by LJ Swallow
Daylight has broken and everything is clear. Ash and Izzy kneel beside Jamie, with Alaric standing nearby, phone pressed against his ear. I’m on the ground with Tobias beside me, hands on my face as he speaks urgently. Gabriella and Leon have disappeared, and in the near distance, I hear screams that will stay with me forever.
Andrei isn’t with them, but my comfort that he’s safe is snatched away when I see him curled up on the floor with his arms wrapped around his head.
I scream out again, but this time when my vision focuses, I’m Maeve looking straight into Tobias’s face.
“Don’t kill me yet,” he says. “You still need me.”
Chapter Thirty-One
MAEVE
The house couldn't be more different to the Blackwood mansion. Wallpaper peels from the walls in the room with a scratched table surrounded by mismatched wooden chairs. Instead of herbal smells, the room has an odour of greasy food. The people are different too—kind, sympathetic. Human. I've a blanket wrapped around my shoulders, but the shivering won't stop. Ash sits beside me, hugging me to his chest, and Tobias stands in the corner, arms tightly crossed against his chest as he takes in every inch of our surroundings.
I'm concerned—upset—by his distance and he nods at my jacket on the floor by my feet.
Witch blood.
My eyes widen and I look beneath the blanket at my clothes, stained with blood. Did I go to him when I became Maeve again?
There’s hysteria in my mind, but not memories.
I barely remember arriving here either, my mind in turmoil as Tobias and Ash accompanied me in a car driven by Izzy.
Someone’s missing.
I shove the blanket from my shoulders and stand. “Where’s Andrei?”
“Safe,” says Tobias from across the room.
“Is he badly hurt?”
“A little. Jamie is the one we should worry about,” he replies. “He’s safe, at the hospital, but lost a lot of blood.”
Omigod.
Ash frowns at Tobias. "I think he'll be alright, though."
"How can you be sure?" I ask.
"You managed to move Leon away before he did serious damage," Ash says.
Before the vampire killed him. I rub a hand across my temples and my stomach turns over as I catch sight of the blood again.
"You saved Jamie’s life by taking control of Leon, Maeve, but at risk to yourself."
I’m too weak to protest to Tobias that I had to take the risk, and clasp a hand over my mouth as the memory of Jamie's blood zings across my tongue. No. I'm me again. Not Leon.
Ash tugs my hand, so I sit again and he wraps the blanket back around me. "You're safe now."
"I'm tired," I whisper.
Exhausted. The last day feels like a week; the night like a month. Less than two days in that hellish place and more happened to me than should in a lifetime. I glance at Tobias, who stares at his shoes. He saved me tonight, but will the bond we forged loosen the moment we return to the academy? With each memory, the exhaustion grows, but not only physical. My soul is tired. My heart and mind. Now the dread has left me, I'm overwhelmed by the need to rest, and hope tomorrow brings peace.
But with Jamie in hospital and Andrei injured, that won't happen soon.
But I refuse to cry.
"There're a couple of spare rooms upstairs. Rest."
I startle at the voice to the side of me, unaware of anything outside of the three of us until now. A tall guy, as broad as Ash, with curled hair hanging into his face, walks around from behind me.
“Sorry. I thought you knew that I’m here. I’m Saul.”
“Hey,” I croak out.
"I don't need much sleep. I'll stay here and wait for news about Jamie," says Tobias stiffly.
I look at where my hands are clenched in my lap. "I want to check on Andrei.”
A telling silence spreads across the room.
"Maybe shower first," says Tobias. "Take those clothes off."
The words aren't meant to be suggestive but my cheeks heat as an image of me naked crosses Tobias's mind. How will we move past what happened between us tonight?
The guy nods at me. "Yeah, keep the witch blood away from Andrei. Izzy will have spare clothes."
Izzy.
"How is she?" I ask hoarsely.
Saul chews his lip. "Not good. Amelia took her out to give her breathing space."
"Is that safe?" asks Tobias.
"Oh yeah, she'll be fine," he says with a chuckle. "She won't be long. Wanted to clear her head."
