A Kiss of Blood (Vamp City #2)(28)

“Arturo’s right, Zack. You’ve got the smarts to find your opponent’s weaknesses and exploit them.” She shrugged. “You can learn the rest.”

“Okay. But not tonight.”

“Not tonight,” Quinn agreed. “Get some sleep.”

Arturo rose and followed Quinn and Amanda out, pulling Zack’s door closed. When he looked up, Quinn met his gaze with a small smile.

“Thank you for that,” she said quietly. He’d given Zack an incredible gift—permission to be weak and a way to get stronger.

Arturo’s dark eyes turned as soft as a summer night. “You’re welcome.”

Amanda entered the other room to light the lamp, and Quinn followed her. “Tell me what’s really going on with Zack, Amanda.”

The doctor glanced at her. “I’ve told you the truth. I don’t know what’ll happen.”

“I saw the way you were frowning earlier. You know more than you’re saying.”

The doctor sighed and straightened, the lamplight flickering behind her. “I’ve only seen eyes like his once before, and I never figured out what caused them.”

“What happened to the other victim?”

Her mouth compressed, and she looked away.

“Amanda?”

Slowly she met Quinn’s gaze. “She died.”

“How long after you first saw the signs?”

“Three weeks. I’m sorry.”

Three weeks. Quinn swayed. Arturo gripped her shoulders from behind, steadying her.

Amanda reached for Quinn’s hand. “It’s very possible that renewing the magic will save him. There’s no reason to panic. Not yet. But I don’t think it will benefit him to know this. The brain can be a powerful force in healing.”

Quinn took a deep breath, gathering her control, and pulled away from both of them. “I agree. Is there anything he should or shouldn’t do? Does he need to rest? To eat more food? Less food?”

The doctor shook her head. “Honestly, I don’t know. Nothing my other patient did or didn’t do appeared to matter. I’d recommend he do whatever he feels like. Magic doesn’t attack the body in the same way a virus does. There’s no need to conserve energy to fight it. The equinox is just a few days away, Quinn. Let’s trust that renewing the magic will cure him, hmm?”

If she could renew the magic. A knot formed beneath her breastbone. He’d been acting so normal . . .

“I’ll leave you to get some rest,” Amanda said, her eyes full of apology.

“Zack will be fine once the magic is renewed, cara.”

Quinn swung around to face him, then grabbed the door and closed it, barely managing to keep from slamming it because . . . dammit . . .

She turned on him. “You all keep forgetting that I don’t know how. I’ve tried renewing it with the ritual, with both Blackstone brothers right there. And I failed, Arturo. I failed. Why in the hell are you so convinced I’m going to succeed the next time?”

He stood by the wall, watching her with quiet eyes in such counterpoint to her turmoil. “Because we shall figure out what is hampering your magic.”

“And what if we can’t fix it . . . in four days? The equinox is almost here. What if it passes, and I don’t have the magic and never have enough power to renew the magic on a null day?” Her eyes began to burn, her chest caving. “He’s going to die, and I can’t stop it.”

She saw him move through the blur of her tears, felt gentle hands grip her shoulders.

“We shall not let him die.”

“I know he’s not well. His eyes are still silver. But he’s been acting so normal, I started to believe . . .” The tears began to fall in earnest, and she was helpless to stop them. Three weeks.

Cool fingers stroked her hair. “I will not let him die.”

She blinked against the tears, searching his face. “Don’t pretend he matters to you.”

His hand gripped her jaw, his eyes almost harsh. “He matters to you. He is everything to you. And you matter to me.”

“The salvation of your city and your friends.”

“If that is all you were, my life would be so much simpler, tesoro. So much colder. And I would have remained blind to what has happened to my city and to my people.” His hands cupped her face, his thumbs wiping the tears from her cheeks. “I will not let him die, cara mia. I will not.”

He pulled her into his arms, and she let him, burying her face against his shoulder as the grief and the fear swept through her on the torrent of tears. He held her, stroking her back, her hair. All her life, she’d cried alone except for those times when Zack had snuck into her room and lain down beside her. He’d always known when she was hurting, he’d always come, even if just to curl up on the rug beside her bed and play his Gameboy.

She’d never wanted to need anyone. Perhaps because she’d never had anyone. Except for Zack. But Arturo’s strong arms and willing shoulder felt so damn good. So . . . right.

As her tears subsided, his lips brushed the curve of her ear, then pressed softly against her temple. For all of his faults, he could be the most gentle of males when he chose to be.

Slowly, she pulled back until she could see his face. Blinking back the last of the tears, she met his soft gaze and found herself pulling one hand from around his neck to stroke his cool cheek.