Silver Blood (Blood Series Book 2)

by Tamara White

  "Seriously? I'm dead again?! What the fuck?"

  She smiles serenely. "I know it sucks, but the spirits choose when you die and when you don't. The day will come when you die, and you won't come back. That will be the day when the world is at peace again."

  I frown, shaking my head in annoyance. "No, I don't want to keep coming back. I want you to make sure Britt has my gift. Fix what's broken with her, stop worrying about me," I plead, hoping she may give me answers about what is wrong with Britt, or may know of some way to fix her.

  "My daughter is going to die. She messed with things she shouldn't have in her crusade for revenge, and the spirits are now taking what is owed to them, to ensure the balance is restored. She will join them when she dies, so do not fear. She won't be lost forever. She was always destined to become your guardian in the spirit realm."

  My mouth gapes open in shock. The reason Britt's dying is because she made a few messed-up choices? Hell, I've made a shit-ton of bad decisions these past few weeks, but I don't see her saying, 'Oh, the spirits will rain hell down on you.' And what is this nonsense about Britt being fated to be my guardian? Why didn't she tell me this last time?

  "I know you must have so many questions, Emerald, but you were brought here for a reason. I have a message," she says ominously, and I roll my eyes. Because it can't get any fucking worse, right?

  "Your soul-ties aren't the only bonds you will form. If you're going to survive, you need to be open to what happens with all your bonds, both current and new. You have many challenges to face, and I promise, it's all meant to play out like this. There will be tests meant to bring you to your knees, but you will emerge from the ashes so much stronger than before." Her gaze looks down at my hips, where the swords have started to emit a soft golden glow. "You better go now, your men need some help." She winks, and in a flash, I'm waking up on the ground, as fighting rages all around me.

  I get to my feet, feeling a little shaky, and the swords at my hips are still glowing. I remember more of what happened than last time I died, but there's no time to think about that now.

  Dev is being tackled to the ground by two wolves and a zombie, losing the battle against the overwhelming forces who seem to have appeared from nowhere. I take three steps, unsheathing my still glowing swords as I do. I feel the rush of pure power run up my arms as I kick the first wolf off Dev. Then I swing out, decapitating the remaining wolf and zombie in one swift movement.

  Dev smiles up at me, looking relieved and grateful, but we don't have a chance to say anything before a witch’s fireball goes flying past, narrowly missing us. I turn, my body vibrating with anger. "I've had enough of this shit!" I shout and stalk towards a bunch of witches who are displaying nothing but cockiness as they hide behind a shield of magic.

  Dev reaches out to stop me, just as a fireball comes straight at us. I don’t feel any fear, only the surety it won’t hurt me. I lift the sword in my free hand and block the fireball, enjoying the gasps from the witches who are watching me.

  I give Dev a smile. "Don't worry, Dev, I’ve got this. You help the others.” I gesture over to Talon and Nik, who are still fighting off at least a dozen enemies.

  He gives me a quick kiss before running over to the others, obviously trusting me to handle myself, for which I’m grateful. As he leaves, I wonder why the guys haven't called for reinforcements?

  I turn my attention back to the witches. "Who do you work for?" I ask, hoping for some kind of explanation to this craziness. I'm not stupid to think it’s coincidence that we've been ambushed every night I’m out with the guys. Especially when I know that no one else has been attacked while out on patrol. Hell, even when we went on our dates, we were attacked. The only time we weren't was when Britt and I snuck out during the day.

  Hey, Britt? If you're still in range, do you think you could send some backup? We've run into a bit of trouble.

  I don't get any response from either Britt or the witches in front of me, and I sigh, feeling annoyed. "Fine, don't tell me who sent you, but I feel I should warn you, no matter how many times you kill me, I will come back angrier and more vicious than before. So if you value your lives, now is the time to surrender."

  An aged man steps between the witches coming front and center, and I cock my head in confusion. I've seen him before. He'd visited the pack a few times when I was growing up.

  "We'll die before we surrender to you, abomination," he spits, raising his hands and flinging power at me. Before I have a chance to react, someone appears in front of me in a pop. The magic disperses and his head swings around, those cerulean blue eyes twinkling with mischief. "You called for backup?"

