“Now!”
Pippa shifted on her feet and clasped her hands as the two were locked in a staring battle. After a moment, the girl warned, “I will be back, vampire. You will need my assistance.”
“I’m sure we will. Come back. Later.”
Saren took one step backwards and vanished from their sight.
Pippa’s eyes went wide, and she gasped.
Christian’s eyes narrowed even further. “Who was that?”
Roane sounded weary. “She is an ally. She cares for Davy, as we all do.”
“She knows Davy?” Pippa’s voice squeaked.
“I will not travel with an ally I do not trust.”
Roane studied him a moment. “You don’t trust me, but you will fight for my cause.”
Christian fell silent, studying him in return.
Bastion moved forward a step, closer to his leader.
Roane didn’t look away.
Pippa stepped between them and held up her hands. “I don’t know the history between you two, but I can see now that there is some. But I’m here for Davy. Chris, you know how much I care for her. She’s the only friend I have.”
“You have other friends.”
She sighed. “They aren’t my true friends. They’re nice to me because you’re my brother, because I’m a Christane wolf. Davy liked me even when she thought I was there to hurt her. I respect her, and we need to go help her. She gave us Pete back, Chris. Don’t forget what she’s done for you, too.”
At the reminder, his shoulders relaxed a bit. “My sister is right. We should start. Traveling to the Mori will be long and taxing. We don’t have time to fight amongst ourselves.”
Roane extended his hand.
After a pause, Christian reached for it. They clasped their hands around each other’s wrists and shook once, a firm and final shake. Pippa watched the two and felt something new in the air. It was something powerful, hopeful, inspiring. It filled her with new energy, a new adrenaline rush of excitement. And something told her that she’d see more moments such as this to come, many more.
DAVY
When I opened my eyes, I was still on the floor. Some new food had been placed in a dish beside me, but too many flies buzzed around it. The smell of citrusy garbage made my stomach clench and vomit regurgitated out of me. I hadn’t the energy to move, and so it came out as a cough, then it dribbled down my chin to fall on the floor. I couldn’t move away and I couldn’t stop when another cough shook my body. More vomit came out, then another and another cough. Each time it was slower than the last and each time my body shook harder and harder.
My stomach was violently assaulting my body. I was helpless to stop it. After an hour of it, my eyes started to droop. The unconscious started to beckon me. Slowly, so slowly, I heard my breaths grow shorter, shallower, and then—
“Wake up!” a voice boomed.
My eyes snapped open, and I jerked upright. A scream ripped from my throat from the pain in my limbs. A butcher knife felt like it was embedded in my spine with little knives and razors inside my body, all over. Each ligament felt like they were being cut with each movement I made.
“Who—” I doubled over, and another wave of nausea hit me. Fresh vomit spewed out again.
Then the door opened. When I tried to lift my head, another scream came out of me again. My neck felt paralyzed. I couldn’t move it. A pair of shoes came to my head and they squatted down.
I had expected Lucan, but this was a female. She had long red hair, brown eyes, and white skin. A memory flashed in my head, and I remembered the Mori, when they had followed Bennett to my college. She looked like them. This was one of them.
Her eyes were blank as she watched me, then she reached through the cage and touched my head. It was a gentle touch. If I hadn’t watched her do it, I wouldn’t have felt the touch. But then a surge of heat raced through me. My heart started pumping fast. I gasped as my back arched again, my lungs filled with something warm, and every ligament of my body tingled.
She said softly, “I have given you life now, stand.”
And I could. It was a miracle. Then I remembered. “Magic.”