by Helene Gadot
One of whom is a vampire.
Shit.
Gavyn reaches my side and gasps with a curse. “What is this?”
I don’t have time to explain. “Help me with them.”
This is not going to be pretty. And Tahira isn’t here, so I’ll have to handle it on my own.
“We need to get them to Tahira’s cell.”
Thankfully, Gavyn doesn’t ask me any more questions, instead he just lifts the vampire into his arms. The fox shifter girl who got in my face the other day grabs the legs of the Vila and I take the shoulders while a deer shifter tosses the imp over his shoulder. We make our way carefully down the dark steps.
My arms tremble with the weight and I almost drop the girl I’m carrying when we finally reach Tahira’s cell.
Once we have them all laid out on the floor, the fox and the deer shifter leave, their work done, unwilling to involve themselves further.
Which is the way things go around here.
Most everyone is only out for themselves.
Gavyn stares after them with shocked disgust, but I shrug my shoulders. If he thinks he’s getting an army of selfless souls ready to lay down their lives for their fellow Arcanes, he’s a fool. He’ll be better off appealing to their vengeful sides.
Revenge is what fuels me too.
There’s a monster just beneath my skin and it isn’t my nightingale. It’s a bundle of rage and pain and loss and grief and it’s just waiting. Waiting to rip from my skin like my feathers when I burst into my nightingale form and rain down fire and fury onto their heads.
With the hope and knowledge we might actually get out of here soon, the monster grows harder and harder to keep buried.
One day, it’ll release and I’m a little scared of what I’ll do, what I’ll set on fire, who I’ll destroy.
“What do you need?” Gavyn asks, hovering over me.
“Grab the herbs on her door. Top left. There’s a bundle.” I point blindly in the direction of the door as I kneel in between the vampire and the imp.
Gavyn plucks what I need from the door and hurries back to my side. “Here.”
“Thanks.” I accept the fragrant batch of plants and set them beside me. “Help me get them on their stomachs. Their backs are infected.”
The stench of rotting wounds chokes me.
I wish more than ever Tahira had been there last night so their sister or whoever could’ve released her collar. A mage would be a lot more useful than the rest of us right now.
Part of me wonders if it wasn’t for Zak and Tahira if I might have been tempted to rip off this collar and fly away.
I’m worried it’s not just them keeping me grounded. I’m worried it’s fear over what’ll happen if I’m caught.
It’s foolish, but the fear they inspire here immobilizes me. I hope once we’re free, my courage returns.
That I’m no longer bound by these chains of fear, determined to keep my head down and morph into whoever I need to be to make those in charge of me satisfied so they won’t kill me.
Gavyn grunts as we get the last one turned over. “These herbs will heal them?”
I shake my head as I split leaves from their stems. “Not fully. But they should clean out the infection at least.”
“How do you know how to do this?”
I try to ignore the impressed wonder he’s feeling. “Tahira taught me.”
Gavyn’s brows rise. “She works with herbs?”
“Of course. She’s a mage.”
Gavyn makes an interested noise. “Our sister has no use for it.”
“You’ll have to discuss that with Tahira. I have little knowledge about mage work. Last night was the first time I’ve seen any real magic like that. The only thing I’ve seen by the doctor is him opening the collar.”
Probably because that’s the most power he has. When I first met him, I almost didn’t sense his Arcane side, it was so weak.
“Fascinating.”
“Sure.”
I shove a handful of the bitter leaves into my mouth, chewing until it creates a paste, then spit it onto the vampire’s back, spreading it across his wounds before moving on to the next one.
“How can I help?” Gavyn asks.
I sit back on my heels and wipe my forehead with the back of my hand. “I need Tahira. And water. And food if we had it. Water will have to do.”
Gavyn rises, relief filtering through him. “I’ll go try to find both.”
I frown. “You can’t go aboveground and get her. Just go for water.”
“All right. I’ll be back as soon as I find some.”
“I need buckets of it. As much as you can find. So good luck.” I don’t hold out hope he’ll bring back more than half a bucket of dirty rainwater, but whatever he can round up with help.
“Got it.”
It’s sweet how much he wants to help. They haven’t been here long enough to completely harden their hearts when it comes to helping their fellow Arcanes.
Unless this is just about recruiting members to his cause.
Either way, at least I’m not stuck handling this on my own.
Though I probably should have kept him here a little longer.
The vampire is waking up.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Archer
ZAKAR HAS REFUSED TO speak to me the entire day, so I walk back to the dungeons on my own from the mines, trying to make the bit of bread they give us for dinner last as long as possible.
He’s really protective of Allegra. Understandably so. After spending so much time with him, I’ve really come to like him. I feel like I know him better than my own mate. He’d actually fit pretty well with our group. Too bad he gets the girl while the rest of us head back to another hellhole just like this.
Zak staying with her wherever she ends up reassures me. The last thing she should be is alone when she’s out there for the first time. And he shouldn’t be alone either. I’m glad they’ll have each other. Even if I wish I were going with them instead of the mission ahead.
