Page 60 of Witch Untold
A shiver ran down my spine and Jasper put his arm around me, hugging me to his side before kissing my forehead.
“I’m going to help the gargoyles track the vamps.” His emerald eyes were dark, a mixture of anger and determination. It was the kind of look that told me there was no way he was letting them off the hook, and it scared me. The Sons of Adam had managed to somehow incapacitate Jasper, one of the most powerful beings I knew.
I couldn’t allow him to go after them again. “Jasper, promise me you won’t do anything stupid.”
His jaw tightened. “I’m not a fool, Cora. I may not be able to kill them, but I can ensure they never hurt you again by making sure they leave.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat and nodded.
He kissed the tip of my nose in a tender gesture that was so un-Jasper it made my heart squeeze with love.
Then he was gone.
“Come on.” Bramble took my arm. “Sloane and the others have put a heat spell on the gazebo. We can wait in there until we get the all-clear.”
Everyone piled into the gazebo. Warmth skimmed over my skin in blessed waves and some of the icy tension drained from my limbs. The witches huddled at the back of the gazebo with Poppy and Jessie, while Sloane debriefed them on what had gone down in Barrow. Conah sat on the bench with Lauris. Both guys looked wiped. Lauris from kicking some major ass and Conah from being used as a blood bag.
He looked up and caught my eye. I glanced at his neck, a question in my eyes, and he shook his head slightly.
“I’m fine.” He smiled with his eyes. “I promise.” He looked past me. “But he might not be.”
I glanced over my shoulder to find Elijah standing at the railing, his back to me, Bramble at his side.
They’d had Elijah for much longer than Conah and Jasper.
Bramble looked across at me as I approached, then stepped away so I could take her place at Elijah’s side.
“Hey.” Crusty dried blood clung to his neck, but the puncture wounds had healed. “I’m so sorry.”
He frowned. “What for? None of this is your fault. These events were put into motion centuries ago. We just happen to be the ones to pay the price.”
“They fed off you.”
A darkness filled his turquoise eyes. “I’m just sorry that my blood wasn’t powerful enough to revitalize them fully. Maybe if they’d had more time…”
How long had they held him captive and used him as a blood bag? How many long hours had he been held prisoner, alone, frightened, preyed upon?
“Elijah—"
He ducked his head. “Don’t. Cora. I don’t want to talk about it.”
I swallowed my questions.
He glanced across at me with a quick apologetic smile. “I’m proud of you. I’m proud of the witch you’ve become. You’ve grown to become a true leader. I’m sorry I missed it.”
A lump formed in my throat. “Are you kidding? I’m only here because of you. If you hadn’t been there for me the past year…guiding me, supporting me, there is no way I’d have been ready to take on any of this. Knowing you were there, that I could come to you with questions, made the decision to take on this anchor thing easier.”
His mouth turned up slightly. “Even though I left you here to fend for yourself.”
Ah, he was throwing my accusation of a few weeks ago back at me. “I understand what you were trying to do.”
“I’ll never abandon you, Cora. I promise you.”
My stomach fluttered strangely at his words. “And I’ll never abandon you.”
He sighed. “No, Cora. It doesn’t work that way. My life alone isn’t worth risking your own. Ever.” He turned toward me and cupped my shoulders, the pressure of his fingers sending a zing through me. “Promise me.”
His turquoise eyes were more blue than green in the moonlight, pupils large and hypnotic, and I almost agreed with him before checking myself. “You want me to promise I won’t try and save you?”
