Cursed by Fire (Blood & Magic Book 1) (9 page)

Shit.

I tried to pull fire and target my attacker but my head hurt too much for me to focus on much of anything. The air in my lungs was knocked out of me as my attacker landed a kick to my ribs. There was the distinct sound of bone breaking and I knew at least one of my ribs had cracked. I clutched my stomach gasping for breath. Breathing becoming more and more difficult.

“What do you want?” I gasped.

No answer.

I was thrown back against the pavement and struggled to sit up. I heard a distinctly male laugh. The soft sound of his footsteps against asphalt got louder as he came closer to my prone form. I took several deep breaths trying to calm myself and focus. My head felt as if a thousand little people were hammering away inside. I rolled to my side clawing at the asphalt in an attempt to not collapse. My attacker crouched in front of me. Grabbing my chin he tilted my head upward. Bright crimson eyes glowed with menace as they met my gaze. He smiled, his fangs evident now that he was close up. Vampire. This wasn’t good. Why was a vampire attacking me?

“Such a shame,” he said in a rich, cultured tone that was like velvet along my senses. I could feel the compulsion and struggled against the lulling effect his voice had on me.

He yanked my head to the side exposing the sensitive skin of my neck. I struggled to get away but he had me in an iron grip. I tried to reach for my daggers but it was no use. The angle he held me in left me defenseless. I could feel his warm breath caress my neck. He inhaled deeply and lowered his mouth.

“Shhh…don’t fight it,” he whispered. I felt my muscles relax against my control as my mind panicked.

He ran his tongue along the column of my neck. The sensation causing my stomach to revolt. The scrape of his fangs against my sensitive flesh jolted me from his thrall and I struggled against his hold, my fire finally coming to surface as my temperature rose but not fast enough. He chuckled under his breath, and just as flames began licking my skin in a gentle caress, I felt my attacker thrown off of me. I turned my head sharply to see what had happened and felt a sharp pain shoot into my skull. Gasping, I breathed deeply and turned my head slowly as I looked through a thin veil of flames. My attacker was on the ground. Slumped against the brick building, a wound on the side of his skull bleeding profusely and a gaping hole in his chest. His eyes had dimmed to a dull red. The glow no longer evident.

Inarus stood before him like an avenging angel, holding a pulsing red mass of flesh in his outstretched hand.

Oh my God, it was a heart. He ripped out his heart! I tried to get my head around that. He had literally ripped the vampire’s heart from his body. How did he do that? Struggling into a sitting position I cradled my stomach. The pain was hitting me full force now as the adrenaline dissipated. I moaned and my head began to swim; I wavered where I sat. At least if I collapsed, the fall would be shorter.

Inarus turned at the sound of my pained groan. His eyes blazed a bright blue and he wore a grim expression. Looking down he seemed to realize he was still holding the vampire’s heart. Dropping it, he walked towards me and crouched down.

“Aria, call your fire back,” he said, his eyes locked on mine. I struggled for a few moments to comprehend what he was telling me. I realized that small flames continued to lick my flesh. With visible effort I took a deep breath pulling my fire within on the exhale. Inarus placed his palms on either side of my face. His skin felt cool compared to my overheated flesh and I leaned into his hold slightly, enjoying the comfort his touch brought.

“Are you alright?” he asked.

I tried to speak but the pain consumed me. I bit back the tears threatening to form in the corners of my eyes. He seemed to understand. As carefully as possible he folded me into his arms. The movement making my body scream in protest. I gasped audibly, barely containing a sob of agony. I bit my cheek until I tasted blood, trying to hold it.

“I know. I’m so sorry, Aria,” he whispered into my hair as he rose to his full height, my body nestled in his strong arms. “This is going to hurt some. I’ll try and go as slow as possible though, okay?”

I nodded and allowed him to carry me over to my Civic. Distantly wondering why I was allowing a complete stranger to help me. Opening the door carefully, he gently helped me inside before going around and climbing into the driver’s seat.

“Keys?” he asked.

I pulled my keys from my pocket and handed them to him with shaking fingers. When his fingers brushed mine, I looked up, his gaze locking with mine. His lips pursed. He looked angry but I knew his anger wasn’t directed at me.

