Page 29 of The Curse of Eternity (Descendants of Helsing #1)

From the beginning, every effort he’d made was to try and save me.

It was my fault we were both here. Except, with the way he was watching me, and how he’d come to my defense against the guards—sacrificing himself to give me the chance to run—I couldn’t pretend I hadn’t been hoping for someone to rescue me.

Biting my lip, I lowered my hand to the dusty floor, a bare inch from his scorched fingers. Had I ever really made the choice to keep my vampire all to myself? Maybe, deep down, my heart had made the decision before I could logically catch up to why.

“Are you hurt?” Drake asked, his voice rough as sandpaper.

Despite everything, I shook my head. His mouth opened to continue, and I leaned closer so he wouldn’t have to strain.

Slower than I’d ever seen him, his hand nearest rose with obvious difficulty.

Until his fingers reached the knotted curls of hair framing my face.

All I could do was blink when his cooled fingers grazed my cheek as he tucked my hair behind my ear before letting his hand fall. “What are you…still doing here?”

My face heated, and I breathed deep to hold back another sob. “I couldn’t abandon you.”

“Because she’s a suicidal moron,” Ezra remarked, and I glanced up to glare at him.

“That’s not helping,” I snapped, but Ezra shrugged. He sauntered a few steps closer, pursing his lips when he appeared to study Drake’s state before shaking his head, brown curls shifting across his forehead with the movement.

“Well, this certainly won’t do. He’s too weak to move on his own, and has been starved for at least the past four days.

Not to mention, now that he’s waking up—” Ezra gestured vaguely with a wave of his hand.

“The other immortals will be recovering, with the lycans a step ahead of them. If their sight hasn’t already been repaired by their curse. ”

“So what do we do?” I demanded, already determined to tell him to fuck off if he suggested I leave Drake here to die a second, more permanent death.

“He needs to feed.” Ezra raised his eyebrows, and my mouth popped open.

“No,” Drake stated, but the finality of his tone was marred by the fact he couldn’t even sit up.

My heart pounded. “I’ll do it.” This was going to hurt.

As Drake opened his mouth, looking intent to argue, I added, “Ezra’s right, it’s the only way to get your strength up so you can move.

And we need you to move. I need you…” Whether any of us liked it or not, I wouldn’t escape this place without him.

“She’s got a point, mate.” Ezra sighed. “No way either of you are making it out otherwise. And if you don’t consume fresh blood soon, the calcification process will begin and then you will truly be unable to move.”

“Stop talking,” I ground out, and Ezra raised his hands in a placating gesture.

“Are you certain?” My vampire’s tone turned thoughtful, the richness of his accent sending a shiver up my spine—or maybe he was just really hungry.

“Yes.” Shaky, but trying to hide it with my grim resolve, I began to wipe the surface of my inner forearm using my palm.

It did jack-diddly-squat, just smeared the dried blood that wasn’t mine alongside the sweat that was.

My vein pulsed beneath the surface, speeding up with my heart rate when I turned to offer my wrist face-down toward Drake’s chapped lips.

Inch by inch, his hand rose until he gripped my arm. The pressure was tender, gentle against my bruised skin, and I trembled under the unexpected chill of his touch. When my bare skin pressed against his lips, I resisted the urge to pull away.

The edges of his canines touched my skin, and I inhaled sharply.

Then they sliced through my flesh, piercing the vein with practiced ease.

My breath puffed out of me, and then my gaze unfocused— woah .

A rush shot through me, the venom acting fast and taking away the pain like magick, which made sense .

My jaw relaxed, and my eyes closed in a slow blink.

A strangely ticklish feeling soon spread up my arm as he sucked down my blood, and the discomfort of the pulling sensation ebbed into a dull afterthought.

As my breathing evened out, I could suddenly feel the expansion of air in my lungs like never before.

Every sense both shut down and erupted into fireworks while warmth spread from my forearm to my aching shoulders, loosening the tension completely.

Sure, I’d known vampire venom acted as an analgesic, numbing the victim to make them more complacent, but I hadn’t imagined…

this. Even if I wanted to fight the effects, I wouldn’t have been able to—but mostly, I didn’t care.

Headrush clouding my thoughts, I involuntarily pressed my wrist harder against Drake’s willing mouth—

“That’s probably enough.” Ezra’s voice cut through me, and my eyelids flew open.

