Abby lets out a shaky breath and looks at Lucas with concern. “Is he sleeping?”
“Yeah. Vampires literally look dead when they sleep.”
“Oh. Makes sense. I wanted to check the wound and make sure I didn’t need to put any more glue over the stitches.”
“We can.” I perch back on the edge of the couch, and Abby comes over. She makes a move for Lucas and then stops.
“What if he wakes up?”
“Then he wakes up.”
“Will he, um, bite me?”
I cock an eyebrow. “Do you bite people when you’re woken up?”
She tips her head and then quickly shakes it. “No. But I’m…I’m not…”
“He’s a vampire, Abby, not a dog. He’s not going to get startled and bite you. You’re more likely to get an energy ball to the face if you wake me up.” I look at my hands. “My powers have been a little wonky ever since Michael started unlocking my angel-ness.”
“Angel-ness?”
“You know what I mean.”
She carefully peels up one edge of the bandage on Lucas’s stomach. “I do. Do you, um, feel different now that you have angel-ness?” She’s nervous, not trusting that Lucas isn’t going to spring up, grab her by the throat, and pin her to the ground.
Some vampires do react that way when woken, just as some people can get violent when woken suddenly. But Lucas isn’t like that.
“Not really.”
Abby narrows her eyes and hesitantly reaches down, pressing her finger against the first stitch.
“What?” she whispers and leans in closer before quickly scrambling back and pulling a stethoscope out of her bag. She puts it on and moves to Lucas’s chest.
“What are you doing?” I ask, looking at her like she’s lost her mind. Why else would she be checking Lucas’s heart rate? He hasn’t had one since he was alive and forced to fight in Rome.
Abby jerks her head up, brows pushed together. “I thought you said vampires don’t have heartbeats.”
“They don’t.”
“Then why am I picking up one?”Chapter 3“What?” My voice echoes around us. Abby is talking crazy. That’s impossible.
“I hear a heartbeat. It’s faint and really, really slow. But I hear it.”
“No…no…that’s not possible.”
“Listen for yourself if you don’t believe me.” She takes the stethoscope off and hands it to me.
I squeeze my eyes shut. “I believe you. It’s just…it’s not possible. His heart hasn’t beat for over a thousand years. There’s just no way.”
“I’ve heard people call vampirism a disease. Is there any chance it can regress?”
“It’s not a disease. It’s dark, ancient magic. There’s no way it could—” I cut off and spin around to look at Lucas. “Holy shit.”
“What?” Abby rushes out.
“Magic.”
“I’m not following.”
“Move over.”
“I need to put a bit more glue on this stitch. It’s weeping blood.”
“It can wait.” I push her out of the way and kneel down next to Lucas, putting my hand on his chest.
“Callie?” he whispers, eyes slowly opening. “What are you doing?”
“It’s okay,” I tell him, tears filling my eyes. “I’m going to make you okay.” Squeezing my eyes closed, I splay my fingers and breathe in the energy swirling inside of him. It hits me hard, and I jerk my hand away. “It’s a curse.”
“Curse?” he echoes.
“I can feel it. You’ve been cursed.” I inhale, trying to ground myself, and put my hand back on his chest. Darkness swirls inside of him, pulling and pushing me at the same time. It’s heavy and oppressive and is making it hard to breathe. “The magic is…it’s old. Unlike anything I’ve felt before.” My stomach churns from the darkness in the energy. If I could absorb it all and take it away, saving him, I would.
“Callie,” he pants and tries to sit up.
“No,” I tell him and push him back. Normally, I wouldn’t stand a chance winning any sort of physical battle against Lucas. I jump onto my feet and shake my hands, needing to expel some of the energy. “I need salt, a white candle, a knife, and…and my purse,” I tell Abby. I take a step back and pace to the other side of the living room.
I’m so stupid. Why didn’t I think of this sooner? It’s a curse. A curse preventing Lucas from healing.
But…why is his heart beating?
What kind of curse can do something this dire to a vampire? Lucas is old and strong. It would take one hell of a powerful curse to affect him in the slightest.
I don’t have what I need to break a curse here. I bring my hands to my head and try to think, but I can’t get a single thought in over the noise of my anxiety.
A curse.
Who would curse Lucas?
Why would someone curse Lucas?
To get to me? But why? I get along with everyone in my coven. The closest I have to an enemy inside is Ruby Darrows, and we have a weird understanding now.
She testified on my behalf when I was on trial and saw me telekinetically pull someone’s molars out and didn’t say anything to Tabatha. Besides, Ruby is the definition of a rule follower. She wouldn’t curse Lucas…or would she?