Tyler shrugged. “Okay. Fair enough.”
“Alive.”
He grimaced. “How are we going to keep it from attacking us? What if it decides to wake up?”
“We can tie it down somehow. How about nailing it to a tree?”
“That might work.”
“But we don’t have a hammer, do we?”
Tyler grinned. “I don’t need one. I can pound anything into a tree with this.” He lifted up his fist. “I’ll find a sharp rock.”
Now that the devils were figured out, I knelt by Danny’s side. He was lying facedown, so I gently rolled him over. It wasn’t easy because he was still frozen.
His face was almost unrecognizable.
Pieces of his flesh were missing and his clothes were shredded and bloody. There were gashes all over his arms and legs shaped in small, angry circles. Thank goodness the spell not only froze him—but knocked him out. He was a supe; he’d heal. I took his hand gently in mine.
Eamon had laid Naomi down a few feet away.
She was equally damaged. It was hard to look at her. The healing process would take time. I hoped it didn’t hurt too much and that they both stayed unconscious throughout the process.
“They will not recover from this,” Eamon stated, his voice remorseful as he gazed down at his sister. “They have been too gravely injured.”
I glanced sharply at him. “What did you say?”
Eamon shook his head. “The wounds might close some, but they will never heal over completely. They will fester and bleed until the venom finally kills them.”
“That can’t be true. They’re supernaturals.” I ran a gaze over Danny’s body.
Eamon was right; none of the wounds were closing.
“Naomi will need the blood of an immortal for any chance of survival, and she cannot drink mine. We are too closely bonded. It will not give her the healing properties she needs. Blood is her only chance, but even with it, she might not recover. Camazotz venom is powerful.”
“What about Danny!” I cried. “How does he heal? He doesn’t drink blood.”
“I do not know.”
Tyler knelt down next to me. “Nobody’s feeding a vampire, Jessica, so don’t even think about it.”
“Tyler,” I argued—it wasn’t worth pretending he didn’t know my thoughts exactly—“we have to be reasonable here. If we have a chance to save a life, we save one.”
“Jess,” Tyler said between clenched teeth, “our races don’t mix. We’ve never mixed. Naomi was ordered by her Queen to do a job. It’s not our problem if she dies. That’s the risk her Queen took—”
“I’ll do it.” Danny’s voice broke as he gasped for air. “Give her my blood then. I’ve lost a hell of a lot of it, but if there’s anything left, she is welcome to it.”
10
My brother and I stared down at him, slack jawed. “Danny, please don’t be awake right now,” I pleaded. “Are you in pain?” I reached my hands out to touch his body, to console him, but pulled them back. I couldn’t risk hurting him.
Nothing was healing. The wounds were a festering mess.
Tyler bent closer, his voice filled with pain. “Danny, you don’t know what you’re saying. You’re hallucinating. Go back to sleep.” He glanced at me. “We have to knock him out again. We can’t let him suffer like this.”
“No,” Danny breathed, his lips almost unmoving. “Give her my… blood. Now.”
I turned to Eamon. His face was grim. He didn’t like the idea any better than I did. I smoothed his hair back carefully. “Danny, you’re too damaged and you’ve lost too much blood. I can’t let you do it.”
“She needs it.”
I glanced at Naomi. He was right. Neither of them appeared able to survive this on their own. Danny looked horrible, but Naomi had been hit harder. She was smaller and had been out there longer. Her body was mangled and shredded beyond recognition. “I can’t argue with you there, buddy, but you can’t be the one to do it,” I said.
Tyler glared at me. “Don’t even think about it, Jess.”
“Why not?” I snapped. “The wolves will never accept me anyway. I’ve been an outcast since the day I was born.” My body tensed with emotion. “Why wouldn’t I choose to save a life? It’s the right thing to do!”
“Because it’s not the right thing to do!” Tyler shouted, jumping to his feet. “We are sworn enemies of the vampires. If they had their way, they would’ve annihilated our race long ago. They’ve always wanted supreme power over all the Sects. Their Queen will not expect you to save this girl!” He gestured angrily at Naomi. “And the wolves will never accept it.”
