Blood Bound
B***d Bound Chapter 10

MAYA SIGHED DEEPLY with a tight frown painted on her b***d-red lips. Now that she was back in the safety of her apartment, she had resorted to finding other answers to the escalating problems.

So far, she’d found nothing.

And as the hours crawled by, the cumbersome addiction made itself known again. It was constantly trying to taunt her, tickling and teasing until her mouth became incredibly dry with unfathomable thirst.

No matter how far the distance between Xavier Thaeos and her became, the scent of his b***d remained vivid and enchanting to her currently enhanced senses.

It was gradually becoming stronger, as if he were standing right in front of her with b***d dripping down his arms, waiting for her to take the bait. But she wasn’t going to fall for his trickery again.

Once was enough for her to learn her lesson.

“Maybe you should try to find something more addictive than his b***d. Like food or drugs or alcohol—something,” Everette suggested, setting a bottle of hard whiskey on the coffee table.

The dark sorceress snorted, glancing at the glass bottle in moderate consideration.

Although Everette’s idea was quite logical, she knew it would not be favorable on her behalf. It was already hard enough trying to deny the strong urges to leap out of the window, find her way to the Cardinal Alpha and stab him with a dagger to drink his b***d.

A cold smirk bloomed on her rose-petal lips at the awry imagery of repeatedly stabbing him in sadistic enjoyment.

But unfortunately, she didn’t really have to stab him. The bastard kept himself bleeding from the moment she’d left the cavern till now, probably in hopes of seeing her shamelessly crawl her way back to him.

Maya snorted in an unladylike manner.

He could wait all his damned immortal lifetime for all she cared, because that was never going to happen.

He would be a fool to think otherwise.

She had already embarrassed herself enough by fleeing like cornered prey before its vicious predator.

Maya wasn’t going to put her head back into the crocodile’s mouth, knowing it could chomp her face off at any given minute.

The consequences were far too grave for such brainless behavior.

And become addicted to two things at once? Are you trying to help me or kill me, Everette? Maya asked, raising a dainty brow.

Just a suggestion, Everette replied, shrugging her delicate shoulders. Who knows, it might work.

The dove shifter set a glass cup down. She opened the bottle, poured the hard liquor into the cup, and handed it to the dark sorceress.

Without an ounce of hesitation, Maya quickly downed it in one breath, grimacing as the alcohol burned its way down her throat in an entirely different way than that of the Alpha’s b***d.

It wasn’t pleasurable.

In fact, it was rather repugnant and bitter.

Regardless of it being water or liquor, nothing could quench the extremely agitating thirst accompanied by this despicable addiction. Had she known earlier, she wouldn’t have stupidly put her head into the noose and let him tighten it to his heart’s content.

Maya scoffed for the third time in remembrance of the Cardinal Alpha’s words.

What did he say they were again?

Oh, right.

Mates.

She frowned disdainfully at the disturbing term that brought an ugly snarl to her red lips. Just the thought was sickening in ways she didn’t know were possible.

It was highly deplorable, utterly repulsive, and despicably upsetting.

Who in their right mind would want to be bound to a werewolf for the rest of eternity?

That would be a cruel and unusual punishment for any female lucky enough to hit that pothole.

From her prior experience, Maya knew those were-creatures were only good at hurting others. They were dangerous, feral, and full of deceit.

How they were destined to have mates was beyond her.

Have you tried asking Marion for help? I’m sure he could figure something out, Everette asked, grabbing another glass cup from the cupboard for herself.

The dove shifter picked up the whiskey bottle and poured herself a cup, sampling the taste on her tongue with a satisfied expression on her face.

It was a good thing she’d borrowed some alcohol from grandpa Druid’s liquor collection. At stressful times, it was always useful to get a little buzzed.

He said he’d look for loopholes. But it doesn’t look too promising, Maya replied calmly.

She wasn’t too bothered by the news, because she already knew the outcome.

Marion had adamantly tried to warn her, but she had stubbornly disregarded his wise words with a defiant tilt of her jaw. Now, she was regretting her choices and wished she had listened to him.

Maybe you should get some sleep, Everette suggested, noting the absent look on the sorceress’s pale face. Her red eyes skimmed over Maya’s trembling body as she suppressed a frown.

Maya nodded slowly in response and chugged down another cup of hard whiskey, hardly able to taste anything other than dry bitterness on her tongue.

If I try to leave, you know what to do, the sorceress stated. She placed another strong spell on the surface of her bedroom door before entering the room and leaving the dove to her whiskey.

Maya had spent the majority of her afternoon precariously crafting several spells to keep herself from leaving her apartment.