Heat warmed my chest, neck, and face as Drake’s hand, still holding my forearm, pulled my pulsing flesh away.

I startled when he instantly sat up, his visage perfectly restored.

His grip on my arm didn’t loosen, but it wasn’t uncomfortable either.

Raven-dark eyes bore into mine, and a ragged breath expanded my chest as my attention flicked down to the trail of my blood dripping from the corner of his mouth.

For some bizarre reason, I wanted to wipe it away for him.

My pulse jumped when he used his thumb to swipe the excess from his chin before licking up the last drop of my blood. That was unexpectedly…hot. What the hell was wrong with me?

“You look better.” I buried a cringe at my stammered words, but Drake briefly smiled, and my heart thumped. Then he stood, his sudden speed making my head spin.

“Thank you. Take my hand,” he instructed, offering both of his. I hesitated for the barest second while staring up at him, but inevitably placed my palms atop his. A moment later, I was standing, and abruptly wobbled on ankles that felt loose and watery.

“Woah.” I clenched my teeth to keep the vertigo at bay while Drake caught me by my elbows. “I feel…” Whatever I was about to say was quickly forgotten when I got distracted by the pinch in Drake’s brow.

“Are you well enough to walk?”

“I heal fast, so…” I gave my head a little shake, and saw stars. “I-I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

“We have to leave, and in a hurry, I fear.” Drake winced. “My apologies.” At first, I figured he was sorry for biting me, but then he picked me up like I weighed nothing more than a sack of potatoes.

“Hey!” I exclaimed in hushed annoyance, but my arms wrapped around his shoulders to steady myself.

So it was a ‘better to ask for forgiveness than permission’ apology.

Being so close reminded me of our kiss in the park, and tension coiled low.

It didn’t help when he simpered at me, his face only inches away.

“If we can get a move-on?” Ezra piped up. Both Drake and I looked at the sorcerer.

“I appreciate your assistance, Ezra,” Drake said, but the hard set to his jaw made the words come out begrudging. “Name your price for keeping your silence and I will pay it.”

“Price?” I asked, stifling a squeak when Drake shifted to take a step.

“Sorcerers are most easily persuaded by bribery,” Drake answered without breaking eye contact with Ezra, like he was keeping a predator within sight so he wouldn’t lose the advantage.

“I’m sure you will compensate me accordingly, but I won’t be gaining a single hair on a mouse’s bollocks if you’re both caught.

” Without another word, Ezra strode to our left where another stone archway, set into the framework and covered in cobwebs, stood opposite a decrepit pantry built with bulkhead doors.

Except, instead of walking up the stairs through the arch, he turned to the cellar doors set low to the ground.

Crouching, Ezra waved his hand over the handle with a mysterious gesture while muttering under his breath. The doors suddenly opened outward as if under their own power. My eyes widened appreciatively when the hinges didn’t even squeak.

Once the sorcerer stood, pulling the lapel of his purple suit straight, he made a grandiose gesture toward the darkness seeping out colder air from below.

“Ladies first,” Ezra declared, and I stiffened when Drake moved us toward the descending stone steps. The sconces in the abandoned basement kitchen flickered to nothing on Drake’s first step down, forcing my eyes to work double-time to adjust, but the enclosing blackness seemed solid all around.

Drake could apparently see just fine—lucky vampire—since his near-silent footsteps didn’t hesitate on our seemingly straight path beneath the manor.

Purple suddenly burned my retinas, and I blinked fast at the flames Ezra had summoned to dance atop his palm, the sparks never touching his skin.

If this guy only worked for the Cneaz, then just how powerful were the Domnitori’s sorcerers?

“Drake,” I whispered, and my gaze found his eyes with the help of the ambient glow a few paces behind us.

“Where are we going to go?” My voice wavered with uncertainty that I tried and failed to hide.

Now that Drake had gotten his strength back, I was suddenly the dead weight between us, making our escape harder.

“I have an associate who will offer you asylum.” He glanced pointedly toward Ezra, and I swallowed my curiosity to know exactly where that would be. Then his wording replayed in my head— hold up.

“And you’ll be there, too. Right?” My heart dropped when Drake’s jaw tightened.