  I smile at him and move forward so we're side by side. I’m glad Britt sent Blaine. He seems like the most ruthless of the bunch, and I could use that right now. "Why yes, I did. These idiots don't seem to want to tell me who they're working for." I pout playfully.

  Blaine's gaze swings to the man who attacked me. "Jerry, how about you tell us who sent you here, and I won't tell Malcolm you're attacking someone under his protection."

  I watch as the man named Jerry pales and the four women around him fidget nervously.

  Jerry hardens his eyes, just as I hear Talon shout for Dev to watch out. I swing my gaze behind me and see that my men are overrun by the remaining vampires and wolves. "Shit! Have you got this?" I ask Blaine, gesturing to the witches. "The guys need help.”

  He nods sympathetically, and aims a wicked grin at the witches before him. "Go, I can handle these pussies."

  I splutter out a laugh and turn back to the mayhem behind me, realizing the guys are holding off twenty supernaturals to keep them from swarming us. They were so busy protecting me that they let themselves get overrun.

  As I get closer, a wolf breaks through the guys’ line of defense and dives for me. I twirl the swords in my hands as his body soars over mine, and drag them up along his belly. His insides spill out over me and he drops to the ground behind me dead.

  The rest of the wolves who've been trying to break through start to become more ferocious. I smirk at them, licking the still warm blood from my lips as my beast presses forth, my eyes turning red with her influence.

  I rush forward to help my men, attacking any who dare get in my way. The two wolves closest to me go down without a fight, my swords cutting through their throats like butter. Nik catches sight of me, and it’s as if seeing me alive brings him a renewed determination, and he wields his sword like a fucking maniac. He cuts down three vampires and another witch who throws fire at him, which singes his skin.

  In a matter of minutes, the attackers’ numbers have been cut in half, and I watch as the vampires and witches take off at a run just as our reinforcements arrive. The wolves, however, don't know a lost cause when they see one.

  They become more vicious in their attacks, fighting recklessly until only one of them is left. But instead of attacking any of us, the wolf goes straight for Blaine, who’s behind me.

  Seeing the wolf land on him sets my beast off in a rage, and we move faster than we ever have before. Before I can peel the wolf off of him, however, Blaine sends him flying back. I pause, watching in anger as the wolf runs off into the night with Blaine's blood coating its fur.

  My beast wants nothing more than to follow, and I take a step in its direction when a hand lands on my shoulder. "Don't even think about it."

  I sigh at the serious tone of Talon’s voice and drop my hands. I watch as the swords disappear from them, only to reappear in the scabbards at my hip. That's so cool.

  Talon looks me over, and once he's satisfied I'm unhurt, he takes charge of leading the reinforcements who showed up to help with the cleanup.

  I turn my attention to Blaine, who is laying on the ground, with his eyes squinted shut in pain. The witches he had been dealing with lay dead a few feet away.

  I drop to my knees beside him, furrowing my brow in concern. If that wolf did any fucking damage, I will hunt his ass down, and make him pay. My hea
rt hammers at the sudden possessive turn of my thoughts, and I choose to pretend I didn't just think of Blaine as one of mine. It's just the magic affecting me, that's all.

  "Blaine, are you okay?" I ask, looking him over to see where the wolf drew blood.

  He opens his eyes, and I can see the pain within them. "Yeah, he bit my fucking neck," he mutters out angrily.

  I bend over his body, unable to see the wound from my current vantage. I gasp when I see the full extent of it. Son of a motherfucking bitch! I pull my jacket off and press the fabric to his neck, ignoring the hiss of pain from him. Blood is seeping from the wound, making him go paler by the minute.

  "Dev! Grab a healer!" I call out urgently, knowing even if Dev isn't close by, one of the others will be.

  "Em, I don't need a healer," Blaine claims, his voice sounding tired.

  I look down at him in horror. "I am not going to let you die, asswipe! You have a big gaping hole in your neck, so just stay quiet until the healer gets here," I command, pressing my other hand to his chest to stop him from moving.

