AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Raúl moves to go after them, but two other vampire rebels descend on him. Their frenzied attacks slice across Raúl’s already injured arm. I reach forward, draining one of their shadows until he is nothing. Raúl’s nails sink into the throat of the other rebel vampire, and I close my eyes against the violence, not completely wanting to see this side of him right now.
Exhausted from using so much magic, I keep my eyes closed as the battle raging around me quiets down. At last, only the shuffling of feet remains, and I open my eyes to see Raúl kneeling in front of me, examining me. I smile at him and he grimaces back. “Your arm wound opened up.”
I hold up the offending arm and he’s right. Some of the neat little stitches are torn, blood seeping through. “You’re not doing much better yourself,” I say.
He examines his shoulder. “It’s small. Once the silver is out, it’ll heal quickly. Let’s get you home,” he says. He stands up and starts talking to his vampires. Then he comes back to me, lifting me up in his arms, cradling me close to him. The shadows around his shoulder are dotted with still silver dots. I concentrate, lifting my hand and drawing out the offending metal.
A small ball forms in my hand and I tuck it into my pocket. Raúl glances at his shoulder. “Now, it’ll only take minutes to heal.”
He is right; in seconds, his wound starts to stitch itself together. I nuzzle his neck as we float above the trees, heading to the castle. “You smell like dirt.”
He laughs, the vibrations rumbling through my ribs. I snuggle my head onto his shoulder and close my eyes, knowing I’m safe.
I wake when Raúl sets me down on my sofa. Already, someone is there with a kit to sew my arm back up. I wince as the needle threads my skin, now that I’m awake to feel it. “Did you find Carmen?” I ask Raúl as the healer finishes sewing my arm. He leaves and Raúl sits on the sofa next to me.
“No,” he says, his face contorting with anger. “She and Niles weren’t there. Julian must have taken them farther away.”
He stands up, pacing the floor. He stops at the fireplace, then suddenly punches the wall. The stone crumbles, falling to the tile. Immediately, I stand up and head to him, wrapping my arms around his waist. His voice comes out quiet, venom in his tone. “Julian continues to take and take from me, leaving me to clean up after his lunatic plans.”
I squeeze, and he turns around in my arms, hugging me back. “I’m so sorry, Raúl. We’ll get her back, I promise.”
We are searching now, says Nava.
I relate this to Raúl, and he nods, thanking Nava. He strokes my cheek. “I have to go take care of this.” He gestures to my arm. “You need to heal before it gets infected. Besides, in the heat of battle, some vampires cannot control themselves around fresh blood. Can you stay here now?”
With a sigh, I agree. “Yes. Only because it will put you in danger, too. You can’t possibly fight off fifty vampires hungry for my blood.”
His fangs descend, and his eye darkens. “When it comes to you, Penny? I would do anything to keep you safe.”
I grin and he leans forward, lips brushing across mine, then he is gone. I lean my head against my sofa before summoning the energy to wash the dirt and blood off me.
Although I move slow, thanks to sore muscles, it doesn’t take long until I am finally clean. I have just fastened a new dress on when I hear a knock on my door. I open it to find Helena there, grinning at me.
Chapter Forty-Nine
Not waiting for an invitation, Helena lets herself in and plops down on the chair. “I heard you had a splendid battle. Took down a vampire yourself.”
I sat across from her, placing my hands gently on my lap. “You heard right.”
She waves her hand. “That’s all you’re going to tell me? Don’t leave a girl hanging!”
I chuckle, then launch into the entire story. When I start telling her how I drained Niles in the garden, Helena stops me. She eyes me, biting her bottom lip. “Don’t tell Julian you can do that.”
“I don’t think I’ll ever run into him, but if I do, I’ll make sure not to. Why?”
She watches me carefully. “There is a legend of someone, a long time ago, who could do the same. It was rumored she could transfer shadows from one vampire to another. Even more concerning, she could transfer life essence between humans and vampires.”
I shrug. “I can’t do that.” At least, I’ve never tried.
“Good. You’d be hunted by all vampires if you could.” She claps her hands. “I came to see if you’d like to make some chocolate. Dawn is far enough away. We have time. What do you think?”
I smile shyly. “It sounds fun. Let’s do it.”
Chef Louis welcomes us into the kitchen, and I’m glad to see another familiar face. For the next few hours, Helena and I are up to our elbows in ingredients. She shows me the dried pods sent by her friend. We grind them into a liquor, which she strains. We store the remaining products for later, and Helena takes out a package of chocolate sitting in the large cold box.
“Let’s make some chocolate truffles,” she says, setting it on the counter. “My cousin, in particular, loves them.”
She turns on the stove, waiting for the water to boil. Chattering about her friend who sends her the chocolate, she turns around to take out more ingredients. When I know she is not looking, I stretch out a finger and touch the tip of the pot. With my magic and a silent spell, the water is boiling only seconds later. Quickly, I hide my hands behind my back and grin.
