Tempt (Ava Delaney #3) (26 page)

“
Thanks, Lucia,” I said. “She almost took me down with
her.”

Lucia
plonked herself down next to me and just stared. Her gaze wasn’t as
creepy as I had once thought.

When
Lorcan returned, we dug a hole. I pushed past the pain as the
urgency of Carl’s situation nagged at me. But when the sun rose, it
took Becca with it. She didn’t burn, but her skin seemed to slowly
erode until she was nothing but dust. The rotting stench
disappeared with her.

I threw
down the shovel in frustration. “That was a waste of time. I need
to leave. Will you two be okay?”

Lorcan
nodded. “Of course. As long as your side does their
part.”

“
I think he will. He doesn’t like being told what to do,
either.”

“
We’ll head to the docks and make sure we’re seen leaving.
There’s always someone watching.”

“
Good. Thanks. And don’t worry, I’ll keep my end of our deal.
I promise.”

“
We know. We’ll be waiting.”

On a
whim, I hugged them both and caught a glimpse of myself holding the
hand of a small boy. I gave Lucia a quizzical look, but she didn’t
explain.

Going
home felt strange. I was so happy to see Peter and Carl again, but
I dreaded what I would find, and all of the things I had to do
overwhelmed me. I took a ferry and spent most of the journey
feeling seasick. Seeing land made my heart cry as though there were
something there for me. I hoped there still was.

“
Thanks for picking me up.”

“
No bother.” But the stress on Peter’s face was
obvious.

“
Has the succubus given you any hassle?”

“
Nah. She came around once, and Eddie sent her packing. Turns
out the rest of the succubi are embarrassed by the whole deal with
you and her. Esther told us they’ve all been warned away from you
for now. Everything go as planned?”

I
laughed. “Not at all. Becca’s going to die over here tonight by the
hands of a hero Guardian.”

“
Pity you won’t get the credit for it. You could use the fear
bonus.”

Trust
Peter. He gave me a sideways glance, and I knew something bad was
coming.

“
What is it?”

His sigh
was heavy. “Be prepared, Ava. He’s slipping away. We’re probably
too late.”

“
We’re not,” I said firmly, pushing the thought out of my
head.

I
started to cry when I saw the grim look on Eddie’s face. He looked
so apologetic, so mournful, that I was convinced it was over. I
imagined death in the air, as if I were carrying it around and
infecting people with it.

But Carl
was still alive. Barely.

I rushed
over to him and took his hand. A little tremor went through his
wasted body. He’d lost a couple of stone while I’d been gone. He
had aged, his eyes dulled, and even though I sat next to him, he
could barely move.

“
How could this happen?” I whispered.

“
It’s all been too much, too soon,” Eddie said. “Nobody is
built to go through everything he has. His mind, his body, it’s
taken everything out of him. There’s no way you can break the bond
yet, and we have no way of knowing if you being here is enough for
him.”

“
There has to be something! Have you given him medicine,
magic, everything you can think of?”

“
Ava. You know I have. I’ve tried it all. Nothing’s strong
enough.”

“
But… I don’t want him to die.” Only my sniff was louder than
my sob. I couldn’t rein it back. With trembling fingers, I stroked
Carl’s hair, noting the streaks of silver running through it. “I
did this to him. I’m sorry, Carl.”

I caught
his eye, those blank empty eyes, and he smiled. He slowly turned
his wrist to me, as if to say, “Drink.” I couldn’t take
it.

I ran
out of the room, needing to get away from what I had done. I sat in
the backroom until Peter joined me.

“
It’s not your fault,” he said. “But if you fall apart, then
you’re no use to him, and that
will
be your fault.”

I glared at him, feeling the need to punch him in his stupid
face, but my shoulders drooped instead. I looked away because I
didn’t have the energy anymore. Carl had been the first step for me
to actually live, instead of just exist. He was dying, and it was
mostly my fault, no matter what anyone said. I felt more for him
than I had when my own grandmother had been in danger, and it
dawned on me that family,
true
family, was something different than the blood
running through my veins.

I took
Peter’s point, though, and I stitched my messy emotions back
together, somehow putting a pin in everything I was feeling. I
returned to sit with Carl, holding his hand while he slept, and
concentrated hard on helping him. I tried to do things with the
abilities I had, hoping they would somehow open up something
special. I had healed wounds in the past. Perhaps I could do other
things if I really tried.

But
nothing happened. Minutes turned to hours, and Carl’s breathing
stayed shallow. My fear and despair increased, but there had to be
an answer. I kept thinking of our last bond, how it had ended, how
he had offered me his blood when I needed it. Our bond was stronger
this time. I had to be the one who could help him.

“
What if he drinks my blood?” I asked Eddie when the sun began
to set. I felt as though there were power at that time of day
because it was when the dead lived again.

“
There’s no reason to think that would help him.”

“
But he’s bonded to me. That has to count for something. And
I’ve healed cuts before. There’s something in my blood that does
it. I’m sure of it.”

“
Not always,” Peter reminded me. “Only when you drank
blood.”

“
I’ll drink it, then!” I shouted, startling them both. “I
can’t just sit here and wait for him to die. He’s our friend. We
have to try everything.”

Eddie
looked defeated, as though he couldn’t take another second of being
around us. But he nodded. “I’ll get you some, and we’ll try a few
things. We’ll try and put some life into him.”

Eddie
left us, and Peter tried to argue with me, but I ignored him and
concentrated on Carl. I felt as if looking at him was keeping him
alive for another minute, and every second was precious.

“
Ava, you need to accept what might happen,” Peter
began.

“
I don’t want to hear it.”

“
He chose to live dangerously. He chose to hang around with us
instead of going home. He’s an adult, and his decisions caught up
to him.”

