Emerald was seriously pissing me off. Her fingers raked down my face, leaving bloody claw marks in their wake. Miranda came up behind Emerald and tried to pull her off me.
It was then I noticed Aaron barreling toward Ruby. Shit. If I weren’t fighting off Emerald, I would have screamed at him to run. He was going to get himself killed.
Aaron threw a punch at Ruby. Her head cracked to the side, but it snapped right back. Aaron’s eyes rounded.
Oh god. Oh no.
“Get out of here,” Timothy yelled, even as he strained against the rope. Veins protruded along his throat and forehead. The magic rope prevented Timothy from moving.
Ruby didn’t release the rope, but she grabbed Aaron by the neck, lifting him until his feet kicked in the air. He tried to pry her fingers away, but where he was one buff surfer bro, she was a power-infused, brainwashed vampire.
“Aaron,” Timothy rasped.
Ruby’s fangs disappeared into Aaron’s neck as Timothy cried out. Power seethed around him but couldn’t extend any farther out. The rope contained it somehow.
I needed to stop this.
“Cut him free,” I said to Miranda. Catching my meaning, she raced to Timothy with the Blade of Bane and sliced the rope.
A silent boom rolled through the room like thunder. Emerald and I slammed into a wall. The gun went off. Diamond slumped over Javier.
After a beat, Javier staggered to his feet, blood pouring down his shoulder from his neck. Ruby tossed Aaron aside, redirecting her attention to the armed man.
Javier shot her twice, once in the stomach and once in the head. She reeled back into Timothy and they hit the floor.
Diamond and Emerald jerked into the air as if by some invisible force. Fallon had arrived. His usually mismatched eyes turned to sucking darkness, his arm outstretched. Then, with a flick of his wrist, they sailed through the open front doors, out into the night.
Freaking finally, the feather fiends were subdued. The idea of Sekhmet and Galina commanding an army of mindless vampires made me go cold.
Timothy lay underneath Ruby, blood pooling out around him. Aaron cried out, a stuttering mess, pushing the body off Timothy. Red coated his fingers as he searched Timothy’s body for the wound.
Timothy’s hands grabbed Aaron’s, stealing them. Their faces were impossibly close, as Aaron hovered over Timothy, his face wretched with emotion and fear.
“I’m fine,” Timothy said in a quiet voice. “It’s not mine.”
Even my brain struggled to understand what had happened for a few seconds. Then I recognized the scent of the blood. It was the pig’s blood from the cup meant for me.
Aaron’s turquoise blue eyes searched Timothy’s for another moment before he grabbed the back of Timothy’s head, hoisting him up into a kiss. Timothy’s dark eyes flew open a moment before closing again, surrendering to the passion, fear, and longing of Aaron’s mouth.
My heart somersaulted in victory, despite coming so close to death. Miranda clutched the Blade of Bane once again and held up a shaky thumbs-up. I did the same back.
We won this one. But it had been closer than I liked.
Getting to my feet, I made my way over to Timothy and Aaron, who were standing now. Miranda jogged over to Javier. She helped him put pressure on his neck wound. Fallon made his way over to them and convinced her to step aside. Placing his hand on Javier’s neck, the air crackled with energy. He was healing Javier.
“W-what the f-fuck was that?” Aaron asked, his eyes dark, hand gripped tight around Timothy’s waist. Timothy dazed expression made it seem as though he was stuck in the last few minutes of Aaron kissing him and hadn’t caught up to real time. I figured I’d take this one and let him revel in la-la land for a little longer.
“Showgirls on drugs. PCP is a hell of a drug.”
Aaron’s expression flattened. He seemed displeased, like I was treating him like an idiot.
“What?” I shrugged. “You’ve seen the movieShowgirls. Competition is fierce. It takes a lot of gusto to fan those feathers and get those high kicks up.”
Miranda walked over to our little group, her mouth a slash of discontent. “I sent Javier home. The other two vampires are gone. They must have made a run for it.”
“I-I need to make a call,” Timothy said, stuttering himself. I wasn’t sure what shook him more. Almost being taken, or the kiss Aaron laid on him. I’d bet on the latter.
“Same,” Miranda said, her expression sobering. I knew what she was thinking.