“Not likely,” Ezra piped up instead. Honestly, I shouldn’t have even asked in front of the duplicitous sorcerer.

“And how do you know?” I shot the man a dirty look from over Drake’s shoulder, but Ezra seemed immune to my ire.

“Because all of the immortals are marked. How do you think I found you two in that park?”

Truthfully, I hadn’t stopped to wonder about that. When I thought about it, remembering how Drake had seemed to expect Ezra’s arrival, I felt the blood drain from my face.

“You can’t come back to Albuquerque?” My accusation finally brought Drake’s gaze to mine, and the corners of his eyes creased in obvious dismay.

“I will do everything in my power to keep you safe. Maria—”

“No.” Mimicking Johann’s firm diction, I raised my chin an inch. “You’ve saved my life—twice. I’m not just going to go home pretending like nothing happened.” I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.

“Even if that means living your life on the run?” Drake retorted, taking me aback. His grimace proved that he wasn’t about to budge on this either. “You owe me nothing, Maria. If you believe you do, then I absolve you of the debt. This is not your choice, it is mine.”

“So, what?” I snapped, angrily clinging to him while he rose up a few steps to emerge into a small room.

Wooden boxes were shoved against the walls, making the space feel even tighter.

The iron door across the room was closed, and Drake stopped several steps from it, his focus on me.

“You’re just going to drop me off at your associate’s and then run back here to get yourself killed? Like I’m going to let you do that!”

Even if it was his life, his decision, it was a damn stupid one. Frustration became evident behind his dark eyes, and he opened his mouth like he was going to say something, when Ezra suddenly cleared his throat.

“There’s always the rings.”

I glared askance at Ezra. “What rings?”

Drake scoffed. “The risks far outweigh the possible rewards,” he said, but Ezra only shook his head.

“If you went alone, perhaps. The girl on the other hand…” Ezra made a ‘voilà’ gesture, and the disbelief behind Drake’s eyes shifted into speculation.

“What the hell are you two talking about?” I stared from one to the other, growing more irate at being left out of the loop.

“In my time,” Drake began, still watching Ezra but clearly answering me, “there was a rumor. Every immortal was marked in their creation so their voievod, Dracula, could maintain complete control over his soldiers. However, to prevent himself from befalling the same weakness, Dracula commissioned a ring which, when worn, would shield the wearer from any scrying. Necromantic, or otherwise.”

“They’re enchanted to keep the wearer hidden from our prying eyes,” Ezra summed up, exhaling a breath like he was bored. “But it was never only a rumor. I happen to know they are very real, and exactly where they are.”

“Where?” I anticipated the worst at the sight of Ezra’s obnoxious smirk.

“Dracula’s chambers, of course.”

“Which have remained unopened since the first vampire was defeated over two centuries ago,” Drake explained, but a certain amount of hope had transformed his expression from grim to inquisitive.

“It’s been said that the only magick capable of reopening them is Dracula’s own blood.” Ezra glanced at me.

Drake’s eyes narrowed. “You believe—”

“I would bet quite a bit on it.”

“Are either of you going to explain what the hell you’re talking about before the Earth does another rotation around the sun?” I huffed, and they both faced me.

“You do it.” Ezra nodded at Drake, and I bit the inside of my cheek. “I must be returning to my employers.”

I opened my mouth, torn between whether I should demand more information or thank the sorcerer for helping us, but then the door beside us swung inward.

Cold air rushed into the cramped storage room, and I clung closer to Drake despite him matching the temperature outside.

A bluish glow from the moonlight over the grass caught my attention, almost bringing a tear to my eye. We were finally leaving this hellhole.

I looked back, but Ezra was nowhere to be seen. The tunnel we’d walked down was swathed in darkness once more, as desolate and choking in dust as before we’d come through. My focus swung forward when Drake hurried up the shallow stairs to the expansive lawn.

“Will he be okay?” I whispered, unable to keep my gaze off the manor behind us while Drake carried me closer to the treeline.

Before Drake could reply, the quiet night was cut through with a strangled cry.

The sound morphed into a howl, raising the hairs along my tanned arms when it sounded like it was outside with us.

A growl reverberated on the painfully chill breeze, and Drake picked up his pace until the spiny foliage on the surrounding pines blurred.

Between my thundering heartbeats, I heard Drake mutter, “Time to go, love.”