Page 7 of Mantle (IMMORTAL FLAME #3)

I instructed Ariana and Vorzyr, “Clasp one another’s hand and maintain the connection. Once the spell isolates Ketheron’s blood and infection, it will signify how to draw for you as well, Vorzyr. You’ll need to latch on with your Primal Celestial Resonance to that only—that essence, if you will.”

The two of them shifted to face one other, joining one hand each. Ari rested her other on her knee, ready for when Vorzyr would need to begin drawing her blood.

Lucian stayed at his side and I remained between them.

I levitated the ball of magic and then I palmed it and pressed it to Ari’s shoulder, uttering the incantation we’d designed.

She grunted as it seeped into her body until it completely filtered inside.

I saw her wince as I strengthened my cadence and conviction, feeling that familiar power of casting a significant spell roll through me—a sure sign it was taking hold.

A shudder from her told me that the pins and needles aspect had begun.

As much as I hated to see her in pain, it also meant that the design of the spell had worked well and was already coursing through her system and searching out Ketheron’s toxicity.

Words of encouragement came from her boyfriends, but they fortunately resisted their obvious urge to reach out physically to comfort her while the spell was still underway.

“Son of a bitch,” she gritted out, after another few moments, squeezing her eyes shut against the pain.

I kept going, holding my hand to her shoulder, pushing the spell onward.

“Her pulse is spiking,” Lucian warned me.

I caught Vorzyr getting upset, looking like he wanted to react to stop it, or hell knew what.

“Don’t ,” Lucian warned him, because I couldn’t do it myself while I was deep into the spell. “You’ll end up hurting her.”

“I’m fine, my dragon,” Ari spoke. “We’ve dealt with worse, right?” she said, her eyes glinting with mirth in a clearly strained bid to reassure him. “Besides, you all know damn well that I’m far from a fragile little flower.”

“Hey, some flowers are the toughest shits,” Nyx piped up.

“She’s our fucking goddess, remember?” Kai followed.

Vorzyr sucked in a calming breath. “I know, yeah. Of course I do. I just… I hate seeing you in pain. Not like this. Not fucking like this.”

“I know,” Ari said. “But it’ll all be okay. It’ll all be over soon. Then this will just become a fading memory.”

I looked out at the family surrounding us and took in their smiling responses to her words that said so much with how she handled things.

Nyx was whimpering quietly, obviously reading her. Kai ruffled his hair, though, in a bid to distract him from zoning in on the intensity of it.

Finally, I felt it click into place, the spell complete.

It had a lock on Ketheron’s blood and magic in her body, creating a targeting system essentially that Vorzyr could lock onto with his Primal Celestial Resonance and draw out of her. Just that along with some residual blood from the act of the feeding itself that couldn’t be helped.

I released Ari’s shoulder and eyed Vorzyr. “Do you feel it? Kai explained how your ability works. You should feel the targeted aspect calling to you.”

He growled. “Taunting me, is more like it. But, yeah. I’ve got it.”

“Good. It’s time, then.”

Ari held her wrist out to him.

Lucian readied himself.

I indicated for everybody to be silent now, except for Lucian if he needed to issue instructions.

And then Vorzyr called one of his talons forth and scraped it across Ari’s wrist, blood trickling and starting to flow.

He steadied himself, then brought her wrist to his mouth and began the draw.

I could feel the collective tensing of the family around us, Kai tightening his grip on Nyx, even as he held himself together throughout it.

“Ease the pressure at the point of contact and draw a little harder instead. It’ll make it smoother and cause her less aggravation at the site of the wound,” Lucian instructed him.

Vorzyr took the instruction well, and then we watched as a white glow emanated from him, his ability activating, as he drew more and more of her blood into his mouth—of Ketheron’s blood and magic.

As it hit, the black toxicity of it turned a deep red, indicating he was doing it well, cleansing it before he ingested it.

I gestured at Kai and Nyx and invited them to move in then.

Nyx stroked her knees, while Kai stroked her hair.

She smiled and kept her focus on that, rather than the unsettling nature of the very clinical blood draw.

“Her pulse is slowing. Careful,” Lucian informed Vorzyr.

Vorzyr lifted his head. “There’s a little more still remaining.”

“I’m fine. Do it,” Ari assured him.

Vorzyr hesitated for a moment, before resuming the process.

After a few moments, he pulled away again. “It’s done,” he announced. “It’s all gone. Neutralized.” He stroked his fingers over Ari’s wrist wound, then Kai was there, healing it with a flick of his magic.

Ariana smiled in relief, thanked him, then collapsed into Kai and Nyx.

“She’s all right,” Lucian assured everyone. “Just sleepy. She requires a little rest is all.”

Vorzyr gathered her into his arms and rose to his feet with Kai and Nyx, all of them moving as one.

“You’re coming with us,” Mia proclaimed, stepping forward.

“Where?” Kai asked.

She smiled. “Home.”