by G. K. DeRosa
He shook his head and straightened, getting up on his knees. “I’m okay. Just a little weak from the blood loss and healing.” He positioned his hands over Trinity again, leaning against the sofa for support.
“No!” I grabbed his arm. “It’s too much for you.”
“I’ll be fine.” The milky pallor and beads of sweat on his forehead told me otherwise. He tugged his arm out of my grasp and continued. “I didn’t go through all the trouble of rescuing her for her to die on me.”
And what if he died on me?
All the blood was suddenly too much. The sharp metallic scent swirled all around me invading my nostrils and making my head swim. I needed to do something. Rushing to the kitchen, I found some hand towels, bottled water and a first-aid kit. I grabbed everything and rejoined them on the couch. Pouring some water onto the towel, I proceeded to wipe away the encrusted blood from Trinity’s wounds, then followed with alcohol.
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the toll the healing was taking on Declan. He was too stubborn to admit it, but if he continued it was going to kill him. There’s no way I was letting that happen.
I ran my hand over his arm to get his attention. “Take a break for a second so I can at least clean your wound.”
He glanced at Trinity then back at me and huffed. He lowered his hands, and the light vanished. Coaxing him around to face me, I tugged at the hem of his torn shirt. “We’re going to have to take this off.”
His dark eyes twinkled. “If you insist.” He pulled his shirt up, and a sharp hiss escaped from his clenched teeth.
“Here, let me do it.” I gently lifted the fabric up and over the wound, dried blood sticking to the shirt. When I finally got it over his head, I suppressed my own hiss. The gash cut across his entire torso from his left pectoral all the way down past his abdomen, disappearing below his jeans. I eyed his finely sculpted lower abs, tracing the path of the laceration.
I chewed on my lower lip as heat diffused across my cheeks. “Um… you’re going to have to remove those too.” I tugged on the waistband of his jeans, and a smirk pulled at his sexy lips revealing his sexy dimple.
“If I’d known a lethal wound was all I needed for you to ask me to take my pants off I would’ve done it a long time ago.”
I rolled my eyes and released my hold on his jeans, tucking my hands under my armpits. “Or we could just let it heal by itself.”
His face grew serious. “No, there’s no time. We have to get out of here as soon as possible. The cleaning should speed up the healing.” He gently squirmed out of his jeans, and my breath hitched. My gaze traveled the length of his torso, drinking him all in. His abs tapered down to a muscled V which disappeared beneath his boxers. I’d forgotten how flawless his body was. Focus, Liv!
Grabbing the bottle of water, I poured half of it down his chest and patted away the sticky blood. Next came the alcohol and finally the bandages. I sat back on my heels admiring my work. Or that’s what I told myself. Maybe I just wanted an excuse to ogle his perfect body for another minute.
“Thanks,” he muttered as he slowly rose to his feet. “I’ll grab my stuff and then we’ll go.”
“Already?” I glanced over at Trinity. Her color was returning, but she was still unconscious.
“We have to get out of the city for awhile until we know more. We can’t risk Zeke finding you. I don’t know how much they got out of Trinity before I rescued her.” He limped toward the bedroom area and disappeared behind the divider.
“Where’s the car?” I asked.
“It’s parked in a garage not far from here on 42nd and Madison. I’ll get it, and you get ready to go.” He hobbled toward me with his duffel bag slung over his shoulder. The hefty Book of Salvation poked out the top. A strange sensation of relief swept over me knowing it was in safe hands once again.
“No way,” I said. “I’ll go. You’re still too weak.” He opened his mouth, but I cut him off. “No arguing. You already risked your neck getting Trinity out. I can do this.”
He closed the distance between us in a surprisingly quick move considering his weakened state. His hands cupped my cheeks. Warmth spread from my face down my body, igniting heat in my veins. He inched closer, his breath mingling with mine and my eyes locked on his lips. “Don’t do anything reckless, Liv. I just got you back, and I’m not losing you again,” he whispered, echoing my earlier thoughts.
