Willow Dark Storm
Page 15
The light scrape of his teeth against my neck makes my panic spike. He licks once at my pulse, then turns his attention to the Alpha. “Now, how I see it, if you want your pet back, then you’ll take me with you. I can’t go back there, and I won’t leave her! So, you have two options: take me with you, or I bite into her neck and she’ll bleed to death.”
Tobias’s body stiffens when the Alpha pulls something out from behind his back. My body recoils when I realise the Alpha has pulled a gun from the waistband of his trousers.
He waves the gun awkwardly towards us, and I hold my breath, expecting the damn thing to go off. “You seem to think you have a choice here, bloodsucker. You don’t. Now, be a good little vampire and hand her over. I only want what’s mine, but if I have to, I’ll shoot her, and then I’ll shoot you.” He laughs but is cut off by a sickly cough. He spits a glob off to the side, and my stomach rolls.
Gross!
He slowly moves forwards with the gun trained on us, and as he does, I realise how much of an impact the drugs have had on him. His skin has turned a sickly yellow, and the hand holding the gun isn’t anywhere near as steady as I thought it should be. He’ll be lucky if he can shoot the damn thing straight, never mind stand upright when it kicks back at him.
Something behind the Alpha catches my attention, and I squint to try to make out what it is. It moves again, staying close to the trees. I’m not sure if Tobias has spotted it because his mouth is still pressed against my neck, his head awkwardly angled so he can track the Alpha’s movements.
It’s not until the thing barrels out from the treeline that I get a proper look. It’s a man. Only it can’t be. The figure must be easily over seven feet tall, skin the colour of stone, and when it looks at me, I barely hold in a gasp when it pierces me with bright pink eyes.
What the hell is that thing!
The Alpha must hear something behind him, but he doesn’t have time to react before the stone-looking monster slams into him.
An intense, mind-numbing pain shoots through my chest, and the air is knocked from my lungs. I try to take a breath but can’t. My legs no longer support me, and when I look down, all I see is red. Lots and lots of red. My knees hit the ground, but my sleepy eyes don’t stray from the blood rapidly covering the front of the coat Cassius bought me.
Chapter Twenty-Two
The first thing I notice when I wake is my whole body feels cold. I can’t be dead though because I hear voices somewhere in the background. Surely if I were dead, then it’d be silent… A snort escapes me. Or harp music would be playing softly.
“Willow?”
Instantly, I recognise Idris’s voice. Why does he sound unsure if it’s me lying here?
Opening my mouth to speak, I stop, cough, and realise how dry my throat feels. I try again. “Can I have a drink, please?”
The bed dips, and something cold is pressed to my mouth. His familiar scent instantly awakens something inside me. “Of course, here.”
Shocked, I jump off the bed, knocking Idris away from me. Wide-eyed, I stare at his rumpled form across the bedroom. “Wh-what are you doing? And how the hell did I get over here so damn fast?”
He stands, pushes his shirt sleeve down and over his wrist, and tries to brush the creases out of his shirt with his palms. Realising the creases won’t disappear so easily, he gives up with a huff and raises his hands in surrender while he edges towards me. “Now, don’t be mad. I know we didn’t discuss with you what would happen further into our relationship about whether you’d want to be a vampire, live your life as a human, or what you’d like to be if something happened to you, but… we had no time to do anything other than well… change you.”
“Change me?” My voice comes out high with panic. What the hell does that mean?
“Do you remember being shot?” a new voice asks from the doorway.
I look over and see Zadimus leaning against the doorframe. His clothes are dirty and rumpled. Something must be seriously wrong for them both to look so imperfect.
Wait, what? “Sh-sh-shot?”
Zadimus steps forward, and my shoulders straighten, unsure what he’s going to do. Cautiously, he places a hand over my chest. “You were shot. When you were brought to us, you were lifeless. We didn’t want to lose you. The only way we could keep you was to change you.”
