Bloodspell (The Cruentus Curse, #1)(97)

It happened in seconds but was enough for Christian's howl of agony to resonate against the cavern walls as he hurled himself through the air in blind rage toward Gabriel.

Whether it had been ill-timed or he had been too overwrought to think clearly, Gabriel's stunning spell caught Christian squarely in the chest and he fell to the floor, his body wracked with violent spasms.

He could hear Gabriel's footfalls as he walked toward him, but all he could see was Victoria's lifeless body across the room. He didn't even care that Gabriel was moving purposefully toward him, he would welcome death. It didn't seem possible, but he had seen it with his own eyes. His chest felt like it was splintering into tiny, unrecognizable shards, suffocating him with each gasp of breath. It wasn't possible ...

Victoria was dead!

Gabriel kicked him with a booted foot hearing the satisfying crunch as its steel tip met ribs and broke them.

"Arrogant, filthy vampire," he said. He bent down and looked into the glazed gray eyes, and swinging the silver knife he had found on the floor in a low arc. "Minuo," he said, methodically slicing Christian's face, arms, and chest, watching the dark blood flow out of the body and the cuts futilely trying to heal themselves. The wounds would continue to bleed from the parasitic bleeding spell he'd cast until there was nothing left. "It won't be long," he said to himself, as he watched the blood pooling beneath the body.

Now it was her turn.

Gabriel said a word, waving his hand as the door to her cell became transparent, and watched as Victoria's face froze in horror, taking in the impossible sight of her own body lying on the ground and watching as it transformed before her eyes into Charla's motionless shape. A glamour! Charla was dead, Victoria could see that clearly. Why had Charla been in her body? Had Gabriel used the glamour as a trick?

Her breath caught, and she desperately searched the room for Christian, her eyes falling on his limp form and the terrible blood that soaked his clothes. He was motionless. A soundless scream parted her lips as she clutched at her amulet. Was he dead?! Gabriel moved to stand in front of her and Victoria glared at him with such a noxious hatred she could taste it in her throat. He read her expression easily.

"He's not dead yet," he said. "But whether he dies a quick and painless, or slow and agonizing death is your decision." Gabriel watched her expectantly. "You know what I want."

The door went solid.

Victoria sank to the floor, the pain suffocating her. She would give Gabriel what he wanted if it would spare Christian's life. That was no decision. She would give her life in a heartbeat for him.

But she didn't know whether Christian was alive or not. All she had was Gabriel's word and he was a scheming, calculating liar. There was no way she could trust him. The piercing fear that he had in fact been lying and that Christian was possibly already dead, gripped her in its jaws. Victoria rocked back and forth her arms around her knees, nails digging into the soft flesh of her palms until she felt the skin break. Her own blood smeared on her hands.

Time wound back onto itself.

Renewed clarity filled her. Strength saturated her. Power overwhelmed her. Blood magic.

As before, whenever her blood was spilled or a sacrifice received, the blood magic came alive. It mushroomed inside her like an atomic explosion. Without hesitation, she channeled its power through the wards between her and Christian, moving through the maze until she could feel his faint consciousness. He was so terribly weak that he didn't even know she was there. She read his mind quickly and saw in horror that he thought she was dead. Her heart ached.

Christian ?

Nothing in his mind even registered her presence; it was like he was already dead inside. He needed blood, and lots of it ... just like the last time Anton had saved him when the blood magic had almost killed him. Victoria shivered at the memory. As much as she wanted to go to him, she understood that trying to save him on her own could be disastrous.

Gabriel was still out there, she could feel it. He wouldn't leave Christian's side, he was far too careful for that. Although her power over the blood magic had grown, there was no guarantee that she could control it, face Gabriel, and save Christian and Holly at the same time. Her arrogance had cost her dearly the last time and she wouldn't make that mistake again, not with Christian and Holly's lives hanging in the balance.

Victoria didn't know whether Gabriel would indeed keep Christian alive as he had said, but she was banking on the fact that as long as Gabriel knew that she would never give herself to him without Christian's life as an exchange, then she had a little time and something to bargain with. She needed to get to the one person who could help her, the one person who cared for Christian as much as she did.

Enhard.

He was the only one powerful enough to protect Christian if she failed. If she invoked her blood's deadly power and lost control, then Christian too would be at risk. Enhard could get Christian to safety should anything go wrong.

The blood magic swirled, cognitive. Every shred of her wanted to teleport into the main room where Christian lay so weakly on the marble floor and whisk him away, but she didn't trust herself to control her blood. And she could never leave Holly.

Gabriel was powerful, and cunning, if the last few days had taught her anything. Underestimating him would be her downfall. The only solution was to go for help.

She wrapped her consciousness around Christian, willing him to hear her.