by Deanna Chase
His head snapped in my direction. “No. You don’t see. Not at all.”
I stayed silent, waiting for him to continue.
He stared me dead in the eye and said, “It wouldn’t have done any good anyway. Because that bitch”—he pointed to the house—“she’d been fucking with the two of us for months. Undermining our relationship. And that day, Grace startled me. Caught me off guard. I actually thought she was my girl at first. So… there you have it. Grace got what she wanted. Like she always does. So do yourself a favor and just turn Rox. Maybe then she’ll leave you the fuck alone.”
I stood, pleased to realize my body was stronger, even if my eyes did feel like sandpaper. I needed to get some rest at some point, but at least I had some strength back. The tree had done its job. I reached out tentatively to Shorty.
He jerked back. “Don’t even think about it,” he barked.
“What?” I asked confused, then realized he didn’t want me to touch him. Did he think I was going to drain him? I could, but then I’d be useless again with no hope of escaping. “Oh, sorry. I wasn’t thinking. I was going to say that maybe you should stand up for yourself. Don’t let Grace have so much control over your life.”
He snorted. “Right. You have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“You sure about that? I have a boss and certain vampires trying to tell me what to do on a daily basis. But you know what? One person can only take so much, human or vampire. If you’re miserable, what’s the point in living?”
My words resulted in the exact opposite of my desired outcome. His shoulders slumped forward in defeat.
Son of a… How pathetic was he? I couldn’t take it anymore. “Stand up for yourself, man! What she did is complete bullshit and you know it.”
“What do you think you’re doing?” Grace’s sharp voice came out of the darkness. She was on me before I could even get my hands up to defend myself. “Are you trying to turn him against me?”
She let out a growl as one hand squeezed my neck, cutting off my airflow.
Panic rendered me absolutely still. Can’t breathe. Can’t breathe. The words filtered through my consciousness while my body tried to catch up with my brain. My world was dark, filled with foggy, colorless clouds.
I was quite literally the deer in the headlights as the raging vampire squeezed harder, sucking out my newly recharged energy.
But then everything came into clear focus and all I saw was the enemy trying to choke the life out of me. Pure hatred roared to life from deep in my gut. I’d be damned if I let that crazy vampire bitch get the better of me.
With my nerve endings screaming in pain from her contact and my body already trembling, I reached out and grabbed her perfect face, pulling in her tainted black vampire energy.
My legs wobbled but I didn’t let go as she screamed bloody murder.
“You bitch. Get off me!” Suddenly I was lifted off the ground by my neck and flung backward right into the oak.
“Oomph.” I heard a loud snap, followed by a sharp, blinding pain in my left arm. My body fell in slow motion down the trunk of the tree until I collapsed in a heap at the bottom. Tears from pure shock blurred my vision as I clutched at my limp arm. That bitch had broken it.
Oh. My. Goddess. It hurt.
There was a scuffle going on somewhere in the small backyard, but I couldn’t focus long enough to make sense of anything. Most likely it was Grace and Shorty.
“Stop!” someone shouted and then more rustling commenced followed by accusations and threats from Grace and Shorty. She was berating him for being a pushover and letting me get to him and he was threatening to tell Rox about them.
“What’s he going to say when I tell him where you’ve been spending your Tuesday nights? You think he’s going to keep you around? You know him. And you know he’ll throw your ass out,” Shorty said.
“You wouldn’t dare. He’d rip your dick off.” Her voice was low and controlled.
But when he laughed in her face, she flew at him, clawing at his eyes as he used one arm to try to fend her off. She kicked out, hitting him in the knee, and they both fell to the ground, going at each other with such fury there was no doubt in my mind that they were crossing the lines of love and hate. No one had that much passion for someone they were lukewarm about.
Holy crow. Were they having some kind of affair? It had sounded like Shorty hated her. But the way they were fighting, it looked a lot like pent-up passion.
I stumbled to my feet, wiping my tears with my free hand just in time to see a tall figure drop from the tree above. I let out a cry of surprise and stumbled, almost losing my balance.
