Chapter Thirty
Keryth
T he second Anton formed in front of me, and I saw his expression, I knew something was wrong. And then he fell to his knees, and I reached for him, trying to catch him.
I was so focused on helping my viramore that I didn’t see the hunter behind him until he stabbed a sword right through Anton’s chest.
A scream tore from my lungs, the sound soul-deep, and my magic reacted to it.
Vines and roots shot up from the ground all around us, knocking every single one of our enemies back, even the ones on the other side of the warehouse. Some even fell to the ground as the vines wrapped around their feet, ankles, legs, and up their torsos.
But I didn’t care about any of that. I only cared about my poor, injured viramore.
As I fell to my knees in front of him, more vines shot up and encircled us, acting as a shield and keeping everyone and all dangers out.
I grabbed onto Anton’s arms as he whispered my name, and I could tell he was in real trouble. That something was seriously wrong. That he… that he was dying.
“Mother of All, Anton.”
I grabbed his shoulders to stop him from falling over because the sword was still in his chest, but I didn’t know where to go from there. I didn’t know what to do or how to help him.
Panic made my chest tight, and I sucked in a breath, trying to keep everything at bay so I could help him.
But what the hell was I supposed to do? If I pulled out the sword, would he be able to heal before he bled out? He’d already lost so much blood.
“Anton… fuck, Anton. What do I… how do I… fuck.”
He opened his mouth to speak, but he choked on blood, and I sucked in a breath at the horrible sight. In my head, I heard a pained, “It nicked my heart.”
My entire body froze in horror. The sword nicked his heart? His heart was damaged?
My vampire viramore’s heart was damaged.
As far as I knew, no vampire had ever survived that.
Tears filled my eyes. “No… no, Anton. No. It can’t be…”
Anton slumped forward, and it took me far too long, panicking, to realize he’d passed out. That couldn’t be a good sign at all. Fuck . What was I supposed to do? How the hell was I supposed to help him?
“Let me in, Keryth,” Phaeron said loudly from the other side of my vine shield, giving the impression that he’d said my name several times already.
“Phaeron,” I cried out, tears falling down my cheeks as I did what he asked.
He didn’t hesitate to move onto his knees beside me and grab onto Anton’s face for a moment, examining him. “Keryth, you need to let him feed.”
“I… what?”
“He needs blood, Keryth.” Phaeron sounded a hell of a lot calmer than I felt.
I didn’t hesitate to readjust my hold on my viramore and scoot to his side so he was leaning his shoulder against my chest and wouldn’t fall over. Then I held my wrist up to his mouth. Only, Anton didn’t bite down. He didn’t do anything but sit there, staring straight ahead. I… I didn’t think he was even aware of his surroundings anymore.
“Phae,” I breathed out, thrusting my wrist in his face. “Bite me so he doesn’t have to.”
Phaeron met my eyes for a brief moment before biting into my wrist. He did it so gently I didn’t even feel a thing. When he pulled his lips away, I was almost surprised to see blood pooling there.
Phae helped me tilt Anton’s head back as I lifted my bleeding wrist and let some of it drip into his mouth.
“Keep making him drink. I’m going to remove the sword so he can heal.”
I glanced at Phaeron, panic making it difficult to speak. “Is that a good idea? What if he bleeds out? What if he can’t heal from this? What if—”
“Keryth,” he said, reaching over to give my biceps a squeeze. “He’s going to be okay.”
“But it nicked his heart. He… a… fuck, vampires can’t survive that.”
“Use your magic to hold onto his soul the way you did with Tray. His body will heal. He just needs time. You can do this, Keryth. I know you can.”
I stared into his eyes for a long moment, and I could tell how much he was holding back. He had tears in his eyes, but he was doing his best to keep them from spilling over.
I gave him a nod. “Okay. I can do this.”
“You can.” He took a breath. “Ready?”
Closing my eyes, I used my magic to reach for Anton’s magic, for his soul. It barely took a thought before I felt it reaching out to me. It was as if his soul was seeking comfort from me, and I wanted to give him that.
