Page 7

JACOB

zzy leans low to look at something. I watch her for a moment, then walk around her. She is intently staring at a tiny white flower, her eyebrows brought together, and lips in a thin line. The plant has three petals and large green leaves. Unsure of what is so fascinating about it, I wait.

“I don’t know that one,” she says, her lips moving to the side in contemplation.

“Hmm.” I look at the plant in thought. “Yeah, I’ve got nothing as well.” I pretend to think about it some more.

Honestly, I don’t know how she remembers the big names for everything. As it turns out, a poppy is not a poppy; it belongs to something called a genus and is given a Latin name. Then, it is given a Latin sub-name. It’s the most boring thing in the world, but when she explains the concept with so much thrill in her voice, it becomes fascinating.

“Stop it.” She laughs at my teasing, and a strand of hair falls over her eye when she looks at me.

I expect her to tuck it, but she stares at me, waiting. My lips twitch up a little. I lift my hand to her face and delicately move her hair out of the way, letting my fingertip graze against her skin. Her eyelashes flutter, and she looks down, a hint of pink tinging her cheeks. She is so delicate and beautiful that I get lost in simply observing the little details about her; the way only the top of her cheeks color, or how her lashes have some brown mixed in with the black, or how she bites the inside of her cheeks when nervous.

Movement in the distance, somewhere among the trees, catches my attention. I focus, paying attention to the smallest sound or smell, separating animals from something out of place. Last I scanned the area, there was no one for at least a mile around us. Right now, among the tall swaying trees, a few bodies move our way, and they are getting close quickly.

Fuck. The vampires found us. There is no way I am letting them take her.

“Do you trust me?” I whisper.

She has no reason to say yes. Her eyes widen, and she looks around the forest. They are a minute away. Unfortunately, there is only one sure way of escaping them.

“Yes,” she mumbles, her voice cracking.

“We will get up and run. Keep going and don’t stop,” I tell her, searching her eyes for understanding.

She follows me when I get up, sliding her fingers through mine. They are just a few seconds away. I tug at her arm, and we run through the old trunks and trees, ducking under low branches. My heart is hammering not from fear for my life but worry for hers. They did such terrible things to her; they don’t even deserve to lay their eyes, be in her presence, or speak to her.

A clearing appears, sun flashes in my eyes, and the sound of running water is loud against my ears. The fall will be a long one, but we will survive. I jump, wrapping Izzy tightly in my arms. Moving quickly, I twist to take the impact of the water. Izzy holds on to me tightly, her arms around my neck.

She whimpers in pain, and I smell blood. A few warm drops of red splatter on my face, and the next thing I know, white feathers surround us. Everything is happening too fast. My chest tightens from terror. Why is she bleeding? Did one of them get her with something?

Cold water splashes around us, and the waves toss our tangled bodies. Fighting against the underwater current, we manage to get to the surface. Gasping for air, I awkwardly swim with my arm around her waist, my mind racing.

Blinking away the drops covering my eyes, white feathers come into view.

Realization dawns on me –it’s her.

Getting to the rocky shore is a challenge, but I manage to drag us out. Moving quickly, I lay her on the rocky shore and place my ear against her chest. Her heart is beating unreasonably fast, and her eyes are shut tight, but she is alive. Wings lying limply behind her, she coughs.

“Izzy?” I call her name, my eyes frantically scanning her.

Her eyes snap open, and tears immediately form in them.

“It hurts,” she whimpers and shuts her eyes again, face contorting.

“The wings. They hurt,” Tengu says through the mind link, interrupting my racing questions.

The idea has not crossed my mind. Jona, the watching angel I know, never had anissue, but maybe her case is different. I’m no expert on angels.

“Okay. I’m going to try healing you, alright?” I tell her, my voice soft.

I move my hand to feel the base of her wings, and she sobs into my shoulder. Her tears claw at my heart, but I focus on making her pain go away. My fingers touch the wet part where the wings came out, and I concentrate on transferring energy from me to her. Healing is a new skill for me. I sure as hell hope it works.

Energy vibrates through my bones, filling my arteries with heat. It seeps out from my fingertips into her, doing what needs to be done to stop the pain.

“How is this?” I ask, and she inhales through a sniffle.

“Better,” she mumbles.

Her shoulders shiver, the wings fall back and fluidly fold behind her. Carefully, I embrace her, pressing her against my skin.

“Is it bad?” she whispers and pulls away from me.

“What?” I look at her tear-stained and puffy face.

“My back.” Her voice is small as it cracks.

Scooting around her, I look at the torn fabric of her dress. Under the rags are two red, raw lines. It looks painful, so I carefully run my fingers along each one and force enough energy into it to make the wounds go away.

Dull pain throbs at the base of my skull, and my fingers feel like they are on fire. The effect of using my new ability doesn’t go unnoticed, but I dismiss it. As unpleasant as it is right now, there is nothing that I can do to fix it.

“It’s better now. How do you feel?” I move back to face her.

“I got scared. I thought that you would get hurt.” She swallows and looks at me. “I wanted to protect you.” Her lower lip quivers.

“You did good.” I take her face into my palm and bring her close.

She is aware of how weak she is, yet she tried anyway.

It must be hard knowing she has power, but unable to tap into it. I have heard stories about the Vampire king being cruel and a harsh ruler, but why would he mistreat his own child like this? He kept her in the dark about her skills and abilities, leaving her defenseless. Maybe that was his intention all along – keep her weak. But why?

Thinking about her past makes my blood boil, so I redirect my focus.

“Tengu, what do you know about her power?” I ask my demon companion.

“A lot. If you were not too busy falling in love, you could’ve asked earlier,” Tengu responds.

Annoyed, I force him out of the ring. He jumps out, his balance unsteady, and glares at me.

“Make yourself useful!” I order him through the link.

Izzy looks at Tengu and smiles weakly. It seems like he did a good job keeping her busy when I questioned the witches, because the joy on her face looks genuine. I’m glad. At least she has a distraction in the strange demon.