Blood and Loss (Cassandra Myles Witch Series) (20 page)

“You are magic
. Na’min, that isn’t possible. She can channel it into me, but what I absorb will deaden quickly. Being dead has that effect on magic.”

“Then it
is settled. I will handle it like I handled contacting the dead. I will try my best to stem this newfound talent of mine. Try not to die and try to do my best to open the seals.”

Quintus put his arm around me. “That is all anyone can ask. Now try and
siphon off some of that magic.” I concentrated on pushing some of the power into Quintus. He groaned as the power was forced into his body and then collapsed to the ground, pulling me on top of him.

“Did I hurt you?”
He looked different. He had more color in his cheeks, healthier if that was possible.

“
No, I am fine. Actually better than fine, but I can’t stress this enough. We cannot let what has happened on this hill go any further.” He was scaring me and he seemed fine. “Cassandra, my heart is beating in my chest. I feel the heat of my body and though I won’t try to use it, I can feel my magic. Cassandra, I feel human again. I…”

He didn’t
finish, but a single clear tear ran down his cheek. He was overwhelmed with emotion. He was shaking and running his hands through his hair. I wrapped my arms around him and held him. He even felt more fragile. He wasn’t made from marble anymore. His body molded into mine. His skin was soft and pliable. He was alive. I didn’t hear him leave, but I knew Na’min had left us alone. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

“It is not your fault. In a few min
utes, I will be back to normal. Even now, I am mourning the loss of that feeling. It is intoxicating to feel your heart beat wildly and feel things you haven’t felt in so long. Right now, I am using every ounce of willpower not to beg you to do it again. If others knew you could do this, you would never be left alone.”

“Fuck
.”

He
laughed. “You do have a way with words. I could never do what you have done. I could channel but not take. You can absorb the magic from the seals. If you channel enough into me, then we may be able to siphon off enough to weaken their strength.”

We
lay side by side in the cold sunny field. “I am going on the world’s longest vacation when this is over. Sun, sand, and girly drinks.”

He chuckled.
Laughter came so easily now. He looked at me and, without his careful vampire mask, I saw it. He looked at me like a man in love. Was it just feeling human or had he hid his feelings all these years? Did he hide it? Would a man do the things for a woman he had done if he wasn’t in love with her? Lucius had been right and I had been a stupid fool. “Sounds like paradise.”

“I’d settle for being in your study
, curled up in front of the fire reading a book for a few days.”

“Seeing that and
a smile on your face would be paradise.”

He looked into my face. Something strange went
through his brain. He was easier to read now. I saw it coming, but curiosity kept me from moving away. “I apologize,” he said.

H
e kissed me. Softly at first, his lips were warm and soft. His tongue came into my mouth as he pulled me to him and I could feel his heart beating wildly in his chest. Then he broke away from me. “I am really a cad for taking such liberties. It is just I have not kissed as a human for a very long time. I forgot how impulsive I could be when I was mortal.”

“Was it how you remember it?”

“Better, my dear one. It was…” he smirked. “Magical.”

“Boo! That was a bad pun. I think the human Quintus had better work on his sense of humor.”

He looked sad. It was such a transformation he almost looked like a different person. “Let’s go back. My humanness is almost gone, but I am still vulnerable. You should go back and rest. Your young wolf might be getting worried about you.”

If I hadn’t been taught that life wasn’t fair, I certainly knew now. The hurt on his face told me more than Lucius had about how he felt for me. Knowing I was the cause of that pain, with all that he had done for me was unbearable.

Chapter 25

I came back to the cabin and fell into a deep sleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. Once the extra power was gone, it was like coming down after drinking five Red Bulls. Declan woke me up hours later. “The feast is almost ready to start.”

“Go
. I’ll be fine.”

“No
. I want to stay with you. You will be doing something very dangerous tonight and I want to be here with you.”

I lifted up the covers for him to get
in and he noticed I was naked. A smile spread over his handsome face. We made love and snuggled up together. I stared at him a long time. I wanted to remember this peaceful moment. This was how I pictured our lives together. This was what I wanted.

I traced his cheek and lips with my finger.
His kind face looked down at me and smiled. I wanted to etch that face in my memory. He was mine. His messy curls, his broad strong chest, his amazing butt, well-muscled arms, and his kind face that kept the looks he reserved only for me. I knew we would have more fights and we would have more stress living here than most couples, but if I could remember how I felt right now, then everything would work out. “I should get ready.”

