Library

34. Sapphire

Sapphire

The dark angel continues to drink, and I’m trapped beneath him, body frozen, heart pounding.

It’s like he’s pulling the very essence of me out with my blood, sifting through it, searching for answers. It’s intoxicating. A pull that tugs at the last shreds of my will to fight. And as he continues, my breaths slow, every muscle in my body loosening as my mind threatens to submit to darkness.

But no.

I won’t give in.

Not like this.

Especially when I still have one more weapon at my disposal.

My magic flickers weakly inside me, buried under the suffocating weight of his power. And even though my vision swims, the edges of my world blurring into darkness, I don’t let go. I can’t. If I do, all will be lost.

And so, I push past the heaviness in my limbs and strain to see above him—at the small piece of ground I can make out behind him, between where his wing ends, and the sky begins.

I need to be there. Not here.

Project, I think, but nothing happens.

I’m still underneath him as he draws more blood from me, pinning me beneath his weight, my body sinking into the frozen ground.

Focus, I tell myself, and an image of Zoey floats through my mind, unconscious and bleeding at the base of that tree. If I don’t make it through this, she won’t either. My aunt and her parents will never know what happened to us, and it will all have been because of me. Because I couldn’t get my act together and use my magic when I needed it the most.

I refuse to let that happen.

So, I draw a breath, gaze out at the slit of the ground I can see above his wings, and push.

In an instant, I’m there, standing behind him in my projected form.

He’s hunched over me, his back facing me, his wings spread wide. They touch the ground on both sides, barely allowing me to see above them.

But I take one step forward, then another. As I do, I get a better look at myself pinned under him, unconscious as he continues his feast.

I’ve seen myself like this before—that first time when Riven found me in the forest, and then when Zoey and I were testing out my magic in the tower. But this…

This is different.

If I don’t do something—now—I might never wake up.

Quickly, I scan the area around me. Zoey’s still unconscious and bleeding by the tree. But I can’t go to her now. All it will do it delay what needs to be done. And much to my relief, her chest is still rising and falling, so at least I know she’s still alive.

Finally, I see it.

My dagger, barely visible in the snow, glistening in the starlight.

I move, grasping it, holding it in front of me.

Gripping the hilt, I return my focus to the dark angel.

He’s consumed with drinking from me. But still, I need to be quiet. If he hears me and sees me, the upper hand I currently have will be lost.

Don’t think, I remind myself. Feel.

I break into a sprint, my vision narrowing to the single point of his back—the vulnerable space between his wings. And then, with a soundless scream, I drive the dagger forward with every ounce of strength I can muster .

The blade sinks deep, cutting through fabric, muscle, and bone until it lodges in the center of his heart.

His body stiffens. Then, a shudder ripples through him, his wings flare, and a chilling gasp escapes his lips.

Slowly, I pull out the dagger.

The moment it’s out, he collapses forward, heavy and lifeless, trapping my unconscious body beneath him.

I snap back into my body in an instant.

The hazy numbness is gone. Instead, pain throbs at my neck where his fangs bit deep, and where his weight crushes my chest. I try to suck in a breath, but I can barely get any air. My arms are pinned, weak, and trembling, my head is spinning from blood loss.

I squirm, trying to free myself from his weight, but all it does is send another jolt of pain through my body. I push at him, but he’s so heavy that he might as well be a boulder pinning me to the ground.

But, as I continue struggling beneath him, my healing kicks in, and the pain ebbs.

Feeling better by the second, I suck in a shallow breath, grit my teeth, and push again.

His weight shifts just enough for me to roll out from under him.

I’m free. I can breathe again. My body’s healed. The place where he bit me…

I reach for the spot on my neck where his fangs pierced my skin, and even though my fingers come back bloodied, the holes where he broke through skin are gone.

Now, his lifeless form slumps into the snow, his wings splayed around him like a fallen storm cloud.

My dagger glints underneath one of his wings. It came with me when I snapped back into my body, but I must have dropped it when I came back into consciousness.

Knowing better than to leave weapons lying around, I stumble to my feet, pick up the dagger, and hurry to Zoey. Her face is pale, almost translucent, and a dark smear of blood trails down her temple. The wound on her arm is raw and angry, exposed because I hadn’t gotten a chance to rewrap it, and possibly infected already.

My chest tightens as I kneel beside her, panic rising within me. She’s still breathing, but for how long?

I need to finish bandaging her arm.

So, I rip another piece of cloth from my shirt—which is slowly turning into a midriff instead of a tunic—and wrap her arm. My hands are cold and clumsy, but I keep going, tightening the knot even though my fingers feel frozen.

Finished, I sit back and examine my work. It seems okay for now. And she’s still breathing. The gash on her head looks nasty—an angry bruise already forming around it—but when I touch it, it’s relatively shallow .

“Zoey,” I say through the hopelessness gnawing inside me, a dark, heavy weight pressing down on my chest. “Open your eyes. Please.”

She remains unresponsive.

“We have to get to the cave,” I say, praying she’ll somehow hear me. “Riven will find us there. It’s our only chance of safety.”

Still, nothing.

I’m too weak to carry her. Even though my body is healing itself, my magic needs time to replenish.

If more of the dark vampire angels come…

A sob claws at my throat, and I reach for Zoey’s hand, finding a strange sense of comfort in it. “I don’t know what to do,” I tell her. “I’m sorry.”

If she was awake, she’d know what to do.

But now, it’s just me.

And not only do I not know what to do—I don’t know what I am.

Comments

0 Comments
Best Newest

Contents
Settings
  • T
  • T
  • T
  • T
Font

Welcome to FullEpub

Create or log into your account to access terrific novels and protect your data

Don’t Have an account?
Click above to create an account.

lf you continue, you are agreeing to the
Terms Of Use and Privacy Policy.