Page 18 of Vampire Sins
She took my grip without hesitation. “Whatever you need. I’ll give my life to save this city if I must.”
I chuckled. “That won’t be necessary.”
And then I closed my eyes and concentrated.
I’d never been trained in magic, but I’d been around it all my life. Every time my mother had whispered words to herself, they’d been spells. I knew that now. The familiar tingling that swept across my skin when I entered her room was one of her power. I’d never thought much of it before, but how else would a mere mortal have seduced a full-blooded angel who’d become my father?
Reaching into Nimra’s immortal mind, I found the capacity I needed to think back to the words Liam had recited.
“A tape recorder would have been so much easier,” I muttered.
“One does not record spells,” she hissed back without opening her eyes.
Her grip squeezed over my fingers and her teeth grit together when I ripped open the veil that separated her mind from mine. Her power filled me with unexpected warmth. Vampires weren’t all ice and stillness. There was a hot life force that swirled in them if one knew how to access it.
Liam’s voice came into my mind and my mouth opened to repeat each word. Carefully, slowly, I traced my fingers across each rune as I repeated the sounds.
It was working. Magic pulsated and swept out in a wide arc. I opened my eyes to see the retreating blue ring of it gliding across the city landscape. The houses beneath us lost their burgundy hue, all color slowly draining from the sky as the magic took hold.
The power of the spell was supposed to be red.
I wasn’t born a witch, but that power lived in me. I continued the spell, enunciating each syllable with careful scrutiny.
Just when I was about to reach the end of the spell, a bomb exploded at the base of the tower and the force launched me away from Nimra. She screeched as the link between us shattered and the spell unfurled like a giant spring let loose onto the world.
The blue wave transformed from its languished glide into a crashing tumult of power that dove and crashed through the streets. Fresh cries filtered into the air as my power hit.
“Shit,” I muttered as I clung to one of the overturned stones along the roof. I arched my neck to see Nimra heaving, but alive and still on the roof with me.
She glanced at me, her ruby gaze full of panic and fear, both of which were emotions I imagined she rarely put on display. “I need to get back to the bunker,” she shouted. “Meet you there.”
And then she was gone in a blur, a trail of smoke cascading down the tower. I sighed and stumbled towards the stairs.
Damn woman was going to make me fight my way back to Sonya. I’d officially become expendable.
Mine
Xavier
The visionsof Sonya naked before me had plagued me for a hundred years. They’d become a punishment to torture me until I remembered why I suffered. Hades had once been a Muse and instead of succumbing to cruelty, he became a vampire. He was the father of vampires, of witches, and of supernaturals that believed in sanity and harmony.
Somewhere along the way the vampires took on the rebellious nature of the Blood Stone that had created them. I was one of them, and as one of Hades’ sons, I’d greatly disappointed him.
I stared at him now, the calm and perfect visage resting its curves along the stone. Only his red eyes glowed to convince me that this was no statue. This was my father, and he was in the core of his slumber that should be impossible to disturb.
Sonya stood beside me with kindred magic running in her veins. She didn’t understand the process of turning into a vampire, none of us did, but the old Sonya had died and this one was what remained. She was so beautiful. Her skin had paled just a shade lighter than before and a ruby gleam sparkled in her eyes. When I ran my thumb over her cheek, she smiled at me, her baby fangs pricking at her lower lip, and I knew that I’d never have to wonder if my visions were real.
She was mine.
Alarm Clock
Sonya
I wonderedwhat Xavier was thinking when he looked at me like that, but now was not the time to explore my new bond with him. Luke had done his part. The city sang with his magic and now it was my turn. It was time to wake Hades.
“Are you sure you’re up for this?” Xavier asked, his thumb still stroking my cheek.
I pressed covered his hand with mine and leaned into his touch. “I will be,” I promised. I met his gaze, determined not to feel weird about my next demand. “But I won’t begin until I know that Luke’s okay.”