With the full moon coming tonight, this was the pinnacle of the b***d ritual’s effects. From what she’d read, the final step was to be completed on this very night, or else the ritual would become forfeit and lose its effects entirely.

Albeit Maya was quite saddened at the thought of losing his powers, she couldn’t help but feel slightly relieved.

At least she wouldn’t be chained and bound to him for the rest of eternity.

In the darkness of the night, red slowly bled across the silver surface of the moon, gradually encompassing the bright and iridescent warmth with the color of b***d.

From inside the quiet confines of her room, a dark sorceress laid fast asleep on her bed.

She was strapped down by silver chains on her spindly wrists, like how a certain Alpha had been strapped against the cold wall of her cavern. For days.

As the red moon’s glow eerily seeped in through the closed curtains, her silken lashes fluttered and danced upon her porcelain cheeks. After a moment, her vibrant green eyes opened, glowing like lanterns in the dark. Desperate and needy from inconceivable agitation.

After a moment to gather her bearings, her face scrunched from the heavy pang of a mind-wrenching hunger settled deep inside her stomach, aching as it tried to claw its way out.

Looking down, Maya glared at the many seals plastered all across her body.

Everette? she called, voice husky and worn from her fitful slumber. Her green orbs glinted sharply with an animalistic craze and her long lashes barely hid the dark and vicious intentions.

After hearing the raspy call, Everette was quick to make an appearance outside Maya’s door. The dove was obviously alert and wary because of the serious situation.

Before the sorceress could ask, the dove shifter explained, You started sleepwalking, so I sealed you up.

Everette’s voice was slightly muffled through the wood of the door.

I need to use the bathroom, Maya lied, heatedly staring at the doorknob to see if the dove was going to be thoughtless enough to break the spell and enter.

Everette hesitated, feeling oddly anxious and fearful, but she shrugged it off.

Maya was all tied up and sealed down.

Nothing could happen, she tried to reassure herself.

With her fingers settled against the cold doorknob, Everette peeled off the paper spell and opened the door to poke her head inside, glancing at the dark sorceress chained pathetically on the bed.

It was terribly sad to see how much the addiction affected Maya. Even her personality was starting to alter from the ritual’s insistent demands.

Talk about karma, Everette thought to herself. Her red eyes swept over Maya’s immobile form in uncertain contemplation.

Wait a minute.

Did Maya’s eyes always glow like that?

You don’t seem yourself, Everette commented, more to herself than to the dark sorceress.

I’m fine, Maya replied sternly. I don’t want to piss myself. Hurry and take these off.

I don’t want you to either, but I don’t trust you right now. So I’m not going to let you out, Everette said calmly, crossing her arms over her chest. A wide smirk formed on her lips.

For once, it felt good to say no to the sorceress.

Everette! the sorceress exclaimed in frustration, but the dove only turned back around and trotted out of the room.

Before Maya could blow up, Everette reappeared inside the room with a mug of hot tea in one hand and a cooking pan in another.

Maya’s eyes narrowed.

Here’s a pan you can piss in for now, Everette said, setting her cup temporarily on the nightstand next to the dark sorceress. She then bent down and placed the pan on the floor. Take it or leave it.

The dove proceeded to giggle at the audacious idea of the dark sorceress primitively peeing into the pan.

This was the day she had been waiting for.

Don’t forget the toilet paper, Maya reminded, uncaring of the dove’s teasing laughter. Her mind was quickly calculating an escape route that seemed far too easy.

Everette rolled her eyes. How could I forget?

The dove shifter quickly shuffled into the bathroom adjoined to Maya’s room for a roll of toilet paper. As she disappeared behind the wooden door, a dark smirk blossomed on the sorceress’s lips.

Deviously.

Demonically.

Everette picked up a roll of toilet paper from the cabinet when she heard the slight movement of the chains dragging across the floor.

Her lips pursed, and she made a sharp turn as her stomach twisted with worry.

But by the time she made it back to the room, it was far too late.

Everette was stunned and horrified as she watched the dark sorceress dump the entire cup of hot tea down the front of her immobile body, where the many spells laid.

Everything went downhill from there.

The mystic symbols on the seals sparked like when electricity met water, before the words blurred together in a blend of watered-down ink. The stained paper peeled off like wet stickers, and the silver chains rippled like ocean waves as they dripped off Maya’s spindly arms.

Everette dropped the white roll of toilet paper and screeched loudly. But before she could do anything, Maya vanished in a cloud of black shimmering smoke and droplets of hot tea.

Damn it, Maya! Everette screamed in frustration, stomping on the carpeted floor.