Page 40 of The Curse of Eternity
For some bizarre reason, I wanted to wipe it away for him.
My pulse jumped when he used his thumb to swipe the excess from his chin before licking up the last drop of my blood.That was unexpectedly…hot.What the hell was wrong with me?
“You look better.” I buried a cringe at my stammered words, but Drake briefly smiled, and my heart thumped. Then he stood, his sudden speed making my head spin.
“Thank you. Take my hand,” he instructed, offering both of his. I hesitated for the barest second while staring up at him, but inevitably placed my palms atop his. A moment later, I was standing, and abruptly wobbled on ankles that felt loose and watery.
“Woah.” I clenched my teeth to keep the vertigo at bay while Drake caught me by my elbows. “I feel…” Whatever I was about to say was quickly forgotten when I got distracted by the pinch in Drake’s brow.
“Are you well enough to walk?”
“I heal fast, so…” I gave my head a little shake, and saw stars. “I-I’m sure I’ll be fine.”
“We have to leave, and in a hurry, I fear.” Drake winced. “My apologies.” At first, I figured he was sorry for biting me, but then he picked me up like I weighed nothing more than a sack of potatoes.
“Hey!” I exclaimed in hushed annoyance, but my arms wrapped around his shoulders to steady myself.So it was a ‘better to ask for forgiveness than permission’ apology.Being so close reminded me of our kiss in the park, and tension coiled low. It didn’t help when he simpered at me, his face only inches away.
“If we can get a move-on?” Ezra piped up. Both Drake and I looked at the sorcerer.
“I appreciate your assistance, Ezra,” Drake said, but the hard set to his jaw made the words come out begrudging. “Name your price for keeping your silence and I will pay it.”
“Price?” I asked, stifling a squeak when Drake shifted to take a step.
“Sorcerers are most easily persuaded by bribery,” Drake answered without breaking eye contact with Ezra, like he was keeping a predator within sight so he wouldn’t lose the advantage.
“I’m sure you will compensate me accordingly, but I won’t be gaining a single hair on a mouse’s bollocks if you’re both caught.” Without another word, Ezra strode to our left where another stone archway, set into the framework and covered in cobwebs, stood opposite a decrepit pantry built with bulkhead doors. Except, instead of walking up the stairs through the arch, he turned to the cellar doors set low to the ground.
Crouching, Ezra waved his hand over the handle with a mysterious gesture while muttering under his breath. The doorssuddenly opened outward as if under their own power. My eyes widened appreciatively when the hinges didn’t even squeak.
Once the sorcerer stood, pulling the lapel of his purple suit straight, he made a grandiose gesture toward the darkness seeping out colder air from below.
“Ladies first,” Ezra declared, and I stiffened when Drake moved us toward the descending stone steps. The sconces in the abandoned basement kitchen flickered to nothing on Drake’s first step down, forcing my eyes to work double-time to adjust, but the enclosing blackness seemed solid all around.
Drake could apparently see just fine—lucky vampire—since his near-silent footsteps didn’t hesitate on our seemingly straight path beneath the manor. Purple suddenly burned my retinas, and I blinked fast at the flames Ezra had summoned to dance atop his palm, the sparks never touching his skin. If this guy only worked for the Cneaz, then just how powerful were the Domnitori’s sorcerers?
“Drake,” I whispered, and my gaze found his eyes with the help of the ambient glow a few paces behind us. “Where are we going to go?” My voice wavered with uncertainty that I tried and failed to hide. Now that Drake had gotten his strength back, I was suddenly the dead weight between us, making our escape harder.
“I have an associate who will offer you asylum.” He glanced pointedly toward Ezra, and I swallowed my curiosity to know exactly where that would be. Then his wording replayed in my head—hold up.
“And you’ll be there, too. Right?” My heart dropped when Drake’s jaw tightened.
“Not likely,” Ezra piped up instead. Honestly, I shouldn’t have even asked in front of the duplicitous sorcerer.
“And how do you know?” I shot the man a dirty look from over Drake’s shoulder, but Ezra seemed immune to my ire.
“Because all of the immortals are marked. How do you think I found you two in that park?”
Truthfully, I hadn’t stopped to wonder about that. When I thought about it, remembering how Drake had seemed to expect Ezra’s arrival, I felt the blood drain from my face.
“You can’t come back to Albuquerque?” My accusation finally brought Drake’s gaze to mine, and the corners of his eyes creased in obvious dismay.
“I will do everything in my power to keep you safe. Maria—”
“No.” Mimicking Johann’s firm diction, I raised my chin an inch. “You’ve saved my life—twice. I’m not just going to go home pretending like nothing happened.” I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.
“Even if that means living your life on the run?” Drake retorted, taking me aback. His grimace proved that he wasn’t about to budge on this either. “You owe me nothing, Maria. If you believe you do, then I absolve you of the debt. This is not your choice, it is mine.”
“So, what?” I snapped, angrily clinging to him while he rose up a few steps to emerge into a small room. Wooden boxes were shoved against the walls, making the space feel even tighter. The iron door across the room was closed, and Drake stopped several steps from it, his focus on me. “You’re just going to drop me off at yourassociate’sand then run back here to get yourself killed? Like I’m going to let you do that!”
