A Tangle of Hearts (A Shade of Vampire #44)(21)

Anjani kept her face straight, but her beguiling eyes narrowed a touch. “Don’t get ahead of yourself, boy. You would be physically unable to handle me.”

I swallowed. Something told me she was right, and it stung.

Even worse, my cheeks heated, and my mind went blank. I had absolutely nothing to say in return, no way of soothing that burn. She was a whip.





Vita





[Grace and Lawrence’s daughter]





Later that night, I took my turn watching over Phoenix. I’d managed to steal an hour’s worth of sleep upstairs, but the most recent vision of myself and Bijarki kept bothering me, replaying itself as a dream on a loop, making me wake up all heated up and sweaty.

One cold shower later, I was downstairs in the basement on a stool next to Phoenix. I’d checked his head wound; the herbal mixture stank less now that it was drying up. My heart tightened in my chest as I felt for his pulse. It was slow but steady. Nothing had changed in his condition. He was still deep under.

I saw his eyes move beneath their eyelids, a sign that he was most likely dreaming. It was an encouraging step forward, despite his overall unresponsiveness. At least there was brain activity. Maybe the herbs were doing a better job than I’d initially thought.

My mind went to Serena, wondering how she was holding up. Knowing her, I figured she’d stuck close to the Druid to keep herself distracted. She hated feeling useless.

I sighed and leaned against the wall behind me. It was cool and comforting at the same time. Aida slept in the bed previously occupied by Field. She was exhausted, and I couldn’t blame her. She’d watched over Phoenix throughout the entire afternoon. She needed a break.

Field had gone out for a quick flight, just to give the surrounding area a once-over and make sure no other creatures were lurking in the darkness. It was a useless endeavor, I thought, since we were under the protective shield. But, then again, Field seemed to have made a habit of flying away every time he and Aida got too close, at least that was the pattern I’d noticed, anyway.

I’d glanced at them during the morning chaos. She’d been livid and soft at the same time, carefully cleaning his cuts while her cheeks were flushed and her fingers trembled uncontrollably. Despite the gravity of the situation, I couldn’t help but smile. She probably never expected to end up so close to him.

But then Field’s attitude had changed a little as well. I’d seen the way he looked at her while she struggled to keep her composure and treat his wounds. I wondered if Aida had noticed it as well.

I watched Phoenix’s chest rise slowly with each breath, and my mind wandered. It inadvertently flew back to Bijarki holding me while I was half-asleep in his bed. The feel of his shimmering skin against mine. I was so soft and small, while he was nothing but strength and hard muscle. We fit perfectly against each other.

I remembered his breath on my neck, followed by fluttered kisses as he drifted in and out of sleep. Heat rose up to my temples.

Snap out of it!

I tried hard to think about something else, but I kept wondering why the future showed me and him at such a high degree of intimacy. How could we get so close when I’d repeatedly pushed him away, treating him like he was some kind of AMBER alert offender? Why would he still want me, after all the things I said to him the other day?

And there it was, the realization that it wasn’t the vision of us getting together that baffled me. It was my own insecurity creeping up to the surface, that question of why he would want to be with me anyway.

The more I thought about what the future seemed to hold for me and Bijarki, the more confused I became. Did I want him? Was I developing feelings for him? Was I okay with the prospect of intimacy between us?

I took another deep breath, shoving the entire idea to the back of my head. I had a long night ahead of me, and I had a responsibility to look after Phoenix. It was pretty much the only thing I could do to avoid thinking about my fate as an Oracle, about Azazel and his Destroyers, about Bijarki, and about everything else that was wrong in this world.

I noticed Jovi get up from the floor and exchange a few words with Anjani. She was still tied to the bed and didn’t seem comfortable. I felt sorry for her. She’d been viciously attacked and nearly killed by shape-shifters, lost her sisters, and had wound up tied to a bed in a Druid’s basement. But, until we knew for sure that she was telling the truth, we couldn’t risk having her roam the mansion freely.

Not after all the horrible things I’d seen were coming.

I watched Jovi’s playful smirk leave his face. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but judging by his expression, he’d most likely said something stupid, and Anjani had shot him down.

His playful behavior and ability to take everything in stride were endearing. I didn’t want him to change.

I didn’t want him to die.

My mind returned once again to the terrifying vision of my cousin being impaled by a spear.

How can I stop it all from happening?





Serena





[Hazel and Tejus’s daughter]





“Serena, wake up.” Draven’s voice rumbled through my dreams.

It was well past midnight when I woke up. My lips were dry, my throat was parched, and my back hurt like a thousand knives had been jammed into it—the perks of falling asleep on the floor in front of a fireplace in the middle of a hot summer day. Druids be damned.