Witch's Wrath (Blood And Magick #3)(42)

Finally, I thought about Eliza, whose presence I hadn’t felt in months, and yet it seemed like she was right here with me, her comforting hand resting on my shoulder.

The screaming stopped; the tears stopped. In a few seconds, the magick would also stop, and I would be struck dead. A small hand caressed my cheek, and I thought maybe Eliza’s spirit had come back to see me through to the other side. But when I opened my eyes, I saw, bathed in shimmering light, it was the imp who had touched my face.

I could see it now, up close and in greater detail than ever, and I couldn’t help but marvel at the swirly patterns in its green eyes. I had never gotten so close to one before, had never seen the faint markings on their smooth, pink skin. I had never noticed just how utterly without imperfections their little bodies were.

The imp closed its marvelous eyes, and a pulse of magick filled me, numbing the pain in my aching bones. But that wasn’t all it did—his magick was adding to the power of my shield, bolstering it, making it stronger. I shut my eyes again and the shield began to grow, pushing the circling vampires back.

When I opened my eyes, Marie almost couldn’t believe that I was still fighting, still resisting. I didn’t know how long our combined energies would last. The imp seemed to be shaking already, gritting his sharp teeth. But he persisted. For hours he persisted, adding wave after wave of energy to my shield; the shield that was keeping us alive.

Dawn broke before I did, and when Marie noticed the lightening of the sky, she turned her eyes on me and scowled.

“You can’t stop us,” she said, “And you can’t hide forever.”

She retreated along with the rest of her vampires, scurrying away like rats looking for shelter. The shield finally fell as the first rays of sunlight touched my brow. I closed my eyes. I only needed a moment to regain my strength.





CHAPTER TWENTY


When I awoke, I immediately tried to sit up, but my muscles screamed with exhaustion. I opened my eyes and saw flashing lights painting the ceiling fan twirling above me, and the ceiling itself in shades of blue and red.

“It’s okay,” a strange, distant voice said, “You’re safe.”

I allowed my neck to relax and my head to sink into something like a pillow, sending delightful, restful waves throughout my body.

“Can you hear me?” the voice asked.

I nodded and focused on opening my eyes further, giving them a moment to adjust to the light. Wherever I was, it was hot. My forehead, chest, and back were dripping with sweat. Constant movement almost directly above me drew my eyes toward the ceiling where a fan rotated lazily, accomplishing little else than to swish hot air around the room. Then, my eyes pulling down somewhat, I saw the person who had spoken.

“Nicole,” I said, after a couple of tries.

“Here,” Nicole said, bringing a cup of ice cold water to my lips, “Drink this.”

I drank, and immediately felt better. “Thank you,” I managed to say.

“I healed you as much as I could, but only a good night’s rest has the power to heal exhaustion.”

“I feel like I’ve been run down by a freight train.”

“What the hell happened?”

I struggled to think for a second, but then it came to me. “I… went to see Tamara,” I said.

Nicole’s eyes widened. “She did this to you? What happened?”

“Not exactly,” I took another sip of water. “She sent me a letter saying she wanted to negotiate a truce, so I traveled out to the Ninth Ward to meet her. It was all just one big play to stop me from protecting Jean Luc. She wanted no truce, just a chance to get me out of the way.”

I saw the makings of tears beginning to pool along her waterlines. She reached for my hand and grabbed it, then squeezed firmly. Her lips pressed together and she shut her eyes, turning her face away.

“Nicole?” I asked.

“I’m sorry,” she said, “If I hadn’t been such a bitch to you yesterday, then maybe you wouldn’t be lying here like this. I’m so sorry, but I’m also so glad you’re okay.”

I couldn’t help but squeeze Nicole’s hand in return. I thought my own confused emotions may come screaming out of me if I didn’t. “Me too,” I said, “I thought I was going to die.”

“How did you end up in the swamp?”

“She attacked me after I said no to her crappy terms and knocked me unconscious, then she dumped me in the swamp. By the time I woke up, it was night, and I was surrounded by vampires.”

“Are you fucking serious? How did they know you were there?”

“It was her. Look, I know you all want her to be the second coming of Remy, but she’s definitely in cahoots with those bloodsuckers. One of them even said that I was promised to them.”

“So, do you think she had anything to do with what happened at the party the other night?”

“It’s too coincidental that vampires came for us the day after we pretty much told her to get lost. And from what Remy told me, she’s no stranger to being a shady bitch. She wanted me dead, Nicole. That psycho isn’t fit to run a city.”

“I hear you. I just really didn’t think she was capable of murder, even if it wasn’t by her own hand.” She looked at me differently, now—almost with something like awe. “I also can’t believe you fought off a pack of vampires on your own…”