Page 91 of King

Now, he lay face down on his kitchen counter, the cold surface slick with his own blood, while Slade worked on pulling the bullet from his back. Voices of Warriors rang around him, sharp and tense, thick with rage.

“You’re sure it was silver?” Slade’s voice was grim as he dug into the wound.

“Joey said that’s what King told Amara,” Sloan answered, voice raw, furious.

Damn, King thought. No kid, especially not Joey, should have to go through this kind of shit.

King wanted to tell Slade to shut the fuck up and work faster to get the bullet out. He needed blood. He knew that much. He also wanted to move, fight, tear through flesh, and break bones. But he was trapped inside his own goddamn body.

The pain had raged through him, sharper than anything he’d ever felt. He’d known the second that bullet tore through him that it was silver by the way it burned and the way it ate at him from the inside out.

King hadn’t shown the torture the pain caused him. Not in front of Amara. He had to be strong, so she wouldn’t break. And she hadn’t. Even through his pain, he'd seen her—his fierce, reckless female—pull his own knife, slice open her soft skin, and press her bleeding arm to his mouth.

She had saved his life. And now, she was gone.

His mind played the memory over and over, the moment she tucked his knife into the waistband of her jeans, the way she stepped between him and danger, ready to fight for him even when she should have run. That was something he would never forget.

And when he could move again, he would tear them apart for taking her...for touching her.

“He should be dead already.” Slade cursed, then finally pulled out the bullet. “What the hell? It’s black and... disintegrating. There is no way this was silver.”

“It is.” Daniel’s voice entered the conversation. Taking the bullet, he crushed it between his fingers. “Dad called me, and I came as quickly as I could. Where is Joey?”

King could feel the shift in the air as Daniel entered. He slowly opened his eyes to slits to see an unfocused human form and knew it was Daniel.

King heard someone moving, heard them come back, and knew Joey was with them.

“Is he still—” His voice broke, the question unfinished.

“Yes, he’s still alive.” Slade quickly assured him.

“Joey,” Daniel looked up from King. “How much blood did Amara give King?” Daniel asked as he put his hand on King’s bare shoulder.

“I don’t know,” Joey replied. “It was quick, I know that. She had to quit when we heard those bastards coming.

King felt Daniel’s touch as if it pulsed with something deep, ancient, and powerful.

Then Daniel lifted his head and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, light beamed toward the ceiling. For a long moment, he didn’t speak. Didn’t move. Then, finally, he exhaled.

“He needs blood.” Daniel’s voice was steady, filled with certainty.

Slade frowned, already reaching for his phone. “I’ll go to the hospital?—”

“Not Amara’s blood,” Daniel interrupted. “Yours. All of yours. I need every Warrior and Dark Guardian here. A few pulls from each vein.”

Sloan’s eyes narrowed. “Why?”

“Amara’s blood destroyed the silver,” Daniel explained. “But King is still weak. Right now, he’s trapped. He can’t move or speak, but he knows everything that’s happening.”

If King could get off this fucking table right now, he would fucking hug the shit out of him. King knew when Daniel leaned close to him.

“You can hug me later, brother.” King could almost hear the smirk in his tone. But then Daniel’s voice turned deadly. “First, take their blood so we can get your female. She’s safe for now, but I need every Warrior and Dark Guardian at full strength. And that includes you.”

“Everyone’s already on their way,” Sloan cut in. He rolled up his sleeve, ready to start.

But Daniel stopped him.

“Not yet. Wait until they all get here.” His gaze flicked back to Slade. “We start with the newest turned vampire and work our way up to the oldest and strongest, which is you, Sloan.”

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