Fine? Even with grief that she lost the most important person in her life tonight? Because of me.
The others told me Amelia is staying in the house with these people shortly after I arrived, and at the time I couldn’t comprehend another surprise. The news sounded impossible and I won’t fully believe Amelia is here until I see her.
I stand and the blanket drops from my shoulders. "Is Andrei badly hurt?"
Tobias shakes his head. "The sun doesn’t burn through clothes and he was mostly covered up. Luckily the sunlight was still weak."
“Gabriella?” I ask.
“She left too quickly for anybody to stop her. She took Leon with her.” Tobias rubs his forehead. “Maybe she’ll be lenient if she knows you had control of him.”
“She ripped into his skin. He’s burned.”
“Leon is also a powerful vampire. He’ll heal, with help.”
“Bloody great,” mutters Ash. “They should be dead.”
Saul laughs loudly. “Are you forgetting who Gabriella is? You’re all lucky you’re alive.”
Ash tenses and I place a hand on his cheek. "You look worn out too."
"I've been awake most of the last two days." He tucks hair behind my ear. "I wouldn’t have slept until we found you."
I smile as I stroke his strong jaw. His eyes shine but the exhaustion on his face is clear. "You can sleep now. I'm safe."
"I hope so."
I bend down and kiss him briefly on the lips and his tired face brightens. “I am.”
Ash smiles. “Take your shower. Check on Andrei. Then get some bloody sleep.”
“Yes, sir,” I say and smile back. “Please let me know as soon as you hear how Jamie is," I say to them all.
"Straightaway," says Tobias softly.
His position by the door means I need to pass him before I walk by. I pause as I reach the door and meet his eyes. A few hours ago, he would've taken me in his arm and comforted me, helped soothe the enormity of what we did. He gives a half-smile and looks away.
As Saul leads me to the bathroom, the tears escape. Did Tobias avoid me because I'm covered in witch blood, or because he meant what he said? Everything that began between us must end.
Chapter Thirty-Two
MAEVE
The sun shines through the small bedroom window as I brush my damp hair, but I don't care about the day outside. Somebody left me clean jeans and T-shirt on the single bed and my stomach lurched at the reminder Mhairi did the same. The scene with Gabriella plays on a constant loop in my head, and if I could, I'd drive to the hospital and sit with Jamie.
Saul appears at the bottom of the stairs when he hears the floorboards creak. "Your mate is in the cellar room."
Mate. Another Gabriella reminder.
Does he mean ‘friend’?
"Alright," I say hoarsely.
Saul grins. "The right place for a vamp, huh?"
I frown at him.
"Just lightening the mood." He grins. "This way to Kai's room. He's not around right now, but I'm sure he won't mind."
"How many people live here?" I ask as I walk down the carpeted steps.
"Depends. There're three of us, currently. Sometimes more. We move around a lot."
"What do you do?"
He pauses as we reach the hallway. "When we're not rescuing super-witches and their lovers?"
I blink rapidly at his second poor attempt at humour. How would he know how close I am to Tobias? I don't ge
t a chance to challenge his evasiveness as he walks away towards a door on the left wall.
I expected a dank basement with concrete floor and unpainted walls. Instead, I step into a room with worn carpet in the same old-fashioned pattern as the rest of the house, and painted blue walls covered with posters of bands and artwork. A small square window would let through the daylight if the grey blinds weren’t drawn down
I'm unable to take in any other details before a figure blurs across the room and clutches me to him, familiar arms around my waist. I can't catch my breath before Andrei's mouth covers mine, sliding a hand to cradle my head as he kisses me fiercely.
What other welcome would I expect from Andrei?
Saul clears his throat from behind and Andrei's mouth leaves mine. He tips his head at the shifter.
"I'm Saul. Looks like you’re feeling better than when I helped bring you down here."
"Yeah. Don't remember you, but thanks, mate." Andrei's body stays close to mine, holding me as if I'm an anchor to his world.
Saul shrugs. "All good; you were pretty out of it. Glad to see you're alright."
