“He went overboard with the last Fae,” Rans said grimly, scooping up the iron dagger I’d dropped. “Stay here for a minute.”
I almost scoffed. I could barely hold my damned head up, and I still felt like my body was about to rupture like a pricked water balloon, spilling blood and guts everywhere. Where was I going to go? With something less than his usual grace, Rans jumped into the boat where Guthrie had been fighting two Fae earlier. I craned my neck until I could see two blond-haired figures lying in a heap on the deck. As I watched, one of them stirred weakly.
Rans plunged the iron dagger into the heart of first one Fae, and then the other, twisting the blade each time before yanking it out. Despite all the violence I’d seen—and done—in recent days, my gorge rose again, and I dry-heaved weakly.
In no time, Rans was back at my side. I waved him off, even though the dark splotches in my vision were back, growing larger than ever.
“Find—” I croaked, and paused to cough. “Find Guthrie.”
His hand tightened on my shoulder, and he nodded, stone-faced. He was up and over the stern of the boat in an instant, disappearing with a splash. I crawled on hands and knees until I could clutch the edge of the hull, looking down at the area where Guthrie and the Fae had fallen into the depths.
My stomach lurched as I took in the swirls of red mixed in with the blue-green water. Blood. A lot of it. Trying not to panic, I forced myself to stay upright and focused despite the acid still burning its way through my veins. Vampires can’t drown. I repeated the words like a mantra. Hell, Rans had recovered from having his freakin’ brains blown out before being dumped in the ocean. Guthrie would be fine.
Minutes passed, and panic became harder to keep at bay. I was losing ground in my battle to stay conscious when the water behind the boat heaved, and Rans burst to the surface, Guthrie held against his chest in a classic lifeguard’s carry.
I gasped at the same moment Guthrie did, though mine was a gasp of relief. Water spewed from Guthrie’s nose and mouth, followed by a series of choking coughs—proof that while lungs full of water might not be fatal to a vampire, they apparently weren’t much fun, either.
My body sagged with the sudden release of tension as Rans heaved Guthrie partway over the low hull of the nearest Fae boat, and Guthrie scrambled the rest of the way aboard. Rans followed a moment later. From there, they both rejoined me on our boat. I would have stumbled over to them and thrown my arms around both of them at once, if I hadn’t been fairly sure I’d fall on my face after attempting a single step.
“Guthrie,” I managed—my voice a weak and reedy thing. “You saved us.”
Guthrie waved off the words as though they irritated him. He had one arm clamped around his ribs, I noticed belatedly, and his clothes were still bloodstained even after a dip in the ocean.
“First things first, mate,” Rans said. “I didn’t see the Fae down there. Did you manage to kill him?”
Guthrie looked gray under his dark complexion, and he had to cough several more times before he could speak. “Yeah. Drowned the motherfucker.”
Rans nodded. “Hmm. Well, it’s not ideal, but I suppose there’s no one out here to resuscitate him with magic, and he’s not likely to manage it on his own under these circumstances. All right. Let me see the wound you’re hiding.”
He nudged Guthrie’s arm out of the way, and my head swam as I noticed the dagger hilt sticking out from between his ribs. Guthrie clamped his jaw tightly, and Rans sighed.
“Next time, pull it out the second you get a chance,” he said, grabbing hold of the weapon and yanking it out in a single quick pull. Guthrie yelped and clapped his arm over the wound again. “I’ve told you, human rules don’t apply anymore, mate. It was the silver weakening you, not the wound itself. It’ll be all right in a few minutes, now that the blade’s out.”
With Guthrie seen to, Rans was back at my side in a heartbeat.
“Hey again,” I rasped, trying to play it off as though I weren’t on the verge of passing out.
A cool hand smoothed my damp hair away from my face, and I pressed into the contact. My eyes slipped closed as I soaked up the tiny point of relief, when everything else was burning.
“She doesn’t look so good, Rans,” Guthrie said uncertainly.
“Yes, thank you. I’d noticed,” Rans shot back, a hint of sharpness in his voice. His tone softened as his focus returned to me. “Open your eyes for me, love. We need to get more of my blood into you.”
I forced them open, staring into concerned pools of blue. “’Kay...” I managed weakly.
His skin pressed against my lips, blood flowing for a moment or two where he’d scored himself with his fangs. I tried to do as he’d asked, knowing his blood would heal me. But again, my stomach rejected it. I heaved helplessly, spewing red down the front of my dress.
“Something’s wrong,” I gasped when I could breathe again. “It’s not the bullet. It started before that.”
My throat burned, even though the small amount of vampire blood that had gone down—and come back up—should have healed it instantly. I was still overcome by the feeling of my body fighting itself. My blood felt like a column of angry fire ants marching through my veins and arteries.
Rans stroked my face again, worry twisting his expression. “What happened before it started?” he asked, keeping his tone soothing.
I swallowed, trying to wet my lips. My eyes drifted to the dead Fae in the
