Silver Flame (Vampire Girl #3)(22)

"Back off dog, or I might drop your master," Dean says.

Baron growls and I nudge Dean. "Don't rile him. His teeth are sharper than yours."

Dean winks at me. "You've never felt the bite of my teeth, Princess. But we can change all that. I promise I'm not a savage like Levi. You would enjoy it."

Levi wasn't the first to try to forcibly feed on me, and the idea does not elicit happy thoughts. I glare at Dean as I open the door to Fen's room, but the Prince of Lust ignores me. He’s laying Fen on the bed when a very short woman with tiny horns on her head hobbles in. She must be three feet at most, and mostly human-like, other than the horns and blue skin.

"I'm Cavery, the Black Lotus healer." Her voice is surprisingly high pitched and airy… not what I was expecting based on her looks. "Move over, let me tend to my patient."

Dean and I both step back as Cavery holds her hands over Fen and closes her eyes. Her hands begin to glow blue, and waves of light flow over him. She hums and creates intonations from her vocal chords not possible for humans.

Her song seems to mold the light, transforming it into different colors and shapes until it settles into Fen's body. His skin heals quickly, closing up the wound and even whisking away the blood. But still he sleeps.

"Why isn't he waking?" I ask, when she drops her hands to her side.

"The magic is still healing his innards. He needs rest, and the only way someone like him will rest is if he's unconscious," Cavery says.

"So you're keeping him asleep deliberately?" I ask.

She nods. "For now. Someone stay with him. He should wake naturally when he's healed enough, but even then, try to keep him from pushing himself too hard."

Dean laughs. "Good luck with that, Ari."

"Me? You could help, you know. He is your brother," I remind him.

"Yes, but he's much more susceptible to your charms, than mine," Dean says.

The healer leaves, and Dean follows her out the door, then stops before closing it behind him. "If you get too lonely, Princess, I'm just down the hall."

I roll my eyes. "Good night, Dean."

He winks at me, a mischievous smile on his lips. "Good night, Princess."

As the door closes behind Dean, I stare down at the man I love. He's pale, still, almost lifeless, but if I watch carefully I can see a gentle rising and falling of his chest. He's still alive. Healing, presumably. Safe, for now. I familiarize myself with his room, which is similar to mine, and use a remarkably modern bathroom to wash the grime and man-goo off me. Then I rummage through Fen's clothes until I find one of his shirts to sleep in. I don't want to go back into my room just yet. Not with the mess still on the floor.

Baron is asleep at Fen's feet when I crawl into the bed and scoot close to the unconscious Prince of War. He smells of pine and wood. His body is warm, but not hot. I place a hand gently on his abdomen and close my eyes. I'm not sure what I'm doing, but I open myself up to my magic, the way Varis taught me.

There, just at the edges of my grasp I can feel a trickle of power, but I can't reach it. Why can some use their magic here, but I can't? There is so much I still don’t know. I need to find a way to be stronger, better. I need to find a way to help retake Stonehill and save everyone from Levi's evil rule. I need to find a way to end this war and bring peace to both the vampires and Fae.

***

Fen is already up and dressed when I wake the next morning. "You should be resting," I mumble, trying to shed the cobwebs from my morning brain.

"I've rested plenty," he grunts as he shrugs on his cloak. The thick brown fur seems too hot for indoors, and I wonder if he’s wears it more out of habit than necessity.

"You were badly injured last night," I say, sitting up. "We aren't safe here."

Fen signs, then sits down next to me and lays a hand over mine. "It was just a scratch, and this is the safest place we'll find."

We lock eyes, and for a moment I believe him, for a moment I feel safe.

Then the bedroom door creaks open, revealing a fully clothed Dean on the other side. "Good morning, Princess… brother. Ready for another exciting day of guess who's here to kill us?"

"Too soon for jokes," I say, remembering the man-goo from last night. "Speaking of, I need a change of clothes. Last night's are ruined."

"Clothes are overrated," Dean says with a smirk. "I can think of a better look for you."

Fen walks over to the door and kicks it closed. "Go away, Dean. We'll be out soon."

"Such unkindness," Dean says through the thick wood. "And here I was, just coming to tell you Sly is ready to see us."

There is silence for a moment, then the sound of heavy boots stalking away. Fen tosses me some clothes from his dresser. "These should cover you well enough for now. Undoubtedly Sly will just transform them to something he prefers regardless."

"He likes dressing his guests, I take it?" I ask, pulling on oversized pants and using a leather belt to keep them up.

"It's one of the necessary evils of coming to The Black Lotus," Fen says with a frown.

I laugh. "There are worse things than nice clothing," I remind him as we leave the room and head to Sly's office.