He just nodded.
We got dressed in silence. When we were ready, I slipped my hand into his. It felt warm and calming. We walked to the courtyard where the wolves would be gathering. There was no joyful energy tonight. Everyone stood in silence. It was eerie. We walked up the hill, Declan and I leading the way. Lucius just stared at me. He looked like he wanted to say something, but he turned away. Na’min and Quintus were close too. The whole pack was behind us. If I let the enormity of what I was going to do get to me, then I would fall down.

Declan turned me towards him. He kissed my forehead and then
my lips. Our foreheads touched. “I love you, sweets, whatever happens. I can’t believe how lucky I am just to have you these few days.”

I shook my head
. “Are you trying to get rid of me? I am not going anywhere.” He nodded and kissed me one more time.

“
Then seek not, sweets, the ‘if’ and ‘why’

I love you now until I die.

For I must love because I live

And life in me is what you give.”

“Is that Brennan? You are …” I couldn’t top that poem so I just kissed him hard and with everything I wanted to say.

He smiled
, but it didn’t reach his eyes. He stepped back. It had been decided that the two vampires would stand on either side of me. The reasoning to everyone else was they were the most powerful and wouldn’t change into wolves. The other reason was I might need somewhere to put the extra power.

Lucius squeezed my hand
. “Say the word, Goldilocks, and we are out of here.”

“Thank
you for being here, Lucius.”

The wolves were starting
to undress. My stomach was threatening to empty. I had to start this before I lost my nerve. I waited until the wolves were done getting ready. I started to focus on the seals. It was a thin sheet of rubber. I concentrated on the middle, stretching it as hard as I could. Somewhere in my mind, I could hear the wolves starting to change. A furry head butted my leg and I knew Declan was by my side. The magic in the air was swirling around me. I touched the wall and it felt like I had touched a light socket.

Every hair on my body was standi
ng on end. In my vision, the seals became less and less pliant as I siphoned more and more magic. It was getting hard to breathe. I was too filled with energy. The wolves were whimpering. I held out my hand for Quintus. He took some of the pressure off. I continued to push. The seals were dry and started to flake away. I changed tactics and started to whip up the wind, carrying away the seals faster and faster, until there was a large cloud of dust swirling around us. Quintus fell to the ground. The swirl of dust was biting into my flesh, leaving tiny pinprick cuts.

I let the wind die down and slowly the cl
oud disappeared. Instead of an invisible energy field in the middle of the ground, there now stood a door. There was nothing holding it up. It was standing on its own.

Na’min came up behind me. “You have done it. You have saved us.
I...”

I knew my eyes were still black and my skin was glowing. Quintus picked himself off the ground. “Open the door
, Na’min. You have been waiting so long,” I whispered.

“I
know. I am almost afraid to.” He looked at the door with such longing it was hard to watch.

He approached the door. It was the siz
e of a mechanic’s bay entrance, only rounded on the top and wooden. Declan scratched at me and whined. I scratched his soft ears, pulling him to my leg for comfort.

It opened slowly. The light inside was low and at first it seemed that there was a woman standing
there with two children. My heart quickened at the thought that there might be children again. Na’min would be so happy.

When the door was fully opened
, the full moon bathed the three figures in a silvery light. I tried to blink away the scene before me. It was a horrible sight.

Na’min screamed as the
woman’s hands shot out. She released a bolt of energy, sending him flying across the grass. The two children turned out to be creatures with dark leathery skin. They stood about three feet tall. Their bodies were thick and lumpy, but their legs and arms were thin and deformed. They walked with a waddle, dripping ooze from various sores all over their bodies. I didn’t understand any of this.

Na’min
came up behind me. He clamped his hand on my wrist. Declan was growling. “How? How have you escaped? Where are my people, Mab? Where is the queen?”

She was stunning
, her long black hair was straight and glossy. She wore a black lace corset and flowing black skirt. “The queen is here before your eyes.” She threw her head back and laughed at her own joke.

“How long has it been since I have been gone?”
He fell to his knees, still holding onto me. I pulled myself away, clinging to Quintus for support.

“I don’t know
; time moves slowly in our prison. When we finally escaped to find your world as dead as ours, it was such a treat. All your people were weakened or dead. As coups go, it was quite the disappointment. The bloodshed was low. At least on our side...” She laughed again like some villain from a bad sitcom.

“What is going on
, Na’min?” I was panicking. Clearly, we had made the wrong decision. I didn’t think it was reversible either. What had I done?

“Oh! My dear
, I have to thank you for our freedom. You are a powerful thing, aren’t you? I don’t think I can let you live. It pains me. You are a tender morsel. I would enjoy having you in my bed for a time. Those beautiful lips would bring me great pleasure once you were trained.”

