Page 46 of Witch Untold
“Don’t,” one of the men said. “Don’t fight us, Cora.”
I knew that voice. I’d heard it pressed to my ear. “You. You attacked me at Grimswood.”
“My name is Mircea, and this is my brother Radu. We need your blood.”
Vampires. Sons of Adam. My bladder squeezed in terror, but I raised my chin and glared at them. “Like hell.” I blinked, desperate to see their faces. The world momentarily lit up silver before falling into darkness again.
Shit. I stood and pressed my back to the wall, needing to get away from the waves of abrasive power radiating off them. Gooseflesh broke out over my skin, a primal warning of mortal danger, and my veins flooded with adrenaline, leaving my muscles aching with the need for action.
Radu made a rumbling sound in his chest. “I can taste her fear. It’ll make the blood sweeter. Take it, brother. Why are you speaking to her? Just take what we need. Now.”
But Mircea had stilled. Was he holding his breath?
“Mircea?” Radu prompted.
“Her face…” Mircea said softly.
Radu moved in and my insides twisted in fear.
“No. It’s a trick,” Radu growled. “A lie.”
Mircea reached for me and I slapped his hand away.
“Be still!” he ordered.
My body complied, suddenly immobile, just like it had been at Grimswood when he’d climbed into bed with me. He grasped my chin and forced my head up. His eye whites glistened, drawing whatever light was in the room to them, and his features were suddenly clear. Strong jaw, straight nose, sharp cheekbones, an undeniably attractive face.
He shook his head as if in wonder and his grip on me loosened a fraction. “You have her face.”
“Why does she have her face?” Radu asked. “Why is this happening?” He tore at his hair. “Punishment. Obstacles. No. NO.”
Mircea tore his gaze from me and turned to his brother. “Hush, Radu, hush. This changes nothing.”
“It changes everything. I can’t. I can’t drain her when she has that face. Tear it off. Tear it off now!”
Mircea looked down at me with a frown, and the fear expanded and morphed into terror because he was considering the request, and I knew instinctively that if he wanted to hurt me, there was nothing I could do to stop him.
Back at Grimswood I’d drawn on the guys’ power to break free. But the distance between us now made that impossible. If Mircea wanted to tear my face off, I’d be helpless to prevent it.
“Don’t.” I pleaded at him with my eyes. “Don’t do that.”
Mircea closed his eyes and turned his head away slightly. “You don’t have her voice. Which is good.”
I had no idea what they were talking about, and right now, it didn’t matter. All that mattered was that the ice walkers were out there, and my friends were in danger. “You have to let me go. My friends and the people of this town are in danger.”
“I know.” He sighed. “And if you want to save them, then you need to give us your blood.”
“What?”
“Only we can stop them. Our saliva is venom to them. It’s the only thing that can truly kill them, but we’re weakened because of what your witches did to us. Your blood is potent enough to restore us.”
Oh, shit. Okay. I cleared my throat. “How much do you need?”
He looked at me with pity, and the final thread of bravado I was holding onto snapped because I knew what that look meant.
“All of it,” he said softly. “I’m sorry.”
No…