Without a word, he started the ignition and pulled out of the parking lot. I didn’t get the chance to ask where he was taking me before darkness pulled me under.

I
woke up to the feel of a damp cloth running along my abdomen. On a pain-filled moan I opened my eyes to find Inarus leaning over my prone form, a warm washcloth in his hand. He gently stroked the cloth over me, wiping away the dirt and grime from this evening’s events, or more accurately, this morning’s. I watched him concentrate on my body, his eyes never wavering from his task. He seemed to pay special attention to the blade tattooed above my right hip, a question evident in his stare but he never asked. I wondered if he could tell it had magical properties.

I noticed that my arms were already clean. When he finished cleaning my skin, he dropped the cloth in a small water-filled bowl and then looked up at me. His eyes were back to a gentle blue-grey color that reminded me of stormy skies.

“I need to press on your stomach to see how much damage was done. This may hurt a bit,” he told me in a calm voice.

I nodded consent and braced myself as he gently pushed, poked, and prodded my stomach. At first the pain was bearable but as his fingers climbed higher I was no longer able to stay quiet. I gasped when he pushed down once more, his fingers digging into my flesh. Silent tears leaked from my eyes and I grew furious with myself for letting them out.

“You have a cracked rib,” he told me. “Most likely a concussion as well judging from the size of the bruise blooming on your forehead.”

I reached up and touched my head. The skin felt tender and a knot was forming above my right eye. I ran my fingers gently over my skull feeling several more. I definitely had a concussion, my vision was blurred and I felt dazed even while lying back. Inarus reached for the cloth once again and wrung out the excess water before carefully sweeping it across my cheek. The water stung slightly as it scraped away the blood from an open cut. He dipped the cloth again this time wiping the blood from my lower lip. I could feel the split down the center but the pain didn’t seem to register at the moment. Inarus seemed wholly focused on cleaning my injuries. His gaze boring into mine. I fought the urge to fidget. If my proximity didn’t affect him, then I wouldn’t allow his to affect me.

Completing his task with cool detachment he placed the rag in the bowl and set it aside before reaching for my boots and unlacing them with smooth efficiency. Gently pulling them off he placed them beside the bed I was resting in. A bed that most certainly did not belong to me.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“I’m fine. Thank you,” I told him. My voice slightly muffled from my swollen lip.

He seemed to consider my response. We both knew I was far from fine. A cracked rib, a concussion, and several cuts and bruises didn’t equal fine but after a moment of silence he nodded.

“Where am I?” I asked.

Inarus offered a small smile making my heart give a pathetic flutter. Gah, what was wrong with me? Maybe I’d experienced more severe head trauma than I’d thought.

“You’re in my apartment. I wasn’t sure how you’d feel about a hospital so this was the next best thing.” I thanked my lucky stars he hadn’t taken me to any of the hack medical facilities that the city was calling hospitals. Testing centers were more like it. They didn’t truly help the sick or the injured. No, the doctors were more like mad scientists, focused on their experiments, especially on anyone showing signs of being more than human. I’d never actually tested my own blood before to see what it turned up but I had a feeling my DNA was a tad bit different from your average Homo sapiens and I wasn’t one for taking unnecessary chances.

“Thank you,” I told him, and I genuinely meant it. A shiver ran through me just thinking of what it would be like had he taken me in to River Park Hospital or worse, Holy Trinity Hospital. I wasn’t sure I’d take a dog there if it were dying. Allowing the animal to die would probably be the more humane choice.

“No problem, besides, you owe me a cup of coffee. Remember?” He grinned wide and handed me a cup of steaming coffee that I hadn’t noticed earlier. Placing the warm cup in my hands I inhaled, ignoring the pang in my chest from my injuries. Coffee could fix this, coffee could fix anything. I smiled at him in thanks and took a sip before realizing my mouth didn’t want to cooperate. Damn split lip.

Inarus handed me a straw, a grin on his face and I closed my eyes in relief as I took my first sip. The heady flavor exploded on my taste buds. I groaned in pleasure and sank back into the pillows.

He chuckled but I didn’t bother opening my eyes. Instead I took another sip, allowing the liquid to flow through me as if it were an IV hooked directly to my veins. Oh, I needed this.

