Sunlight: Blood Magic Book 4

by L.H. Cosway

  “I feel better now. The high is wearing off.”

  I reached down and rubbed my shin where it ached, most likely from the jump I took across the roof. The blood didn’t protect me from being hurt, it just protected me from feeling pain in the moment. Huh. Not as fantastic as I originally imagined then. And now that the high was dwindling, I felt a sharpness in my veins crying out for more blood.

  So, this was what it felt like to be addicted.

  I licked my lips as my eyes zoned in on Ethan’s smooth neck. There wasn’t a single hint of the cut he gave himself this morning. Without realising it, I was sitting up and leaning closer to him, my breathing erratic.

  He put both his hands on my shoulders and pushed me back down onto the couch.

  “I hoped this wouldn’t happen,” he said, a look of self-remonstration on his face. “I should’ve been more careful.”

  “What?” I asked, but I wasn’t really listening. Instead, I was imagining all the sweet blood rushing through his veins, singing for me to drink it.

  “That you would want more. I didn’t think it would happen so quickly though, but you’ve developed an addiction.”

  His words broke me out of my trance. “Oh.” A pause as the seriousness of what he said hit home. “Oh.”

  A silence elapsed.

  “Well, we just won’t do it again,” I said, pulling farther back and folding my arms across my chest with great effort. Ethan didn’t look happy at how I distanced myself from him.

  “Fuck. But I really like it when you drink from me, Tegan.”

  “I really like it, too,” I admitted, meeting his eyes. “But we can’t do it anymore. It’s too risky. We’ll only do it if it’s a life-or-death situation and I need your blood to heal. Alright?” I thrust my hand out for him to shake.

  He looked at me with affection and then finally shook my hand. “Deal,” he said before pulling me onto his lap and attacking my mouth, plunging his tongue inside. A minute or two later, somebody cleared their throat, and Ethan zipped away from me, his posture guarded, ready for an attack.

  My heartbeat slowed when I saw it was only Lucas. He stood in the doorway with an eager look on his face. His eyes traced over Ethan, taking in the changes in his appearance. The power. Power that I gave to him. Then Lucas’s gaze flicked to me, and I practically saw the thoughts churning in his mind. Was he thinking how he could drink from me and then he’d be like Ethan, too?

  “Oh, quit looking at me like that,” Lucas chided. “I have no intention of biting you. I don’t want to be powerful. It’s more trouble than it’s worth. Better leave that job to someone else.”

  “Lucas,” Ethan interjected. “How did you get in here?”

  Lucas jangled a key in his hand. “I have a spare, remember?”

  Ethan narrowed his gaze. “I hope you made sure nobody saw you coming inside.”

  “I might not be a super-vampire, but I’m not stupid,” Lucas replied, walking to the window and glancing out. He whistled. “That’s some queue. When are you going to deal with them?”

  He must’ve been talking about the vampires waiting to pledge their allegiance to Ethan. They’d been gone during the day, but now that the sky had darkened, they were back.

  Ethan went to stand beside Lucas by the window. “I don’t have to deal with them. They can go about their lives as they had before. I have no interest in setting up any new hierarchy.”

  Lucas laughed. “Did your transformation cause you to forget everything you know about our people? We cannot function without a hierarchy, and all those vampires waiting for you to see them want to know where they fall in the new order of things. You might not have asked for the title, and hell, I know for a fact that you don’t want it, but for all intents and purposes you are the new Whitfield, and you’re going to have to embrace it. If you hadn’t noticed, humans are piling up on the outskirts of the city trying to get out, but they’re trapped. We’re all trapped. Somebody needs to step up and fix things, and that someone is you, Ethan.”

  He pointed a finger at him and strolled from the window to sit down on one of the armchairs by the fireplace. Lucas crossed his arms over his chest, satisfied with his logic.

  “Drinking from Tegan didn’t turn me into a warlock, Lucas. I’m just as clueless as to how to break the barrier as everyone else is.”

  Lucas’s eyes flicked from Ethan to me. “What about you? Do you know how to lift the barrier?”

