Chapter 34

Chapter

Thirty-Four

"Tamara."

My head is fuzzy. I can still smell Conrad burning.

"Tamara."

I'm standing on a sidewalk, choked by the acrid smell of smoke and ash. I stare at the hand that had been stained with Paul's blood, my vision blurry, forcing me to blink. Instead of red, it's now smeared with black soot.

"Tamara!"

I blink and turn to the sound of Lady Astrid's voice. She's reaching for my face, patting it. "You're all right. Don't move from this spot. I'm having them bring the car around."

"Paul?" I try to answer, but my throat feels like I swallowed fire. I don't understand what's happening.

Time feels like it's sped up for everyone but me. People move around me, appearing frantic and busy as I stand completely still. I hear the staticky voices on a radio calling out commands.

Lights from emergency vehicles flash over the scene, but they are nothing compared to the orange glow in the windows of the old stone building. Smoke pours out of the broken windows of the banquet hall, drawing my eyes toward the sky. Familiar embers flutter against the night like dying butterflies. Their ash drifts down, a fine snow landing on top of everything.

Spotlights move over the clock tower gargoyles. I experience a sense of déjà vu as the stone creatures appear to be moving their heads with the shifting light. Something lands next to them and then flies away. I've been here before. It's my birthday party.

But this is not what happened.

Confused, I look over the crowd. I see Louis jogging backward down the sidewalk as he watches the building burn. Anthony stands near the paramedics where Conrad had been the first time, watching Louis. Lady Astrid is ordering people about. My father is talking to a group of powerful supernatural men.

Relieved, I realize my family made it out of the fire.

Was it all a nightmare? My head is fuzzy. Am I still high? What the hell did Anthony lace that pot with?

Where's Conrad?

I reach for my necklace, seeking the comfort of the amulet. It's not there, but it's always there. I rub at my neck and chest, looking for it, but I don't find it loose in my clothing.

I search on the ground by my feet. The necklace is on the sidewalk. The red stone is now green and shattered into pieces.

Conrad put the amulet on, and it turned green.

I kneel on the concrete and lift a shard to peer through it. The sharp edge slices my finger, and I let go.

A shadow appears before me, and someone grabs me before I can react. Cool fingers hold my wrist.

"Hello, castoff."

I inhale sharply and try to jerk my hand away. Costin holds firm.

His eyes are focused on my cut. I see him breathing in my scent as he leans over to pull the bloody digit into his mouth. His lips are warmer than I expected, and he makes a tiny sound of pleasure. My eyes round in surprise at his boldness. I don't know what to do. There are too many people around. Surely, they see what he's doing.

His eyes change, swirling with an inner light. He releases my finger from his mouth, but I see he wants more. The bloodlust is taking over.

He's not going to try to eat me right here, is he?

"You can't…" I try to deny him, but the words don't come out.

"You saved me," he whispers. Costin licks his lips. "Now I can always find you."

Before I can respond, he's gone. My hand remains suspended in the air where he held it, my wet finger pointing upward.

What the fuck was that about?

"Rooms on this end are clear," a voice says over a radio, "we have survivors coming out the north doors."

"Stacy," a man yells.

The paramedic runs past me, pushing a gurney to where firefighters are pulling a body out of the building. The person is badly burned.

"Easy now. I'm Stacy. We're friendlies. We're taking you to the private clinic."

The memory surfaces as I watch the woman and her partner over a body. Whoever it is, the injured person is not moving.

Stacy lifts a limp hand to her lips and bites. She makes a face and recoils, tossing the arm down. I see her lips move, appearing to say, "Human… dead."

Dead?

Paul.

I stare at my hands in panic, expecting to see blood. Nausea unfurls in my stomach. I hate that everything is under this drugged fog.

Astrid appears next to me. "You broke your necklace."

I start gathering the pieces, careful not to cut myself again as I cup them in my palm.

"It's Conrad." Anthony appears next to us, his face stricken. "That body they found. It's Conrad."

I remain on the ground, staring at them as they stare at me. Tears flow down my cheeks as I touch Anthony's leg. The image of them being carried into the mausoleum is so vivid. I know that it happened. I'm not crazy. I saw the wizard sealing him inside the tomb. But here he is—alive!

"Anthony," our mother orders, "get her off the ground. We need to get her to the car. People are staring. This is a private family matter."

Anthony loops his forearm under my armpit and pulls me to my feet. I lean against him.

"You're alive," I whisper.

"What the hell happened in there?" Anthony asks. I can see his eyes are as glazed as I feel.

My feet stumble as I walk away from the chaos to a limo. Nothing makes sense.

Someone holds open the door as I'm ushered inside. I fall onto the seat. My feet are on the floor as I lay to the side, unable to push myself up as I clutch the broken amulet against my chest. The door slams shut.

"Hand me the yellow vial," my mother orders, "then go find your father. Tell him we're going to leave without him if he doesn't hurry."

I hear the door open, and Anthony gets out of the car.

Astrid appears next to my head. She strokes my hair. "Sit up. Drink this."

I want to ask what is in the vial as I force myself to sit upright. It doesn't matter. She's holding the potion to my lips. I dutifully swallow what's inside, hoping it will clear my thoughts. Instead, my eyes blur as everything goes out of focus.

"That's it. It will calm you down," Astrid soothes. "Just rest. Let the potion take all your pain away."