My mind is a jumbled mess as I try to put together the pieces, but I come up empty. Concentrating on one thing at a time, I ask my first question. “I don’t remember being shot. Is that normal?”
“What do you remember?” Zadimus steps back slightly to give me a little space.
I miss his closeness, but I try to think back to the last thing I remember. “We were at Akeldama. Tobias was standing next to me on the hill… he was acting weird. He asked me to go back to the house because it was saf—” Something clicks in my mind. “That bastard! I should’ve known he was up to something!” My voice turns into a snarl at the end, and I’m caught off guard by how feral it sounds.
Brushing off the shock, I scrutinise the memory. “He set up this whole damn thing! I remember! That Blood Moon asshole was there, and he wanted me, but Tobias wouldn’t let him. There was… holy shit, I don’t know what he was, but a man, a stone, or something. Then there was blood, so much blood.”
Anger like I’ve never felt before burns through me. I turn and blindly kick, but I’m gobsmacked when my foot goes through the wall. Pulling my foot back, I stare, bewildered, at the huge hole I’ve left behind. Confused, I look between the wall and my bare foot. Not seeing any visible injuries, I give my foot a wiggle; nothing hurts. How am I not injured from doing something like that?
Hearing a sound from somewhere down the hallway, I look up in time to see Lazarus enter the room.
With a frown on his handsome face, Lazarus looks me over before standing next to Zadimus. “Calm, Willow. You have more strength now.”
Staring at the three brothers, I try to work out what this is, but I’m stumped. “I don’t understand what’s going on. More strength? Changed? You’re not making any sense. And why doesn’t my foot hurt?”
None of them answer. Instead, Zadimus settles his hands on my shoulders. His light purple eyes lock with my green ones, and I know something is seriously wrong. Without a word, he slowly turns me around until I face the mirror on the back of the door.
“Holy fuck!” is all that comes out when I take in my appearance.
I ignore the fact I’m no longer in the clothes I was wearing when I got shot—that’s not important right now. But this… this… my eyes are no longer the green my father adored. They’re purple.
Zadimus’s hands slip away from my shoulders as I step closer to the mirror. Examining my appearance, the only thing that will come out of my still-too-dry throat is, “How?”
“You lost too much blood when you were shot. There was no other way to save you than to change you,” Lazarus says.
Still facing the mirror, my eyes move to his handsome face. Even though his eyes are light purple, I can easily pick up on the anger bleeding through. “I’m sorry. I should’ve listened to my gut and not followed Tobias. Speaking of, where is he?”
“Dead,” Zadimus bites out.
My voice comes out small when I think of Tobias’s parents. “Do Cassius and Lilith hate me?”
“We could never hate you, sweetheart.”
I jump in shock at Lilith’s familiar voice coming from the other side of the door. With more speed than I mean to use, I move around the door and almost crash into a dishevelled-looking Lilith and Cassius.
I recover quickly, my words spilling out. “I’m so, so sorry. I never meant for this to happen. I’ll understand if you hate me! God, I’d hate me!”
I’m cut off when Lilith grabs my face. Tension builds up inside me from wanting to pull away from her touch, but I keep still. Whatever she’s about to do, I deserve it.
Her words come out harsh, and her eyes swim with tears. “You didn’t do anything wrong! It’s us w
ho should be apologising for not seeing that our son had a problem and for not helping him. Nothing is down to you! Do you hear me? Nothing!”
She kisses my forehead, then turns me to face Cassius. He opens his arms, and I practically fall into him.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper against the scratchy material of his shirt.
His voice vibrates against the top of my head. “Don’t be sorry, Miss Willow. I’m glad I could save you.”
Surprised by his words, I pull back. “You did?”
“Of course, I did. The place wouldn’t be the same without you. Plus, you keep these boys happy. That counts for a lot.” He leans forward and whispers, “They’re far less grouchy now.”