  “I have no idea,” I whispered. “I wish Rita hadn’t gone with Theodore. She’s the only witch I know who has a chance of lifting it.”

  Lucas snorted. “She’s probably the one who put it in place. Stupid bloody witch.”

  “If she could trap us all like this, then she’s the opposite of stupid,” I said, defending my friend instinctively even though she wasn’t on our side anymore. The pain of her betrayal still cut deep.

  Lucas brushed me off with a wave of his hand and returned his attention to Ethan, who was still staring out the window.

  “So, when are you going to see them?” he asked again.

  With an audible sigh, Ethan replied, “I suppose there’s no time like the present.”

  Finn

  After settling Alora in a seat at the back of the minivan, I returned to the front and started up the engine.

  “Why are we taking her with us?” Delilah asked, disgruntled. “We’ve got enough to worry about without adopting every waif and stray we come across.”

  I glanced at Alora in my overhead mirror and saw her visibly stiffen at Delilah’s statement.

  “You don’t have to take me,” she volunteered meekly. “I can find my own way …”

  “You’re staying with us,” I interrupted firmly before meeting Delilah’s gaze. “She’s some kind of clairvoyant. Ridley kidnapped her two years ago so that he could use her powers. Two fucking years she’s been kept prisoner by that psycho. We’re helping her. It’s not up for discussion.” I tightened my jaw, giving Delilah one final look before I started driving.

  “You always have to play the hero,” she muttered passive aggressively under her breath, but I pretended I couldn’t hear her.

  I thought about that as I drove, wondering if it was true. I signed up with the DOH because I wanted to save people from vampires. I wanted to make up for the fact that I couldn’t save my family from them. Then there was Tegan. The very first night I saw her with Cristescu after he’d annihilated a whole squadron of my men, I knew she was stuck in a bad situation, and I wanted to help free her from it.

  I’d been trying to help her ever since that night to no avail. She stayed with him willingly. Maybe she never needed saving to begin with. Or maybe she was just a lost cause, too in love with a bloodsucker to see how she was falling down a bad path.

  There was traffic piling up on the road ahead. I rolled down my window and stuck my head out, only to be greeted by the sounds of horns blaring and people shouting in desperation.

  “What the heck?” I said, pulling the van to a stop on the motorway.

  All four lanes on the side of the road leading out of the city were crammed with vehicles, while the opposite side was empty. Made sense. After all the madness and carnage that had gone down, it was only logical that people would want to flee.

  Telling the others to stay put, Gabriel and I got out and went to investigate the holdup. Even if everyone was trying to get away from Tribane, the traffic shouldn’t have come to such a dead halt, unless there’d been an accident.

  We weaved through the stationary vehicles and people standing around kicking up a fuss about the delay. When we got about half a mile up the motorway, we saw that there had been an accident, only not the kind we expected. Several cars looked like they’d been pulverised to pieces, and stretching from the ground far up into the sky was a translucent purple shield, a barrier to the outside world.

  Gabriel let out several low expletives as we continued closer to the shield. It vibrated with energy—magical energy. The sound of women
and children crying filled the night, and among the shattered vehicles was a mess of blood and limbs. Most of the people, though, were staring up at the barrier in fear and fascination.

  “This is Theodore’s doing,” Gabriel said quietly. “He’s trapped us all in.” He paused and pointed to the carnage. “Those people tried to drive through it and look what happened.”

  “Shit,” I whispered, not knowing what else to say.

  I’d thought Theodore fled in terror when he saw Cristescu transform. Clearly, he wasn’t too terrified if he managed to construct something like this.

  “Well,” I said. “It looks like nobody’s going anywhere right now. We’d better get back to the others and find somewhere for all of us to sleep tonight.”

  Gabriel nodded, and we began walking back. Once we reached the minivan, I quickly filled everyone in on what was going on. Alvie trembled while Delilah looked out the window with a resigned expression. Ira rested his furry head on her lap, and Alora moved warily to the front of the van.

  “Can I sit up here with you?” she asked hesitantly.

