A Kiss of Blood (Vamp City #2)(49)

“Cristoff is the only one who can renew the magic.”

“Cristoff has Phineas Blackstone’s sons under his control. I’ll probably need their help, but they can’t renew the magic, or they’d have done it already. Cristoff wants me because he likes power, but I don’t need him. I can absolutely renew the magic without him.” God help her if she couldn’t.

Silence fell as the werewolf released her. He looked up as if admiring her handiwork, as if contemplating her offer. “You have power, sorceress, there’s no doubt of that.”

“I can also get you food, wolf. I can arrange a shipment of meat from one of the local grocery stores.”

He was quiet for several more minutes before he apparently came to a decision. “Free me from this bubble, and I will free you and your vampire companion. You will send the food at once. And when you come into your power, you will return and share it with us.”

“And not tied to your stake.”

“As an honored guest. I give you my word.”

“I hope your word means more than a vampire’s.”

“My word is granite. Solid and unbreakable.” His voice told her she’d offended him by questioning that. But he added in a less harsh voice. “I’m beginning to think you will make a better ally than dinner.”

Quinn made a sound of amusement. “I appreciate that. Are you ready to get out of here?”

“Most ready.”

“Me, too.”

She reached for his hand and felt his fingers curl tightly around hers as if he feared she’d try to escape and leave him behind. Leading him, she started for the black opal wall. But when, by all rights, the magic should have embraced her, it threw her back, taking the wolf with her.

“Sorceress,” he snarled, grabbing her again.

“I didn’t do that on purpose! I’m still figuring out how all this works.”

He plowed into her suddenly, knocking her to the ground and landing heavily on top of her.

“Wolf,” she gasped.

He was off her a moment later, then slamming into her again, knocking her down when she tried to get up.

“What are you doing?” she cried.

He curved his arm around her shoulder, pressing close. “The walls of your bubble . . . they’re shrinking.”

Oh, shit. Quinn reached out her hand, feeling the rubbery surface against her fingertips. Reaching in the other direction, she found it again. Too quickly. Like the wolf said, the walls were shrinking. And her hand wasn’t going through.

Her heart began to pound. She’d made this world. She had to be able to get out.

The rubbery feel crowded them from every direction, knocking them one way, then the other until they had nowhere left to move. Slowly it pressed them together, Quinn’s back to the alpha’s chest, growing tighter and tighter.

As the bubble compressed, as Quinn felt it brushing her face, she threw her hands up, trying to make space for her mouth and nose. With a bolt of pure terror she realized that soon she wouldn’t even be able to breathe. It was as if they were being wrapped in cellophane, the air being slowly sucked away.

“Sorceress!”

Her own freaking magic was going to kill her, and no one would ever know. Zack would never know.

I won’t die here.

The power began to dance beneath her skin, sparking, tripping, burning her flesh as badly as the lack of air was beginning to burn her lungs. Recognizing that this was her chance, she embraced the terror, embraced the fear that her death would mean Zack’s death, too.

And suddenly her magic tore loose.

Heat, light, and sound blasted her, sweet sweaty air tore into her lungs as the bubble burst, as she and the wolf collapsed, together, onto the ground, light-headed and gasping.

Wolves circled her, snarling, snapping inches from her face. But as she threw up her hands to ward them off, the alpha leaped to his feet, shouting.

“Halt! Down. Now!” The wolves backed off, and the alpha helped her to her feet. “Just as Blackstone created Vamp City, the sorceress created a small bubble of a world, a place for us to talk, and negotiate, in private.” That was one way to spin it. “Once the sorceress has renewed the magic of Vamp City, she will return and share her power with us. Bring the vampire in the trough to me. He’s her protector and henceforth will not be harmed.”

Releasing Quinn, he lifted both hands. “Douse the flames.”

As the wolves began scooping up dirt to put out the fires, the alphas’ three friends gathered close around them.

“You trust her, then, Savin?” the woman asked.

“She holds no love for Cristoff. He’s tortured her.”

The woman nodded as if that answered her question. The enemy of my enemy and all that?

A couple of minutes later, Arturo was led forward, naked and stumbling. Quinn gasped at the sight of him, her stomach roiling until she thought she might be sick. His bloody legs were more bone than flesh. His skin was paler than she’d ever seen it, his eyes gleamed white-centered with hunger, though he kept his fangs behind his lips.

Quinn’s heart twisted to see the powerful vampire brought so low. “Have you fed him?” she demanded.

The werewolf who held him shook his head.

Quinn gave the alpha a look of disgust.

He lifted his hands. “I thought he was dinner.”