“Cia, can I come in?” Rhain asks, knocking on my bedroom door.

At the sound of his voice, I run to the door and lock it quickly. I can already feel that strange warmth fizzing in my chest, as though little sparks of fire are dancing over my skin. My body is shaking from the effort not to pull open the door and throw myself into his arms. I can’t decide what’s worse; feeling the way I do now and not acting on it, or being in Roland’s lair once again. No wonder Rhain is finding it so difficult to control himself if this is what the Claiming feels like.

“Cia, please, just open the door.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” I say, clenching my fists.

“Nothing will happen. You’ve been through enough. I won’t touch you.”

I’m beginning to understand that he is a man of his word. I know he won’t touch me, but I can’t guarantee that I won’t touch him. Christ, I’ve just gone through hell. My cheek is a swollen mess, my throat and neck sore. I’m bruised and woozy, and yet the desire I feel wants me to ignore all of that and have sex with him. It’s as though I have no control over myself anymore and I don’t like it. Not one bit.

“I don’t want you to come in, please, Rhain.” My voice wobbles with emotion as I press my palm against the door, knowing if I were to open it then we would end up having sex. I don’t want that, not like this, not after what has just happened. I don’t want to sleep with Rhain because of some weird vampire ritual.

He is quiet for a moment. “Cia, I’m sorry about what happened in the club.”

“If you’re talking about the girl you bit, I get it, you needed to feed.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

I slide down to the floor, my back resting against the door. I can hear Rhain do the same on the other side. “Then what do you mean?”

“You don’t remember?” he asks, surprise in his voice.

“Roland put something in my drink to make me lose control, a side effect is loss of memory. I remember seeing you with the girl, being on the dance floor… It gets a bit hazy after that. The drug Roland gave me prevented me from resisting him, making it easier for him to kidnap me. We call it the date-rape drug. He was going to inject it into me again before you turned up.”

“Cia, please believe me when I say if I’d known I wouldn’t have touched you, none of us would have.” I hear Rhain thump his fist against the floor.

Flashes of memory come back to me as I remember the heat of someone pressed to my back, the steady thump of music and hands caressing my body. “That was you on the dance floor? I thought I dreamed it.”

“It was the three of us. I thought, we thought... Damn it, Cia, we promised we wouldn’t touch you without your consent, and we did just that. I’m so sorry.”

Tears well in my eyes, and the enormity of what I’ve been through overwhelms me suddenly. I cry bitter tears, placing a hand over my mouth to stifle my sobs.

“Cia, damn it, I can’t even hold you. I want to hold you.”

I cry, letting all the fear, hurt and anger leave me until I’m exhausted. Rhain remains quiet on the other side of the door but I know he can hear my pain. After a while, I get up on shaky legs. “I’m so tired, Rhain. I need to sleep.” Exhaustion pulls at my body as I stumble towards my bed.

“Sleep, Cia. I will remain here until my brothers return.”

I get into bed, clothes and all, and fall into a fitful sleep.

* * *

The sound of thundering footsteps rushing up the stairs has me sitting bolt upright in bed.

A moment later the door crashes open and Ezra steps into my room, Rhain and Devin following quickly behind him. In two strides he is sitting by my side, examining my face. His large hands are warm and gentle. “You need to take my blood,” he orders.

“No, I’m fine,” I protest. “I’ll heal on my own this time.” I was adamant that there would be no more blood from Ezra.

“Accacia, don’t be foolish. You will feel better.”

“If you refuse to take my blood to live, then I will not take your blood to heal,” I say, folding my arms across my chest. He wasn’t the only one who could be stubborn.

“Fine. Then you need to get up, we have things to discuss.” With that he walks out, and I feel dismissed even though he is the one who has left the room. Rhain steps towards me, but I shake my head and he backs off. He’s the last person I want near me, at least that is what my common sense is telling me. My body, however, has other ideas.

Devin looks suspiciously at both of us. “Have you two…”

“No!” we both say simultaneously.

Devin holds his hands up. “No offence intended. Only, I can feel the tension from here. Lights only knows how you two are holding it together.”

My body begins to tremble at the effort it’s taking to not give into this out of control desire. I look at Devin helplessly, almost on the verge of tears once again. He turns to Rhain, guiding him to the door. “Give us a moment, will you?”

I see Rhain’s fists clench, but he doesn’t try to approach me. He glances quickly at me, his gaze like molten lava. Devin steps into the room and shuts the door.

“This feeling you have. It will only get worse, Accacia. My advice to you is to go with it. You will only suffer in the long run if you don’t, and Rhain, he’ll go crazy. He will return himself to the light. Is that what you want?”

I shake my head. “That’s just it, Devin, I don’t know what I want. This feeling I have, it doesn’t feel right. I don’t feel as though I have any control over my actions. I hate feeling like this. It’s no different to the drug Roland gave to me.” My voice breaks on a sob. Devin is by my side in an instant, his arm around my shoulders.

“Hush now,” he says, stroking his hand down my back. “That beast poisoned your blood with something, didn’t he? It made you behave differently, you didn’t know who you were, am I right?”

“Yes,” I whisper.

He sighs, pressing me closer to his side. “What you are feeling isn’t the same, Accacia, although it may feel like it is. The Claiming is first and foremost the bringing together of bodies, but it is more than that, much more. I have never experienced it myself, but it is sacred to our people. The Claiming only happens because it is meant to be. You and Rhain are meant to be, Accacia. Don’t fight it.”