Forcing my gaze away from his mouth, I drew in a breath. “I’ll be fine.” I pulled the dagger from my waistband and held it up, the obsidian blade gleaming in the light.
“Where’d you get that?” His hands dropped from my face. “I meant to ask you earlier but was a little preoccupied.”
“Your uncle, Azazel, gave it to your mom for protection. I grabbed it when the angels attacked.”
His eyes narrowed as he regarded the blade. “Do you know what it does?”
“Kills angels. But I figured it could still do some damage to a vampire.” I tucked it back into my jeans.
“It couldn’t hurt.” Declan took my hands and squeezed. “Promise me you won’t try to do anything brave but stupid?”
“I promise. Now let me go already before the vamps find us.”
With a final lingering look that nearly melted my insides, he released me. I rushed out the door before I lost my nerve.
Taking the steps two at a time, I raced down the stairwell and out into the murky mid-afternoon light. I paused in the alley before turning out onto the main street. Though the vampires would never be out at this time, the stryx were another story.
Peering down 42nd Street, the coast looked clear. I took off, sprinting up the road. I could just make out the Madison Avenue street sign two blocks ahead. Only a few more minutes and we’d be home free. Once we headed out of Manhattan, the number of vampires would decrease significantly. Trinity and Declan would have plenty of time to heal, and then we could regroup and return to the city with a plan. I hoped Trinity could make more sense of the riddle from the Book of Salvation than we had.
I reached Madison Avenue and swung a quick left. Straight into a wall. Or at least that’s what it felt like. I peered up at the massive form I’d bumped into and ice surged through my veins.
Crimson-hued irises glared down at me under a greasy curtain of ash-blonde hair. I immediately recognized the stryx from Razer’s crew. Before I could move, his thick fingers clamped down on my shoulders and lifted me off the ground.
“Zeke’s going to be very pleased to have you back,” he snarled and threw me over his shoulder.
I pounded on his back, but it was like a fly swatting at an elephant. Worst, my dagger was squished between my stomach and his back and I had no way of reaching it in this position.
“Let go of me!” I yelled as I tried to squirm free.
“Not happening, sweetheart.” He turned on the vamp-speed, and the vacant buildings sped by me in a blur.
Oh crap. I was in so much trouble.
All of a sudden, the big vamp lurched back and I nearly went flying over his shoulder. He tightened his grip and repositioned me, my stomach roiling from the roller-coaster ride.
“Asher,” the guy hissed.
“Sorry, Mack. I can’t let you have her.”
A loud squelch carried up to my ears, making my skin crawl. It was like a boot lifting free of dense mud. A second later, I dropped to the floor and landed in a pile of sooty ash.
Bleh. I got to my feet and brushed the vampire dust off my shirt and jeans. My eyes finally met Asher’s.
“You have to leave the city now.” His voice was nothing like that of my best friend. It was cold, sharp and cut like glass.
“That’s what I’m trying to do,” I huffed.
“Try harder.” He turned away, but I grabbed his arm before he vamp-sped away.
“Thank you,” I muttered. “For now and for earlier with Razer. And I’m sorry I left without telling you.”
He shook his head, a glimpse of warmth reaching his emeral
d eyes. “You didn’t belong there. It was stupid of me to think otherwise.”
“I used to belong wherever you were.” The words came out in a rush, my voice shaky.
“Not anymore. You need to stay far away from here, Liv. Whatever it is that you know, Zeke wants it bad.”
I nodded, swallowing down the sharp pang slicing through my chest. Before he could get away, I pulled him into a hug. His body stiffened for a moment, then he exhaled, his cool breath tickling my ear. He tightened his hold around my waist and pressed me into his chest. “I loved you so much once, Liv,” he mumbled. After a long minute, he sighed. “If you want to survive, don’t ever come back to the city.”
A chilly breeze whipped my hair back, and he was gone.
