“I’ll take Gabriel.”
Tobias made a guttural sound deep in his throat. “I just forwarded the location to you. Please hurry. Raven, look at her arm.”
Although she couldn’t see what Tobias did, Sabrina could feel it. Pain branched from the wound in her chest all the way down to the fingers of her left arm. She closed her eyes against the pain. Her body began to shiver, her teeth clacking as the icy poison flooded her veins.
“I’ll find a way. I promise,” Raven said. Sabrina heard footsteps retreat into the hall.
A moment later, she smelled Tobias’s roasted-cinnamon-almond scent grow stronger. The bed dipped beside her, and then the heat of his body swaddled her. Her muscles relaxed, soothed by his dragon warmth. Her body was ailing, but beside him, she felt safe.
“I don’t know why you let that wolf stab you, Sabrina, but I’m not going to let you die. I swear to the Mountain, we’ll figure this out. Stay with me.” His fingers threaded into hers, and then she drifted to sleep.
Chapter Ten
Raven held her scarf to her face as she entered Bell and Candle, a tiny occult shop in the Edgewater neighborhood of Chicago. Gabriel entered right behind her, so close that she gave him a cautionary glare. She understood he wanted to protect her, but that didn’t mean she needed to wear him like a sweater. It might intimidate the employees here.
Gentle warmth surrounded her as she passed the threshold, and a citrus-scented zing of energy filled her nose. Another witch was here. A good witch. Her power was a balm, a fresh-baked cookie, a vanilla-scented candle.
“Mmmm.” Raven removed her scarf, unzipped her coat, and rolled her shoulders. Sabrina’s message hadn’t led them astray. This place was brimming with magic.
“I’ll take that to mean this is the right place,” Gabriel whispered.
“Can’t you smell the magic?”
Gabriel shook his head. “I can feel it though, like a tickle at the back of my throat.”
A woman appeared in front of them, no bigger than a child, with a hunched back and two abnormally short arms, her malformed hands turning in toward her chest. One of her eyes was cloudy and didn’t move in conjunction with the other. She had the most beautiful aura Raven had ever seen.
“Oh,” Raven said. “You’re powerful. A witch and something more.”
The woman grinned. “I am of druid blood. What a pleasure to have a visit from a natural witch. Most who come in here think I’m nothing more than the cashier.”
Raven laughed. “Is this your store? It has the most wonderful energy. It feels like a cup of tea.”
“Thank you. It’s a custom spell of essential oils and ancient enchantments. But you didn’t come here to ask me about my store.” Her good eye flicked to Gabriel. “I can see you have serious business. What can I do for you today?”
Raven pulled the vial of blood and grit she’d taken from Sabrina’s wound and held it up between her fingers. “I need to know what the silvery substance is suspended in this blood. It’s keeping my friend from healing properly.”
The old woman narrowed her good eye on the vial, her nostrils flaring. She glanced toward the front window. “Come to the back. Out of sight.”
Raven followed her through the shelves of books and carefully curated crystals to the checkout counter.
“Remove the cap.”
Raven obliged, unscrewing the vial. A foul odor wafted from the tube.
“Your friend has been assaulted by a vampire,” the old woman said. “I smell both vampire and human blood.”
“Our friend is a vampire. Half vampire, half human.” Raven held the sample closer to the woman’s nose.
The old woman’s bushy gray eyebrows rose. “Are you positive about that?”
“Her mother was a necromancer,” Raven explained. “She’s the only one.”
A harsh, gritty sound came from the witch’s throat. “What is your name, sister?”
“Raven.”
“You seem like a good person and I sense you are a powerful witch, so I will give you a warning. Your ‘friend’ is the heir to the Chicago vampire coven, and I highly doubt an actual friend at all. Her coven is well-known for being intolerant of other supernaturals. I am the last practicing witch in this city with any real power, and the only reason they allow me to stay is because they believe my disability is a hindrance to the magic I am capable of. You, however, they will kill the first chance they get.”
“Kill me? Why would they kill me?”
