Page 39 of Let Sleeping Vampires Lie

Her voice held a quiet tremor, a grief so deep it threaded through our bond and pressed beneath my sternum. I felt it the way one feels the tide pulling out—noticeable, unsettling, inevitable.

Con kept his gaze forward on the empty road, but I knew he felt Raven’s pain too, even without magic. His hands tightened on the wheel in small, nearly invisible pulses.

By the time we passed the iron gates of Shadow Bone, Raven’s silence had taken on a brittle edge. She walked ahead of us through the front entrance, shoulders drawn tight. The foyer lights were dimmed for the late hour, but even the soft glow seemed too harsh against the pallor of her skin.

“Let’s get you upstairs,” I murmured.

“I’m fine,” she said automatically.

But she let me guide her anyway.

Con trailed behind us, as quiet as a shadow. The house felt too large tonight, the hallways too hollow. Every footstep echoed with the ache of time running out.

We reached the suite she shared with Rene. She paused at the door.

“I’ll stay with him,” she said. “He needs someone there when he wakes.”

“I know,” I replied.

Raven leaned forward and hugged me, her grip unexpectedly strong. “Thank you,” she whispered against my shoulder. “For everything tonight.”

“Get some rest,” I said.

She pulled away with a shaky nod and slipped into the darkened suite. I sensed her bond with Rene flutter, like the wingbeat of an exhausted bird.

And then it faded.

I turned around.

Con was watching me.

Neither of us spoke until we reached my suite.

By the time we reached my room, exhaustion hit me like a wave. I pushed open the door and walked straight to the bed. My body felt heavy, my magic still unsettled from earlier. I took off my boots, then flopped onto the mattress and released a long breath into the dark.

Con stood near the door for a moment, arms crossed, eyes intent.

“That was reckless.”

I rolled onto my back. “Oh, here we go.”

“You used magic,” he said, voice low but firm. “A lot of it.”

“I boosted Rene,” I shot back. “He needed it.”

“And you didn’t tell Raven.”

I pushed up on my elbows. “I didn’t want to worry her.”

“That’s not why you kept it from her,” he snapped.

That startled me. Con’s temper was rare. It was controlled, disciplined, and tempered by centuries of training. When it surfaced, it came from a place deep inside him.

“You’re letting the magic control you,” he said. “You’re becoming addicted to it.”

My jaw clenched. “You don’t get to say that.”

“It’s the truth.”