“What he says is correct,” Eamon interrupted.
I narrowed my eyes at them both. “I don’t care what the Queen expects—or doesn’t—or anyone else for that matter. If I can save Naomi, I’m going to do it. She’s already proven herself loyal on this journey. And Danny was willing to give it to her, even in the shape he’s in.” I indicated to his bleeding body. “There’s no reason for me not to try.” I yanked up my shirtsleeve to prove my point. I stared at my brother, both of our eyes sparking, each of us growling. “You can leave if you can’t take it, but I’m not going to stand by and let her die when I have a chance to save her. And after I’m done, I’m saving Danny, even if I have to give him a blood transfusion. Do you hear me? Neither of them is going to die if I can help it.” My voice came out in a wash of power all on its own, my wolf chiming in with a ferocious snarl.
Tyler took an inadvertent step back, frustration and anger creasing his brows. “If you think I’m going to stay here and see you sacrifice yourself to save a vamp, think again.” He turned and stormed off into the forest. I knew he wouldn’t go far. He wouldn’t leave Danny for very long.
Once he was gone, I scooted next to Naomi. She was so broken. I swallowed. “Okay, what do I do?” I turned to Eamon, who seemed as stunned as Tyler that I was actually going to go through with it. “Eamon.” I snapped my fingers in front of his face. “Let’s get moving. What do I do now?’
Eamon physically shook himself. “Bring your wrist up to her mouth. I do not know if the venom has rendered her senses deadened or not, but once she has the taste of your blood on her lips, she should latch on by herself. When you feel she’s taken enough, you will need to sever the contact by ripping your wrist away. She will not let go on her own. If you do not, she will drink you dry.”
Well… hmm.
I had a throwing knife sheathed on my waist. I drew it out and positioned it above my wrist. My wolf snarled a warning, making me falter for a moment. What? You don’t want to save a life? You were behind me just a moment ago. She snapped her jaws twice, showing me a picture of wolves—only wolves—surrounding us. A life is a life, even an undead one. Naomi was forced to help us by her Queen and she doesn’t deserve to end like this—I don’t care if she’s not our kind. She lifted her head once, brought it back down, and sat, resigned.
I exhaled the breath I’d held and sliced the knife cleanly across my wrist. Blood flowed out in a rush, but I had to move quickly because it wouldn’t run for long.
I angled my wrist down toward Naomi’s mangled lips, dripping blood onto them and into her mouth. She stirred after a moment, moaning faintly.
Eamon’s breath hitched as he watched my blood flow into his sister’s mouth. Vampires didn’t need to breathe, but in order to talk they had to take in air. “I must leave now.” He rose quickly. “Thank you… for helping her. It is a debt we will repay as required by our laws, decided by our Queen.” He shot up into the air.
Right then Naomi latched on to my wrist. Her sharp teeth punctured it deeply, hitting bone. “Jesus!” I yelled, grabbing on to my forearm with my other hand to keep it in place, resisting the urge to pull back as she began sucking ravenously. My wolf let out a howl in my mind. It’s okay. We’ll pull back soon.
“Jessica,” Danny whispered, turning his head slightly. “I’d like to point out that you have always been my favorite.” He smi
led grimly, obviously in pain. “You have something in spades that we wolves sorely lack. Compassion. Please don’t ever forget it.”
“Danny”—my voice full of sorrow—“I know for a fact beef jerky has always been your favorite. And I’m telling you right now, I’m going to fix this. Promise me you’ll stay with me. We’re going to find a way to make this better as soon as I’m done here.”
As Naomi sucked, I wondered how long was long enough. I peered at her body as she took my blood. Her skin looked a little better, almost like it was thinking of knitting back together.
“Ahhhhh.” Without warning her eyes shot open and her mouth detached, surprising me. She blinked twice, focusing on me as I leaned above her. “What are you doing?” she accused, my blood streaming down the side of her mouth, her eyes looking crazed and wide, oscillating from flecks of mercury to jet black, and back again.