“Fear. Vampires are terribly afraid of other supernatural creatures due to their daytime vulnerability. This coven especially will not tolerate outsiders. If I were you, I’d let this poison do its dirty work.”
Raven glanced at Gabriel. The firm set of his jaw echoed her feelings precisely. They couldn’t trust this witch, not without talking to Tobias, but she seemed to be telling the truth. “Do you know what that is in her blood?”
“This is very rare. I didn’t think any existed anymore.”
“What is it?”
“The only thing that can make a stab wound lethal to a vampire other than a wooden stake to the heart. The last vampire hunter of Chicago discovered it by accident while investigating the Holmes murders. A vampire, by definition, is dead—a reanimated corpse. This solution is made from the crystallized bodies of a type of African dermestid beetle mixed with the sap of Mancinella dendrocnide, a deadly plant from the same region. Decades ago, a scientist named Wulfrid Keetridge, who also happened to be a werewolf, discovered the substance during an exploration of the Congo. Native locals used the concoction to break down the bodies of their dead.
“Keetridge brought the substance back to Chicago where it was used to successfully turn the tide in the war between the vampires of the South Side and the werewolves of the North Side. When used to coat weapons, the crystallized sap will break down the body of a vampire faster than it can heal itself. It’s more effective than a wooden stake. A stake must be applied to the heart. Keetridge Solution can be injected into a vampire anywhere and it will fester until the poison reaches the brain. It is absolutely lethal.”
“Is there an antidote?”
She laughed. “No.”
Raven narrowed her eyes. The scent in the air shifted. Her gut told her Madam Chloe wasn’t telling the whole truth. “There must be something that can be done.”
“Dear witch, I can see this vampire means something to you. Fear not. If you are as powerful as I think you are, there is a way for you to cure the vampire. Though it will not be easy.”
Raven lowered her chin. “If there is a spell, I can do it. I promise you.”
The old woman toddled to a bookshelf and a large tome floated down from the top row. “There is no antidote, but you can extract the substance if it hasn’t reached her brain. I’ll warn you, the longer you wait, the more difficult it will be and the more potentially deadly.”
Raven snatched the book out of the air and placed it on the counter. She held her hand above it. The pages flipped themselves, the magic feeding her as the spells turned under her fingers. When she’d taken all it had to give, it closed itself with a thunk.
The witch clucked her tongue. “This isn’t a library, dearie. That will be $149.95.”
Gabriel pulled out his credit card.
“I’ll need a dozen white candles, a bone dagger, and a live rat,” Raven said.
“The candle and dagger I can do. You’re on your own for the rat. May I suggest a pet store?” Candles floated onto the counter along with a curved, bone knife. The witch smiled. “The new total will be $395.98.”
Gabriel handed her the card, and Raven watched in wonder as the woman used her crippled hands to promptly ring them up as her items bagged themselves. Raven gripped the handles of the recyclable paper sack. She smiled warmly at her fellow witch. “Thank you for your help.”
“You may call me Madam Chloe.” She hopped down from the stool behind the register. “I wish you luck, but I will warn you. Vampires are not y
our friends. Be wary, sister. You may find yourself in dire circumstances if you refuse to acknowledge her risk to you.”
“Understood.”
“You’ll find a containment spell in that book that neutralizes the supernatural powers of the one you use it on. It may come in handy if she turns on you.”
“Thank you, Madam Chloe. I’ll keep it in mind.”
She zipped her coat and wrapped her scarf around her face before following Gabriel out into the winter cold.
“I don’t think Madam Chloe was lying,” Raven said. “Do you think Tobias knows?”
Gabriel growled. “If he does, he’s thinking with his dick. He has no idea the kind of danger he’s put us in. If this woman is truly vampire royalty…”
“Be prepared if all this is as much a surprise to him as it is to us. I doubt he’ll take the news well.”
Gabriel’s head came around quickly to face her. “No? Why not?”
“Because he loves her, Gabriel! You must see it. The look in Tobias’s eyes when he talks about Sabrina is the same as the look you used to have when people talked about me.”
