King Cave (Forever Evermore, #2)(182)
Power stole my eyesight.
Power stole my mind.
Light evaporated, darkness descended.
Chapter Thirty-One
“Lil, wake up,” Antonio’s voice called from far away. “Time to open those beautiful blue eyes.”
I grumbled, my voice sounding hoarse, and tried to roll, but something cold and hard hindered my action, even though it hadn’t felt like I had stopped rolling, more like I was rocking back and forth in a soothing motion.
“Oh, come on,” Antonio murmured. “I’m sure you’re thirsty by now.” A snort. “And I dare say you need it with how pale you are.” A jiggle of my shoulder. “Wake up.”
“Go ‘way,” I rumbled, shaking his hand off my shoulder. “Tired.” I heard him grunt, then the smell of blood wafted on the air under my nose. I sniffed again, lifting my head to the scent, my fangs descending. It was Antonio’s blood. I wasn’t sure how I knew that, but I did. My eyes slammed open. “Are you hurt?”
We were in my Hummer and it was dimly lit inside, like it was parked in a garage with a faulty light bulb, placed far away, as the only lighting, so I was unable to tell what time of day it was. I was on the passenger’s side, and the seat was reclined — Antonio on the driver’s side. I blinked, rubbing my eyes as he shook his head — covered with black hair — and sliced into his wrist with a knife, sticking it against my mouth. “Drink, Lil. You’ve been asleep for a while and I’m sure you’re thirsty. Just don’t take too much. I need to be coherent.”
“Really?” I asked, never having drank off anyone but Dominic, but seriously loathing bagged blood. I stared at his wrist where it healed almost instantly. “You don’t mind?”
“No, I don’t mind,” he said softly. “Just drink.” He sliced into his wrist again, pressing it once again against my lips.
Not one to look a gift-horse in the mouth, I bit into his healing wrist, and my thoughts stuttered on what to send him as I took a gentle pull. I couldn’t send him what I had always used on Dominic because…well, that would be just disgusting…but almost instantly, I knew to send him serenity, and I pushed with that, confused at how easy it was, but his blood overtook those spiraling thoughts and I drank my fill of his very powerful tasting, bubbly blood, but stopped before his heart rate slowed so he wouldn’t be disoriented as he had asked. Licking over the wound, I laid his limp hand on his lap and sat my chair up, watching his face and listening to his heartbeat.
His eyes blinked open fairly quickly, and he asked, “Was that enough? Or should I get Bindi?”
My fangs instantly retracted. “Bindi?” I knew who she was, or at least, I thought I did. I was pretty sure that was the name of the Mage medic who was always down in the training arena for Mysticals who got injured. “Are you insane?” I rubbed my forehead, trying to wake up further. “Antonio, what are you thinking?”
Antonio sat still for a few seconds, odd sounds coming from his throat, until he stated breathlessly, “She knows about your hybrid nature, and she’s traveling with us and willing to donate.”
All truths. My jaw hung open. “What the f*ck, Antonio? How the hell does she know about me?” My frantic gaze darted back and forth between his. “Do we need to kill her?” When he started making that odd noise again in his throat, I jerked my head around to the scenery, confused as to how we had gotten in my Hummer.
I stilled, seeing a flash of black. I picked up a piece of my hair, eyeing it. It was no longer neon red, but normal Com black, highlighted with brown. I blinked at what I saw outside the SUV.
It looked like a large, possibly, cargo area with enormous ropes hanging from the ceiling on gigantic hooks, their loops slightly swaying back and forth, while seven or eight other random vehicles sat parked around us with no one in them. The walls were made of some dark blue metal, or steel — the overhead lighting dim so I couldn’t tell exactly — and in the far distance in one corner, at a large, old wooden table, I saw Felix and Aros and…yeah, that was her name for sure…Bindi sitting at it, playing cards, all their hair spelled various Com shades. I swallowed hard, searching my memory for where the f*ck we were and how the hell we had gotten here.
But I couldn’t come up with anything.
Not a damn thing.
Panic set in, and I swiftly turned in my seat, glancing out the back window, but I only saw more of the same. “Antonio, what the f*ck’s going on?”
He cleared his throat and wiped his brow, never having answered my other questions. “This is a cargo ship. We’re heading for Australia. Outside Sydney, to be exact. That is to be your post right now. All those with power are being dispersed worldwide to lead our forces. I believe war will be officially declared once everyone is situated where they need to be.” He paused. “And no, Bindi doesn’t need to be killed. She saw you use some of your abilities, but she can be trusted, and act as a nutritional source for you.”
I blinked, my heart rate not calming any. “Why don’t I remember any of this?”
His lips pinched, and he glanced away, not answering.
My eyebrows snapped together. Something was seriously wrong. Again, I glanced around my surroundings, but nothing looked familiar except for the individuals I could see and my Vizoac, Bonnie, in the backseat. Glancing down at my clothes didn’t even help because I was wearing a man’s overlarge grey t-shirt I didn’t recognize that read: Live Hard or Die Bored. My eyes narrowed at its hem, which was over my black cargos — those I recognized. All along the bottom of the left side of the shirt was stained dark. Glancing at Antonio, his jaw still clenched and his gaze away from me, I lifted the bottom of the shirt and sniffed at it.