Zadimus chuckles darkly off to the side. “I’m sure we can arrange for the grouchiness to continue, Cassius, if that’s what you’d like?”
To keep quiet, I run my tongue along my teeth but stop short. “Holy shit!”
I rush back in front of the mirror, grab my top lip, and lift it to inspect my mouth.
My words come out a garbled mess. “I have thangs!”
My new hearing zones in on heavy footsteps coming up the stairs. I notice all the little things I didn’t notice before, and I almost want to bang my head against the wall when I hear the top step creak. My mind goes back to the night of watching the two vampires in the study. If I made the step creak that loud—likely louder—then they knew I was up and moving around before I even made it downstairs. Sneaky shits.
A voice I don’t recognise speaks from the landing. “Thank you for allowing me to contact Osken. He needs me there. The children are going stir crazy being penned up.”
When I peek around the door, my eyes move up a body that’s far bigger than any I’ve ever seen. Way higher than I expected is his face, and my eyes widen in disbelief when I take in his appearance. His skin has a grey hue, but his eyes are what hold my attention. They’re pink.
“I’m glad to see you’ve healed well, miss,” he says.
Lazarus holds a hand out to the stranger. “Thank you for doing what you did, Jekizz. Please let Osken know if there’s anything he ever needs, we’d like to help any way we can.”
With one last shake of Lazarus’s hand, the stranger turns to leave.
Impatiently, I wait for him to be out of sight before I voice my questions. “Who was that? Why is his skin grey? And who is Osken?”
Idris throws an arm over my shoulder; his lips press against my temple. “Slow down, baby vamp. We’ll explain everything while you feed.”
Being mindful to keep my steps slow, I realise too late what Idris said, and my steps falter. “Feed? Blood?”
Oh, hell no!
A hand settles on my shoulder, and I glance back at Cassius. “You’ll be fine. It won’t be your first feed, so you’re less likely to go into a frenzy. Lilith and I can help you through it.”
Confused, I ask, “why won’t it be my first feed?”
Idris slows our steps until he can stare down at me. His purple eyes shine brightly as they take in my own. “You’ve been feeding off the three of us while you’ve been unconscious. You’d just got done feeding from my wrist when you woke.”
“Oh!” is all I manage to squeeze out through the revelation. Even knocked out they wanted to take care of me. Whatever happens, I’m where I need to be.
Relaxing into Idris with a sigh of contentment, I follow my new family down the stairs. I may not be human anymore, but I have a feeling this new adventure, and life, will be fulfilling in more ways than my last one.
Bonus Cassius POV
How Willow Was Saved
Bodies litter the ground as far as my vampire vision can see. Pulling my eyes away from the destruction, I spot Lilith off to the side, and I scan her body for injuries. My shoulders slump when I realise she’s managed to come out of a war completely unscathed.
Turning with the intention to make sure Tobias and Willow fared well, I frown in confusion when I don’t see them on the hill where they were supposed to stay.
Lilith touches my arm. “Have you seen Tobias?”
“Where is Willow? She was supposed to stay here!” Zadimus demands before I’m able to answer my wife.
My empathy takes note of how agitated he is, so I attempt to cool the situation down before it explodes. “I’m sure Tobias escorted her safely back to the house. They’re likely waiting for us to return home.”
Lilith turns concerned eyes onto me. I give her cheek a swift kiss in reassurance, and she sets off to help the wounded. The three brothers pace on the spot, full of nervous energy. They’re no use here if their minds are on Willow.
My voice comes out gentle, not wanting to irritate them further. “Go back to the house. I’ll make a start on the clean-up here and lock up any of the surviving prisoners.”
A smile breaks free on all three of their faces. They offer me a nod and make a hasty retreat.
It takes me a long, twenty minutes to speed everyone through the clean-up. I don’t want to be out here any longer than I must. Once I’m satisfied the dead wolves have been separated by the Argent and Blood Moon packs, I command for the prisoners to be put on lockdown.