  My eyes roamed her pretty face and her unseeing, unfocused eyes before I responded, “Sure, you can.”

  She exhaled with relief and climbed between the seats. Once she settled in beside me her hands fumbled at her sides, trying to find the straps for her seatbelt. My eyes softened.

  “Hey,” I murmured. “Let me help you.”

  Her hands stilled, and she nodded once. I took the seatbelt and secured it over her chest and around her waist, my hands brushing the smooth material of her dress as I did so.

  With Alora strapped in, I turned the van around and began driving away in the direction of the city. I thought about bringing everyone to my place but reconsidered. Perhaps it would be a good idea to stay under the radar for awhile until we could get the lay of the land. I exited the motorway, spotting a sign up ahead with the universal symbols for food and accommodation. A couple of minutes later, I turned into the parking lot of a large chain hotel, with a red brick, one storey diner beside it.

  “Anyone hungry?” I asked as I parked in one of the many free spots. Almost the entire place was empty, but the lights were on in the diner and there were a few people inside, so I presumed it was open.

  “I’m starving,” Alvie exclaimed, and Gabriel shot him an affectionate smile.

  “Right, you all go and get some food while I book us into the hotel,” I said, sliding out of the minivan.

  Everybody started walking towards the diner, but Alora remained by my side. Her cheeks were flushed as she said, “I’ll stay with you if that’s alright.”

  Something about her statement pinched at my chest. Did she feel safe with me? Without a word, I slipped my hand into hers and guided her towards the hotel entrance. A woman with a purple rinse hairdo sat at the reception desk thumbing through a gossip magazine. She looked up when we entered and raised an eyebrow at Alora’s long silk dress and bare feet.

  I gave the woman my best charming smile as I stepped up and leaned one arm on the counter. “How are ya doing …” My eyes went to her name tag. “Vera?”

  She put her magazine aside and gave me the once over, her tongue wetting her lips as her eyes moved along my body. “Not too bad. Saw a few crazies on the news. Must be a full moon or something. It’s been quiet around here though,” she answered.

  “That’s good to hear. I need rooms for six people if you have availability.”

  She tapped on her computer screen. “I can give you three twin rooms or one family room. If you go for the family room, two of you will have to sleep on the sofa bed.”

  Real classy joint, this place.

  I was tempted to go for the family room since it might be better if we all stuck together, but then I thought about how crowded that would be and opted for the three twin rooms instead. The two ladies could stay together, and I’d room with Ira, so Gabriel and Alvie could have some privacy.

  I handed over my credit card, and Purple Rinse slid it through the scanner before giving it back to me.

  “My friend here lost her shoes. We had a bit of a wild night. You wouldn’t know where I could buy her a pair of slippers, would you?”

  “I can get her a pair of the hotel flip flops we sell for the swimming pool,” Purple Rinse suggested.

  “Thanks, that’d be great.”

  She left her desk, and I slumped back against the counter. I hadn’t slept properly in about a week, and exhaustion was beginning to take its toll.

  “Are you okay?” Alora asked, and I opened my eyes, suddenly realising I’d closed them for a moment. “You seem tense.”

  I tilted my head questioningly. “What makes you say that?”

  “Your breathing grew heavier.”

  With her lack of sight, I wondered what other things she noticed about people.

  “It’s been a rough week.”

  She turned her head away and crossed her arms over her chest. “I can understand that.”

  “Are you cold?” I asked her, eyeing her thin, flimsy dress.

  “A little,” she replied. “But I’ll be okay.”

  I slipped out of my jacket and pulled off the thick work shirt I was wearing over my long-sleeved T-shirt. Handing it to her, I said, “Put this on.”

  She took the shirt wordlessly, fumbling with it a moment before sliding her arms through the sleeves. Purple Rinse returned with the flip flops, and I paid her before helping Alora put them on. She gave me a small, grateful smile, and I shoved the key cards for our rooms into my pocket before guiding her over to the diner.

  When we got there, we joined the others at a large table, and Alora slid in next to me. I ordered a steak while she only asked for a glass of water.