So I sent all my affection, all my love, through our bond as I wrapped his soul in my magic, cocooning it in warmth, showing it how precious and cherished it was. How cherished and loved Anton was.
How much I, and the rest of our family, needed him to stay with us.
As soon as I had a good hold on it, I opened my eyes, staring at Phaeron. “I’m ready.”
After a brief nod, he yanked the sword from Anton’s back. My viramore whimpered in pain, and blood started pouring out of him at an even faster pace. Tears threatened to fall again, but I held them back, determined to keep my vampire alive.
“Drink, Anton,” I said as I pulled him into my arms, letting his head rest on my shoulder. It was an awkward angle for my wrist, but I didn’t care. “Keep drinking.”
Phaeron ripped Anton’s vest and shirt off, then pulled something out of his utility belt. It was some kind of dressing that looked like gauze, but I could tell it had medicine on it as well as magic. He pressed one to Anton’s chest, covering the exit wound, and one to his back, covering the entrance.
When he caught me watching him, he said, “We always carry these when we’re in battle. It’s what humans and other supernaturals use on battlefields. We might heal quicker than other species, but that doesn’t mean we can’t lose too much blood. These help us from becoming weak when we’re in dangerous situations.”
“It’ll help seal the wound?”
“Yes. It’s spelled to encourage skin growth, and the medicine helps stop the bleeding. He’s going to be okay.”
I shook my head. “It’s not his skin that needs to be healed. It’s his heart.”
He winced. “I know… I… I know.”
“Let me through, Keryth,” Tan’s voice called out from the other side of my vine shield.
I opened it immediately, knowing he’d never ask me to if it would put us at risk.
Tan dropped to his knees beside me as soon as the shield was open, and I closed it behind him.
He said, “All the hunters are either apprehended or dead. The threat is taken care of.”
“Good.” Phaeron’s jaw was clenched, making him look like an unfeeling robot. But then he sniffled and wiped his eye, and I realized he was just trying to keep from sobbing the same way I wanted to.
Reaching over, I patted his arm, gave it a squeeze, then asked Tan, “Can you help him? A sword nicked his heart.”
Tan winced. “Shit. I… um… let me see if I can do something. My affinity is death. I don’t do healing beds or anything like that, but vampires are made of death magic, so maybe…” He trailed off, his eyes going distant, so I knew he was working his magic and using his inner eye to examine Anton.
I kissed Anton’s head, hugging him to me. “Hang in there, sweetheart. Please.”
His entire body weight was leaned against me, and his breathing was labored.
After what felt like ten minutes but was probably really only thirty seconds, Tan said, “He needs more blood. We need to get a transfusion going. Garrick?”
“Yes?” Garrick’s voice called over from the other side of the shield.
“Get someone here with blood and an IV. Lots of it. Now, please.”
“Will do.”
Tan nodded even though Garrick couldn’t see him. “Keep protecting his soul the way you are, Ker. I think… I think if we give him more blood, his body will heal itself. It’s just going to take a long time because it’s his heart, and he’s lost so much blood already.”
I nodded, and even though what he was saying was a good thing, my anxiety and fear didn’t leave me. From the expression on Phaeron’s face, it didn’t leave him either.
Since the warehouse was clear, I pulled down my shield slowly, checking the area for myself before I saw the rest of my family standing around, guarding the apprehended hunters. By the time the shield disappeared back into the ground, the hunters were lined up against the far wall with their hands tied behind their backs and their ankles zip-tied.
Jed, Kat, and Beshiro all came to touch Anton’s shoulder or hair briefly before doin’ the same to me. Jed even kissed the top of my head and murmured, “It’s going to be alright.” He didn’t sound so sure, but I nodded anyway.
What felt like an eternity later, a few medics rushed onto the scene and right over to us.
Phaeron immediately moved closer to me and cupped my cheeks, forcing me to look at him. “I know you’re going to want to rip their heads off, but you need to relax and let them work on him. It’s the only way to save him.”
“I know.”