Gabriel opened the door to the car and helped her inside, looking every bit the dragon she knew him to be. “A lot of good that will do if she gets us all killed!”
It had been a long time since Tobias had experienced the level of dread that burned in his torso. Over three hundred years to be exact. The last time he’d felt this way was the moment his uncle’s blade had severed the neck of his oldest brother Marius on his coronation day. That day a wave of his mother’s hand had sent him and his siblings tumbling through a tear between dimensions. They’d been cast out, exiled from Paragon.
As he watched over Sabrina’s unconscious body, holding her hand, that familiar dread made his heart ache. Why had she let the wolf stab her? Had she known what she was doing? Known the consequences? Known that she might die?
He ground his teeth. Unacceptable.
His dragon wanted her. Deep inside, a part of him he’d forgotten existed had chosen her the moment she’d kissed him in that stairwell. Oh, Tobias had desired her long before that. He’d admired her for years. She was quirky and caring, the type of nurse he’d always wanted by his side if he could get her. He’d suppressed those feelings when he’d thought she was human. The kiss simply unveiled what was already there and made her accessible to him as a fellow supernatural. She’d awakened the dragon. Now he needed her. Needed her like he needed a home.
Damn, where was Raven? Whatever poison was on the blade the wolf had stabbed into Sabrina’s heart was working its dark magic. Spidery black veins spread from the wound down her arms, torso, and legs. They hadn’t marred her beautiful face yet, but he could see the poison spreading, creeping like death across her collarbones.
Her hand, ice-cold in his, was limp, helpless. He couldn’t lose her. Not now.
“We have it.” Raven entered the room looking far more grim than when she’d left. Behind her, Gabriel mirrored her expression. “I can fix her.”
“Thank the Mountain.” He did a double take when Raven didn’t move. “Why do you two look like this is bad news?”
“The witch we got this from shared something with us, something you need to know,” Gabriel said.
“What?”
“She said that Sabrina’s coven does not tolerate other supernaturals in their territory. She suggested that if Raven saves her, she or her kind will kill us all.” A dark cloud passed behind Gabriel’s eyes. He leaned a shoulder against the doorway as if the conversation was draining him.
Tobias shook his head. “That’s bullshit. Sabrina would never hurt you or anyone else.”
“But her coven would, wouldn’t they?” Raven shot him a knowing look.
“I… I don’t know.” Tobias wished he could forget the wolf’s face when he’d accused Sabrina’s coven of slaughtering his people. That wasn’t her. It might be her kind, but it wasn’t her. “She is not her coven.”
“Sabrina gave us the name of that occult shop. The witch there knew her.” Raven’s tone was heavy with concern. “She swore to us that supernaturals in this city are either working for the vampire coven, driven out by it, or murdered by it. Sabrina knows what you are. She knows what I am. What if the witch is telling the truth? What if Sabrina intends to force us out of the city?”
“I don’t give a shit. You will fix her.” An icy chill ran the course of Tobias’s body, and a deep growl bubbled from his throat. “Fix her now, before it’s too late.”
Tobias watched his brother start at the ferocity in his voice. Good. He should be afraid. Tobias was going to lose his shit if Raven didn’t get moving on the cure.
“Consider what we are telling you—”
“No,” he said through his teeth. “You told me you need to stay here for a while, that it isn’t safe in New Orleans for you. This is the price. Do this or get out.” He pointed at Sabrina.
Raven lowered her chin. She glanced at Gabriel, who gave her a stern nod.
“Okay, but I’ll need your help. This isn’t going to be easy.” Raven approached the side of the bed. “She’s infected with a rare poison designed to eat dead flesh. Vampire flesh. If she weren’t half human, she would likely already be dead.”
Tobias growled, his lips peeling back from his teeth.
Raven glared at him. “That shit isn’t helping anyone. Are you going to help me or wait outside?”
“I’ll help you,” Tobias said. Gabriel rounded the bed. “What’s he doing?”
“I’ll have to perform a spell to draw the poison out of her system. I can do it, but it’s going to hurt. Wherever this stuff is in her body, it’s going to work its way out via the shortest route possible.”