Chapter 24
I stared straight ahead, my eyes intent on the road sprawling before us. Darkness loomed closer, and we’d be forced to stop soon. We had only made it two hours outside of the city after the second Manhattan tunnel delay.
Glancing in the rearview mirror, Trinity’s peaceful sleeping face calmed the sea of churning nerves. Without Sammarah, I wasn’t sure we’d ever figure this out. Trinity was the answer. I hoped.
A light snore drew my attention to my snoozing co-pilot. He’d passed out right after we cleared Manhattan. My fingers itched to lift his shirt up and check on his wound. I clenched my fingers tighter around the steering wheel pushing the thought away. Just the idea of sneaking a peek at Declan’s perfect six-pack sent thrilling chills all over me.
Bad, Liv!
My feelings for Declan were messy and would only complicate things. We needed to focus on the mission. Keeping our relationship platonic was the best for everyone right now. Or at least that’s what I tried to convince myself as I ogled his handsome face, trying to remember what his lips felt like against mine.
Turning back to the road, I pressed down on the gas pedal. We needed to put as much distance as possible between Uncle Zeke, his vampire crew and us.
How could Declan’s family be so screwed up?
“Hey, beautiful.” Declan’s raspy voice startled me. Our eyes connected, and the familiar heat burned inside me.
I cleared my throat and diverted my gaze back to the highway. “Are you feeling better?”
“Much.” I heard him lift his shirt up, and it took every ounce of restraint I had not to turn my head. “The wound is almost healed.”
“Good.”
“How’s she doing?” He craned his head to the backseat where Trinity and Duke dozed.
“I think she’s okay. She’s been out the whole time.”
He sat up straighter, propping his elbow on the window. “It’s too bad she doesn’t remember if she spilled your secret to Zeke while being interrogated.”
A part of me agreed, but the other half was relieved they’d compelled the horrors from her memory. It was better for her to forget.
“We need to make sure she eats and drinks a lot tonight when we stop,” he added. “She needs to replenish all the blood she lost.”
I nodded, wondering how long she’d been a blood slave. How much of her blood had they taken during her captivity?
“Declan, how come I’ve never seen you drink blood?” The question had been bugging me since his shocking confession at Vamp Central.
Crimson flooded his cheeks, and I was about to retract the inquiry when he opened his mouth. “As I told you, I’m unique. I don’t require much blood to survive, not like other vampires.” He paused. “Also the type of blood I need is unusual.”
“Unusual?” My head whirled toward him.
He licked his lips, and my heart skipped a beat. “I consume angel blood.”
My jaw unlocked, and I was sure I’d have to scrape it off the car floor. “What?”
“Human blood’s okay, but what my body truly desires is angel blood.” He shrugged. “Nephilim work too.”
I couldn’t decide if I should be pleased or horrified. Sudden flashes of all the angel kills he’d made since I’d met him replayed across my vision. There had never been any blood.
“Those angels that attacked us in the woods after I’d run off—you drank their blood?”
He nodded, his lips in a tight line. “It’s not something I’m proud of, Liv, and I never kill if I can help it. Like I said, I don’t need much to survive.”
“No wonder Zeke wanted you on his side.”
“I won’t use my powers to further my uncle’s agenda against my father. The only person I’m interested in protecting is you.” His hand found mine on the gearshift. “You’re the only one that matters to me.”
I let his warmth seep into my chilly fingers for a few seconds before pulling away. Hurt flashed across his maroon irises as he withdrew his hand.
“Declan, things can’t just go back to the way they were with us.”
He exhaled slowly. “I see.”
“I’m not saying I don’t have feelings for you—because I do. Major feelings. But they scare me.” Petrified was more like it. I’d fallen hard for someone I couldn’t fully trust.
His expression softened. “Because you still don’t trust me.”
“I trust that you’d protect me with your life. But I need some time to figure out where this is going. There’s so much we have to deal with right now, and more than anything I need you by my side as my friend, my family. If I lost that, I wouldn’t survive.”