“Whoa,” a very familiar voice said as he wrapped a steady arm around me.
“Talisen,” I breathed and clutched him with my good arm. “Where’d you come from?”
“Later.” He glanced down at my cradled arm and frowned. “You’re hurt.”
I nodded.
“Can you fly?” The concern in his voice had me standing taller, forcing myself to be strong.
Eyeing the two vampires trying to kill each other, I sucked in a sharp breath. “I will if I have to.”
“Hold still,” he said softly into my ear and then ran his magical fingers lightly along my battered arm. A cooling numbness took over, leaving behind a dull ache. “It’s not healed, but it should be enough to get you out of here without too much pain.”
He released me and scrambled up the tree from where he’d appeared. I followed him with my gaze, realizing he was headed for the neighbor’s rooftop. Once again clutching my immobile arm, I thrust my wings and gasped at the sharp bolt of pain that shot through my arm. It wasn’t as bad as it would’ve been, but it still made me see white spots. Despite the pain, I thrust my wings once more, determined to follow Talisen, to get the hell out of there.
Ten more feet and I’d clear the roofline, five feet. Three feet. I was so close, I stretched my good arm out for Talisen, but then a sharp pinch of pain pierced my ankle. Jerking my feet up, I pitched forward, losing my momentum. The night blurred around me as I was suddenly tumbling to the ground, my limbs and wings paralyzed.
Someone screamed. Maybe it was me. Nothing was clear, only the sudden and final impact of my body slamming to the hard-packed ground.
***
“Willow! Wake up.” There was a faint trace of urgency in the faraway words. Talisen. He was calling to me. “Come on, Wil. You can do this.”
I wanted to open my eyes. Wanted to look up into the green-emerald gaze I knew so well, but nothing was cooperating. My brain was sending the signal, but my body wasn’t responding.
My breath came in shorter, more frantic gasps. I’d broken my neck. Or back. That’s why I couldn’t feel anything. Couldn’t see anything. My insides were churning with the impulse to run, to cry, to lash out, but there was nothing. Only the sound of erratic breathing.
Was this death? I welcomed it, then. Didn’t want to be in my frozen prison any longer. Everything would end. All my troubles with Allcot, Asher, and even the Void. Talisen could move on and have a normal life without me. Link would go with him. Phoebe would get a partner who had more than one useless skill. Tami would take over the shop, maybe hire another magical baker. And Mom. She could focus on… Beau Jr.
My heart pounded harder at the thought of my nephew. What would his life be like?
“Willow, dammit!” A bolt of power rocketed through my veins and I shot straight up, my body humming with familiar healing magic. Tal’s magic. I twisted and found him white-faced and clutching my hand in both of his. “Thank the gods,” he said and wrapped me in his strong arms.
His redwood scent engulfed me. I took a deep breath, fortifying myself with the knowledge that he was real. That I was real and hadn’t died from my twenty-foot fall.
Before I said anything, he stood and pulled me to my feet. “Can you walk?”
“I…” The words were stuck in my dry throat. I coughed, tried again, but then shook my head and po
inted to my mouth, indicating I couldn’t speak.
“You need to hydrate. Don’t try to talk. Just put one foot in front of the other.”
I did as he said, wobbling perilously. After a few steps, my balance stabilized, and I glanced around, noting the now-familiar backyard.
Things had changed quite a bit. Grace and Shorty were no longer fighting. Shorty was lying flat out, unconscious. What had happened to him? Link was there, pacing in front of Grace, his teeth bared and his hackles standing on end. He was seconds from attacking her. But she stood with her hands up in surrender.
Talisen had his hands on both of my shoulders, steering me back into the house. I glanced around one more time, wanting to demand that Link come with us, but I couldn’t and he wouldn’t, not as long as he had a vampire cornered.
Once inside the kitchen, Tal found a cup in the cupboard and rinsed it hastily before filling it with water from the tap. “Drink it all down,” he said as he lifted it to my lips.
I reached up, clasping my hands over his to tip the cup higher. The cool water was a sweet relief to the dryness claiming my throat. I closed my eyes and sucked it down, not even stopping when it spilled down my chin.