“Tear through her skin.” Tobias swallowed hard.
“Yes, and whatever other organs are in the way. As a vampire, she’ll heal, Tobias. It won’t kill her. But it will hurt.”
“There’s no other way?”
Raven shook her head. “No. She’s dying. We need to do this quickly.”
He nodded. “Okay. What do I do?”
“You hold her arms. Gabriel will take her legs.”
Tobias obeyed, but seeing Gabriel touch Sabrina sent him into a mental tailspin. He choked back a growl and looked away, directly at Sabrina’s face.
Raven’s emerald ring glowed to life. Candles flew from her bag and placed themselves on every surface around her. With a snap of her fingers, their wicks blazed to life. The scent of burning cloves bloomed within the room.
“Artemis, if you please,” Raven said.
The cat appeared beside her, then jumped onto the bed. A small rat squirmed in her teeth.
“Where did she get that?” Tobias asked.
“She’s very resourceful.” Raven gave him a cross look. She drew the rat from the feline’s mouth and held it over Sabrina’s chest. “Ready?”
Tobias met her eyes. “Please save her, Raven.”
She nodded sternly, then turned her attention to the task at hand. Raven’s blue eyes filled with light, and she snapped her fingers over the struggling rodent. It went limp in her palm. Extending the rat’s body over Sabrina’s torso, she yelled, “Antallagi!” She stabbed the rat in the gut with a bone knife. Blood dripped. Power flooded the room in a tidal wave that blew Tobias’s hair back. The candles flickered. His nostrils flared as the scent of cloves grew stronger.
Suddenly Sabrina’s eyes flew open. Raven dropped the dagger and helped Tobias hold Sabrina’s arm down with the hand that wasn’t holding the rat. Tipping her head back, Sabrina shrieked. Bloody silver globs broke from her flesh—the poison leaving her system—and traveled through the air to the rat, where they buried themselves in the creature’s gut. Sabrina cried out again, arching off the bed, her eyes wild with agony, her breath coming in pants between screams as a thousand pinpoints of red exploded across her skin. Tobias held her wrists to the mattress, feeling torn in two. He desperately wanted to save her from the pain but was entirely help
less to do so.
“Shhh. Shhh. It’s going to be okay,” he said, but he had no idea if he was telling her the truth.
She screamed again.
“Is this normal?” he yelled into the enchanted wind that swirled in the room. His eyes locked on Raven. “You’re killing her!”
Sabrina’s screaming reached a crescendo. And then it stopped. The black veins receded and then disappeared. The last pieces of silver floated from her skin and invaded the rat’s body.
“Sabrina, I’m here. Stay with me,” Tobias said.
Ever so slowly, her breathing evened out and her back lowered to the bed. She was covered in dozens of open wounds, but they were healing, closing themselves up. Her limbs relaxed.
“You’re okay. We got it out of you,” he said. He wanted to hold her hand but was afraid to let go of her.
“It’s done. You can release her,” Raven said, pinching the rat closed with both hands.
He freed her wrists. Gabriel moved to Raven’s side from where he’d been securing her legs.
“She’ll need rest and to feed.” Raven nodded toward her bag and Gabriel retrieved a unit of blood from its depths.
“I used my invisibility to procure this for you. It should be enough to get her home,” Gabriel said.
Tobias nodded. “I’ll take care of her.”
Raven gestured toward the door. “Gabriel, come help me burn this in the fireplace.” They left together and closed the door behind them.
All at once, Tobias’s knees turned to water. He staggered to Sabrina’s side and sat down beside her, taking her hand in his. He thought it felt warmer, but he couldn’t be sure. Maybe he was just colder, weaker from exhaustion.
Her eyelids fluttered.
“Sabrina?”
Tears streamed down her cheeks and then her eyes were open, red-rimmed, staring at him.
“I’m sorry Raven hurt you. It was the only way to save your life,” he said.
“I know,” she said softly.
Tobias told himself he wasn’t going to ask. Not until she was stronger. But he couldn’t hold it in. None of it made sense. “Sabrina, you need to tell me… Why?”
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