Page 60 of Cry of Blood and Joy
The Unseelie contingent remained unusually quiet, their otherworldly presence adding another layer of tension to the already charged atmosphere. Nyx and Lorcan flanked Keir like twin statues carved from winter itself, their pale eyes tracking every movement in the room with predatory focus. The Unseelie king had a talent for melting into the background of any room,becoming part of the furniture while he gathered intelligence. I knew he was cataloging everyone’s reactions, searching for strengths and weaknesses he could exploit later. More than once, Angelo and I had to avoid falling into one of his traps.
The air itself seemed to hold its breath as Alice raised her hands toward Rocco’s motionless form, and I found myself holding my breath, every muscle locked with tension.
“Velithra.” Alice’s voice rang out with surprising power, stronger and more resonant than Rose’s had been. The ancient word seemed to reverberate through the very bones of the house, making the crystal chandelier above us tremble. Ethereal lights flickered around us like fireflies made of starlight, dancing through the air in spiraling patterns that cast shifting shadows across the expensive wallpaper.
For a heart-stopping moment, nothing happened. Rocco remained as still as death, his glassy eyes staring at nothing, and despair nearly choked me. My chest tightened with crushing disappointment as I watched Alice’s concentrated expression, waiting for her to be thrown backward like Rose had been. The familiar taste of failure filled my mouth like sour lemons.
But then white billowing smoke started to grow and deepen around Rocco’s motionless form, pooling like fluffy cloud that seemed to have a life of its own. The shadows moved with fluid grace, swirling and dancing with an intelligence that made my heart lurch with desperate hope.
Rocco suddenly moaned, a low sound of agony that cut through the silence like a blade. I let out a shaky breath and began pacing, torn between hope and the fear that this might be all we’d get.
His spine arched off the leather sofa in a graceful bow, muscles straining against some invisible force as his head tilted back at an unnatural angle. Tendons stood out like cords in his neck, and his hands clenched into tight fists.
Thin wisps of red smoke began to seep from his mouth, nose, and ears like blood made vapor. The smoke moved with malevolent purpose, writhing and coiling as it tried to escape his body. But the white smoke was faster, hungrier. They surged forward, then wrapped around the crimson mist with predatory satisfaction.
The red smoke began to scream—an inhuman sound that made me flinch. It was the sound of something ancient and evil being torn apart, a shriek that seemed to bypass the ears and go straight to the soul. The white smoke consumed the screaming mist piece by piece, devouring it until nothing remained but the sweet silence of victory.
Rocco’s body went limp, collapsing back onto the sofa as the last of the red smoke disappeared into the protective embrace of the white smoke.
Alice’s arms collapsed to her sides like severed puppet strings, her entire body swaying dangerously as if the effort had drained every ounce of strength from her bones. Her face had gone pale as parchment, beads of perspiration dotting her forehead despite the cool evening air, and her green eyes rolled back slightly as consciousness threatened to slip away.
I lunged forward with vampire speed, catching her before she could crash to the hardwood floor. Her body was surprisingly light in my arms, and fine tremors ran through her muscles—the aftershock of channeling that much magical power. “Did you do it?” I asked urgently, supporting her weight as she struggled to remain upright.
“I... I think so.” Slick sweat had broken out across her pale forehead, making her skin gleam in the chandelier’s warm light. Her breathing was shallow and rapid, like someone who’d just run a marathon.
“Just rest here.” I carefully guided her to the couch and sat her down next to Rose, who immediately reached over to steadyher friend with gentle hands. Alice’s head lolled back against the leather cushions, and dark circles formed under her eyes from the magical exertion.
Keir moved with his characteristic fluid grace, placing one pale hand over Rocco’s forehead. His touch was gentle but purposeful as he assessed the man’s condition. “She broke the spell,” he confirmed after a moment.
“Thank fuck.” The words exploded out of me as I dropped to one knee beside Alice. “You did it. You actually did it.” I gripped her shoulder gently. “I won’t forget this. If you ever need anything—and I mean anything—call me.” I meant every word. In my world, debts were sacred, and this woman had just given me hope when I’d had none.
Keir lowered his hand and leaned back. “Rocco, can you hear me?”
Rocco shook his head slowly, as if trying to clear cobwebs from his thoughts. His eyes fluttered open, pupils dilated and unfocused as consciousness gradually returned. He struggled to sit up, his movements clumsy and disoriented, blinking rapidly as he looked around the elegant sitting room with obvious confusion.
“Where am I?” His voice was hoarse and cracked, like someone waking from a deep sleep. His dark eyes darted from face to face with growing bewilderment.
I positioned myself where he could see me clearly, keeping my voice calm and steady despite the urgency clawing at my chest. “Crescent Manor. Someone put a powerful spell on you when you were at the police station.” I paused, watching his expression carefully. “Do you remember anything?”
“They did?” Rocco’s eyebrows drew together in concentration as he rubbed the sweat off his brow. “I remember... talking to Flanagan about...” His voice trailed off, confusion clouding his features.
Flanagan had been a thorn in my side. There was something off about him. I just couldn’t figure out what it was…yet.
“What do you remember?” Keir asked quietly. Where Angelo would have demanded answers, Keir simply waited, his stillness somehow more compelling than any threat.
Rocco frowned and shook his head as if trying to shake free fuzzy memories. “It’s confusing.” He frowned deeply, the expression carving lines across his forehead as fragments of memory swirled just out of reach. “He said something... then I can’t remember what happened. Someone else joined us…a captain…I think.”
This was nothing. Absolutely fucking nothing that would help me find Joy. Rage made my entire frame rigid as I fought the urge to grab Rocco and shake the information out of him. The clock was ticking, and Joy was still trapped with Ari.
“Can you remember his name?” Keir held Rocco’s confused gaze with the patience of a saint—patience I didn’t possess. My jaw clenched so hard my teeth might crack, but Keir remained perfectly composed, as if we had all the time in the world.
Rocco rubbed his forehead more vigorously, his fingers pressing against his skull as if the pressure might unlock the missing pieces. He paused, squeezing his eyes shut in concentration. “Boudreaux. I think it was Captain Boudreaux.”
I stepped closer with sudden interest. “Captain Boudreaux?”
“Neither have I,” Angelo said quietly.
Rocco shook his head again, more vigorously this time, as if trying to dislodge stubborn memories. When he looked up at me, his dazed stare carried something that made my blood run cold. “Flanagan had just told me a girl had been burned to death. Clear to the bone. There was no flesh. They identified her through dental records.” He fixed his unfocused gaze directly on me as the pieces clicked together in his recovering mind. “They think you killed her.”