“More,” I croaked out when the cup was empty.
This time Tal removed his hand and when I was done, I turned to him with a renewed sense of clarity. “How did you find me?”
He leaned down and whispered, “Phoebe got a call from some gang kid named Jasper, who tipped her off. We were here ten minutes later.”
Jasper? I’d been right. He hadn’t wanted to leave me with the vamps. Maybe there was still hope for him. I nodded my understanding and cleared my throat. “Where’s Rox?”
“In here,” I heard Phoebe call.
I glanced at Tal questioningly. “She’s here?”
“Of course. She took down that vamp in the backyard.”
Without hesitation, he clasped my hand in his and tugged me into the next room. Phoebe was standing over Rox, the spike of her heeled boot pressing down on his chest just over his heart.
“You’re lucky she’s alive,” Phoebe said in a cold, dispassionate tone. “If she hadn’t survived, I wouldn’t have had a reason to let you live.”
I frowned. What did that mean? “Phoebs?”
“Come over here, Willow,” she commanded.
I did as she said, limping a little from the pain still pulsing in my ankle. I glanced down and grimaced at the open wound just above the anklebone. It was red and swollen.
“It’s where he shot you with the paralyzing dart,” Tal clarified. “Looks and feels like the drug used on Harrison and the others. We’re not leaving here without the antidote.”
Crap! Tal didn’t know how to fix this, and if they didn’t give up the ingredients, then I’d be in a hospital bed right alongside Harrison. Unconscious. A shudder rippled through me. If Rox didn’t talk, Tal would have to guess, and if he got it wrong, it could kill me.
I let go of Tal’s hand and then moved to stand next to Phoebe, glaring down at Rox. There wasn’t time to play his game, so I blurted out, “What is it you want exactly?”
“You know what I want. To be turned into a daywalker. Do it and I’ll point you to the treatment.”
Phoebe pressed harder on his chest with her boot. “Think again, vamp. I might not dust you until you give us the information, but I can cause some serious damage if you don’t start talking.”
He narrowed his eyes at her and his white face contorted into something dark and angry. “You don’t understand, witch. I don’t give a shit. Kill me if you want. My life is a living hell without the sun. If she doesn’t turn me, I’ll end myself.”
“He’s not lying,” Grace said from behind us.
I spun, my eyes darting around for Link. “Where’s my wolf?”
She waved a hand and gave me a self-satisfied, evil grin, exposing her blood-soaked fangs. “Outside. Bleeding out.”
“Link!” I cried and sprinted out the back door, but Talisen beat me, and in no time he was kneeling beside Link, who was lying on his side still in wolf form. There was a large gash in his neck and his breathing was shallow.
I paused, not wanting to leave Phoebe alone with two vamps. But when I doubled back, I saw Rox was already unconscious as Phoebe and Grace circled each other.
“Go on, Wil. I’ve got this,” Phoebe said.
I nodded once and ran back outside.
“It’s not that bad,” Tal said. “He’ll be all right.”
I fell to my knees on Link’s other side, frantically scanning his body.
Tal was right. If it was bad, Link would’ve immediately shifted into Shih Tzu form. He was wounded, but upon my second inspection, the gash was superficial.
“He’s in shock,” Tal said. “Give me a minute or two and he’ll be ready to walk out of here.”
I ran a light hand over Link’s head and stared into his golden wolf eyes. “Tal will take care of you, boy. It’s going to be all right.”
Link blinked and then closed his eyes and surrendered to Tal’s touch.
I stood and stared down at my two favorite guys. As I watched sweat bead on Tal’s face and Link wince from Tal’s tender touch, an uncontrollable torrent of rage built in my chest. Selfish, entitled, useless vampire scum. She’d bitten Link. And they’d nearly killed me.
I spun on my good heel and stalked back into the house. Barreling through the door, I flung it with such force it slammed against the wall, shattering the glass insert. I didn’t even flinch.
