Bleeding Hearts

Chapter 10

*Aaliyah's P.O.V*

I decide to spend the rest of the day outside. I'm not exactly pleased with being stuck on the same grounds as the vampiric council but I can't exactly leave. I mean I could technically teleport away but I didn't really want to end up magically exhausted again. Rana wouldn't leave me alone but I wasn't sure if that was her trying to be a nice big sister or if it was her being in tune with her healer side.

It didn't surprise me that she had become a healer. Her magic had always been healing based. When we were younger and doing stupid things, she would use her magic to heal me when I got hurt so I didn't go tattle to our parents. It did work most of the time so I couldn't say it was a bad idea.

Most healing magic was a lot more advanced than what Rana used to do. Most healing magic was based on runes and potions which is why it took so long to become a healer. You could use spells for things like scrapes and bruises. Runes were used for broken bones and potions could be used for chronic illnesses or injuries.

It was a really interesting branch of magic. I didn't think it was as interesting as blood magic though. Blood magic required you using the magic within your veins and it required strong emotion behind it to make it work. That was how I could put up blood wards to hide my location and shield my home. It took my blood and the strong emotion of fear to keep it warded.

I had used fear as my emotion to ward my home because I did feel fear deep down about being found. I should probably check to make sure the wards are still standing. I knew the wards around my bar would still be standing because I had based it off the emotion of pride that I felt when I had bought it. Plus they were just protective wards to keep things from being broken and burned in case anything like a fire happened. Oh Zero is going to be pissed that I kind of just disappeared.

"Do you have my phone?" I ask Rana as I stop pacing around the council grounds. There are hedges that line the stone fence that tower over me. I could probably scale the hedges if I try hard enough but I'm a little tired of running like prey.

"I put it on the nightstand in the guest room," Rana says and I nod my head.

"Why do you need it?" she asks and I can't tell if it is an innocent question or one where she is trying to get more information. I have a hard time telling when people are just curious or if they are being nosey. I decide to lean towards the second one just to be cautious.

"I need to call someone," I state as I turn around, heading for the nearest door to get inside. I know the quickest ways to get inside from when I was little since I often used to run around these grounds when my grandparents were babysitting me.

I retrace my steps back to the guest room, ignoring the guards that watch me. If they were so interested in looking at me, they should just take a picture. It would last longer after all. I roll my eyes at that thought, cursing myself for even thinking something like that. It felt like a stupid joke you would see in a movie or written in the beginning of a romance book.

I pick up my phone, taking a deep breath when I see missed calls and texts from both Zero and Miachel. I decided to call Zero first since she was the one most likely to answer. As soon as it starts to ring, she answers.

"Where the hell did you go? You go into a room, one I find out that you used to summon a demon to make a deal, and then just completely disappear," Zero's voice sounds panicked and worried. Honestly I was a little touched that she cared so much.

"The demon I summoned was my godmother and she betrayed me, bringing in my sister to heal me since technically she caused it. My sister fed me a sleep potion and then kidnapped me. There's a lot more after that but it's been hectic," I tell her honestly and I can hear her make this weird sort of exhale, like she's trying to absorb everything that I said.

"Okay," Zero says slowly. "That was not what I was expecting to hear. I mean I expected something with a demon but I was not expecting the family stuff," she states.

"I know. My family is crazy," I groan after a moment as I sit down on the bed.

"Yes, I already knew that," Zero chuckles. "Would you like me to come rescue you? Or are you staying with your family?" she asks.

"I can't leave. I'm stuck on the grounds of the vampire council," I inform her and I hear her suck in a deep breath on the other end of the phone.

"Oh, that is just lovely," Zero says and the sarcasm is plain in her voice.

"Isn't it," I say as I look up at the ceiling with a frown on my lips.

"So what is going to happen?" Zero asks and I can suddenly hear Miachel's voice in the background. It suddenly goes quiet and I realized that she had muted her side of the call, probably to talk to Miachel about what was going on.

"Um...Aaliyah," Rana's voice comes from the doorway and I raise an eyebrow, looking in her direction.

"What?" I ask as my grip on my phone tightens just slightly. I don't know why, maybe I was still holding a bit of anger with her. I mean she also believed Elyas over me.

"The vampire council wants to see you. Now," Rana says after a moment. That takes all the anger away. If the council wanted to see me now, considering they were always super busy, they were probably not going to be in a good mood. Despite that, I know I can't just say no.

"Okay," I say, my hand shaking slightly as I hang up with Zero. I take a moment to text her what is going on even though she probably heard before I get up.

"The witch council is also here," Rana says and at that, I throw myself backwards on the bed.

"Nope. I'm not dealing with both councils," I declare as I cross my arms over my chest. I was not leaving this room, that I swore.