Page 44 of Midnight Reign
“Why isn’t she healing?” he asks.
“Fuck knows,” I growl. “Why? Why did she do this?”
“Was it her?” Zaiah says quietly.
“Fuck!” I roar again and grab Addy by her shoulders. Her head lolls back. “Adelaide Black. Don’t you dare leave me. Heal yourself, Little Dollie. Now isn’t the time to be a pussy. You are a vampire, more than a vampire. Don’t let some jealous cunt make you forget that. I love you, dammit, do not leave me!” My desperation is nauseating, but her life is slipping away every second she doesn’t heal. There is nothing we can do. This is all on her.
Her blood stains my hands, warm and sticky. The scent of it fills the air, clouding my senses. I have to fight against my vampire instincts, the urge to feed.
“Come on, Addy,” I plead. “Fight this. You’re stronger than her.”
Zephyr places a hand on my shoulder. “Corvus, we need to do something. She’s fading fast.”
Nodding, I bite into my wrist, opening a vein. I press the wound to Addy’s pale lips, willing her to drink. “Come on, Addy. Take it.”
For a heart-stopping moment, nothing happens. Then, slowly, I feel the pull as she begins to drink. Relief floods through me.
“It’s working,” Zephyr breathes.
“Not enough,” I say. “Come on, Addy.”
Adelaide’s eyes flutter open, unfocused and hazy. She’s still pale, her breathing shallow. My blood has stopped the immediate bleeding, hopefully enough for her to heal herself.
She gasps, her back arching as she takes in a deep breath. Her eyes fly open, clear and alert now. “What happened?”
“You tried to leave us,” I say, my voice breaking slightly. “Don’t ever do that again.”
Addy looks confused for a moment, then horror dawns on her face. She slaps her hand to her throat. “Oh God,” she whispers. “I... I didn’t... It was her. Crimson. She made me do it.”
Rage that I’ve never known before wells up, and I rise, smashing my fist into the mirror over the dresser.
“Corvus,” Addy murmurs, but I don’t pay attention as I slam my fist over and over into the mirror.
“I will fucking kill her!”
“Get in line,” Zephyr says, grabbing Addy’s hand and helping her to her feet.
She’s wobbly but standing. “No. You can’t. You can’t kill her.”
“We can with the ritual,” Ignatius hisses.
Addy shakes her head as I turn back to her. “No. The ritual isn’t what we thought. It’s a way to bring her closer to the surface.”
“So what? We never have group sex, and she lurks in your mind forever?” I spit out. She winces, and I shake my head in apology.
Adelaide shakes her head, her eyes filled with fear and determination. “No, that’s not an option either. She’s getting stronger, and I don’t know how long I can keep her at bay.”
I take a deep breath, trying to calm my rage. “Then what do we do? We can’t just sit back and let her take control.”
Zaiah steps forward, his expression is thoughtful. “Maybe we’re looking at this all wrong. If the ritual isn’t meant to containher but to bring her closer to the surface, perhaps that’s exactly what we need to do.”
We all turn to look at him, confused. He continues, “Think about it. Right now, Crimson is this nebulous presence in Addy’s mind. We can’t fight what we can’t see or touch. But if we bring her closer to the surface...”
“We might be able to separate her from Addy,” Zephyr finishes.
Addy looks uncertain. “But isn’t that incredibly risky? What if she takes over completely?”
I take her hand, squeezing it gently. “We won’t let that happen. I swear to you.”
