Page 59 of Venice Vampyr: The Beginning

“He was a Guardian?” Raphael gasped.

Lorenzo nodded quickly. Knowing that Salvatore had been a member of the elusive society could bring them a step closer in their search of the remaining Guardians. Later, when Viola was out of danger.

“You have to take the bullet out before you turn her,” Raphael said.

“Or she’ll die,” Dante whispered to himself.

If he left the silver bullet in her, the moment he turned her into a vampire, the deadly metal would burn her flesh from the inside and kill her. Had she been shot with anything else but silver, her new vampire body would merely expel the foreign object and heal itself.

Dante stroked his hand over Viola’s face. By shielding him from Salvatore’s bullet, she had truly saved his life. Now he had to save hers, or all would be in vain.

He gave his brother a desperate look. “Help me.”

Without hesitation, Raphael was by his side, his fingers lengthening into sharp claws. Dante shook his head. “No, you hold her. I’ll take the bullet out myself.”

He shifted Viola and transferred her into Raphael’s arms so her back and the gaping wound was exposed to him. Once she was a vampire, her body would heal itself within minutes. “Quickly,” Raphael instructed.

Dante’s fingers had already turned into claws. He sliced through the top layers of her skin and muscle, following the path the bullet had taken. When he touched the bullet lodged next to a bone, the silver sent a bolt of pain through him.

Hissing, he clenched his teeth and curled his claw, dislodging the silver from the bone. With a groan, he drew the bullet from her body, then dropped it to the floor. His flesh was sizzling where it had come in contact with the metal. But he ignored the pain.

There was no time left. He could not lose her.

Taking Viola from Raphael, he placed his bleeding wrist at her mouth and forced her lips open. The blood dripped, filling her mouth.

“Swallow, Viola,” he urged her. “Swallow, damn it.”

Her mouth didn’t move. His heart contracted. No, he needed her to live so he could live. She was all he wanted. “Please,” he whispered. He bent over her face, and a solitary tear dislodged from his eye. It dropped onto her lips and ran to the corner of her mouth before it followed the path his blood had taken earlier. “Don’t leave me.”

A gurgle from her throat startled him. She swallowed. She took a breath.

“Viola!”

The relieved breaths of his companions filled the room. But all Dante saw was Viola. How her chest rose as she took another breath. How her cheeks turned rosy. How her throat worked to swallow the rest of his blood.

“Viola, my love.” Her eyes flew open, and all he could do was smile at her.

“Dante, oh Dante, are you hurt? You’re bleeding.” Viola’s eyes stared at his wrist.

He shook his head and laughed, full of relief. It figured that her first thoughts would be for him. “No, my love, I’ve never been better.” Then he hugged her to his chest and squeezed her to him. “I love you, Viola, I love you so much.”

“Salvatore,” she stammered. “Did he shoot you?”

Dante pulled away just far enough so he could look at her face. “You took the bullet. You saved my life.”

There was a puzzled look on her face. “But … I don’t understand. I feel fine. Actually …” She paused. “I feel better than fine. He must have missed, even though … I felt the bullet hit me.”

He gave her a soft kiss on her lips. “You did get shot. You almost died. I took the bullet out of you. But, that’s not all.” Dante looked at his brother. How should he tell her what had happened? How could he explain to her what he was? What she was now too?

“Just tell her,” Raphael said.

Dante swallowed hard.

“Tell me what?”

***

Viola stared at Dante, who seemed insecure for the first time since she’d met him. Something was odd. While she could have sworn she’d felt the impact of the bullet and the pain that followed, she felt better than she had in a long time. She wasn’t tired, and there wasn’t even a hint of her usual headache. No throbbing, no dull ache, nothing. She felt the way she had before she’d gotten ill. No, better. She felt so full of energy she wanted to run a race, just for the fun of it.