A Tangle of Hearts (A Shade of Vampire #44)(14)

“I can’t bear the thought of him in pain,” I said almost to myself and placed my palms on his chest. I closed my eyes and syphoned whatever I could off my brother. I went deep into the darkness, searching for the colors of whatever he was feeling.

I looked for the familiar red of physical pain, but there was nothing there, just a disturbing pitch black. The silence worried me more than his wound.

I opened my eyes and inhaled, trying hard not to break down.

“I can’t do anything,” I said, breathing heavily. “There’s nothing, just pitch black, like he’s not feeling anything. Like he’s dead.”

“The blow to the head was most likely severe. I don’t think his state has to do with pain but rather with unconsciousness. All we can do is wait for him to recover on his own,” Draven replied.

His hand moved along the side of the bed until he found Phoenix’s, and his fingers searched for his wrist. A few moments passed as Draven felt my brother’s pulse.

“It’s slow but steady,” he concluded.

“What does that mean?” I asked. Tears escaped down my cheeks.

“It means he’s stable but in a deep unconscious state. He’ll need time to wake up.”

“How much time?” I cried out, unable to control myself anymore. Vita looked up at me, concern darkening her turquoise eyes. She’d been holding everything in, and I realized that if I didn’t regain my composure, she might crack as well. I needed her calm and focused while treating my brother.

I brushed away my tears hurriedly and tried to breathe in through my nose.

Draven waited for me to regain composure before replying.

“It could be a few hours or a few days,” he said. “It all depends on his strength, and he strikes me as a warrior. I reckon he’ll be back up and sprinting around in no time.”

I had a feeling Draven said this more for my reassurance than as an actual fact, but I took it gladly. I didn’t want to think about the darker alternatives.

I bent over to whisper in Phoenix’s ear. I wasn’t sure whether he could hear me, but I needed to speak to him. “Please stay strong. I need you now more than ever.”

My chest constricted, and I swallowed another wave of tears. I straightened my back and took my brother’s hand. I couldn’t let go.

“What do we do now?” I asked Draven as Vita finished applying the herb mixture.

“As far as Phoenix is concerned, all we can do is wait,” he replied. “I need to speak to Bijarki and figure out what our next steps will be. We have a stranger among us now, and we don’t know what she wants. We can’t trust anyone outside this group.”

At the sound of his name, Bijarki turned his head to face us. His discreet nod indicated that he was determined to keep us all safe from the wounded succubus, even if she was one of his own kind. I couldn’t help but find his nod reassuring.

I held my brother’s limp hand. I couldn’t deny that Draven’s presence, so close to me, was also reassuring. To say that I genuinely admired him for his calm and steady demeanor in helping my brother—while I had been panicking and fumbling about—would have been an understatement.

“Thank you, Draven,” I said quietly.

He set his jaw and nodded almost imperceptibly.





Jovi





[Victoria & Bastien’s son]





A few hours went by, with Anjani drifting in and out of consciousness. The herbs Bijarki had applied on her wounds began to show their effects. Druid healing was an impressive thing to watch, as their combinations of natural elements worked faster than any human medication. It basically looked like magic.

I kept a close eye on the succubus, half of me unable to part from her while the other half stayed tense and wary. Her beauty was hypnotic, each line of her face seemingly designed to make a man fall to his knees and beg for her attention.

Her breathing had relaxed, and her chest moved in an even rhythm, her silvery flesh pushing against the tight leather garments. My eyes wandered from her smooth jawline to her full breasts, her flat stomach, and her thighs. She could probably crush a man’s ribcage with those legs.

Just as I was about to wonder what else she could do with her thighs, I felt my face burn. I looked to my right and found Anjani watching me. Once again, her expression said nothing, and that put me on my guard.

Several moments passed before her lips moved.

“Thank you,” she whispered, and I instinctively nodded.

My fingers fumbled on the side of her bed, while I tried to think of something to say. I looked over at Phoenix, who was still unconscious. Serena sat on a stool by his side, holding his hand and talking to him.

“How are you feeling?” I asked Anjani. I was met with a shrug and figured I’d have to settle with just that.

But then I saw tears glazing her eyes. She gazed at the ceiling, biting her lower lip. I bit mine in response but kept my mouth shut.

“I’m better than my sisters for sure,” she said. I thought back to her fallen companions.

“What happened in the jungle?” I asked.

“Strange things are happening all over the jungle,” she replied. Her cryptic answer didn’t satisfy my curiosity, but I didn’t have the courage to drill for more information.