Chapter 20

My head aches. The sun hurts, and I blink against it, my vision blurred. My stomach twists at the sudden light, and I twist to the side, emptying my stomach.

Probable concussion.

Not great.

Someone presses a leathery object into my hands.

"Drink," a rough voice commands, and I oblige, liquid sliding down my throat, only to heave again, seconds later.

Spent, I curl into a ball, shivering and hurting all over.

"You were told not to hurt the woman, you fool," the same rough voice says. "She's no use to us like this."

"We don't know what she's capable of. I thought it was the best course of action."

"And who told you to think?" A muffled grunt punctuates this question, a body dropping beside me. His mouth gapes open in pain, and a foot connects with his ribs. Fangs glint in the firelight, and the days' events come rushing back.

I am so fucked.

Adrenaline pumps through my system, sending shivers down my spine, my fingertips tingling. Everything intensifies, and a curious sensation unfurls in my chest. It wasn't sunlight I thought I saw but firelight. The scent of smoke fills the air, woodsy and familiar. A cool breeze washes over my upturned cheek. The fire crackles and pops, muttered conversations taking place a good way from wherever I've been dumped.

The vampire struggling for breath beside me is in pain. It's not just the tormented expression on his face that tells me that, but a vague sense of knowing. It scratches at me, his pain, the need to heal him, stronger than ever. His ribs are fractured, the third and fourth on the right side, and one of his organs is bleeding internally.

I close my eyes. They must have hit the fuck out of me, because there's no way I could possibly see all that in the pained way he's breathing. Unfortunately, closing my eyes only amplifies the knowledge, like his body is broadcasting exactly what's wrong with it.

The tingling in my fingers intensifies, too, spreading heat through my hands, my wrists, up to my elbows. It's slightly itchy, slightly uncomfortable, and I look down, expecting a rash or hives or something.

My eyes widen, and my headache spikes, then slowly fades.

My hands aren't covered in a rash. There are no hives.

They're fucking glowing, a pale gold, shimmering all the way up to my elbows.

"Shit," I mutter frantically, and roll onto my stomach, pinning my arms underneath me. The last thing I want is to draw more attention to myself. Bad bad bad idea.

The tingling lingers, but grows fainter.

According to everything Sulen and Hyadum told me, this should be impossible.

Because there is no way this could be anything but magic.

The vampire's injuries call to me, along with a new problem that causes me to tilt my head to the side. Something is wrong with his heart. The blood doesn't flow the correct way, through the superior vena cava and interior vena cava, then through the right atrium and to the lungs…

What the fuck?

I squeeze my eyes shut, concentrating. The stupid magic tingling get stronger, but I'm too curious to stop. This should be impossible, and I itch to fix it. To find out what the problem is. So I do, delving into his heart, slowly reversing the blood flow, knitting together some problem areas and changing the direction of the valves.

The vampire twitches, and I smile, the overwhelming feeling of wrongness eventually eradicated. His heart works well now, pumping correctly, through the correct atriums in the correct order.

Sweat runs down my forehead, and nausea twists my stomach, a heavy exhaustion settling over me.

I open my eyes, and what I see shocks me so badly, stars wink in front of my eyes.

Black blood dribbles from the vampire's mouth. More of the sludge drips from his eyes, and I recoil instinctively, sending a mental feeler out.

His heart has stopped.

The vampire lying next to me is dead.

I throw up again, a pool of sick next to me, heaving. My entire body shakes, and I wrap my now normal arms around my chest, trying to conserve body heat. I'm going into shock, real shock, as the magnitude of what I did, what my magic did, seeps into me.

I killed him.

A cry goes up around me, and boots enter my periphery.

"Fucking hells," a voice bites out. "He was right. Neutralize her. Give her just enough to make her docile."

I cry out as huge hands grip my shoulder, shaking and sick. I don't want this. I don't want to be docile. I'm weak already, so damn tired from whatever it is I just did to the vampire who concussed me, but I lash out. Heat sparks across my hands, then up my arms.

"Neutralize her, now," someone screams.

Dots swirl across my vision, but I don't stop the current of searing magic. Their black hearts eat the light, gnawing at me, and I grip them, even as exhaustion tears at me. It shouldn't be possible. I don't give a fuck. I'm not going down without a fight, even if it kills me. I don't want to die, but I won't be used. I won't be raped or tortured or whatever else it is these fuckers want to do. They might kill me, but I'll make it hurt.

Something sharp pierces the tender flesh of my neck and shoulder, and I sink into oblivion.

Something cold slides down my cheek, and I sit up with a start.

Regret tears through me. I flop back to the hard, gritty floor with a groan. Right. Not going to be sitting up for a while. It's like the worst hangover of my life, coupled with concussion and over exhaustion.

I frown. And maybe sunburn. My skin tingles, near-burning.

I open my eyes again, slowly this time, trying to give my brain time to acclimate. It's not bright though, in fact, it's full dark. Wincing, I swivel my head up, but there are no stars. No firelight.

Where the hell am I?

The vampires must have taken me somewhere. Great. I'm at the second location. Wonderful. Fantastic.

I stretch slightly, trying to work feeling back into my legs, to get the blood flowing. My neck aches, and I finger the sore spot gently. Goddammit. They bit me. One of them bit me.

How much time have I lost? What day is it?

Fury washes over me.

They kidnapped me, concussed me, and then bit me.

A feral noise sounds, and it takes me a moment to realize it's coming from me. I'll kill them. I'll kill them before I let them touch me again.

The image of black blood seeping from the dead vampire's mouth crashes against me, and a vicious smile turns up my lips.

I will kill them, and I know how to do it now, too.

Surely Hyadum knows I'm missing by now. My heart squeezes, and my breath turns shaky. Longing fills me. I should have had sex with him, and not just for the additional power it apparently would have given me. I should have had sex with him because it would have been incredible. Because I want him. I should have told him how much he means to me, how much I care for him.

That I love him.

Tears flow freely down my cheeks, and I stuff my fist in my mouth, determined not to make more sound than necessary. I should stop crying. Dehydration is a real threat, especially considering how many times I threw up yesterday. Two days ago?

I don't know what day it is, and the thought makes me cry harder.

Finally, cold numbness replaces the sobs, and my breathing evens out. Spent, I rest my head on my upper arm.

It's dark, and there's nothing to do but sleep.

Sleep, gather my remaining strength, and wait to kill as many vampires as I can before they kill me.