Haven (52 page)

I should’ve known it wouldn’t be that easy to get rid of him. He had me pinned underneath him so quickly
I had no time to panic.

“Yes. I leave you now, with two parting gifts, and a delicious dilemma. Save yourself or save your brother.”

Didn’t understand his comment and didn’t care. The arrival of the cavalry made me cocky. “Tick tock, Dark Dude. Don’t you have a rock somewhere you need to cower under?”

I bucked my hips, trying to dislodge him. No luck.

He grinned, flashing fangs. “I hope you choose yourself. We will meet again if you do. I promise you that.”

“Master, hurry!” Brigid cried.

“Farewell, Carina Tranquilli.” The gorgeous sun god illusion dissolved like melting ice.

A mere millisecond later, I saw my brother’s face and his milk chocolate eyes. He gave me a vacant stare then passed out on top of me, forcing the air from my lungs.

I have my brother back.
I hugged him and tried not to worry about his corpse-like state. Cold, not breathing, no heartbeat. A vampire.

Clearly he was one of my two parting gifts. But what was the other?

Magic rippled over the room. I rolled my brother to the side as gently
as I could and sat up. Brigid muttered in Gaelic and gestured at the doorway. Up to no good. I toyed with the idea of jumping her, keeping her here until the cavalry arrived. She read my expression and used magic to glue my butt to the floor.

“Bitch,” I spat out.

“Silence, mongrel.” She raised one hand at my brother. “Dead to the world, unable to fight. Awaken, Tranquilli, let this day be your night.”

A harmless wake-up spell? How odd. But I should’ve known it wasn’t that simple.

Tony’s body shuddered. His feral growl rent the air. Oh, shit. My gut clenched. Every hair on my body stood at attention. He pushed himself to his hands and knees, head hanging low.

Brigid left the room. The door shut behind her, the air quivering with the magical lock she’d placed there. Trapped
.
My brother’s head snapped up, his throat continuing that bone-chilling growl. His black eyes pinned me, told me the human brother I’d known and loved for over twenty years was no longer home.

Blood lust rode the newbie vampire. It flashed in his wild eyes, that deep, overwhelming hunger, the drive to sink teeth into flesh, to consume that heady red liquid. To kill. I’d experienced it myself, though likely half as intense given my half-breed status.

He didn’t recognize his sister. He stalked prey, dinner. I was about to get eaten.

My brother crashed into me in a blur of speed. We slid across the slick floor and stopped an arm’s length from an unconscious Alexander. He straddled me, lunging for my neck. I braced my forearms against him, blocking his access. He squeezed my shoulders, mouth snapping like a rabid dog, close, so close. Saliva dripped onto my cheek from his sizeable fangs, making me gag.

My arms shook.
He’s too strong for me
. I tried one last time to find my brother inside this hunger-crazed beast.

“Tony, wake up. Please.”

I barely choked out the words, but he possessed vampire hearing. He heard me. Of course, hearing the words and understanding them were two different skills. Unfortunately for me, the human Tony with language skills was gone, gone, gone.

My arms caved. Tony struck.

It wasn’t what I expected. I’d been bitten by many a vampire, both friendly and unfriendly, but none of them, not even Dixon or the Dark One, had hurt me like this. They controlled their bites, almost surgical in their precision. Painful, too, of course, but this...Tony savaged my neck and shoulder like a wild animal devouring its prey, as if he didn’t know how to bite down, latch on and drink.

Pain, too much pain. Must do something. I grabbed his head. My power flared to life.

“No!” Oh God, please don’t let me burn up my brother. Cold thoughts, must think cold thoughts
.

I pictured rain, the ocean, snow-covered mountains, ice-covered lakes, an ice cube bath. It didn’t work. The heat poured into Tony. Burning hair and flesh stung my nostrils. He growled and leapt off me, landing in a crouch a few feet away, watching me with wary eyes, black and wild. Tendrils of smoke wafted from his head where I’d singed his hair. Hand-shaped burn marks decorated his cheeks, the rest of his skin red like the sunburn I’d given the Dark One earlier.

Yes, he looked bad, but it could’ve been a lot worse. He could be a crispy critter or a pile of ashes right about now.

Because my power was back in full force.