I bury my head into Devin’s neck and before I know what I am doing, my hand snakes around his waist. I can feel the firm contours of his abs beneath my hand. Devin takes a deep breath.

“I don’t know what’s happening to me. I feel all over the place, Devin. I’m lost, I don’t know who I am anymore. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. I’ve lived a life in darkness without a real loving relationship for so long. Now, here I am surrounded by three men; one who will die if I don’t have sex with him and the other who wants to die rather than take my blood. Then there’s you…” I say, my voice trailing off.

“What about me?” Devin asks, his voice husky.

I pull away slightly and stare into his black eyes, suddenly wishing I could lose myself in them. “There is nothing out of my control that ties me to you, and yet I find myself thinking what it would be like…” I don’t finish the sentence, unsure whether that is how I feel, or if it is an ill-effect of the Claiming. Perhaps I am a slut, just like Roland said.

Devin pulls his arm from my shoulder and takes my hands in his. “You have lived too long in these lands, Accacia. You are consumed by doubt and bound by rules. Rules the people of Clan Lux never lived by before the curse was cast. We were a loving people, Accacia. We had sex, we loved freely and without binds. Some of our people chose to love one person, some chose to love more than one, and they were happy either way. You should never deny your feelings. It will only make you ill and I do not wish that for you.”

“I’m so confused,” I say.

“Of course you are. You’ve known nothing else but the rules of this land.”

“What do I do?”

“In the short term, we need to find a way to curb your desires enough so that you can be in the same room as Rhain without being consumed by your lust for him. After that it is up to you. You make your own decisions, but you must make them for the right reasons.”

“How do I do that? Rhain can curb his desires by drinking blood. I refuse to take any more from Ezra and I won’t do the same to you. Even distance from Rhain doesn’t work. I can still feel the desire, it’s driving me crazy,” I say, pressing my hand against my chest, trying to explain what I mean.

Devin squeezes my hand. “Perhaps?” he starts, then stops, checking himself.

“What?” I say. “Devin, if there is anything you can do to help, then please, help me.”

“It would mean a Binding, a temporary one of course.”

“What’s a Binding? Don’t tell me I must have sex with you too or drink your blood,” I say incredulously.

Devin smiles. “No, I wouldn’t ask you to do that. We have another custom in Clan Lux that has evolved as we have become the creatures we are today. It is probably the only blessing we have and one I am sure Queen Adrielle had not intended. We have the ability to bind our minds together so that we can communicate, support one another. I can bind my mind to yours temporarily. I can help you control your desires if you’ll let me.”

“How?” I stare at Devin, flabbergasted that such a thing is possible.

“With our blood.”

“I thought you said I don’t have to drink your blood?”

Devin runs a hand through his hair. “You don’t. I cut my palm, you cut yours, and we mix our blood. I say a few words and it’s done. It is useful in times of war when we need to communicate with one another over long distances. Rhain and I have completed the Binding before. Ezra refuses to do it. He’d rather not have another’s thoughts in his head.”

“How long does it last?”

“It is a temporary fix and lasts a few days at a time, give or take.”

“And I’ll hear you in my head?”

“Yes.”

“What happens once it runs out? I mean, will I need to do it again?”

“Only if you want to. Hopefully in a few days you will have had enough time to make your mind up about Rhain without this constant barrage of desire. I can help you keep that under control.”

“Can a Binding last longer then?”

“It can. It can last forever although a full Binding of souls is a long and drawn out process. It also needs a witch to seal it in place with a special ceremonial spell. Our friend Nostra has only completed two Binding ceremonies in his lifetime and he is far older than me.”

“Souls? You never mentioned anything about souls.”

Devin chuckles, his dark eyes lighting with amusement. “Yes, a small piece of our souls will be exchanged, but it will be temporary. You’ll get it back, I promise.”

“And you’re sure this will work?” I feel the desire for Rhain building within my chest and I find that I hate this absolute loss of control.

“I am positive it will help, yes.”

“Okay then.” I really have no other choice.

Devin pulls a small knife from the inside of his jacket. Without giving me any time to think, he turns my hand over and runs the tip of the blade over the centre of my palm. I barely register any pain as the skin parts and blood oozes from the wound. Devin turns his own hand over, slices quickly along his palm, then grabs my hand and presses it against mine.

Devin considers me. “Do you accept the Binding, Accacia?”

“Yes,” I say. The moment the words leave my lips I feel a surge of heat where our hands are joined. My vision is momentarily blinded by a flash of white light. As it clears Devin leans forward and brushes a gentle kiss against my lips before pulling away.

And so it is done, a voice says inside my head. It is Devin.

I shake my head in disbelief. Well, this is odd, I reply silently.

Devin grins, pulls me to my feet and kisses me again.

I raise my fingers to my lips, a smile spreading. “Was that part of the Binding?” I ask with a laugh.

“Not at all. But I thought that it might be the only chance I get to kiss you, so I took it.” He shrugs. “Now, let’s get your hand sorted, then we should go downstairs before Ezra bursts a vein in his head.”

A second later we hear Ezra shouting up the stairs, and I stifle a laugh. “I thought you said Ezra hasn’t done the Binding with you.”

“He hasn’t. I just know him all too well. He is not a patient man.”