then seemed to focus on me. “Good God. Are
“I will be,” I said, starting to stand. Yet even as I spoke, a wave of dizziness hit me, and I swayed. Adrian did his best to support me, though it was pretty awkward with his bound hands. We leaned against each other, and I almost laughed at how ridiculous the situation was, both of us trying to help the other when neither of us was in any condition to do it. Then something caught my eye that chased all other thoughts away.
“Jill,” I whispered.
Adrian immediately followed my gaze to where Jill had just appeared in the living room’s entry. I wasn’t surprised to see her. The only way Eddie could be here was if Jill had told him what was happening to Adrian through the spirit bond. Standing there, with her eyes flashing, she looked like some fierce, battle-ready goddess as she watched Eddie spar with the Strigoi. It was both inspiring and frightening. Adrian shared my thoughts.
“No, no, Jailbait,” he murmured. “Do
“She knows how to fight,” I said.
Adrian frowned. “But she doesn’t have a weapon. Without one, she’s just a featherweight in this.”
He was right, of course. And while I certainly didn’t want Jill endangering her life, I couldn’t help but think if she were properly equipped, she might be able to do something. At the very least, a distraction might be a benefit. Eddie was holding his ground all right against the two Strigoi, but he wasn’t making any progress against them either. He could use help. And we needed to make sure Jill didn’t rush into this with only her wits to defend her.
Inspiration hit me, and I managed to stay on my feet. The world was spinning even more than before, but— despite Adrian’s protests—I managed to stagger to the kitchen. I just barely was able to get to the sink and flip the faucet on before my legs gave out underneath me. I caught hold of the counter’s edge, using it to keep me upright.
“Jill!” I yelled.
She turned toward my shout, saw the running water, and instantly knew what to do. She lifted her hand. The stream coming from the faucet suddenly shifted, shooting out of the sink and across the living room. It went to Jill, who collected a large amount of it between her hands and magically forced the water into a long cylindrical shape. It held itself in the air like that, a rippling but seemingly solid club of water. Gripping it, she hurried toward the fight and swung her weapon of water into Jacqueline’s back. Drops flew off of the “club,” but it held on to its rigidity enough for her to get a second hit in before completely exploding into a spray of water.
Jacqueline spun around, her hand swinging out to strike Jill. Jill had expected as much and dropped to the floor, dodging in exactly the way I’d seen Eddie teach her. She scurried backward, out of Jacqueline’s way, and the Strigoi pursued—giving Eddie an exposed shot on her back. Eddie took the opportunity, evading Dawn, and plunged his stake into Jacqueline’s back. I’d never given it much thought before, but if shoved hard enough, a stake could pierce someone’s heart just as easily from the back as the chest. Jacqueline went rigid, and Eddie jerked his stake out, just managing to avoid the full force of a strike from Dawn. She still caught him a little, and he stumbled briefly before quickly regaining his footing and setting his sights on her. Jill was forgotten and hurried over to us in the kitchen.
“Are you okay?” she exclaimed, peering at both of us. That fierce look was gone. She was now just an ordinary girl concerned for her friends. “Oh my God. I was so worried about you both. The emotions were so strong. I couldn’t get a fix on what was happening, just that something was horribly wrong.”
I dragged my gaze to Eddie, who was dancing around with Dawn. “We have to help him—”
I took two steps away from the counter and started to fall. Both Jill and Adrian reached out to catch me.
“Jesus, Sage,” he exclaimed. “You’re in bad shape.”
“Not as bad as you,” I protested, still worried about helping Eddie. “They drank more from you—”
“Yeah, but I don’t have a bleeding arm wound,” he pointed out. “Or a possible concussion.”
It was true. In all the excitement, I was so full of adrenaline that I’d all but forgotten about where Lee had stabbed me. No wonder I was so dizzy. Or maybe that was from getting my head smacked into the wall. It was anyone’s guess at this point.
“Here,” said Adrian gently. He reached for my arms with his cuffed hands. “I can take care of this.”
A slow, tingling warmth spread through my skin. At first, Adrian’s touch was comforting, like an embrace. I felt my tension and pain begin to ease. All was right in the world. He was in control. He was taking care of me.
He was using his magic on me.
“No!” I shrieked, pulling away from him with a strength I didn’t know I had. The horror and full realization of what was happening to me was too powerful. “Don’t touch me! Don’t touch me with your magic!”
“Sage, you’ll feel better, believe me,” he said, reaching toward me again.
I backed away, clinging to the edge of the counter for support. The fleeting memory of that warmth and comfort was being dwarfed by the terror I’d carried my entire life for vampire magic. “No, no, no. No magic! Not on me! The tattoo will heal me! I’m strong!”
“Sage—”
“Stop, Adrian,” said Jill. She approached me tentatively. “It’s okay, Sydney. He won’t heal you. I promise.”
“No magic,” I whispered.
“For God’s sake,” growled Adrian. “This is superstitious bullshit.”
“No magic,” Jill said firmly. She took off the button-up shirt she’d been wearing over a T-shirt. “Come here, and I’ll use this to wrap it so that you don’t lose any more bl—”
An earsplitting shriek jerked us all back toward the living room. Eddie had made his kill, driving his stake right into the middle of Dawn’s chest. In my brief scuffle with Adrian and Jill, Dawn must have gotten some shots in on Eddie because there was a large red mark on one side of his face, and his lip was bleeding. The expression in his eyes was hard and triumphant, however, as he pulled the stake out and watched Dawn fall.
Through all the confusion and horror, basic Alchemist instincts took over. The danger was gone. There were procedures that needed to be followed.
“The bodies,” I said. “We have to destroy them. There’s a vial in my purse.”
“Whoa, whoa,” said Adrian as both he and Jill restrained me. “Stay where you’re at. Castile can get it. The only place you’re going is to a doctor.”
I didn’t move but immediately argued with that last statement. “No! No doctors. At least, you have to—you have to get an Alchemist one. My purse has the numbers—”
“Go get her purse,” Adrian told Jill, “before she has a fit here. I’ll bind the arm.” I gave him a warning look. “
“I’ll heal on my own,” I said, watching as Jill retrieved my purse.
“You realize,” added Adrian, “you’re going to have to get over your dieting fixation and consume some major calories to fight the blood loss. Sugar and fluids, just like Clarence. Good thing someone bagged up all this candy on the counter.”
Eddie walked over to Jill, and she paused as he asked if she was okay. She assured him she was, and although Eddie looked like he could kill about fifty more Strigoi, there was also a look in his eyes . . . something I couldn’t believe I’d never noticed before. Something I was going to have to think about.
“Damn it,” said Adrian, fumbling with bandages. “Eddie, go search Lee’s body and see if there’s a key for these goddamned handcuffs.”
Jill had been caught up in talking to Eddie but froze at the words “Lee’s body.” Her face went so pale, she could have been one of the dead. In all the confusion, she hadn’t noticed Lee’s body in the chair. There’d been too much movement with the Strigoi, too much distraction by the threat they presented. She took a few steps toward the living room, and that’s when she saw him. Her mouth opened, but no sound came out right away. Then she sped forward and grabbed his hands, shrieking.
“No,” she cried. “No, no, no.” She shook him, as though that would wake him. In a flash, Eddie was by her side, his arms around her as he murmured nonsensical things to soothe her. She didn’t hear him. Her whole world was Lee.
I felt tears spring to my eyes and hated that they were there. Lee had tried to kill me and then had summoned others to kill me. He’d left a trail of innocents in his wake. I should be glad he was gone, but still, I felt