  He chuckles and reaches up to lay his hand on mine. "I meant, I just need some energy to speed up my natural healing," he says, raising an eyebrow as I flush in embarrassment.

  Why am I acting this way? It’s like I know what I'm doing, but I can't seem to stop myself.

  "Oh, whose energy do you need? You can use mine," I say quickly, volunteering myself before I have any idea what I'm even offering myself for. Shit, I really need to snap out of this.

  Blaine smiles up at me as if he can sense the internal dilemma I'm having. "If you really don't mind offering your energy, you just need to place your hand over my heart and will the magic to me. You'll feel it flow through you like a cold wave as it leaves your body. You may also feel like your core temperature is down for a few hours after," he explains, and I can't help but stare at the lucidity in his eyes. Shouldn't he be gasping for breath, approaching death even as we speak?

  I place my hand over his heart, deciding to ask him after he's healed just why he’s acting so calm and collected. I let whatever the hell magic is in me flow up through my body, and into my hand. Instead of a cold wave like he described, all I feel is heat. Not a bad heat, though, the type of heat you get when you're embarrassed, like a warm flush.

  I watch the light flow from me through to Blaine and notice the way he's beginning to perk up. "It’s so warm," I murmur, my body lighting up with need.

  I avert my gaze from Blaine when he meets my eyes, his own filled with the same need I feel. Instead, I move the jacket away from his neck with my other hand and smile, relieved to see the wound is completely healed.

  "Are you sure it's warm?" Blaine asks, his voice husky.

  I turn my gaze back to him and nod. "I'm sure.” Then I focus on slowing the flow of magic, cutting myself off as I fall back away from him, needing to stop touching him. It seems that touch is making these feelings worse.

  Talon appears by my side to help me up as I sway a little, and I sink into his embrace. Blaine stands up, looking better than ever. "Thanks, Em. You okay?"

  "Yeah, but how were you still lucid during that? You were bleeding out. Shouldn’t there have been gasping or more dramatics? Something," I press, feeling frustrated, not with him, but myself for letting myself get this worked up over my best friend’s husband.

  I need to find a way to control these impulses. I should talk to Macy and see if there's something I can do to suppress the desire that I feel.

  "I was using magic to stem the bleeding. That’s why I said I didn't need a healer. I could have walked back to the coven like that, and I still wouldn't have died," Blaine explains with a shrug.

  Well, fuck. So, I didn't need to share energy with him after all? Why didn't just he say that then? Ugh, men.

  Instead of asking more questions, I turn to look at Dev, Talon, and Nik, who all seem bloody, but no more worse for wear. If it wasn't for the fact I can't smell their blood, then I would be freaking out, but I know they're only doused in the blood of their enemies, just as I am.

  "Sie is gonna be pissed when she hears about this," Talon mutters.

  I glare at him. "They attacked us first! They shot me! I had to go to that bloody abyss place before I came back. If anyone should be pissed, it’s me!"

  "Shot you?" Talon exclaims, his eyes widening in fear. He exchanges glances with Nik, Dev, and Blaine, and they all converge around me in a protective circle.

  Talon's back is pressed to mine, while Nik's back is pressed to my right side, and Dev's to my left side. Blaine moved to press his back against my chest, effectively stopping me from moving.

  "Um, guys? You realize everyone here is dead right?" I ask, unsure why they're acting like a bunch of cavemen.

  Nik moves his head slightly to respond. "Em, we didn't find anyone among the dead who had a gun on them. That means the person who shot you is probably still out there, watching us," he whispers, and my eyes go wide.

  The person who shot me is still out there? My beast rattles in its cage in my mind, wanting to shift and track the son of a bitch down right now.

  It's quiet between the five of us as the guys listen for some hidden threat. Suddenly, I feel a pulling at my mind. I concentrate on the mental voice, hoping to find the source, when I hear the thoughts, as loud as if she was standing next to me.

  Just fucking die already, you whore!

  Fucking Heather! I should've known she'd be part of this bullshit!