Neither did Grace or Phoebe. They were too focused on each other. Rox was still passed out in the corner of the room. I could only assume Phoebe had spelled him while she dealt with Grace. Standing in the large kitchen, Phoebe was circling Grace, magic clinging to her palms.
Grace was turning with her, keeping her catlike gaze trained on Phoebe. “Drop the magic, witch.”
Phoebe sent her a flat stare. “Never going to happen. Tell me what the drug was, or I’m going to burn you from the inside out.”
“Do it and Rox will never tell you what you want to know. Your faery-bitch friend will slowly deteriorate right before your eyes, and there’s nothing you’ll be able to do about it.”
I’d had enough. My frustration and anger boiled over, and I lost all my control, falling into a blind rage. I felt as if I were standing on the sidelines, watching someone else run straight at the vampire, arms outstretched.
We collided and went down in a tangle of limbs, my thumb digging into her right eye.
She screamed, but I barely heard her over the rush of chaotic images filling my mind. Two red blobs shifted and morphed into Grace and Rox. Rox was kneeling before Grace, staring up at her with adoring eyes. Then Rox shifted to Shorty, and he was on his feet, pressing Grace into the wall as his hands roamed over her hardened curves. They mauled each other in a sexual rage, each battling for power while Rox watched with pure jealousy consuming him from the inside out.
“Get off, you crazy bitch!” I heard Grace snarl in my ear.
But I wouldn’t let go. Wouldn’t let her hurt my friends to get to me. It was as if all the crap that had happened to me over the past six months and everything I’d learned about my brother had finally made me snap. I wasn’t willing to stand by and let it happen anymore.
“No!” I cried, pulling her vampire energy into me.
Her body convulsed while mine trembled in protest. But I’d been here before. Knew I could withstand it long enough to render her incapacitated.
“Willow!” Tal suddenly yanked me off Grace, who was slumped against the wall, unmoving. I kicked out and flailed, trying to get back to her, angry he’d interrupted. “You’re going to kill yourself.” His voice was a focal point amid the storm whirling in me.
“She hurt Link,” I said defiantly, straining to reach her as he held me around the middle.
“He’s going to be fine.” He continued to whisper into my ear as we both watched Phoebe contain the vampire with her special cu
ffs. She wouldn’t be going anywhere now. Relief cleared my bloodlust haze, and I started to relax in Talisen’s arms.
That is until my adrenaline wore off. My body stiffened from the shock of Grace’s lingering vampire energy and I started to scream.
Chapter 25
My body was in a vise and heat boiled me from the inside out. I felt nothing, heard nothing. My whole world was pain. Thousands of needles tore at my nerve endings, leaving me in a state of frenzy. I clawed at my skin, gasping for air I couldn’t breathe. Everything was going dark again when something ice cold engulfed my hand.
The relief was instant as I instinctively clutched my hand around the ice-cold stone.
“Let it all out.” Tal’s hoarse voice sounded in my ear. I could feel him pressing into my back, holding me to him. My skin was on fire, too raw to bear our physical connection, and I struggled to get away, to curl into a ball and wait for all the awful sensations to fade away.
“Willow. Release her energy,” he said more forcefully and clutched me tighter. “Now.”
On his command, I focused on the stone, gritting my teeth as my body slowly went numb. I slumped in Tal’s arms, unable to feel anything. The pain was gone, but so was everything else.
“Well done,” a deep male voice said from behind us.
Rox, fully recovered from Phoebe’s spell, moved into the kitchen and stood in front of me, his expression full of interest. “That’s what you do when you change a vampire, isn’t it? You take their energy, mix it with your own, and force it back into them. That’s what Beau did to her.” He waved a careless hand at the limp Grace.
“Back off, vamp,” Phoebe said, striding to my side. “If you even think about touching her, I’ll dust your ass right here.”
He held his hands up. “I don’t want to hurt her.” He glanced over at Grace, slumped against the wall. “In fact, I want to thank her. Grace’s been a pain in my ass for months now. With her out of the way, maybe we can come to some sort of deal?”
“Deal?” Phoebe snorted. “You’ve lost your mind. Tell us what was used in the dart and I’ll let you live.”