“Um.” I sat back on my haunches and wrapped my ripped wrist tightly with my other hand to stanch the flow. The bleeding stopped almost immediately. “We thought you were dying, so I gave you my blood. I also thought you weren’t going to let go of me on your own. So that was a shocker.”
She sat up slowly, Dracula-style, bending smoothly at the waist. She was still mangled, but her face was starting to repair itself at a rapid pace. “What did you say?” she asked, her eyes still eerie and unfocused.
“I said I gave you my blood.”
“Why would you do such a thing?”
“I just covered this—you would’ve died otherwise. The venom was going to kill you. I didn’t know what else to do. Eamon said this would work and that drinking the blood of an immortal was your only hope.”
She glanced down her body, startled, her eyes easing back to their normal hazel color. “What has happened to me? I do not remember.” She spread her arms out, taking in her injuries, her lips curling in distaste—a look I was used to seeing on her brother’s face, not hers.
“You were attacked by winged devils, Cozmos or something, from the Underworld. Apparently they have poisonous venom that impedes supernatural healing. You don’t remember anything at all? That must be powerful poison.” Naomi turned, noticing Danny for the first time, lying, thankfully, out cold a few feet away.
“Quickly. We need to wake him.” She sprang forward, crawling on her hands and knees, her voice trembling.
“Whoa. What are you talking about? You just woke up. You need to heal first.” I reached an arm out to stop her.
She brushed me off. “Non, non,” she muttered in French. “You don’t understand. If we do not get the venom from his system he will die within moments.”
“What?” I said, completely alarmed. I moved quickly next to her, crawling toward Danny, because it was the easiest way to get there. “That’s not what your brother told me. He said the wounds would fester, but not that his life was in immediate jeopardy, like dying in the next few minutes kind of jeopardy.”
“My brother is foolish,” she mumbled with annoyance. “He thought to save me, but he was careless about your wolf friend. Come. Help me wake him and do as I say. I will show you what to do.” She carefully rose up on her knees and reached into the pocket of her mangled jeans. There was material left, but not much. It wasn’t a jeans kind of day. “You need to insert this into his body.” She cradled something carefully in her palm. It was a small scarlet bag with a front flap, decorated in gold thread. Using the edges of the flap to protect her fingers, she pulled out a small cross and set it on top of the bag. It was beautifully detailed, the craftsmanship exquisite. It was carved with symbols and flowing decorations so small and intricate it must’ve taken years, and huge magnifying glasses, to complete.
“Is that silver?” I asked.
“Oui, yes, and it is spelled. It will destroy the venom and anything else in his bloodstream.”
“But silver can kill a wolf,” I said, my tone firm. “I’m not putting that inside his body. If it gets into his heart, it could stop it for good. I can’t take that chance. He’s too weak.” Tyler’s distrust rang through my mind as I put my hand out to push her hand away.
What if it was the vamps’ agenda to kill us all from the beginning and I’d been wrong? What if this had all been a ploy to get me to give her blood.
“Non,” Naomi tsked. “The cross is specially made; the silver will react only with the blood to kill the danger, not the body. Just do as I say. We are running out of time! You are stronger than I am now. It must be inserted deeply. Go!” She shoved it toward me again.
Something in her face, and the urgency of her voice, made me take notice. I had just saved her life. Surely she wouldn’t repay that debt by killing my friend? Reluctantly I took hold of the cloth by the edges, grasping the cross through the soft fabric. Silver was highly conductive to supernatural magic, the very essence that fueled us, and would burn me if my fingers touched it.
I bent over Danny and shook his shoulder. Maybe he wasn’t dying and I wouldn’t have to use this thing. “Danny, Danny, wake up!”
He moaned and mumbled incoherently, his cracked, bloodied lips turned down in a painful grimace.
“Insert it near the heart. Find a wound that is already open,” Naomi urged. “You must do it now.”
“Near the heart? You’ve got to be kidding!” I balked, feeling panicked. “Look. He’s waking. Maybe he’s not as dire as you think. He could heal on his own. Eamon might be wrong.”