“Keep your eyes on me, alright? We’re going to save him, yeah? He’s going to be fine, and we’re going to get to go home and spend the rest of forever as a big, happy family.”
The medics were working on my viramore now, and I really did want to rip their heads off for touching him. But the logical side of my brain knew this was needed in order to save him, so I concentrated on Phaeron and everything he was saying.
My chin quivered. “I didn’t think you wanted that.”
He closed his eyes for a moment before he met my gaze again. “I’m sorry. I know I haven’t been the most welcoming. I just… I have a hard time letting people in. But you need to know that I am happy you’re with my sire. I’ve never seen him so happy and relaxed. And your girls and Tray are wonderful. Having you guys join our family is a blessing.”
I searched his gaze for a moment, and seeing only truth there, I gave him a small nod. “Thank you. I think it is too.”
He sent me a soft smile, although it was laced with sadness because of our situation. “They’re finished. I’m going to let you go now.”
“Thanks for keeping me distracted.”
“You’re welcome.” He tilted his head, then rolled his eyes, almost to himself before sighing and adding, “It was no problem… Pops.”
A bark of surprised laughter left me, and I was happy to see Phaeron smile more genuinely before we both refocused on Anton.
Closing my eyes, I concentrated on his soul, which seemed perfectly content in my little magical cocoon. His body was in terrible pain, so I was glad he was unconscious at the moment.
Tan suddenly said, “It’s working! His heart is knitting back together!”
“Oh, my Mother,” I breathed out, then burst into tears.
He was going to be okay. My viramore was going to be alright.
Phaeron scooted over and wrapped his arm around me, so I leaned into him as I held Anton tight to my chest. The rest of our family joined us, surrounding us with tear streaks on their cheeks and watery eyes. Even though I couldn’t see his face, I knew Phaeron was crying as well.
Ten minutes passed before Tan whispered, “You can release his soul, Ker. He’s healed enough that there’s no risk he’ll fade away.”
I looked at him, meeting his eyes. “You promise?”
“Yes.” He said it without hesitation, so I knew he meant it. “Truthfully, you could’ve released it as soon as his heart started knitting back together, but I knew you’d want to be sure. Plus, that’s probably part of why he’s passed out, and I don’t want him suffering more than necessary.”
I nodded. “Alright.” But then I didn’t release it. I was too scared to. What if I released it, and his soul fled? What if he never came back to me?
Phaeron said, “I can feel it too, Ker. He’ll be alright. Let it go.”
After taking a deep breath, I released my magic.
Everyone stared at him for a long time, but he didn’t even flinch. Using my magic and our bond, I examined him to ensure he was still healing. It was difficult for me to tell since I couldn’t really read his body the way Tan could.
The second I had the thought, I felt a little… nudge from Anton’s soul.
It was letting me know it was alright. That Anton was healing and would be okay.
He was really going to be okay.
A sob fell from my lips, and I hugged him tight to me as the other vampires wrapped us up in a big group hug. It felt like I was close to shattering, but having them all there with me was keeping me held together. I wasn’t sure I would’ve survived this horror without them here with me.
It was about an hour before Anton finally woke back up, and it was as if I could finally breathe.
He blinked, and I pressed a kiss to his temple, then leaned back to look at him, saying, “Hey there, sweetheart.”
He blinked a few more times before focusing on me. “Ker?”
I smiled, tears spilling over yet again. “I’m right here.” I rubbed his arms, being careful not to touch his wounds since they were still healing. “You’re going to be alright.”
He nodded, then winced. “Everything hurts.”
Phaeron let out a humorless laugh. “I bet it does.”
“I’m sorry. You’re gonna be okay, though.” I kissed his temple again, then wiped away my tears.
Phaeron, Jed, Beshiro, and Kat gave their dad gentle hugs before the three younger ones were pulled away to help Garrick and Tan with something. But they kept coming over and brushing a hand over his shoulder or arm again every chance they got. As everyone kept checking on Anton, Phaeron never left my side, sticking close and making sure I was alright too.
It was really sweet. And for the first time since I’d moved in with them, I thought that we really could be friends… and, eventually, family.