Clearly, this was gift number two from the Dark One. Instinct had already told me I would’ve recovered it on my own, eventually, but he gave it back so I’d have to make a hard, impossible choice.

His words echoed in my head.
Save yourself or save your brother.

“No.”
I can’t do this.

Tony snarled. My blood stained his mouth and chin. His chocolate brown eyes were black pits, the whites standing out in stark contrast to those dark irises and his burnt skin. But under it all, he was still my handsome brother. He just had new, pointy teeth and no idea he was a man and not a raging beast.

The Dark One’s voice taunted me again.
Save yourself or save your brother.

No. Can’t make this choice.

Where was everyone? The sounds of fighting faded, only my brother’s growls filled the air. Surely, help should be here by now. Surely Brigid’s spells couldn’t keep out the powerhouses that were Thomas and Jonas and Tessa.

So why was I still stuck in this storage room faced with a lose-lose situation?

Tony inched closer, gnashing his teeth. I raised my hands. He stopped an easy leap away, glaring at my palms, the source of his pain.

A sob escaped me at the sight of my brother, more animal than man. I’d acted like a feral newbie vampire, but hadn’t come close to what I witnessed now.

My heart broke.

I made my decision while I lay there watching him watch me, as my lifeblood poured from my many wounds, as the tears welled and spilled. I lowered my hands to the ground and closed my eyes.

With the last of my strength I coaxed my power deep into my gut. I pictured a cavernous black room and willed the fire inside, locking it up with a huge, golden door. It seemed fitting to have a metaphorical, magical door serve me now, as it had once served my father and Thomas for all those years. The Dark One wouldn’t like my choice, maybe no one else would either, but it was the only one I could live with.

Or
not
live with.

I sensed movement and opened my eyes. My brother crawled to me, still wary of my power, but soon enough the draw of my blood overcame his hesitancy. He grunted and hauled me across his lap. When I didn’t fight, he snuffled and licked at the wounds he’d made, lapping up the blood and making hungry sounds deep in his throat.

Numbness consumed me. My death drew near. I welcomed it because my brother would live. Alexander would wake up and take care of him. Eventually, Thomas and crew would show up and help them both. Life, or rather, undead life would be good for Tony. He wouldn’t always be this wild animal. Our family would see to that.

I touched his hair. He stiffened, hesitating at the hollow of my shoulder. When no fire torched him, he bit down, latched on, and drank like a pro.

I stroked his hair as he fed and uttered the words in my heart. “
Antonio
,
fratello mio. E tutta colpa mia. Mi dispiace molto. Ti amo.
” My fault. Sorry. Love you.

His drinking slowed at the sound of my voice and the tension vibrating his body dissipated. He cradled me now instead of crushing me like a bug.

The light in the room dimmed to black. Far away now, a soft voice whispered, “
Va bene, va bene
.” The voice sounded familiar, perhaps mine, but that was unimportant. I lost track of my body, and my brother’s, too. Did I breathe? My heart beat? No idea. But none of it mattered.

I can leave now. Tony will be okay.

Va bene
.

Twenty Five

Heaven was loud and dark.

I’d expected bright light, some angels singing, maybe the mother I’d never met waiting for me by some giant, pearly gates. Instead, it was black and cold with a great deal of pounding like the afterlife was under construction. When the pounding stopped, the angels started shouting. Their conversation sounded like one of those medical melodramas I never watched on TV. Oh no, someone was dying, get the doctor, we’re losing her, blah, blah, blah.

“Oh my God, Rina!”

“Holy shit, it’s Tony!”

“She’s not breathing!”

“Stella, no, don’t kill him!”

“I can’t find a pulse!”

“Jesus, the tranqs aren’t working on him!”

“Be calm, Seer. CPR was successful. The princess lives.”

“Shit. Get him out of here, Stella!”

“No, Alexander. She hovers on the edge. You would turn her this time. Human blood first.”

Oh. This particular drama concerned Tony and me. Apparently, I wasn’t dead. A cough escaped me. I opened my eyes, immediately blinded by the room’s brightness.

“She’s breathing,” Mark shouted, triumphant.