I
slapped Peter hard across the face, leaving a red mark. He didn’t
flinch. He didn’t shout. He didn’t retaliate. All he did was shake
his head and leave the room. I sat with Carl and waited. I willed
him to get better, hoping my strength would somehow leech into him,
but nothing happened.

The
numbers in my head passed my lips rapidly as the minutes wore on.
Eddie was taking too long. Peter stormed into the room, rolling up
his sleeves. I half-expected him to punch me, but he shoved his
tattooed wrist in front of my face. I stared up at him in
confusion.

“
Bite. Go on.”

“
Are you… on something?”

He
rolled his eyes and dropped his arm to his side. “Carl’s my friend,
too. You don’t even know what he’s done for me. I don’t want to sit
around and do nothing when he needs us. If you think it might help,
then take some blood.”

“
Eddie’s getting me some,” I reminded him.

“
But it’s not as good as fresh. We all know that. Just do it
before I change my mind. I need to know I tried everything,
too.”

I gaped
at Peter, more touched by his offer than I could have ever imagined
or even expressed. “Are you sure?”

He put
his hands on my shoulders, and a sense of calm fell over me. “Ava.
I’m sure.”

I rose,
laid my palms on his cheeks, and kissed him right on the lips. He
held on to me for a moment before pushing me back with a sad smile.
He held out his wrist again. My mouth watered at his cinnamon
scent, but I hesitated because I was absolutely terrified. Peter’s
arm didn’t shake. He was like a rock, but my fingers trembled on
his pulse.

I
glanced up at him, but he had his eyes closed and was humming to
himself. I gripped my cross for support, and bit. Peter gasped, and
I almost pulled away, but then I tasted his blood, and I couldn’t
stop. He shifted slightly, and I gathered myself a little, counting
for distraction, to keep me human, to know when to stop.

Life
flooded into me. The taste wasn’t the best part, even if blood made
the regular food I ate taste like ash. It was the pure raw energy
coming from his veins. I felt more powerful than I had in years.
Between being away from the succubus, dealing with Becca, making
new allies, and taking some of Peter’s blood, I was high with
power. But I wasn’t close to losing control, and I didn’t need to
count to stay human. I cared, and for a change, it didn’t weaken
me.

I pulled
away and licked his wound gently, relieved when I saw it heal.
Eddie came in with the bags, and he didn’t look surprised. I
suspected he had taken his time for a reason.

Peter
flopped into a chair, his eyes still closed, and I guessed we would
have to deal with the consequences another time. I turned to Carl,
his skin greying, and bit my own wrist, my stomach turning at the
unnatural action.

I pulled
his bottom lip down gently and let my blood drip into his mouth.
“Drink,” I said, and he obeyed because he had no choice. He didn’t
grimace, or try to drink more. As the liquid passed his lips, I
focused on my inner light and tried to will it into him. I imagined
I was giving him my essence, that our bond was becoming something
different, more powerful.

Eddie
laid his palm on Carl’s forehead and muttered in an ancient
guttural language. The words sounded rough and beautiful all at
once. I felt the air shift and realised Eddie was using energy from
the souls. I didn’t care. Not then.

“
Sleep,” I told Carl after a while. I closed my own wound and
gazed at Eddie, hoping he would tell me something good.

“
We tried,” he said. “Now we wait.”

Peter
left the room without saying a word. I hoped we hadn’t ruined our
friendship, but life and death called for hard decisions and
sacrifices. I would never forget Peter’s sacrifice, and I doubted
he would either. That was the problem.

I fell
asleep sitting next to Carl and awoke with a crick in my neck. Carl
had a little colour in his cheeks, and I took that as a good
sign.

I stayed
with him as much as possible because he seemed healthier when I was
there, as though I gave him vitality in some small way. I was sure
it had to do with him ingesting the blood of the one who owned him.
I would deal with what he thought about drinking blood another
time. Hopefully.

“
I think he’s getting better,” I told Eddie when he checked in
on us. “He’s definitely looking better.”

“
Perhaps.”

“
Eddie. Is there any way my blood could change
him?”

“
I don’t think so. We can’t know, but I really wouldn’t
imagine so.”

“
Good.”

“
The Council announced the death of Becca today. It’s all
done. Aiden got the credit for it.”

“
So he’s in on it,” I said, unsure if I liked that particular
turn of events.

“
He’s a consultant. They trust him.”

“
I don’t. He can’t even see what’s in front of him.” I
couldn’t wipe the frown from my face.

“
You can’t judge him for not having the same abilities as
you,” Eddie said, annoyingly sensibly.

“
It’s all over,” I muttered, feeling as though it was all only
beginning.

“
Ava,” he said softly, in that way of his that signalled bad
news. “If the bond continues for much longer, he’ll lose himself
completely.”

“
He won’t survive the break.” I gritted my teeth. “He’s not
strong enough yet.”

“
I know. I’ve been thinking about this. Your blood has helped,
but it’s come too late. He needs a boost of something to tide him
over.”

“
Like one of your spells?” I asked, suddenly
hopeful.

“
I doubt any of mine could help him without hurting him later
on. But I’ve heard that true angels can perform blessings. Rarely,
but they fill the vessel with spirit, a miraculous
recovery.”

“
True angel? You mean like Gabe? Would it help?” I tried to
stop my internal spring of hope from overflowing.

“
It might give Carl the strength to survive the end of the
bond. He isn’t healing properly like this. I can’t see him fully
recovering until his mind is free.”

“
Did I do the wrong thing?” I gazed up at Eddie, seeking an
answer, guidance, anything. Eddie wasn’t a good man in my books,
but he knew things, and I needed his knowledge.