Page 127 of House of Crimson Hearts
But it’s too late, he throws himself into the fray, trying to pull Dahlia off me, but she’s screaming at me and throwing punch after punch at my head, the knife held in her fist.
This isn’t going to end well. I use my forearms to block the blows. But Dahlia is savage. She grabs me and rolls me over before I have a chance to stop her.
“Shit,” I hiss.
Xavier launches himself at us, but Dahlia sees it coming. She leaps up and flings the blade right at his throat. It lands in the side of his neck, and he drops to the floor.
“XAVIER,” I shriek, but Dahlia is wrenching the blade out of his neck and a halo of blood is pooling around him. He holds his hand to the wound but it’s not healing. Not fast enough.
“WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO?” I shriek at Dahlia. But she’s laughing and revelling in the fact her brother is laid there unable to heal himself.
I spot Red out of the corner of my eye, running for me. “NO,” I bellow. I don’t want her anywhere near Dahlia when she’s in this state. She’d kill her just to spite me.
Lincoln hears me scream and reaches out for Red’s ankle. She hits the deck with a loud thump, the air knocked out of her lungs. She squirms and clutches her chest, coughing, trying to get oxygen. Better that than dead.
Dahlia’s punches grow more savage. I swipe at her face, my nails carving through her skin. She hisses at the sting of it and then drives a flurry of hits at my body, my face. I splutter blood out. She’s obviously bruised something vital inside me, and if she doesn’t give my body a chance to heal, it will be serious. Especially without blood in here.
As she pulls back to slam her fist into my face, I rear up, grab her throat, and I squeeze with everything I have. Her face instantly purples, her eyes bulging as I cut off her air supply.
“We can both play nasty, Dahlia,” I snarl.
Her face darkens and I’m not sure if it’s with rage or the lack of oxygen, but as I’m about to pierce her throat with my nails, Sadie appears in the left of my vision and swings an enormous rock at Dahlia’s head.
The crunch on contact makes me gag. I’m sprayed with blood and brains and shattered fragments of bone.
Dahlia sags in my arms and I drop her to the stone floor. I’m up in seconds, holding Xavier in my arms.
“SHIT. SHIT,” I repeat over and over. I sink my teeth into my wrist to rip a gash in my arm and hold it to Xavier’s mouth. He drinks but it does nothing. His neck doesn’t heal.
“What the fuck was on that blade?” I cry.
“Well, this has been lovely,” Gabriel says, “but I’ll be going now.” He picks up the amulet off the plinth and drops it into his pocket.
His face is splattered with blood the colour of his suit. But it’s his smug grin that really pisses me off.
“GABRIEL. Do something,” I plead.
“No. Don’t think I will. Xavier’s a big boy, I’m sure he’ll be fine eventually. Besides, we have a trial to win. AndI amgoing to win, thanks to you lot squabbling like children. I told you fighting was never the way. Toodles now.”
He takes Keir’s hand and speeds the pair of them out of the temple.
“BASTARD,” I shriek after him, but it makes no difference. He’s gone. The amulet’s gone and Xavier is growing pale, the first signs of desiccation seeping into his brow.
“Here,” Red says. “Let him feed. He needs human blood, right? That’s the only way to save him?”
“NO,” I say. “Absolutely not.”
“Would you rather he died?” she says, squeezing my arm.
“No, but…”
“Will it bind me to him? You said when you drink my blood…”
“No, you haven’t fed from him, you haven’t consummated the binding, it won’t affect you like that.”
“Then let him feed.” She tugs at my arm. “Let me help him. I know you don’t want him to die. Please? Let me do this for you…”
“For me?” I breathe. But she’s already rolling up her shirtsleeve and opening his mouth. She slices her arm on his fang and the cut is deep.
