Contract Bound [Old Draft]

Chapter Twenty-One

Fane's gaze fell upon her filled with disbelief before he too moved toward her. She jumped into his opened arms, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"I thought I would never see you again." His voice revealed the pain within.

When she pulled away, he cupped her face. "I'm sorry—I'm such a fool." Then she kissed him. A hand on her waist pulled her closer to him as the kiss intensified.

Someone cleared their throat. "May I remind you that you are not alone." Ethan chuckled.

After they ended the kiss, Belinda didn't move away from Fane and smiled at Ethan and Armelle. "Thank you for helping me."

Armelle returned the gesture. "There is no need to thank us."

Zaeley came, a smile on her lips and the twins in her arms. Belinda grabbed Bexley and kissed her forehead.

"That mark," Armelle said in complete astonishment.

"What about it?" Fane asked.

"Nothing. We—We have to go. It was nice seeing you again," Armelle grabbed Ethan's hand, who was staring at Bexley's mark in disbelief and tugged him toward the woods surrounding the mansion.

Belinda spotted Grace with a group she assumed were her fallowers. After handing Bexley back to Zaeley, she moved faster than she ever thought posible and slapped her across the face, sending her stumbling sideways. Fane wrapped his arms around her, stopping her from hitting Grace again.

"Love, What are you doing?" Everyone was staring at them in astonishment. Perhaps because Grace was pretending to be their unconditional ally. She had played the part so well. Capturing the traitors and handing them to Fane.

"She was the one who pushed me over the cliff! She was present when my family—when everyone in town was murdered.

"W-What?" Keisha moved but Niko held her back. "You fucking bitch!"

"She's lying." Grace glared at her. "You have just assaulted—"

"Oh please drop the damn act." Belinda fought against Fane. "You did it because you wanted me out of the picture. You're obsessed with Fane!"

"I told you she no longer was fit to be our leader," a tall female with scarlet hair stepped forward from the group behind Grace. "Your obsession with the vampire king will be the death of us all."

Some people knelt and lowered their heads, but others from the group stood behind Grace, clearly revealing the group was split between weather to stand by their leader, or follow the woman who had stepped forward. The woman knelt as her eyes flashed black. "I, Victoria, and my followers condemn our leader's actions."

Fane released Belinda and moved to grab Grace by the neck. "Did you try to kill her?" Grace said nothing. "Answer me!" He lifted her a couple of inches of the ground. "You said that she was attacked by the slayers—I and my allies were planning to exterminate them all!"

Fane let her go and she crumbled to the ground, tears streaming down her face as she looked up at him. "I did it to save you. Can't you see what it's so obvious to everyone else? She will be the death of you."

"Trying to kill the future Queen is punishable by death," Zaeley said. "Fane, you know what has to be done." She smiled at the twins in her arms before heading into the house .

All around them the guards came but they didn't attack. They held their swords in front of them, tips to the ground. Niko stood with his group but didn't move either.

Within seconds, the group who stood behind Grace shifted and leaped forward. Fane moved Belinda out of the way before one locked its teeth around her arm. He moved at high speed by her side and struck one, a hard blow that send him toward to the ground. Belinda was there within seconds and before she knew it, she had sunk her fingers into his neck and ripped it to shreds. No leopard had a chance against them.

Once they were all dead, she stood by Fane's side, bathed in blood just as he was. Grace seemed too astonished to move, speak.

Why did it not perturb her that she had committed murder?

Why did she like this immense power?

Grace stood as Belinda walked closer to her. "I will not ask for your forgiveness."

Belinda stopped and smiled. "Do you really believe that I would even consider forgiving you?"

Grace swung her hand and Belinda ducked. When Grace tried to strike her again, Belinda caught her fist and squeezed until she could hear the bones cracking. Grace did not scream though. Not even when Belinda kicked her legs and forced her back to her knees.

"He will regret not killing you..." She shook her head, tears streaming down her eyes. "Sooner or later, he will have to do it, or you will destroy not only him but also your children."

Belinda stopped her hand from piercing Grace's neck as she fought back the images Sapphire had shown her of a possible future.

Grace swung her hand and sliced Belinda's arm, which healed instantly. Wide-eyed, she stared at Belinda before she grabbed her by the neck and drew her closer. "I told you that I was going to kill you." She snatched the dagger in her hands and shoved it on the side of her neck.

Grace pulled the dagger out and held a hand against the bleeding wound as she bend over, coughing. Blood splattered on the ground. When she lurched to her feet, Belinda shoved her hand into her chest, ripping through flesh and bone. When she yanked it back, she had a heart in her hands.

Grace's body fell to the ground with a thud. Belinda dropped the heart and tried to clean her bloodstained hands on her shirt to no success.

Fane cupped her face and forced her to meet his gaze. "You okay?" As he leaned his forehead against hers, she closed her eyes.

"Even if you hate to admit it...Grace was right." She opened her eyes and stared into his silvery  ones. "I will be the death of you...and our children."

He shook his head. "I doubt it." Her lips parted, but he spoke again before she could. "The bullet that struck me after Katherine was killed contained a spell that was slowly killing me. When Elisa tried to break through, another activated, one that clearly was there to harm you, to make you bleed so that I would lose myself in the thirst."

"Fane—"

"Let me finish." He smiled at her. "When I bit you, blinded by the thirst, the dark queen came to the surface to protect herself. You bit me and if you desired so, you could have killed me in that instant...but you didn't. You came back to your senses."

She shook her head. "Elisa got in my head and managed to help me come back."

"No. You came back and Elisa was able to help you put at bay that darkness within you. When we lose ourselves, nothing brings us back, not even magic."

"But what if I lose control again?"

"It won't happen again."

"How can you be so certain?"

"Because I will help you and so will your friends." He pressed their foreheads against each other again. "You're not alone in this." He kissed her and she submitted to him.

"What the fuck happened here?"

Belinda smiled at her brother before he hugged her. "So, I'm guessing Grace finally betrayed you?"

Fane did not smile. "I should have known she would."

Alaric tapped his back. "Lesson learned, right?"

Fane smacked his back as well but a little harder. Alaric just laughed. It was surprising how much had changed. Alaric and Fane were no longer enemies fighting for the throne, but allies. Would it be as easy for Blaise and Fane to become allies as well?

She hoped so.