The second that Saul walks out the door, Andrei takes my face in both hands and showers me with kisses. I push my lips hard against his and inhale, slowing him down.
"Andrei." I pull away and my hand hovers over his cheek. The skin on one side is darker than normal, the pink livid against the pale. "Where were you burned?"
He shakes his hair to cover the mark and holds out his hands. They're the same pink shade and redder in a couple of places.
"How bad does that hurt?" I ask, too scared to touch his hand.
"Healing."
I stare at his nonchalance. "You could've died!"
"Who told you that? No. If sunlight killed vampires there'd be a hell of a lot more murders. Nah, we lie in agony with our skin burning and won’t lose consciousness until night. I told you, fire is the only way to remove us permanently."
More nonchalance.
"And the burns wouldn't kill you?” He shakes his head. “That's horrendous." My eyes fill with tears as I picture him writhing in agony.
"Come here." He hugs me close to him again and I bury my nose in his soft shirt as we soothe each other. "Everybody survived, Maeve." I squeeze him tighter. "But there was a shit load of blood. Did Jamie live?"
"Wow, subtle, Andrei."
"Huh? Did he?"
I sigh. "He’s at the hospital. I stopped him—as Leon."
"Holy shit, Maeve. You took over a vampire's mind?"
"If you could call it a mind. He was driven by his lust for..." I trail off.
"Witch blood?"
I nod. "I don’t want to think about what happened. Tell me you'll be alright."
Andrei takes my hand and tugs me to the bed. He sits and pulls me onto his lap and holds me around the waist. "Tell me you'll be alright. What happened with the Blackwoods?"
"Too much." I place a finger on his lips. "But I'm not injured. Nobody hurt me and Tobias took care of me."
He smiles ruefully. "I totally understand. I never wanted to talk about Ravenhold."
"Exactly," I whisper and replace my fingers with my lips on his. "I will when I'm ready. Today has been long."
"Technically, it's the next day," he says, and I shove him in the chest.
His expression changes as he runs his fingers over my cheeks and mouth, looking at me as if it’s the first time we’ve met.
“Are you really okay?” I ask.
"I am now. I was so fucking worried I’d never see you again. You've pulled some crazy emotions out of me over the last few months, but I never want to hurt like that again. I know what the Blackwoods are capable of, and when I saw that picture of you..." He closes his eyes. "I couldn't breathe. I could hardly move. It was more than fear...I don't know."
The depth of the emotion in his voice; the raw Andrei in his eyes, seals my soul to his. I don't care what I saw in the room with Gabriella, Andrei would never hurt me. Something between us overrides his instinct and my prejudice.
"You tell me I always secretly wanted a bad boy." I place my lips against his forehead. "And you've secretly wanted someone to love you. I guess we both got our wish."
Andrei's hands slip beneath my T-shirt and I move to straddle him as his featherlight touch brushes my back. "I can't imagine life without you."
He's sincere, but Andrei doesn’t make the connection I do. He's heading towards immortality—I'll live one life and die. That reality scares me more than everything I’ve experienced in the last day and I don’t want the thoughts in my head anymore. Andrei makes a soft noise in his throat as I run my tongue along his bottom lip and he responds with a fierce kiss, teeth almost colliding as our tongues push against each other. Our hearts thump in rhythm, matching the way our lives have joined in a shared direction; a direction I can’t bear to think will end one day. I tremble with the intensity and pull away, touching my mouth as I meet the eyes of the guy who has stolen my heart and given me part of his in return.
“I love you, Andrei. I don’t want to ever lose you.”
“And I love you so fucking much.”
I roll my eyes. “Such a romantic way of telling me.”
Resting his forehead against mine, he murmurs. “I love you more than you know.”
My heart soars to a new height. The guy who hides in the shadows stepped into my life and never wants to leave.
Andrei bites his lip. "I was burned other places too."
My eyes widen. "Where? Am I hurting you?"
I make to climb from him, and he grips my hips. "If I show you, will you kiss me better?"
I recognise the glint in his eye accompanying his teasing words. "Andrei. Tobias told me you can’t burn through your clothes in such a short space of time.”
