A Gift of Three (A Shade of Vampire #42)(41)

Cradled the way I was, I could see behind the Druid to the beasts that we’d left behind. The fires had started to die down, the creatures once again following us with their cries and howls of anguish at being denied their meal. Unthinkingly, I clutched at the Druid’s arms, my nails pressing into his clothing. I could see them gaining on us rapidly, and I cried out in alarm, wanting to warn him.

Suddenly the Druid leapt over one of the islands, skidding to a halt.

“What are you doing?” I yelled, needing him to keep moving. He didn’t reply, but started to march forward at a slower pace. Three of the creatures leapt toward us, and I tried to wriggle my way free of the Druid’s grasp, but he held on, his grip like stone. Helpless, and wild-eyed with horror, I watched the creatures leap in mid-air—before being knocked back into the swamp water with a heavy splash.

“They can’t cross,” the Druid muttered without breaking his stride. The howls continued as the creatures clawed at the thin air but were unable to cross over.

“Is it a barrier?” I asked breathlessly, my chest heaving as I fought to control my breath.

“Something like that,” he replied.

“Serena!”

A shout went up, and I turned my head to see Jovi and Field moving toward us—Jovi running, and Field with his wings outstretched, flying low across the grass of the lawn. Before they could reach us, the Druid barked at them, “Inside!” without relinquishing his pace or his grip on me.

“What did you do to her?” Jovi cried angrily.

I tried to shake my head to indicate that this time the Druid had saved my life, but I was too jittery to speak, the adrenaline slowly leaving my body. I started to tremble all over, feeling weak and completely devoid of any energy. As we moved across the grounds, Field and Jovi matching the Druid’s pace while they looked at me with shock and concern, I felt glad that I didn’t have to stand or walk—my body felt incapable of doing either.

“You can put her down now,” Jovi told the Druid tersely as we reached the greenhouse. He was ignored, and the Druid only shifted me in his arms as he navigated the glassless door.

“Someone pick up the light,” the Druid snapped as we entered.

Field picked it up, and the two of them followed us into the sitting room just beyond the greenhouse. The Druid placed me down in an armchair, in front of an empty fireplace. As he released me, I realized that he was trembling with rage. I was also dimly aware that I suddenly felt cold, my body noticing the absence of the Druid’s warmth more than anything else.

“Are you okay?” Jovi crouched down next to the chair, and I nodded numbly at him.

“What happened?” he asked, reaching down to my arms to hold them. I noticed I was still shaking, and tried to force myself to stop, but my body just wouldn’t comply.

“I heard you calling,” I replied, my brain feeling fuzzy as I tried to piece together the bits of the story. “The creatures, whatever they were, sounded just like you and Field. And they looked like you…until they changed.”

“What?” Jovi and Field replied together, astonishment coloring their tone.

“They’re shape-shifters,” the Druid interjected, throwing logs onto the fire and not looking in our direction. “Not ones any of you would be familiar with. Once they see and hear a creature, human or supernatural, they can take on its appearance and voice almost perfectly. They must have heard you when you were outside earlier today. Many creatures have met their end by following what they perceive to be friends or loved ones into jungles and swamps, finding themselves surrounded before they realize they’ve been tricked.”

“You didn’t think to tell us about these creatures?” Jovi shot back, glaring at the Druid. The fire leapt to life, casting his face in the light of the red flame.

“I told you it was dangerous out there. I told you not to leave the land—they are not the worst things out there, not by any stretch of the imagination. Serena was lucky.”

Lucky?

I felt grateful to be alive and unharmed, but I certainly didn’t consider myself lucky.

“Do you want to go upstairs, Serena?” Field asked, his eyes wide with concern.

“I’m okay here for a moment… just need to catch my breath.”

I felt comforted by the heat of the fire. The night was still warm, but my body felt horribly cold and empty. The last thing I wanted was to go back upstairs to my room alone.

“Do you need to syphon?” Jovi asked.

I nodded, unable to hide it any longer. As soon as he mentioned it, hunger leapt up inside of me—and to my surprise, I found it drawn mostly to the energy of the Druid. There was something unnaturally bright about the aura his mind gave off; it felt different to the other supernaturals in The Shade—in some ways more ferocious and angry, but also steady, like he might never run out. Still, remembering how he’d reacted last time, and the fact that I owed him my life for what he’d just done, I turned back to Field and Jovi.

“Would either of you mind?” I asked.

“Not at all,” Jovi replied, “take what you need.”

I started to reach out for Jovi’s energy, finding comfort in the familiar. The event had obviously shocked him—I could feel that his nerves were frayed, and that he was worried, not just about me, but all of us. I could also distinctly feel the taint of anger and dislike he felt toward the Druid, coloring his usually light and playful energy.