Page 58 of Treasured

“I can’t go much… farther,” he gritted out through clenched teeth. The feather fluttered in his good hand, but his tunic was dark, and the scent of blood filled the air.

My heart raced, and my palms grew sweaty. Sebastian needed help. Panic edged at my mind, pushing and prodding, seeking a way in.

Not for the first time, I wished I was better trained for these circumstances. I wished I was more of a warrior. Still, I had some instincts. Sebastian needed to get out of the sun’s path. Then, I would have to clean his wound. Who knew what kind of dirt and debris the sunfire owl had on its talons?

Having formed the semblance of a plan, I scanned the area and searched for any sign of shelter through the blistering snow. We were in the middle of nowhere, even for Eleyta, but I wouldn’t give up.

There.

A small cave was tucked into the side of the next mountain. It wasn’t much, barely more than an overhang, but we’d make it work. I flapped my wings and wrapped my arms around him.

He swayed. His face was far too pale. His tunic was too wet. He’d already lost so much blood. How much of the vital substance could a vampire part with before it was too late?

“Hold on, Sebastian,” I told him.

“No.” His eyes flashed with alarm. “I’m too heavy, Luna.”

“Probably.” But I was still going to do this. There wasn’t any time for doubt.

The wind swallowed his continued protests. I hugged him close, urging my wings to move. My back burned, and it took a lot of effort to lift us both off the ground, but eventually, we were in the air.

To say Sebastian was heavy would be an understatement. It turned out that spending most of my time reading books did not build up an extraordinary amount of muscle. Even as a vampire, carrying him was far more strenuous than anything I’d ever done.

Flying us to the cave took far more energy than it should have, but I did it. Sebastian stumbled away from me the moment we landed, sliding down the wall into the shadows’ safe embrace. Dropping my satchel, I fell to my knees and ripped open his shirt.

He winced. “I didn’t realize you were so eager to see me without my clothes, darling.”

His words lost much of their impact as his face paled and more blood oozed out of the wound. I inched closer to him, hissing as I took in the dirt caked in his flesh.

“I’m sorry.” I looked away, digging through my bag. “This is probably going to hurt.”

Odette had given me a few extra things for our journey, including a small vial of pure alcohol. Just in case, she’d said.

Thank the gods she’d had the foresight to give it to us. I didn’t know if vampires could succumb to infections, but I wasn’t going to take any chances.

Sebastian clenched his jaw in preparation. “Do it, Luna.”

I hated that this would hurt him. I would hurt him. But it needed to be done.

I twisted off the cork, dropping it beside me. The scent of burning alcohol hit my nose, and my nose twitched. With one hand, I pulled the tunic away from his shoulder.

“I’m sorry.” I squeezed my eyes shut and dumped the contents of the bottle on his skin. In hindsight, I probably should have watched what I was doing, but I couldn’t bear to see him in pain. He sucked in a sharp breath when the alcohol hit his skin, and burning agony came through the Binding Mark.

Opening my eyes, I pulled a clean handkerchief from the satchel and dabbed at the wound. Blood and dirt came away slowly, exposing deep, red gashes that ran down his shoulder. I could have sworn I saw the deep red of muscles, the sunfire owl having cut through several layers of flesh.

Sebastian didn’t speak as I took care of him, but I felt his gaze on me, tracking my movements.

When I was certain the wound was as clean as our environment would allow, I sat back on my haunches and took the feather from him. I placed it in the bag, along with the cork, and then wrapped the empty vial in a scarf to keep it safe. We’d brought one for the wolf’s blood, but I wasn’t taking any chances. If the first broke, we’d need to use this one instead. Better safe than sorry.

Moving next to Sebastian, I pulled off my cloak and swept my hair away from my neck.

“Feed,” I said. “You need it.”

His black eyes met mine, and he lifted a hand, brushing it over my throat. Tingles ran over me everywhere where he touched. “You’re sure you feel strong enough?”

This vampire. He was wounded, and he was checking to see if I was alright?

“I’m fine, Sebastian. Bite me. Please.”

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