My eyes adjusted to the light. Mark slipped an oxygen mask over my mouth. Dr. O’s large, cold hands tugged at my arm. A blood IV. Lily palmed my forehead, speaking in Japanese. Her magic spread over me like a warm blanket. Nice pain killer.

At her nod, Mark removed the oxygen mask. She patted my cheek. “Good, very good.” She stood, smoothed her black pencil skirt and left the room.

“Welcome back, Princess,” Dr. O greeted me.

I opened my mouth to reply, but nothing came out.
Something is wrong.
I looked the question at Dr. O and raised my IV-free arm to touch my throat but Mark caught my arm.

He shook his head. “Don’t.”

I frowned and let my worry show in my eyes.

He lowered my arm to the floor. “I gotta go, but someone else wants to say hi.”

Mark left and I spotted Faith and Kai. I made a weird, choking sound with my messed up throat and they hobbled forward. Tears fell from Faith’s dark eyes, her delicate face a wet mess. For whatever reason, I had no answering tears of my own—dehydration, maybe—but the emotion I put in my eyes was enough to make her sob, clutch my hand and press it to her cheek.

Kai observed us, expression somber. I preferred his usual everything-is-a-joke face and incessant banter. I wanted him to crack a joke or tease me so I could pretend to be outraged and whack his arm and he could pretend it hurt. Of course, there was nothing funny about our current situation.

“Sorry, we were late to the party, Rina.” He ran a hand through his hair, tucking bits of it behind one ear. His nervous gesture made me want to sit up and hug him, but my body wouldn’t cooperate.

Faith raised her head from my hand and leaned back against Kai. I wanted to tell them I’d be fine, that they weren’t at fault and didn’t need to apologize, but I couldn’t talk.

God dammit, why can’t I talk?

Dr. O understood. “We deemed it prudent.”

I frowned.
You did this? You and Lily?

He nodded. “A simple, temporary Band-Aid.”

I don’t understand what talking has to do with my injuries.

He gestured at my neck and shoulders. “There is extensive damage. It would be unwise to speak.”

I ignored the damage comment.
I don’t care.

He studied me. I sensed he saw far more than my skin. “Fine. Alexander.”

Faith and Kai made room for Alexander at my side. He looked pretty good considering a sadistic, ancient vampire recently slit his throat. Wet and bloody with an angry red line decorating his neck, but otherwise as handsome as always.

He cupped my cheek. “Hi.”

“Hi
,
” I mouthed back. As we stared at each other in happy, relieved silence, growls sounded from the other room, along with clanging metal, and some hissing.

My eyed widened with worry. “Tony
.
”

“He’ll be fine. Stella is with him.” He leaned over and pressed his lips to my forehead.

“The Dark One killed him
,
” I mouthed. “It’s my fault.”

“Shhh.” He planted light kisses on my skin. I let his touch and words comfort me.

“Feed her,” Dr. O interrupted. “Proceed with a small taste, and touch her with the power of your bond. But tread carefully, Youngling, lest you take her too far. Her body is too fragile to—”

“I get it, I get it,” Alexander cut him off.

His lips parted. Anticipation rushed through me when he bared his fangs. I hadn’t noticed my thirst until Dr. O uttered the f-word. Now the sight of Alexander preparing to feed me had me licking my dry lips with my parched tongue.

He pricked his forefinger. Blood pooled and he spread it on my lower lip. My tongue flicked out, chasing his finger as it moved, trying to catch it, to draw it into my mouth, suck on it like a lollipop. But he pulled away and I had to content myself with licking and nibbling my lip. I gave him an unhappy pout. It wasn’t enough, not even close.

He reopened the wound, deeper this time, and pushed his finger into my mouth. I clamped it with my teeth, and fed like a starving baby with a bottle.

He released a trickle of power over me. It called to mine where I still held it trapped behind a metaphysical door. An unnecessary barricade.
Tony is safe now. I am, too.
The door shimmered out of existence. Our power braided together, danced around us like a warm wind, tousling the locks of hair on Alexander’s forehead.

His free hand glided down my stomach and the satisfied expression on his face told me it was healed. Healing energy stirred in my wrists, too, though the sensation was so subtle I might’ve missed it had Dr. O not picked up one to examine. He grunted with approval, but his expression darkened when it landed on my neck and shoulders.