Before Sera could ask more questions, Violet began to stir and moan as she pushed herself to sit up.
Finn went to her and helped her up, cradling her in his arms, kissing her brow. “Easy, love.”
Bless her heart; Sera produced a glass of water for her friend. Violet drowned its contents as if she’d been lost in the desert under the scorching heat. Two glasses later, Violet settled and relaxed against Finn as he breathed the scent of her hair in.
When she leaned even more against his body, Finn’s world righted itself even more. “What is a blood revelation?”
Finn shook his head. “You heard that part?”
“You spoke in a whisper, but you’re thinking very loudly.”
He shook his head, not surprised the woman would quickly pick up the advantages of being bonded with him. “You need to rest, my love. I’ll explain everything to you, but not now.”
When he slid away from her, Violet closed her fingers around his wrist. The contact of her cool skin against had his lust rising but also worry for her well-being. However, she reminded him she wasn’t the type of woman to be cuddled or admonished. A vivid image of her kicking his ass popped in his head, and he was torn between scolding her and laughing.
“You’re not being reasonable, Violet.”
Despite his stern tone and the look of disapproval from her friends, Violet wiggled to the edge of the bed. “As I’m supposed to die soon, and as a result you’ll die as well, I don’t have the luxury of taking it slow. Either we find a solution that will save me, or at the very least, my friends will then have enough information to prevent this from happening again.”
Sera helped her up, wrapping a thin blanket around her as she led her away.
Finn was shaking her head when his gaze fell on Layla. “Is she always this stubborn?”
“She’s trying to protect us all, especially you. I can’t wait to see her reaction when you explain what you intend to do.”
Back at Sanctuary, Finn stretched time as much as he could, and it wasn’t difficult. Once they were all seated around the kitchen table, Sera and Violet turned a simple snack into a family gathering. With Asher and Ian there, and under Layla’s kind gaze, it reminded Finn of past times almost forgotten sitting around a fire with his own family.
The laughter, the teasing, it amazed him to be included this way, especially by the two werewolves. Sanctuary was truly a unique place, open and inclusive, the opposite of what he saw in their world. However, the sense of peace was not to last.
Violet took one last sip of coffee and waited for the general animation to wind down before locking eyes with him and bringing reality back into the conversation. “Finn?”
He knew exactly what she was asking him, and there was no way other than laying everything down. He started by telling them what he’d discussed with Soren, and how he’d first talked about the concept of the resurrectionists with his maker Romus.
“This Romus wanted to return as a man? Was that even possible?”
Finn shrugged. “I never knew how old Romus was, but soon after he turned me, his mental state declined. He was smart and surrounded himself with brilliant people. One of them must have suggested the possibility. If a necromancer could raise the dead, it isn’t too far-fetched to hope that that same kind of magic could return life to a vampire.”
Sera, who’d always been the scholar of the group, nodded. “I agree with you, but I’ve never heard of this before.”
“No surprise there, we vampires are secretive. And I guess if someone found a way to return a vampire to their human state, it would make him or her rather more vulnerable and easier to kill.”
Layla padded closer to sit next to Violet. “I see now how that person, whoever he is, would need the light witch magic. I guess it’s what humans call rewiring. Life magic rewired so death magic can act the same way and use it.”
Violet frowned deeply. “A necromancer can raise the dead, but they only live to a certain extent. A vampire is already living. It can’t be raised.”
Finn didn’t agree. “That bird and mouse, you didn’t raise them, there was no sign of death lingering in them like I’ve sensed in the beings necromancers have raised. They were fully back to life. They were resuscitated. I think that was the goal. They needed someone with enough power to push at the dark, at the death that is fused to vampires. Our hearts stop beating when we transform then it starts again, but it’s not life that keeps us here, it’s death.”
Everyone around the table nodded, but Asher, frowned. “And if this is possible, if Violet, because of the dual powers within her, can return a vampire to their human state, how much of her would it take? What would be the toll?”
Finn nodded at his friend. “She won’t do such a thing. Resuscitating two small creatures may have triggered the flare later on. I can’t imagine what the entire transition of a vampire would do to her. That’s not a risk we can take.”
Violet sighed. “I don’t know if it was the spell, or the fact that I’m overfilled, so to speak. Another thing we need to ask is why whoever commissioned the two humans to do this to me hasn’t tried to get me back.”
Asher straightened in his chair as did Ian. “Do you think he would come here? To Sanctuary?”
Finn could tell by the swishing of her tail, Layla wasn’t buying that idea. “She’s been protected all this time, and I don’t think we have enough time to put in place a plan where Violet is the bait. If her condition is deteriorating as fast as it seems, I’d rather try another plan, like the one Finn suggested.”
All eyes went to him. Inside his
