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His eyes narrowed, his voice dazed, and his free hand felt the hole in his shirt. “You took my blood? My heart blood?”

I nodded again, struggling to stifle a laugh that was more like a sob. “Yes.” His gaze softened as his fingers turned to me, running across my cheek to my lips.

The salt of my tears seeped into my mouth as his brows knitted together. “I don’t understand...”

“Rory?” Jade called, running into the cave. “Are you alright?”

Conall followed her, not far behind. I turned my head toward her, rising to sit. Her eyes widened, and she stopped in her tracks when she saw Cormac. Conall froze beside her.

“Oh my God,” Conall breathed as Cormac struggled to sit up next to me. I put my hand on his back in a futile effort to help him. Conall’s mouth hung ajar, his head shaking as his hands trembled at his side.

Jade rushed forward, her hands outstretched. She fell to her knees beside me, grabbing my wrist. The blood ran down my arm toward my hand in rivulets, a steady tide of red draining me. “Rory, you’re bleeding.”

“Shit,” I muttered, suddenly aware of the wound. The cave spun around me again, endorphins and blood loss combining. My stomach heaved as I focused on it, the rest of the world fading away.

In an instant, Conall was behind me, his knees and hands holding me up as I sank against him. My body had a strange, cold feeling, so cold it was nearly disconnected. Jade pushed my hair behind my ear. It stuck to my neck like I was covered in sweat, but I didn’t understand how that could be when I was so cold. I gazed at Cormac in front of me, alive; a sense of completion and accomplishment filling every part of me. Why did he look so concerned? His eyes should be full of love, not fear.

My blood thundered in my ears, like a rush of air on a windy day, cutting off my ability to hear their words, though I sensed they were hurried and raised. It felt like I was watching a movie as Cormac brought his wrist to his mouth. When he pulled it away, he turned it toward me.

Blood welled from the two pinpoints created by his fangs. Why was he doing that? He brought it to my lips, holding it there. A thin line of unshed tears lined his eyes. His features contorted into a hideous mask of pain. As his lips moved, he appeared to be screaming. What were the words? “Drink, Aurora, please?”

I parted my lips, and his blood caressed my mouth. It was even more glorious than the first time he had allowed me to taste it. The salty sweetness rolled across my tastebuds and down my throat. I closed my eyes, savoring the thick molasses-like liquid as it coated my tongue. I reached the muscle forward, tentatively feeling the holes in Cormac’s wrist. Someone’s hands pushedmy mouth to him, but it wasn’t necessary—the flavor was more exotic and addictive than the world’s finest champagne.

As the wound closed and the blood no longer flowed, my head fell back. A small drop of his blood caused my skin to tingle as it snaked down my chin. I drew in a warm breath, the air of the cave heavy with moisture, his gift chasing away the cold that had permeated my body. Jade’s sobs rang in my ears. Why was she crying?

I cherished the feelings and the sounds that flowed around me. The slight lapping of the harbor water pushing into the lake, Cormac’s fingers soft on my cheek, Jade’s tears turning to laughter. My hand fell to the soft blanket, tingling as I grazed every cloudlike fiber. I remembered the feeling of them on my bare skin as I lay under Cormac, his cock slowly drawing in and out of my body as he kissed me, my head between his hands, our bodies moving as one. Goose bumps rose on my skin and a smile came to my face.

The warmth spread through my body, reaching to my limbs as the ice in my heart melted—the pain of losing him, of seeing his sacrifice for me, for our shared desire. He may not have told me his name or who he was, but I knew who he was inside, and it was more than I ever could have imagined from a man, let alone a vampire. My eyelids fluttered open. His eyes glowed, locked on mine, the oceanic depths pulling me in. My heart swelled with the familiar sense of safety and love that I had lost forever.

I hung my head and set it against his chest, inhaling every bit of air I could, allowing his scent to wash over me, filling my senses while it filled my soul with comfort. I realized his scent wasn’t that of the harbor, but instead, it was of this cave. It had seeped into him, into his very being, into everything that he was and everything that I wanted to be with. I could hear the rhythm of his heartbeat—a sound I thought I would never hear again.

I looked up at Cormac. He brought his hand to my cheek, holding me as his lips brushed mine. My heart beat so fiercely I was sure it would explode as his kiss told me everything I needed to hear—that we were not yet done, that we would face our next challenge together. I felt his tongue slip past my lips, electricity sparking through me as it brushed mine, but only once before he pulled away.

“You may not die by my side,” he said with a smile, bringing his forehead to mine. The words confused me. I turned my head to look at Jade, the back of her hand covering her broad smile, tear stains on her cheeks.

“I promise.” I forced the words out of my tight throat as the reality of the past few minutes settled over me. I turned my head and rested it against his chest. “No dying next to you.”

Cormac

Jade and Aurora sat on the sofa in the solarium. I stood at the window, nursing my whiskey, watching the moon sparkle off the water of the harbor. The rhythmic sound of the waves reached my sensitive ears, reminding me of the heartbeat I had lost. As I brought my glass to my lips, a movement near the water caught my eye as Runa walked along the waterline, her bare feet skimming across the ground, leaving slight indentations on the wet sand. I’d seen her more times in the past few weeks than I could ever remember seeing her before, unless my parents had hidden her visits from us.

My heart pounded as I wanted to go to her, to demand what she knew about us, about why I was still here. I turned to Conall, who was standing next to the drink cart, refilling his glass. I heldmy own between the fingers of both hands and stole a glance at it before I spoke, my voice uneasy. “Do you think she knows?” I muttered before taking another sip.

“Knows what?” said Conall, coming to my side by the window.

“That Aiden is not the only one who can survive being staked.” My eyes fell to my glass. This was not a power I asked for.

“Cormac.” Aurora’s voice interrupted, causing Conall and me to both turn toward her. She hesitated as I held her gaze, her voice soft yet firm. “I don’t think it’s just you and Aiden,” she said.

I tilted my head and raised a brow. “What do you mean?”

She stared at her drink as if deciding on the words. “I think it’s all of you—something about your blood—just like how it allows other vampires to walk in the sun. It’s a trait shared between you...” She twirled her glass in her hand, staring at it, her face dark before she looked up at me. Our gazes locked on each other, and I knew the truth of her words.

Conall knitted his brows together. “Are you saying instead of one vampire sending the hunters into a tizzy, there are four?”

Rory bit her cheek and nodded. “Maybe five. What about your father?”

I pressed my lips together, wondering how to approach this newfound power. One thing was certain, we needed to keep it quiet and not let it go to our heads. Did my parents know about it? If only I could ask them.