Based on the way she distracts me from our mission already, Sterling and Gavyn were probably right about their determination to stay away from her. If we give in to the bond, I don’t know if I’ll have the strength to leave her behind.
It’s going to be hard enough as it is when all my vampire and I both want to do is hole up with her somewhere and sink inside of her over and over until she’s screaming my name. We want to wake up to her in our bed, make her smile, learn her favorite things, all the uncomfortable gooey shit.
I want it all.
Most of all, I want to know how she tastes.
Gavyn and Sterling have been keeping me well-fed, but it never curbs my craving for my mate.
It doesn’t matter how often I tell myself I barely know her, that only Gavyn has spent any real time with her and even he still finds her a mystery. My vampire doesn’t care. And he won’t agree to ignore the bond until he either tastes her and her flavor is wrong or we get to know her and our personalities clash.
While rare, it happens sometimes. Every now and again, Fate gets it wrong.
I don’t think it did this time though. I wish I did.
Especially after watching her passionate smackdown last night. I bet Sterling is still hurting from it. He secretly loves nothing more than being challenged, to see someone stand firm in the face of his harshness. He’s always been a rude asshole. Probably because everyone treats him like he’s supposed to be so lovely and sweet because he’s a unicorn.
Just like everyone expects Gavyn to be a complete rake, ravishing their daughters and sons left and right. When he’s terrified of the vulnerability of love. Especially with the dangers of our lives.
Their childhoods fucked them the hell up.
Mine didn’t. I’m perfect.
A perfectly normal vampire with a penchant for practical jokes.
With just a teeny tiny death wish.
Who am I kidding? We’re all fucked up.
&
nbsp; Somehow, Zak has kept his compassion in this rotten place. He hasn’t let the horror he’s been put through make him jaded and violent.
He’s so much better than us.
She chose well. Even if she doesn’t yet realize she chose him.
I just wish I could be there to see them come to the realization.
When I make it down to the bottom of the steps I frown when I find Gavyn struggling with four buckets of water, Zakar standing there next to him.
Gavyn has blood staining his ugly ass uniform, though it doesn’t look like it’s coming from him.
Did Sterling or Allegra get hurt?
Did that doctor finally leave his room and experiment on them?
“What’s going on?” I ask.
Gavyn almost drops one of the buckets, some of it sloshing over the side. “Allegra is trying to help the people they were keeping in those cages.”
“Helping how?”
“She apparently has some kind of healer training from Tahira. She asked me to get water.”
I ask no more questions as Zak and I each grab one of the buckets and follow him back to Tahira’s cell.
My bucket of precious water crashes to the ground when I duck inside where my mate has a fucking vampire sucking the blood from her wrist.
Red paints my vision.
I’ll kill him.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Allegra
AS MUCH AS I REALLY don’t want to, the best way to heal the vampire is to feed him my blood. And once he wakes, letting him is easier than trying to fight him off and either getting myself drained or ending up hurting him even worse.
There isn’t as much I can do for the other two, but I can at least help this one.
No matter how awful each draw on my arm feels — like he’s sucking out pieces of my soul, leaving me missing an important part of myself.
I’ll feel better in a couple days, but right now I want to vomit or faint or pull away and leave him to die. Every cell in my body screams at me to choose one of those options.
But I’ve been through this before.
Even though this time is more difficult because the only vampire who should be touching my blood just walked through the door.
Fuck.
My body revolts even more and the cry I’ve been holding back escapes.
My nightingale screams inside me, wanting this to fucking end, wanting our vampire instead.
Archer drops the bucket of water I requested, his eyes flashing with outrage, his vampire pushing to the front and hissing, coming out completely for the first time since the mage returned our Arcane sides back to us.
He stalks forward, a predatory glint in those furious flashing eyes. I’m unable to look away even though I can feel Gavyn coming in right behind him.
His anger and even hurt are so strong I can’t block him out.
My stomach heaves and I gag, making Archer snarl as he reaches for the vampire pulling at my lifeblood, making my head spin and darkness rise.
I blink and the vampire is on the other side of the room from me on his hands and knees, looking better but still pained and dazed. Archer and Gavyn kneel at my sides, holding me upright, keeping me from slumping to the floor.
Archer takes my hand and raises my still bleeding wrist to his lips, pausing to meet my eyes, a question in his.
I nod my consent, my head lolling against the wall as I try to put myself back together, hoping the touch of my mate will banish the rot spreading inside of me.
Gavyn runs the tips of his fingers lightly up my other arm, his power teasing and flirting with me, erasing the sensation of wrongness radiating through me.
Archer’s mouth closes over the holes in my flesh, his tongue licking up every spare drop. My nightingale preens as a growl rumbles in his chest.
When he pulls a swig into his mouth, the unease in my chest disappears, turning into something warmer, hotter. Something I haven’t felt in a very long time.
Something which could be Gavyn’s powers as he continues stroking my arm all the way up to my neck. But there’s a rightness in having Archer at my wrist.
