Page 39 of The Curse of Eternity
Olivia went limp in the vampire’s arms, her attacker faceless in my memory. Blood ran down her chest and neck while her breaths became a gurgle. Finally, Johann stormed in, taking out the undead man with steady, calm precision.
I hadn’t been able to speak while Uncle Alaric came in to carry his daughter to safety. Not even after Johann shook me to bring me back into reality. Scathing disbelief had laced his words when he asked if I was high.
The memory shot a phantom ache through my chilled chest. I held my breath while tears leaked out to hit my throbbing cold hands, cradled in my lap atop the folds of the velvet dress. Shame, blame, and guilt tore at me,andwhat was even the point of fighting anymore?
Because of me—because theytrustedme, Olivia almost died. Left vulnerable for days after the fact, because she survived with vampire venom coursing through her veins.
Nobody let her leave the house for a week. If she somehow died before her body metabolized it, then the venom would begin the transformation, forcing her circulation to pump slow-moving clotted blood for the rest of eternity. Carrying Helsing’s legacy didn’t make us any less human, and we could become one of the wretched things we faced just like anyone else.
Everybody had a weakness, and my family’s had been putting their faith in me.
It all became too much, and to hell with Ezra standing across the room looking like he’d rather be anywhere else. I pulled my knees up, lowered my head, and cried. Ugly, broken sobs racked my chest, but my hot tears were hidden by my arms wrapped around myself.
“Maria…” Drake’s voice pulled my face up, and my crying choked off. His eyes fluttered open, the dark irises surrounded by bloodshot sclera. Peeling skin pulled his features taut as concern creased his brow, and the depths of his concern resonated behind his eyes—reflecting my miserable face.
From the beginning, every effort he’d made was to try and save me. It wasmyfault we were both here. Except, with the way he was watching me, and how he’d come to my defense against the guards—sacrificing himself to give me the chance to run—I couldn’t pretend I hadn’t been hoping for someone to rescue me.
Biting my lip, I lowered my hand to the dusty floor, a bare inch from his scorched fingers.Had I ever really made the choice to keep my vampire all to myself?Maybe, deep down, my heart had made the decision before I could logically catch up to why.
“Are you hurt?” Drake asked, his voice rough as sandpaper. Despite everything, I shook my head. His mouth opened tocontinue, and I leaned closer so he wouldn’t have to strain. Slower than I’d ever seen him, his hand nearest rose with obvious difficulty. Until his fingers reached the knotted curls of hair framing my face. All I could do was blink when his cooled fingers grazed my cheek as he tucked my hair behind my ear before letting his hand fall. “What are you…still doing here?”
My face heated, and I breathed deep to hold back another sob. “I couldn’t abandon you.”
“Because she’s a suicidal moron,” Ezra remarked, and I glanced up to glare at him.
“That’s not helping,” I snapped, but Ezra shrugged. He sauntered a few steps closer, pursing his lips when he appeared to study Drake’s state before shaking his head, brown curls shifting across his forehead with the movement.
“Well, this certainly won’t do. He’s too weak to move on his own, and has been starved for at least the past four days. Not to mention, now that he’s waking up—” Ezra gestured vaguely with a wave of his hand. “The other immortals will be recovering, with the lycans a step ahead of them. If their sight hasn’t already been repaired by their curse.”
“So what do we do?” I demanded, already determined to tell him to fuck off if he suggested I leave Drake here to die a second, more permanent death.
“He needs to feed.” Ezra raised his eyebrows, and my mouth popped open.
“No,” Drake stated, but the finality of his tone was marred by the fact he couldn’t even sit up.
My heart pounded. “I’ll do it.”This was going to hurt.As Drake opened his mouth, looking intent to argue, I added, “Ezra’s right, it’s the only way to get your strength up so you can move. And we need you to move.Ineed you…” Whether any of us liked it or not, I wouldn’t escape this place without him.
“She’s got a point, mate.” Ezra sighed. “No way either of you are making it out otherwise. And if you don’t consume fresh blood soon, the calcification process will begin and then you willtrulybe unable to move.”
“Stop talking,” I ground out, and Ezra raised his hands in a placating gesture.
“Are you certain?” My vampire’s tone turned thoughtful, the richness of his accent sending a shiver up my spine—or maybe he was just really hungry.
“Yes.” Shaky, but trying to hide it with my grim resolve, I began to wipe the surface of my inner forearm using my palm. It did jack-diddly-squat, just smeared the dried blood that wasn’t mine alongside the sweat that was. My vein pulsed beneath the surface, speeding up with my heart rate when I turned to offer my wrist face-down toward Drake’s chapped lips.
Inch by inch, his hand rose until he gripped my arm. The pressure was tender, gentle against my bruised skin, and I trembled under the unexpected chill of his touch. When my bare skin pressed against his lips, I resisted the urge to pull away.
The edges of his canines touched my skin, and I inhaled sharply. Then they sliced through my flesh, piercing the vein with practiced ease. My breath puffed out of me, and then my gaze unfocused—woah. A rush shot through me, the venom acting fast and taking away the pain like magick,which made sense.
My jaw relaxed, and my eyes closed in a slow blink. A strangely ticklish feeling soon spread up my arm as he sucked down my blood, and the discomfort of the pulling sensation ebbed into a dull afterthought. As my breathing evened out, I could suddenlyfeelthe expansion of air in my lungs like never before.
Every sense both shut down and erupted into fireworks while warmth spread from my forearm to my aching shoulders,loosening the tension completely. Sure, I’d known vampire venom acted as an analgesic, numbing the victim to make them more complacent, but I hadn’t imagined…this.Even if I wanted to fight the effects, I wouldn’t have been able to—but mostly, I didn’t care.
Headrush clouding my thoughts, I involuntarily pressed my wrist harder against Drake’s willing mouth—
“That’s probably enough.” Ezra’s voice cut through me, and my eyelids flew open.
Heat warmed my chest, neck, and face as Drake’s hand, still holding my forearm, pulled my pulsing flesh away. I startled when he instantly sat up, his visage perfectly restored. His grip on my arm didn’t loosen, but it wasn’t uncomfortable either. Raven-dark eyes bore into mine, and a ragged breath expanded my chest as my attention flicked down to the trail of my blood dripping from the corner of his mouth.