  Guys? I question, hoping to project to all four of them. Fingers crossed it works. She's close by, I can hear her thoughts.

  She? Dev questions loudly into my mind, and I fight not to jump at the sound.

  "Yeah, she," I breathe loud enough for them all to hear as my gaze swings back and forth over our surroundings, trying to figure out where she could be hiding.

  We're in the middle of a residential street, and all the houses are still blacked out. Then again, she could be hiding inside one of them.

  I twist around, looking at each house carefully and see the shine of a reflection up in a window.

  If I can't have him, neither can you.

  I don't think, pushing Talon down to the ground just as the bullet that was meant for him grazes my shoulder.

  Dev and Nik move as one to the house the shot came from, and Blaine crouches down over Talon and I, erecting a magical barrier around us. The people who arrived to clean up and offer us assistance now swarm around us, with half of the group breaking off and heading towards the house, like Nik and Dev did.

  A few minutes later they return, with Nik dragging an unconscious, or possibly dead, Heather behind him by the hair.

  My father appears from nowhere, and Blaine lets me up. He grabs me by the shoulders, looking me over carefully before helping Talon to his feet. When my father’s gaze crosses to Heather, he smirks cruelly and looks back at me. "How do you feel about me laying a hand on this one?" he asks, jerking his head towards Heather.

  I smile wickedly, and I imagine it looks scary as hell to see me covered in blood while wearing a grin so vindictive. "Oh, you can do whatever you want to her. In fact, let me know when the interrogation starts," I smile sweetly, and he nods once.

  "You heard her, boys. Take her to my fun room."

  At his command, a few of the vampires come forward and pick her up, carrying her limp body between them.

  My father looks back at me with a proud smile. "It seems I underestimated your strength, Emerald, and for that I am sorry. Now, you really should head back to the coven and feed."

  I nod, feeling ravenous. The energy used in the fighting, my death, along with the energy I gave Blaine has weakened me immensely.

  On top of that, it’s been a few days since I've actually eaten anything or consumed any proper amount of blood.

  I need to set some kind of alarm or something to remind me to feed. If I don't, I'm going to end up starving myself.

  Thirty-One – Little Killer

  Emerald
>
  The moment the door locks and we’re safely back in our room, Talon growls and advances on me. "When was the last time you fed?"

  "Ahhhhhh..." I delay answering, knowing he won't like the truth. "It may have been a couple of days ago, or..."

  His eyes harden at my words, and Dev and Nik take a step forward, as if ready to intervene. "Have neither of you fed her in the past few days?"

  They glance each other, before all three turn to me, their gazes pinning me to the spot. I go on the defensive. "What? I told you my body hasn't exactly been telling me I need to feed. What do you expect me to do? Set some kind of alarm every day to make sure I remember to feed?"

  I don't bother to tell them that is exactly what I was thinking of doing. If they want me to feed regularly, they're going to have to help remind me, because I already have enough going on in my life. I can barely keep track of normal stuff, let alone when to eat or drink blood.

  Talon sighs, shaking his head sadly. "You're right. There are still so many changes going on in your life, and I didn't think to remind you of the little things we view as simple, or take for granted. Whatever it is about your dual natures, or triple natures as the case may be, it seems to block out some of your basic instincts. I will help remind you to feed, or maybe we'll make up a schedule, so we’ll all be able to stay on top of it. If your bloodlust is satiated, you should be able to go without food for longer period of time."

  I sigh, relieved that he didn't get angry. This must be the reasonable Talon who isn't under a hex. "For what it’s worth, I'm sorry, too. I should have kept better track of when I last ate or fed, but I just forgot."

  He smiles and takes a hesitant step closer. I meet him halfway and he wraps his arms around me, giving me the hug I really need right now.

  Dev and Nik stare at Talon’s back with dumbfounded expressions at his behavior, and I smirk, poking my tongue out at them, not caring how childish I seem.

  Talon breaks the hug after a long moment, pressing a gentle kiss to my lips, and I sigh. One kiss from him I think would be enough to wake me from a spelled sleep. He gives so much of himself in just one little kiss.