There’s a rightness in being pressed between the two of them.
Some of the darkness in my soul lightens as they banish all the discomfort and pain from the other vampire.
My head lolls back against the wall and my eyes slit open and then widen at the sight of Zakar standing there with a bucket, mouth gaping, face flushed, heat in his gaze as he watches us unabashedly.
I’m unable to look away as desire and need flow through me.
I forget where I am, I forget the wounded Arcanes in the room with us, I forget everything I’m running from, until all that’s left is the four of us.
And then Sterling busts in, shock freezing him into a statue for a moment before he snarls and stomps past Zak, grabbing the two men surrounding me and ripping them away.
I moan at losing their warmth and pleasure, needing them back, needing to finish.
“What the fuck is going on in here? Have all of you lost your minds?”
Clarity returns and I flinch back at Sterling’s aggravation and my own horror at what I let happen. We’re lucky our Arcane sides didn’t take the choices out of our hands and consummate the bond, leaving us trapped together just because we got caught up in blood and lust.
Appalled expressions take over Gavyn and Archer’s faces, making my discomfort worse.
Archer avoids my eyes and wipes my blood from his mouth.
I swallow hard, trying to wrangle my offended nightingale who’s flapping about inside me, trying to take control and peck them into submission.
I haul myself to my feet, staying pressed against the wall. “We did indeed lose our minds. My fault really.”
“It’s not your fault. You saved my life.” The vampire who took a bite out of me rouses himself.
This is getting worse and worse. How much did he see? How awkward. My stomach rolls again at this entire situation.
If I didn’t have two more people to help, I’d get the hell out of here.
My nightingale is stomping around, still irritated we were interrupted. And over the way our mates are reacting. But I’m glad Sterling put a stop to it. He’s always been the one with the most sense, rude as he goes about it when it comes to our connection.
Zakar places himself in front of me like he’s protecting me from them. Maybe he is. At least he isn’t acting like we just got caught murdering someone. I didn’t judge Sterling like this when he killed someone the other night.
He could do me the same courtesy.
I decide to ignore my mates, moving my focus to the Arcanes who need my help.
The vampire smiles up at me when I cross the cell to him. Archer growls when I squat next to him.
Something I ignore, instead asking, “How are you feeling?”
“Better than I have in years thanks to you. The best I get around here is someone might bleed in a cup for me in exchange for my entire midday meal. Thank you.” The vampire dips his head in a grateful nod.
“You’re welcome. You might want to get out of here though.” I don’t trust Archer not to attack again with the way he’s snarling and cursing behind me.
I glance over my shoulder, my brows shooting high when I see Sterling and Gavyn both holding Archer back, Zak still making himself a barrier between us.
“Yeah. You really need to go.”
The vampire scrambles to his feet and darts from the room without another word.
Archer calms immediately and the others release him, but it’s not enough. I need them out of here.
I’ve still miraculously kept the wall up diving my emotions from them, but I won’t be able to for much longer. It’s all too much.
“You guys can go. There’s not much more I can do for these two since blood won’t help them. Tahira should be back any minute and she can do more than any of us can.”
Gavyn frowns. “We’re not leaving you here to handle this alone.”
“I’m not alone. I have Zak. And soon I’ll have Tahira. Just like I always have.”
My three mates suck in sharp breaths at my words, but I don’t care.
I’m beyond worrying about their feelings right now. I just want to get these two Arcanes on the mend and go back to my cell and sleep.
They’ve turned everything upside down ever since their arrival and while I’m glad it means I’ll escape this life, it’s also completely overwhelmed and confused me.
Just a little break from them. One where hopefully their emotions won’t seep into my chest.
“And just like you always will.” Zak gives me a soft smile before turning to them, his shoulders back and chin lifted. “I’ve got her. Drop whatever crop of flowers you were able to gather in our cell and we’ll deal with it later.”
Sterling nods. “They’re right. This isn’t exactly a hospital. We’re just in the way in this tiny cell. Come get us if you need anything.”
Gavyn and Archer allow Sterling to drag them away, still acting stunned and uncomfortable.
With them gone, I breathe easier, letting the awkwardness and regret wash away.
Zak and I get to work on the last two, using the water from the buckets that didn’t soak the floor to clean them up.
“I’m sorry you got caught up in all that.” My cheeks heat.
It’s not the first time he’s seen me in similarly compromised positions, but it’s different now. I haven’t accepted these mates.
“I’m not.”
My head pops up and I stare at him in confused surprise. “What?”
Before he could explain himself, Tahira comes in, stopping short at the mess we’ve turned her home into.
“What the hell?”
Chapter Thirty-Five
Gavyn
A SMALL PART OF ME wishes the collar still worked so I could ignore my incubus more easily. He keeps demanding I return to our mate and finish what we started.
Ever since Dara reunited us fully with our Arcane sides, it’s gotten harder and harder to stay away from her, to ignore the bond drawing me to her.