Chapter 7 Distance that kills

LYRA

My mother stepped forward, placing a gentle hand on Vane's arm. She leaned in, her voice a soothing murmur. "Vane, listen to her. If she attends Thornewood, she will be entirely out of the public eye during the sensitive treaty negotiations. It keeps the scandal out of the Council's immediate view."

Vane went still. The tension in the room became a physical barrier pressing against my chest as I waited for his judgment.

"Fine," he finally growled. His amber eyes locked onto mine like a sniper scope. "You have three days to finalize your transfer and pack your life. Your mother and I will return to the capital tonight."

He took one step closer to me.

"This is your final chance, Lyra. You have disgraced the Thorne Chen name enough for one lifetime. If you fail at Thornewood, or if you bring even a whisper of shame to this family again, you will be struck from my lineage."

The words hit me like a physical blow.

"You will be made a Rogue," Vane promised. His voice held no paternal warmth at all. "No name. No pack. No protection. Do you understand?"

"I understand," I said, and bowed my head so he would not see the pain underneath it.

"Say it properly."

"I understand, Alpha." The title tasted like ash in my mouth. He was not speaking to his daughter anymore. He was speaking to a subject. And I answered as one.

MALAKAI

The wheels of the jet hit the London tarmac, but the impact did nothing to settle the ache in my chest.

Halloway had procured clean clothes and blood that sped my healing. He wanted me presentable for whatever waited at home. But the fresh fabric felt like sandpaper against my ribs. When the terminal doors slid open, my sister leaned against a sleek black car, waiting with her hands folded together. She did not wave. She did not smile. She simply watched me walk toward her.

"What have you done now that father is terrorizing everyone at the Manor for?" That was the first thing she greeted me with. Typical Mina. She never sugarcoats anything.

"Has there ever been a time he does not terrorize people?" I replied, forcing out a smile, which triggered hers too. She quickly unfolded her arms and hugged me. My body stayed perfectly stiff, catching the feverish heat radiating through her coat. Vampires were never this warm. My mind was too distracted by my own agony to question it.

"This one seems different, though." She added, disengaging the hug and pushing off the frame, her stormy grey eyes scanning my face with intense focus.

"I am really happy to see you, Mina," I muttered.

She simply smiled and opened the car for me to go in, which I did. Our bodies touched again. Her playfulness vanished, replaced by a sharp, calculating gaze.

"You have made your first kill. Who did you kill in Norway, brother?" She asked, and my eyes flashed. Mina could smell a lie before you finished telling it. Apparently, blood was no different. Despite the effort I tried to put into hiding the scent from her, she still worked it out.

"I did not kill anyone."

"You never used to have secrets from me."

"I never used to have anything worth keeping secret."

Mina held my gaze for a moment, searching my eyes. Then she looked away.

"Fine. I love you, brother. That is why I am worried. I know this is somehow connected to why father is acting so cruel at home. If there is ever a need to start running, just give me a head start on time."

"Why is your skin burning up?" I asked.

"I don't know," Mina deflected quickly, looking out the window. "This is just my normal temperature now. I am fine."

"Since when?"

"Since you also need to drop it," she said, too fast. "You are the one who came home smelling like a corpse and refused to talk about it."

I let her be and turned my gaze to the window. The car had already started and was in motion. I watched as the streets blurred past. Focusing on the passing streetlights served as a fragile anchor against the sensation that was suddenly tearing through my body. The further the car drove from the airport, the more the Vorago intensified.

It started as a dull throb in my jaw. The pressure quickly moved downward, locking around my chest like an invisible hook, trying to collapse my lungs from the inside out.

"Mina," I gasped. Both hands flew to my throat in a desperate attempt to pry my airway open.

"Malakai? What is wrong?" Her voice cracked, all the earlier sharpness gone.

Answering her was impossible. My fangs dropped so violently they pierced my lower lip. The taste of my own blood coated my tongue, but it was useless. It was mine. It was not hers.

My heart began to beat erratically against my ribs again. I lunged forward, my claws sinking deep into the back of the driver's seat.

The driver slammed on the brakes, throwing the car into a sudden stop. "My Lord, what is..."

"Blood," I choked out. The word tore from my throat like a growl. "Now."

He did not ask questions. Every vampire knew the symptoms of a Vorago triggered by distance. Reaching into the refrigerated console, the driver yanked out a silver pouch of blood and shoved it toward Mina. With trembling fingers, she tore the seal and pressed it into my hands.

The need to drink obliterated any sense of dignity. The liquid vanished down my throat in desperate gulps.

It tasted like synthetic sludge. It coated my tongue, but the burning in my veins refused to recede. My system absorbed the nutrients, but the hunger in my marrow did not even blink. It wanted the werewolf.

I tossed the empty bag aside. "Another."

"Who is she?" Mina asked, handing me a second pouch. She stared at me like a monster had taken her brother's place.

"I do not know."

"What do you mean, you do not know? A Vorago does not just happen, Malakai."

Confessing that my Blood Host belonged to the werewolves would be a suicidal admission. I leaned my forehead against the cool glass of the window, letting the violent shaking subside into a dull tremor. The pain had subdued due to the blood, but the thirst still lingered.

"Who is she?" Mina asked again.

"I said, I don't know."

"You do know you could die if you don't mark her on time, right?"

"There is no her. I am totally fine!" I screamed.

She exhaled sharply and looked away, but I caught her staring at me twice more as the drive continued and the gates came into view.

The massive estate gates swung open, revealing the looming fortress.

The car stopped. I stepped out, my muscles still shaking.

"He is inside the Council Chamber," Mina whispered, grabbing my sleeve before I could walk away. "Do not do anything stupid, Malakai. He is beyond furious."

"I have heard. Stop singing it in my ear."

"I mean it. If there is anything I can help you with, tell me now," she muttered in genuine concern.

"You cannot help with this one."

I pulled away from her and climbed the stairs.

The doors of the Council Chamber loomed at the end of the corridor. Before I could reach for the handles, a hand clapped onto my shoulder.