Chapter Thirty
Jared stared at the burning building in front of him. Something stirred in his memory, but he couldn't pinpoint exactly what. This had happened before. At some point in time. His family dying in a fire.
Except all of his family—except for his father—was alive, so why...?
Think!a voice in his brain said. And then,Move.
Jared shook himself out of his stupor and moved toward the house, because the voice in his head was right. He couldn't just stand there while the safe house was burning. Especially not while Silas had stormed ahead of him.
Oh God.
Where was Silas?
Once more, Jared stared at the burning building in horror. Silas couldn't have...? Vampires weren't immune to fire. He could die in there. No, he couldn't. Not after all the effort Jared had gone through to save him. He would never forgive himself if Silas died in a fire. Silas couldn't die like James.
Jared blinked, an image of a young boy flashing in front of his mind's eye. His little brother. He'd forgotten his little brother, but now the memory was coming back. At least partially. His family had burned in a fire like this.
And Jared found himself rooted to the spot, useless.
Someone called his name. Jared turned his head to find Luke, waving at him. His skin had taken on a faint glow, making him easier to see through the smoke. "Come over here!" Luke yelled. "You need to help Collin!"
Jared glanced at the house again, then rushed over to Luke. He didn't know if Silas had gone into the house—he hoped to hell he hadn't—but right now, someone needed his help. Collin was sitting on the ground, between Talon and Luke, coughing up a lung. Jared dropped down to one knee next to him.
"He inhaled too much smoke," Talon said, concern coloring his voice.
"You can heal right?" Luke asked.
Jared nodded and laid one arm around Collin's back while offering the wrist of his other hand to his younger brother. "Bite me."
Collin hesitated, then sank his fangs into Jared's wrist. It pinched a little bit, but Jared barely noticed. He had too many other things on his mind. His eyes fixed on Talon and the baby he was holding. "What about Nix?" he asked.
"He seems fine," Talon said. "A little upset, but fine. He's... a lot sturdier than a regular infant."
"Thank God," Luke murmured. His face had gone white beneath the glow of his magical ability. "This is all my fault. They're taking revenge on us."
"Where are the others?" Jared asked. He didn't want to appear unnecessarily harsh, but he didn't have time to assuage Luke's guilt either. "Where's Elena and Remy and Crimson?" He also wanted to know where Silas was, but he didn't voice that question out loud. Silas had been with him until just a moment ago. He would be fine.
Luke seemed like he was on the verge of crying when he responded. "Crimson went back in to look for Elena and Remy. I’m shielding him, but I don't know..."
Collin chose that moment to let go of Jared's wrist. "They're going to be fine," he said. Then, looking up at Jared, he added. "Thank you."
"Are you feeling better?" Talon asked.
Collin nodded, even though he still looked as if he was about to fall over and stop breathing. Jared wanted to offer his wrist again, but the blood loss was already starting to drain on his own body. If he had only Collin to worry about, he would gladly have given more of his blood, regardless, but Remy and Elena were still unaccounted for. If they were trapped in that building...
Jared glanced at the house and swallowed hard.
Where was Silas?
He looked back where he'd come from. Puck was still there, but no signs of Aldrich or Silas—or Vlad, for that matter.
Puck had sat down on the ground, his hands raised up toward the sky. Jared was too far away to truly see what he was doing, but the wind carried unintelligible words over to him. Was the witch casting another spell?
Jared directed his gaze upward. The sky was darkening, and not just with smoke. Heavy clouds were forming above them.
"Jared!" That was Aldrich's voice. Jared's head snapped to the vampire who was coming toward him from the direction of the building. He was carrying someone in his arms. Was that...? Jared's stomach dropped as he recognized the still form in Aldrich's arms as Remy. He'd thought Collin looked bad, but compared to Remy, Collin looked as if he'd just returned from a relaxing weekend at the spa. Remy’s clothes hung off him in tatters and the skin that revealed itself looked bright red and painful. His eyes were closed and he wasn't coughing. At first glance, Jared wasn't even sure if he was breathing.
Aldrich lowered him into the grass. "Do your thing," he demanded. The vampire looked a little worse for the wear himself, but Jared hardly had eyes for him while his little brother was in this state. He dropped to his knees next to Remy and examined him. His brother was still breathing, if only barely.
