Page 85 of Nearly Dead

A shaft of moonlight suddenly pierces the darkness as a hole appears above me.Dust motes dance in the silver beam, and I’ve never seen anything so beautiful in my life.

“I see her!”Costin’s face appears in the opening, his eyes glowing red with intensity.He reaches into the hole, but his hand is several feet away.“Can you get to me?”

I close my eyes and try to make my vampire body travel like I did once before, but I feel too weak.

“Tamara, hold on.We’re almost there.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” I reply, with a wry laugh.

Costin’s voice becomes distant as he says, “I smell blood.She’s badly hurt.”

My head drops back weakly and all I can do is watch.The hole widens as they clear more debris.I can see Costin working frantically, his movements a blur of supernatural speed.Anthony’s hands glow blue with magic as he stabilizes the remaining structure around us.And to my surprise, I see Sully’s massive form, his werewolf strength making short work of the larger pieces of rubble.

“Careful,” someone warns as the structure groans.

“I’ve got it,” Anthony replies, his magic creating a web of support.

Finally, the opening is large enough.Costin reaches down, his hand extended toward me.I move to my knees and stretch up a bloody hand, our fingers almost touching.Just a few more inches...

The rubble shifts beneath me, and I fall.Costin doesn’t hesitate.He leaps down into the hole, landing beside me with catlike grace.There’s barely enough room for the both of us but he manages to wrap his arms around me, pulling me tight against his chest.

“I thought I’d lost you,” he whispers, his voice rough with emotion.

“You can’t get rid of me that easily,” I reply, burying my face in his neck as I drop weakly against him.I close my eyes and take in his scent.

He pulls back just enough to look at me, his eyes scanning my face, my body, cataloging every scratch and bruise.His hand cups my cheek, thumb gently wiping away a streak of dust.Then his mouth is on mine, desperate and hungry, as if he needs to physically confirm I’m alive.

I kiss him back with equal fervor, uncaring of our audience above.In this moment, nothing exists but us and the solid reality of his body against mine, the taste of him on my lips, the pulse of our bond flowing between us stronger than ever.

Someone clears their throat above us.Reluctantly, Costin breaks the kiss.

“Perhaps we could continue the reunion somewhere less likely to collapse?”Anthony suggests dryly.

Costin smiles against my lips.

With little effort, he pushes me toward the opening.I start to protest that I can climb out by myself, but the truth is, my leg is throbbing, my arms are weak, and I’m not sure I can support my weight.

Anthony and Sully help pull me out.A few wolves are with him, but I don’t know their names.Once I’m clear, Costin scoops me into his arm and carries me past the rubble before setting me down gently on the ground.Corpses are scattered around the graveyard, a reminder of what Leviathan did.

“Paul?”I ask, looking around.“Is he okay?”

“Safe,” Anthony assures me, dropping on the ground next to us.“He’s passed out in the back seat of the car.”

Relief floods me.At least I didn’t get him killed.Again.

“We should go,” Sully says, his massive form silhouetted against the moonlight.“This place is unstable, and there could be more of those things.”

He means zombies.I glance around the graveyard, but the undead are truly dead once more.The ground is torn up where they emerged, but nothing stirs in the moonlight.Whatever power animated them died with Leviathan.

Or at least, I hope it did.

“Thank you,” I tell Sully.

He nods.“I told you.A threat to one of us is a threat to all of us.”

With a sharp whistle, he tilts his head and orders the wolves to leave.The werewolves take off across the graveyard.A part of me jolts, instinctively wanting to follow them, but I’m too exhausted.

“See you at the full moon,” Sully says to me with a grin.

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