He slowly nodded his head. “Okay. I can live with that. For now.” He took my chin, turning it to face him. “Just as long as you know, I have major feelings too, and I’m never giving up on us. You and me, we’re meant to be—I can feel it in my very soul.” He shot me a swoon-worthy smile, and the tightness in my chest vanished.
A comfortable silence filled the car as we headed north. Declan sat beside me humming a tune as the last rays of murky light disappeared behind the horizon.
“We should stop soon,” he said as we passed a highway sign.
I glanced up and scanned the names—one I’d never forget. Fallsbrooke. It was the small suburban town Asher and I had stumbled upon when we first set out to head south. “Let’s go a little farther and then we can get off.” The idea of stopping in Fallsbrooke brought up too many painful memories. I wondered if Parker was still alive. Could I even face him after walking out on his brother and friends?
Declan’s head spun toward the window, his movement so quick it caught my attention. Sliding the glass down, he craned his neck outside.
“What is it?”
“Angels,” he hissed. “We have to get off the road now!”
The car’s headlights shone against the green exit sign, and I cringed. Fallsbrooke. I jerked the wheel to the right and sped down the exit ramp.
“Turn off the headlights.” Declan kept his eyes to the sky.
“But I won’t be able to see anything.”
“I’ll tell you where to go, just trust me.”
The loud flapping of wings filtered down from the dark sky, filling me with dread.
“What’s going on?” Trinity sat up, poking her head between the front seats. What a perfect moment to wake up.
“Looks like we’ve got some angel company,” he hissed.
I peered out through the windshield, the luminous glow of wings circling overhead. I couldn’t make out exact details, but based on the brightening light there had to have been at least a half dozen of them up there. “Did they see us?”
“Most likely,” he growled. “Hold the car steady.” He crawled out the window, one hand gripping the interior handle and the other on the roof.
“What are you doing?” I yelled, but my shouts got lost in the rushing wind.
A blinding flash of light illuminated the sky, and my eyelids snapped shut of their own accord. As soon as the shock passed, they jolted open. Declan was back in his seat, one arm stretched across the console gripping the steering wheel.
“You did that?” I tried my best to keep the rising panic out of my voice, but even I could hear the slight q
uiver.
“We needed a distraction. Now we have to ditch the car.” He pointed to the encroaching forest to our right. “We can try to lose them in the woods.”
Jerking the steering wheel to the side, we lurched off the paved road and onto the dirt path. The little car pitched and wobbled as we barreled into the darkness of the forest.
“Stop!” Declan shouted.
A massive tree sprang up in front of us, and I slammed on the brakes. Squeezing my eyes shut, my body lurched forward as an arm flew across my chest. The car ground to a halt, stopping inches away from the sprawling oak.
“Are you okay?” Declan leaned over me, unbuckling my seatbelt and I slowly opened my eyes.
“Yeah.” I released the breath I’d been holding and turned around to the backseat. “How about you guys?”
Trinity nodded, her face pale and Duke let out a startled yip.
The buzz of wings flapping above snapped our attention back to the problem at hand.
“Let’s go!” Declan jumped out of the car, and we all followed suit.
I thanked our lucky stars for the thick canopy of trees above us as we raced through the woods. The flutter of wings followed us but seemed to lessen in intensity.
“They’ve split up to find us. That’s a good sign; it means they’ve lost our track.” Declan squeezed my hand as he tugged me through the trees.
Trinity was right behind us, her haggard panting carrying through the still night. “How much further?” she rasped out.
I glanced over my shoulder. Trinity wouldn’t last much longer. Her cheeks were flushed and her mouth gaped. The second the thought crossed my mind, she lost her step and tumbled to the ground.
“Declan!”
He spun around and scooped her up into his arms. He winced as her body brushed against his torso. The wound. It still hadn’t fully healed. There was no way he could carry her far.
I took a second to catch my breath, scanning the dark thicket, and a familiar wall took shape at the edge of the woods across the highway. My heart jumped. “Come on, this way!”
Chapter 25