“Do you want your friend to live or die?” Naomi snarled, her voice fierce. “Now stop wasting time!” I glanced at her to argue my point, and gasped. She was nearly healed. “You’re almost fully—”
She ripped the cross out of my hands and elbowed me out of the way, plunging it deeply into Danny’s chest.
It was inserted at an angle, only the top of it visible. As she drew her hand away, I could see the imprint of the cross left in her palm. I didn’t have time to do anything else, because Danny’s back arched beneath him and he let out a strangled howl. The hairs on my arms rose.
“Quickly, grab on to his arms and legs,” Naomi ordered.
This was a werewolf we were talking about, not a toddler. “Tyler,” I screamed. “We need help!” Nothing else but to trust her now, because Danny was bucking beneath us. The cross was clearly doing something. I just prayed it wasn’t killing him.
I chose to trust her.
Tyler raced through the trees toward us. “What are you doing to him?” he shouted.
“Naomi put some kind of charmed silver cross in Danny’s chest. She says it will cure him. Without it he dies from the venom.”
Tyler roared and lunged for the cross. Before he could reach it, I jumped up and knocked him out of the way. “Tyler, stop!”
He stumbled backward, but recovered himself in an instant, coming at me. “What do you think you’re doing, Jess?” he raged. “This is insanity! I can’t watch this vamp kill my best friend without doing anything to stop it. Wake up and take a look around. They have the full advantage here, and putting silver into a werewolf this weak means death. Danny’s as good as gone, and this was probably their plan all along. Don’t you see? You’re playing right into it!”
“Tyler,” I ground out. “I don’t have time to argue with you now, but I’ve chosen to trust Naomi on this. Time is wasting and we need your help. Like I told you before, not everyone is out to kill everyone else. I want Danny to live, and if you do too, grab his goddamn legs so that thing stays in!”
“And what if he dies?” Tyler demanded, his eyes swirling amber. “What then?”
“Then I will KILL HER MYSELF,” I bellowed with as much power as I could infuse into the words.
Tyler dove to the ground and snatched up Danny’s bucking legs. I wasn’t sure if I had manipulated him with power or if he’d gotten it on his own, and I didn’t really want to know. Tyler kept his head down. I knelt back down and grabbed Danny’s shoulder and torso on one side. Naomi had the other.
“I am not murdering your friend,” Naomi whispered as
we all did our best to keep him still. Danny groaned and snarled in our grasps. “My memory is slowly returning. Your friend was selfless to come to my aid when he was not forced to do so. I will return the favor, as is common among our kind. This was his only chance. It was the cross or his certain death. There is no other way to exorcise the venom.”
Tyler did not respond. Danny continued to buck and yell. I glanced down the length of his body. His wounds were starting to fester in earnest. Yellow muck began to bubble out.
“What the hell is that stuff?” Tyler growled.
“That is the poison,” Naomi answered. “Stay away from it. The venom is born of the Underworld and still very potent. The silver is reacting to it and forcing it to flee his system.”
“Why didn’t we see it come out of your body then?” I questioned, running my eyes over Naomi’s almost fully healed body. There’d been no hint of yellow anywhere.
Naomi wouldn’t meet my eyes for a moment. When she did, she looked slightly abashed. “I believe your blood neutralized the venom on its own.”
“What? How can you be sure? Does that mean that my blood is immune to the little bastards?” I asked.
“I do not know for sure if you are immune.” She shook her head. “But I do know that vampires are very sensitive to blood types of all kinds. We can detect even the most subtle textures and tastes of any blood. Without a shadow of a doubt, your blood has cleansed me. As I drank, it was like nothing I’d ever tasted before, even in my unconscious state. It was dangerous and wild, sweet and powerful. I believe your blood seared the poison inside me, eradicating it the instant it mingled with the venom.”
I grimaced. Just talking about drinking blood gave me the willies. Plus, she just reminded me I’d broken every code and rule the wolves had about sharing anything with a different Sect—especially giving my blood. My father would be furious with me when he found out. There would be repercussions, there was no doubt. “If that means I’m immune, can I give my blood to Danny? Will it work the same way?”
“It won’t be necessary,” Naomi said. “He is almost clean. Look for yourself.”
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