He chuckles. "Damn. Thanks, Tobias."
With an exasperated noise, I shove at him and he sinks back onto the bed. Andrei links his hands behind his head and gives me that oh-so-sexy half-smile of his as the T-shirt rides up revealing taut, but definitely unburned, abs.
My hair sweeps his face as I rest my forehead against his. "You should be tired.”
"I suddenly feel more awake." His lips purse, the cheeky look in his eyes growing.
“Hmm. Strange, that,” I say as his fingers sneak beneath my shirt and gently stroke my lower back.
In a sudden move, Andrei tips me over so he’s lying on top of me, his lean body pinning me down. I brace myself for one of his hard kisses, but Andrei tunes into my need for comfort despite the heart-thumping desire of our bodies touching. Gently holding my face, Andrei reminds me how our intimacy goes beyond the physical, and how the slightest touch or kiss pushes him further into my soul.
We’re not just a part of each other’s lives now, but a part of each other.
"Can we cuddle?" I ask.
"Anytime."
Andrei shifts until I'm spooned against him, listening to his rapid breath slow as he rhythmically strokes my arm. “If anybody in that place hurt you, I'll go in there and rip their throats."
I half-laugh, but he's serious, and the words are uncomfortably the same as his mother’s tonight. I stroke the arm that tightens around me and lean down to kiss the skin. "The nightmare is over, Andrei."
I don't know how much longer Andrei stays awake, because I drift to sleep.
A heart beats, slow and steady, distant in my mind.
Chapter Thirty-Three
MAEVE
I fall asleep with Andrei wrapped around me and jolt awake some time later. I relax when I realise I’m not still in the Blackwood house and pull his arms tighter around me. After a few minutes enjoying the peace and comfort with a sleeping Andrei, I disentangle myself and reach for his phone on the floor. Five p.m. Too early for Andrei.
He stirs as my hair sweeps down and tickles his face but stays asleep. I climb out of the bed and look down at him, my heart filling with warmth. I've seen him sleep before and I wouldn't dare tell him he looks cute. His fa
ce is softer in the way I occasionally catch in his expression when he's awake —relaxed and happy.
I reach out and smooth hair from his forehead. "Andrei."
He mumbles something. For a guy who claims he rarely sleeps in the day, he's doing well.
"I'm hungry, and I want to see if Amelia is back."
Another mumble. Shaking my head, I bend forward and place my lips on his. He opens an eye, confused for a moment, until his hand slips into the back of my hair. As he holds my head to his, we kiss gently until I place a hand on his chest and move away. "I said, I'm going to find Amelia."
Andrei props himself up on his elbows. "What time is it?"
"Five."
He flops back down again and huffs. "I'll need to wait a few hours."
"I imagine we'll leave soon after sunset."
"I hope so." He tugs my arm, pulling me over until my lips meet his again. I draw away and moisten my lips and his eyes sparkle. "See you soon."
I'm sorely tempted to stay, but I've a bigger urge to talk to Amelia. "I'm glad you're safe, Andrei."
"Same," he says. "I never thought I'd say this, but I can't wait to get back to the academy."
I mock gasp and kiss him briefly on the lips. "I'll see you soon."
My legs are weak as I walk up the stairs and from the basement; a reminder of my exhausting night. The door to the cellar closes behind me and voices carry from the kitchen, including one I recognise.
Amelia.
Rushing in, I scan the room and Amelia is on her feet the moment she sees me. Without speaking, she barrels into me and I squeeze her tight. Drawing away, I pull on a serious face as I look down at her. Her short-bobbed hair has grown in the time she’d been away, but she’s still the same Amelia. “Where the hell did you go?" I blurt. “Where have you been?”
She draws back and chews on her lip. "For Matt."
"You put yourself in danger, Amelia. Why didn't you tell us where you were?" I scold.
"I needed to go alone. I'm fine. Nothing has happened to me, but you..." She gestures at me. "Are you alright? Tobias said you're not hurt but something bad must've happened. The Blackwoods had you.”
