguard pee himself when he thought Charles might’ve laid a hand on me. That Stefan?”

“He realizes that his inaction nearly killed you the other night. You are the most precious thing in his life; it is not asking overmuch to secure your survival. He sees the value in what I propose. He is facing issues from his childhood that shaped him in both negative and positive ways. He’s latching onto the negative, clouding his judgment. He has realized this—he is an excellent leader to have done so. It now becomes your obligation to follow through. When he can’t help you magically, you will need to turn to another.”

“And that’s you? So you’re going to what, shadow me the rest of my life?”

“We could’ve lost you, Sasha. Your father, this clan, and our entire organization would’ve suffered. We need to take steps to prevent that.”

“Okay,” I waved my hand like I was swishing away flies. “You can cut out the lecture tone and talk normally. You don’t have to be all professional about it.”

“That is exactly what this is—a professional arrangement. You share a very soft link with Dominicous. He is family. Would it be so strange if you extended that link with the person who shares his blood link?”

“Yes. It would.”

We were back to the stare-off. Those ice blue eyes held mine serenely, his hands clasped in his lap. I wouldn’t be surprised if he asked for a cup of tea next with a pretty little flowery cup and a saucer.

Still…I had to concede that it had been a close call. I’d been out for two days, so near the brink that only Stefan’s blood could revive me. If Toa hadn’t disbanded that demon just in time, I wouldn’t be sitting here right now. He had saved my life, and now asked to have an easier way to do it in the future.

My stomach turned for a different reason. I hated that Toa was right. That I’d needed Stefan’s help with that demon, and he wouldn’t supply it. Worse, since that night, three nights ago, he’d been distant. Fear, uncertainty and guilt washed through the link constantly, his emotions raging from one thing to the other even though his face stayed perfectly blank. That demon had triggered old wounds, and now he was trying to shut me out.

But sucking blood from the guy in front of me was a bit extreme. Plus, in what world did I want Toa to feel all my emotions? I might be able to figure out how to cut them off without simultaneously cutting off Stefan’s, but I’d still feel what Toa was feeling.

Yuck. No way.

I shook my head. “Why didn’t Stefan talk to me about this? He doesn’t just give up control.”

“As I said, he does not like it, but he does see the value in it. I doubt he wanted to show his weakness by admitting his inabilities.”

“You people and your fear of weakness.” I blew out a frustrated breath. “Look, either we need to find a different way to share magic, or we just won’t. This has gone too far into insanity-ville.”

Toa maintained his patient tone as he said, “Stefan is sacrificing on a personal level so that you may have some assurance. Some safety. Will you spit in his eye by refusing?”

Lead settled into my body. The one thing I didn’t want to do was let Stefan down for any reason. He’d constantly backed and supported me, sacrificed for me, taken the hard road to stay with me. I owed him some discomfort if it meant he’d rest easier.

I recommenced the stare off, assessing. I really didn’t want to. I really, really didn’t.

“I’m not convinced he approved this,” I muttered.