Most of the enemy wolves have a high quantity of Wolfsbane in their system, and that effects how my species changes once dead. In normal circumstances, we die and change to ash, but if we’re killed by someone who has consumed a high dosage of Wolfsbane, then it takes longer for our bodies to decompose. Still, by tomorrow, there won’t be any trace left of our allies’ existence. I’ll figure out later what to do with the Blood Moon wolves, but for now, everything is as good as it can be.
Patiently, I wait for Lilith to finish patching up the last vamp, then I take her hand and steer her towards the house.
Wanting to make sure she’s okay, I ask, “You’re not hur—”
“Oh, no!” Lilith cries. She lets go of my hand and rushes forward.
My eyes grow wide when I see the huge gargoyle shifter walking towards us, covered in blood and carrying a motionless Willow. It’s not until we’re almost on top of him that we realise Willow is hurt—severely.
My thoughts briefly flicker to Tobias, but I push him to the back of my mind. He’s a vampire, so he’s likely safe, and at the moment, Willow needs my immediate attention.
Lilith presses her fingers against Willow’s neck, and her expression morphs into panic. “We need to hurry. I can barely feel a pulse.”
“Bring her to the house. I’ll have everything set up for her,” I command, surprised when the gargoyle follows my orders without complaint. Gargoyles are known for only taking orders from their leader so to willingly comply without fuss, it means we’re all aware of the severity of the situation Willow has found herself in.
The three of us race to the house without a word. We burst through the door, only to be met by three deadly glares. Their eyes land on Willow and flicker between light purple and onyx.
She needs to survive, if only for their sakes.
With no time for my empathy to take control, I bellow, “Grab every blood bag you can put your hands on. Now!”
My words come out harsher than I intended, but now isn’t the time to worry about who I upset by taking charge.
I didn’t realise the vampires we left at Akeldama followed us until everyone bursts into action. Turning my attention to the gargoyle, I direct him into the sitting room and have him lay Willow on a sofa. I don’t waste any time in opening her coat so I can assess the damage. I’m shocked when I realise she’s been shot.
Who the hell did this to such a sweet girl?
A commotion starts up behind me, and I hear Lilith demand all the baby vampires leave the room. The smell of blood must be wreaking havoc on their senses, and the last thing we need is for them to go into a frenzy and try to feed off her.
“There’s no blood!” a voice shouts behind me.
For the first time in fifty years, I swear I feel a phantom heartbeat cantering in my chest as panic goes through me.
Agonising seconds pass while her heart is silent.
“Her heart has stopped!” I announce to the room.
An idea occurs to me. It’s the only way to save her, but I’ve no clue if the guys will do it. But I can’t—won’t—allow her to die.
“Get the empty bags and four IV! I want all uninjured vampires to line up and fill the bags up with their own blood.”
I’m surprised when no one objects. Lazarus crouches next to Willow’s feet and carefully takes off her shoes and socks, exposing deathly pale toes.
Four catheters land softly on Willow’s stomach. A second later, a pair of scissors comes into my line of sight, and my eyes lock on Zadimus’s sad ones.
“Do whatever you need to save her,” he says. “Please.”
Taking the scissors, I give him a firm nod then cut away Willow’s coat. It’s too restricting. I need access to as many veins as possible.
Tallulah moves until she stands behind the sofa, her expression sad as she stares at Willow. Her hands turn white as they wring together. “I want to donate.” She begins to roll up her sleeves.
With a sharp shake of my head, I say, “You can’t. We have no idea how the shifter blood will react with vampire blood. It’s never been tried, and I won’t risk poisoning her.”
“Then tell me what you want us to do,” Tallulah asks.
My empathy picks up on her frustration, but I also realise she’s worried. They’ve become close in the time they’ve spent together.
Picking up the catheters, I hold them for Tallulah to see. “I’ll likely need at least another four of these. Grab me those, then start fetching the full bags. Oh, and some IV lines so I can set her up on them.”