  “Aren’t you hungry?” I said quietly, nudging her with my elbow.

  “I don’t have any money,” she replied, her voice tight as though trying to keep tears at bay.

  “I’m paying. Order whatever you want.”

  “I don’t want to be a bother.”

  “You’re not. And I won’t let you go hungry, Goldy, so go ahead and pick something.”

  She turned her head in the direction of where the waitress stood. “Is there a tuna melt on the menu?”

  “Sure is,” the waitress replied, and Alora smiled.

  “I’ll take one of those then.”

  The others chatted over us, speculating as to how Theodore managed to construct a barrier around the city.

  “It’s been a really long time since I’ve eaten in a place like this,” Alora said. “It feels strange.”

  A bolt of anger shot through me. “Ridley fed you, didn’t he?”

  “Oh, yes. He kept me very well fed. In the beginning, I refused to eat, but eventually, I saw that wasn’t going to get me anywhere. I knew I needed to keep up my strength if I was ever going to escape.”

  “Did he mistreat you?” I questioned her further.

  She shook her head. “Aside from inadvertently blinding me when his spell went wrong, no. He treated me like I was precious. It was creepy. But whenever he tried to cast more spells to take my powers it would hurt.”

  Frowning at her answer, I turned back in my seat as the waitress came back with our drinks, and I took a long swig out of my Coke. “So, he kept you locked away, and you predicted things for him. How does it work? Can you see what you choose to see, or does it just come to you?”

  Alora stiffened. “I can’t choose. The visions come to me when they need to.”

  “I’m don’t mean to pry,” I said, hoping she didn’t think I wanted to use her just like Ridley did.

  “It’s okay. I just don’t really like to talk about it. Seeing the future isn’t a cool trick like most people think. The visions are painful. Think of it as akin to having an epileptic fit.”

  “Shit, that doesn’t sound so great.” I sucked air in through my teeth.

  “It really isn’t,” she sighed.

  I wanted to ask her more questions, but I kept schtum, se
nsing it was a touchy subject. When the waitress delivered our food, I dug in ravenously. Alora ate eagerly, too. It must’ve been a while since her last meal. When we were done, I passed out the room keys, delegating one room for Delilah and Alora, one for Gabriel and Alvie, and one for me and Ira.

  I noticed Ira had changed back into his human form and had salvaged some clothes from the back of the minivan—clothes that were way too small for a man of his size. It was a good thing, though, because I didn’t think Purple Rinse would be too happy about me trying to smuggle a dangerously large dog into the hotel.

  “I want to stay with Ira,” Delilah said firmly, giving Alora an annoyed look.

  Oh, for fuck’s sake. I was about to argue with her, but I really didn’t have the energy after the day and night I’d had.

  “Fine. Alora can stay with me then,” I grumbled, handing Delilah a key card. The little blonde squirmed uncomfortably at my side, but she didn’t say anything. Was she uneasy at the thought of sharing a room with me? It didn’t make sense since she’d adamantly stayed by my side since I found her.

  “Is that alright with you?” I asked her in a low voice.

  “Yes, it’s just that I sometimes have visions in my sleep. It can be a little shocking at first, but you don’t need to worry. It passes after a while.”

  I looked between her golden eyes, suddenly wishing she could see me properly for some reason. “Okay, anything else I need to know?” I said mustering a grin. “You don’t snore, too, do you?”

  She giggled, and the sweet sound of it did something weird to my chest. “No. I don’t snore, Finn.”

  I liked the sound of my name on her lips.

  “Good, now that that’s settled, let’s go get some shut-eye. I’m wrecked.”

  When we reached the room, I stripped off my jacket and T-shirt and threw them on the bed. It was big enough that it shouldn’t make Alora too uncomfortable sleeping with me, and I wasn’t enough of a saint to offer to sleep on the floor. Not after the night I’d had.

  Alora put her hand on the wall, feeling her way into the room. I walked to her and took her hand in mine, leading her to the bed and helping her settle down on it.