Warrior (Relentless #4)(135)

No sooner had the words left his mouth than the sphere sent out another pulse that pushed us back several steps.

Then it was gone, leaving Sara and the vampire lying motionless on the stone floor.





Chapter 25





Solmi, my Mori wailed.

For one terrifying moment, I thought I’d lost her. It wasn’t until I sank to my knees beside her and pulled her into my arms that I realized the bond was still there.

“Sara?” I called to her as I checked her pulse and breathing. Thank you, I prayed silently when I felt her warm breath against my face.

I patted her cheek. “Sara, can you hear me?”

Nothing, not even an eyelid flicker.

I rose to my feet with her cradled in my arms. “I need to get her to the healers.”

Tristan didn’t respond.

I looked at him and found him staring at the vampire sprawled on the floor. The shock on Tristan’s face had me following his gaze to the vampire looking up at us with a confused expression that made him look almost human again. It took me several seconds to realize he was on the floor instead of chained to the wall and that his shackles were gone.

“It can’t be,” Tristan breathed. “It’s not possible.”

“What?” I asked harshly.

“Look at him, Nikolas. Look at his eyes.”

I stared down at the vampire, who turned his head until his green eyes, so much like Sara’s, met mine. I sucked in a sharp breath.

“Nikolas?” he said weakly, struggling to sit up. “What happened?”

“Nate?”

He sat leaning against the wall and breathing hard from the effort. “I feel like I have the hangover from hell.”

Tristan and I exchanged a look.

“Nate, you don’t look well,” Tristan said slowly. “I’ll get you some blood.”

“Blood?” A look of revulsion crossed Nate’s face, followed soon after by shock. He ran a hand over his mouth, feeling for the fangs he no longer had.

“I-I’m not…that thing is gone… Please, tell me this is real.”

“It’s real.” Tristan looked like he was still in shock. “What can you remember?”

Nate rubbed his temples. “Bits and pieces. It’s coming back slowly. I remember talking to Sara. I think I was chained to the wall and…”

He looked up at the girl in my arms and fear filled his eyes. “Sara! Oh, God. What did I do to her?”

“I think whatever she did to you caused this.” I looked down at her unconscious form. “I’m going to take her to the healers. Tristan, are you okay here?”

“Yes, although I’m not sure exactly what to do now.”

I left him trying to figure out what to do about Nate and rushed to the medical ward. The healers on duty had me lay Sara on a table, and then they got to work examining her. I left the room just long enough for them to remove her clothing and dress her in a hospital gown.

“What’s wrong with her?” I asked when I returned.

“We’re not sure,” one of the healers replied. “All her vitals look good, and she doesn’t appear to have any physical injuries. Can you tell us how she came to be like this?”

I shut the door. “Sara is half Fae.”

The healers looked at me like I’d lost my mind.

“It’s true.” I gave them a quick overview of her history. “Her magic affects demons as any Fae’s magic would. You heard about her uncle showing up yesterday as a vampire?”

They nodded, looking incapable of speech.

“Sara used her power on him, and it looks like he’s human again. And she ended up like this.”

One of the healers crossed her arms and fixed me with a hard stare. “Is this some kind of prank?”

“Do I look like I’m joking around?” I ground out. “You know as much as I do about what happened. Now help her.”

“Her uncle really is human again?” the other healer asked.

“We think so. Tristan’s with him now.”

She shook her head in disbelief and waved a hand at Sara. “I don’t know much about Fae physiology, but if she used that much magic and she’s only half Fae, she could be in shock. She does have a Mori, yes?”

“Yes. We’re bonded.”

“Ah.” Her eyes lit with understanding. “It’s possible then that her magic was too much for her Mori and she passed out because of it. We’ll observe her and hope she wakes up soon.”

“That’s it? That’s all you can do for her?”

“Nikolas, we’ve never had a patient like Sara before, and quite frankly, neither of us knows what to do beyond this point. Let’s give it a little time and see what happens.”

We moved Sara to a bed so she’d be more comfortable. The healers left and I sat by the bed, holding her hand and watching for any sign she was coming around.

Twenty minutes later, Tristan and Ben walked past the door, supporting Nate between them. They put him in one of the rooms, and soon I heard the healers’ exclamations as they saw what could be the world’s first ex-vampire. I still wasn’t sure I believed it myself, and I’d been there.

I squeezed Sara’s hand. “You have some explaining to do when you wake up.”