Well
, I was juiced up on power and I wasn’t taking any more shit. If this bitch thought she could kill me, then bring it on.

“What the fuck is going on
?” I screamed.

“This is the Queen of the
Dark Fae. They have been in prison for too many crimes to list. It has been thousands of years since I have seen her. Mab, please, what have you done to my queen?” Na’min was frantic. His calm demeanor erased.

“
Your sweet little queen is chained to my bed, along with your brother. I am sure he will be hurt you didn’t ask about him. Most were dead anyway and some might as well be.” She laughed again. “Oh! Na’min, the things they do to me. It is ever sweeter after all these years of being deprived of pleasure. They are making it up to me quite nicely, I must say.”

Na’min was wailing on the ground. “Please
, Mab, show her mercy. That is too cruel.”

The dark
fae’s eyes flared. “Did she show me mercy? Locking me away; all of us away. Never even wondering if we were dead or alive?”

“You were
in there for terrible crimes. You were no innocent.”

“
Oh, I haven’t been innocent for a long time, my sweet prince. Don’t worry. We are quickly growing tired of our world. This one seems to be a little more interesting. I am not without mercy. I promised your little queen she could pick her new consort from the three highest bidders. I think that is very generous, don’t you?”

“We have to seal the doors again. Help me.”
We needed to lock this crazy bitch away.

“Oh, little girl, you don’t have a choice. We are coming out of both prisons to feel the light on our faces for the first time since I was but a slip of a girl.”

“We can’t let these creatures into the world
, Cassandra. We cannot.”

I raised my hands to push her back in
to the door. She was too fast for me. I was new at this stuff. She flung three daggers in quick succession. I watched like a fool as they flew at me, unable to move.

Declan leapt in front of me, his silver fur flashing in the moonlight.
He was all grace and agility as he took all three in his side. He seemed to be suspended in mid-air. Then things began to move again and he dropped like a stone at my feet. Lucius was on her before she could do anything else. The small creatures climbed on top of both of them, biting pieces of flesh wherever they could. Lucius screamed in agony and I sank to the ground, praying it wasn’t too late for Declan.

“Sweets, are you okay? Please tell me nothing hit you.”

“I’m here, Declan, we are going to get you help. Just hang on.” He had reverted to human form when he hit the ground.

“No
, don’t it’s too late. The daggers are silver. It is already working through my body. I won’t make it. Just please get away from here.” He looked up at the sky and not at me. I kissed his cheek and it was cold.

“Quintus
, for fuck sakes, get her out of here. I can see hundreds of these things coming down the hall.” I knew if I wanted to live, I had to go, but how could I leave him?

Quintus tried
to drag me away, but I resisted. He had gone human again and he was easy to shrug off. “Don’t do this to me. Let me help you, please.”

Declan
smiled that smile I had looked forward to every day for five years. “It’s okay, sweets. We’ll meet again. Maybe next time, I won’t screw everything up. I won’t lie and we’ll have more time. Go before…” He was gone. I felt his heart stop underneath my hands.

Lucius was doing that crazy running towards us
. In a blink, he had Quintus and me in his arms, running towards the cabins. The wolves were backing up, as they could smell what was barreling towards us.

I
kept my eyes on Declan over Lucius’ shoulder until he was out of sight. I just wanted everything to stop. I wanted Lucius to put me down. I wanted to go back to that field and lie beside my mate. I needed to be with him. I kept seeing his beautiful wolf in front of me, flying through the air.

I started to pound on his back. I needed to make sure Declan was gone
. “Put me down, Lucius. He might still be alive. Please.”

“Cass
, stop this. You know that can’t be true. If you don’t stop hitting me, I will have to drain you until you pass out.”

Trees branches scratched my face to the point I could feel the blood running down m
y cheeks. My tears burned my cuts. I stopped struggling. Declan was gone. He saved my life and I wasn’t going to waste that sacrifice.

I came out of my trance when I heard the helicopter.
We were in a small clearing. I noticed that Na’min was with us. I wondered if he had ever seen a helicopter. Lucius was bleeding everywhere. He had bite-size chunks taken from all over his body. They were black and nasty to look at.

Lucius put me in the helicopter.
I was going home after all. I’d be back, though. That bitch wasn’t bringing those things into my world. I would see her dead. Declan deserved better. I couldn’t bring him back, but I could make sure his killer didn’t get away with it. As we lifted off, Quintus pulled me to his chest. He stroked my hair and whispered things into my ear I couldn’t hear in a language I couldn’t understand. I quickly fell asleep, listening to his heartbeat.