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“James is hurt, and he hid it from us. It’s bad. I don’t know if I can heal him. Will you call Dec and see if he can come now?” I respond, not taking my eyes off the stab wound I just found. It’s not bleeding fast, but it’s steady. I can tell that James cleaned and dressed it. He must not have realized that it was this bad. Why else would he have insisted that he was fine when I offered to heal him?
Orym nods and steps outside to make the call. I feel Luca’s hands on my shoulders as I pour my healing magic into James, praying that it will work. My vision goes hazy, and Luca pulls me away from James. “Red, it’s not working. You can’t kill yourself to save him if the magic isn’t working.”
“Dec is on his way. He claims that he’s not sure what he can do to help, but at least he’s coming. I don’t think he took James’ request to be turned very seriously,” Orym announces as he comes back inside.
“Is that how you’re planning to handle this?” Luca asks, astonished.
“If it comes to that, I don’t think we have much choice,” I respond. I suspect that James asked Dec to turn him as a spontaneous thing, and that he didn’t give it much thought. But right now, that may be the only way I can keep James in my life. If that’s the case, I’ll do whatever it takes to convince Dec to make his brother a vampire.
“What if he won’t do it?” I don’t like Luca questioning me like this, but I understand his concern. I can’t exactly force Dec to change James.
“Then I guess James will die, and we’ll all suffer from the pain of a broken bond again. But at least his brother will have the chance to say goodbye,” I snap. I drag myself up from the couch and start to pace.
I don’t want to think about what will happen if Dec refuses to turn James. I kneel beside my mate again, noticing how pale he is. He’s lost too much blood, and I know that I can’t heal him. There’s no point in trying again. I know it won’t work, but I do it anyway.
I’m not sure how long I sit there, pulsing my magic into James and cursing because it’s not working, before a pair of strong arms pulls me away. “No, I have to keep trying,” I insist weakly. I know if I don’t stop, I’ll pass out, but I need to save him.
“Red, it’s okay. Dec is here. Let him take a look,” Luca says from behind me. I realize he’s the one who pulled me away. I want to struggle against his hold, but I don’t have the energy for it. I relax into his arms and watch as he sits on the couch with me on his lap.
Orym and Dec speak in hushed tones as Dec checks over his brother. I can’t tell if Orym is trying to talk him into turning James or not. I jump when Dec shifts his attention to me. “And you’ve tried your magic to heal him?”
I nod, “I did. Twice. But it didn’t do anything. I’m not sure what happened to him. Maybe if I’d known sooner, I could have helped.”
“So, he hid the wound from you?” Dec doesn’t seem surprised.
“He told us that he just had scratches,” Orym insists. “Are you going to change him?”
“I don’t know. This isn’t an easy decision. Especially with the way he reacted when I first became a vamp. I know it’s not what he wants, even though he asked for it. He wants to be worthy of you, and thinks this is the only way. He’s wrong.” Dec makes the statement with no hesitation.
“I agree completely. I’m the one who’s not worthy of him. I wish he could see that. I’ve tried, Dec, I really have. But I can’t lose him; not like this. Please.” I’ll beg if I have to. I will get down on my hands and knees, then I’ll promise this vampire anything he wants if he’ll just save my mate.
“What do I do if he hates me for it? This isn’t like borrowing his car without asking or taking his favorite shirt. This is a lot bigger than that. Can you deal with the fallout if he hates you for it too?” Dec asks, staring into my eyes. I see the unshed tears in his eyes that match mine.
“I will take full responsibility for the entire situation. If he hates me, at least he’ll be alive to hate me. I won’t let him blame you at all,” I insist. I clasp my hands in front of my chest and let my tears fall. “Just please don’t let him die. Turn him so he can survive this. Please, Dec.”
sixteen
Adjusting
ORYM
“I just don’t know,” Dec says again. While I understand his frustration and uncertainty, a decision has to be made. Now.
“Look, I get that this is tough. But you have to decide, right now, if you’re going to let your brother die. Or if you’re going to risk pissing him off by saving his life. None of us can make that decision for you. James’ life is in your hands,” I say, pulling Garnet off the floor and into my arms.
“It’s not fair, I know. Please, Dec,” she begs again.
James’ brother glances from Luca, to me, to Garnet, and back again. I don’t envy him this decision. I’m not sure that I could do it if I were in his place, either. When his expression softens, I know that he’s come to a conclusion.
“I don’t think he’s going to be okay with this. But you’re right. If I let him die, I’ll never forgive myself. At least if he hates me, that means he’s alive,” Dec says, leaning over James’ unconscious body.
Before any of us can react, he drags James up and bites into his neck. A minute or so later, he drops his limp brother back into the chair and opens James’ mouth. Then Dec bites into his own wrist and forces it between James’ lips. “Come on, brother, drink,” he says quietly.
It feels like forever as we wait to see if this is going to work. I sit on the couch with Garnet on my lap and Luca as close to us as he can get without joining her. She grips my arm and his hand tightly while we wait.
“How long does this usually take?” Luca asks, unable to hide his curiosity.
Dec glares at him. “I don’t know. I’ve only ever turned one other person, and that was a bit chaotic. Also, she was actually conscious when I fed her my blood. He’s not even drinking.” He pulls his wrist away from James’ mouth and inspects his bite mark. We notice that it’s nearly healed already.