“I take it you like coffee?” Inarus asked. I opened one eye, gave him an annoyed look then closed it once more, and took another drink.

“There is no such thing as just
liking
coffee,” I told him between sips. “I love coffee more than a vamp loves blood, it’s essential to my survival.” He laughed again.

“I need to wrap your ribs,” he said, reaching for a stack of bandages. I pulled myself forward, lifting the hem of my shirt to expose my rib cage and placing my coffee off to the side. Inarus deftly wrapped the bandage around my body and I sucked in a breath every time his hand brushed against my tender flesh. The pain of sitting up was excruciating but I bit my cheek and kept quiet until he was done. Having the bandage in place surprisingly took some of the edge off. Inarus helped me lean back in the bed and I reached for my coffee once more. I took a deep swallow, opening my eyes and realizing my cup was now empty; I frowned.

“Here, this will do more for you than the coffee will,” he said. I looked at the three white pills resting in the palm of his hand.

“What is it?” I asked, eyeing the pills skeptically. He handed me a small bottle and I turned it over in my free hand to read the label. Acetaminophen with codeine. Holy hell how did he get this stuff? Without another thought I swiped the pills from his hand and swallowed them down.

“It’s just a pain reliever,” he told me.

How the hell did he get his hands on a pain reliever? Lucky bastard. The Awakening had been the end of most big box pharmaceutical companies—those that had been primarily government-funded at least—so any type of medication was a rare find and likely cost a fortune. Instead of having a few pills stashed away in case of an emergency like most people did, he had a whole freaking bottle.

“Get some sleep,” he told me, taking the pill bottle back. “I’ll make sure to check in on you often.”

I could already feel the effects of the medication. Rather than an ache in my head, I felt light, airy almost as if I were floating out of my body. I gave Inarus a goofy grin.

“I need to go home,” I told him, swinging my legs over the side of the bed as I hefted myself into a sitting position once more. Clenching my teeth to hold the gasp of pain inside, I closed my eyes, giving myself a moment to catch my breath and work through the pain. Just a few more minutes and the painkiller would kick in all the way and then I’d be good to go.

“Aria, you’re not going anywhere. You’re hurt. The concussion alone is reason enough that you shouldn’t be by yourself.”

I knew that, but I felt trapped. I didn’t want to
need
anyone, and while Inarus seemed nice and all, he was a stranger and a Psyker. I couldn’t trust him. What I needed was the comfort of my own bed and to be alone so I could go over the events of tonight. I just couldn’t wrap my head around the attack.

I stared at him with a mutinous expression. He couldn’t make me stay here. If the hardening of his features was any indication, he knew it too, though I imagined he’d try.

“You’re staying,” he gritted out through clenched teeth.

“No. I’m. Not,” I enunciated, making sure he heard me clearly.

I slowly stood and watched through narrowed eyes as Inarus took a few steps back. My limbs shook and my head swam with the effort to stay conscious. All I had to do was make it to my apartment. The doorway leading to freedom was only steps away.

I can do this,
I told myself, breathing through my mouth, waiting for my vision to clear. Inarus stood to the side. Arms folded across his chest. There would be no help from him. I took a tentative step and the world tilted. A bare second before I landed on the carpeted floor he was there to catch me. He eased me into his arms and rose, cradling me tenderly against his chest.

“Put me down.” The sound of my own voice caused me to cringe inside. I sounded whiny and pathetic even to my own ears.

He ignored me of course, lying me back down on the bed’s cool sheets. He sat by my side, sinking the mattress on my right.

“You’re staying,” he reiterated.

I glared daggers at him.

“You can’t make me,” I bit out.

“You’re right, but I can wait you out. One of the pills I gave you may have been a sedative,” he admitted, a sly smile curving his lips.

What? Bastard, he drugged me. I knew I couldn’t trust him. Where the hell did he… The thought drifted away as the room began to darken.

“Stop messing with the lights,” I said as my eyes slowly began to close. The pull to just give in was strong and I found myself sinking deeper into the warmth and comfort that the bed provided.

“Get some rest,” I heard his distant voice say, a hand gently touched my cheek, sliding along my neck before pulling away. “I’ll be here when you wake.”