Not dead.
Not dead.
The mantra did nothing to assuage my fear, not as my memories of the night she jumped resurfaced. Her body had hung so limply in my arms as I begged her chest to rise.
With a graceful fluidity, Leonora stood and walked toward Elios. Like his daughter, he met her gaze without hesitation, looking down his nose at the woman who stood before him. She showed him no reverence, no respect for what he was. Instead, her eyes flashed as she ran her hands across his chest, leaning into his body. “Where is the dagger?”
He barked a harsh laugh, tugging at his bindings. “Do you truly believe killing a god will bring you what you seek?” When she did not respond, he shook his head, looking between his captors. “It will only bring the wrath of the other gods upon you.” Ballard cleared his throat, shifting uncomfortably as Elios leaned forward. “And I will relish watching them tear you limb from limb.”
Careful to avoid my mother’s attention, I dragged myself to Calia’s side. Her eyes fluttered open, and a lone tear slid down her cheek as I cradled her head in my lap and applied pressure to the open wound on her neck. Leonora had not withdrawn her fangs before pulling away, tearing the skin and causing immeasurable damage.
Calia opened her mouth to speak, her lips forming Brielle’s name, but I shook my head. She had already lost too much blood, the viscous liquid turning her once vibrant auburn hair deep mahogany. “Shh, love,” I whispered, ensuring Leonora was still focused on Elios. “I have you.”
Each stringy thrum of her pulse was a step toward death. If I could not staunch the flow, no power would be alive to save her.
“It will not matter at that point,” Leonora said sweetly, “for I will already hold the power of gods in my hands.No onewill be able to stop me.”
“Our power does not come with the ability to wield it,” Elios shot back, nostrils flaring as he spoke. “Ours is magic in its purest form—untainted and raw. It is not meant to be possessed by mortal beings. It will consume you. And if you cannot control it, it will destroy you.”
Leonora’s smile faltered. “Where is the dagger, Elios?” she repeated, tone-clipped.
Already, I saw the signs of her waning patience. Violent outbursts were her specialty, as was acting without consideration of the consequences that followed.
When Elios said nothing, she sighed. “Perhaps you need motivation.” She inclined her chin toward Ballard. “Will your own suffering loosen your tongue? Or will I need to resort to that of others?”
Elios cried out, back bowing as the bindings snaked down his arms in thick coils. Barbed notches dug into his skin, burrowing through muscle and sinew. The smell of burning flesh filled theair, and I looked on in horror as the smoke began rising from his scorched skin.
Still, the god gnashed his teeth together and said nothing.
I looked away from the scene, noting Calia’s slowly drooping eyelids. “No, no, no,” I whispered, pulling her closer. I searched for a barely audible heartbeat. She was running out of time. “Stay with me, love.”
Calia smiled faintly, bringing her frigid palm up to my cheek. I thought I had known fear before, but every moment I had been afraid now paled when I beheld the resignation in her eyes. “I’m so tired,” she whispered. “And it’s so nice to be held once more, maybe I’ll see her.”
My mother walked over to a small satchel near Elios’ feet. Though he had told me before leaving the manor that the artifact would remain safe, dread pooled in my stomach as she pulled the bag open and rifled through its contents.
“I know, love, but you must hold on, okay? I will fix this.” The inescapable resonance of Calia’s slowing heartbeat and Elios’ building screams was all around me—a maddening cacophony of sound that drove me to recklessness.
But what was life if I did not have her by my side?
In one final act of desperation, I bit into my wrist and placed the wound over Calia’s mouth. Her eyes grew wide as my lifeblood spurted across her tongue, filling her mouth to the point it ran over in thick, red rivers.
“Drink from me, love,” I begged, sweeping the blood-soaked hair from her face. “You cannot leave me again.”
She did not hesitate, keeping her eyes on mine as she latched on to my wrist and began to feed. I counted the seconds, watching as the color bloomed across her cheeks again. Each pull grew stronger than the last—restoring my fragile hope.
“We can move away,” I whispered, engrossed in the flickering colors that began dancing within her irises. Myattention was wholly dedicated to her, to us, to this moment. “We can start over somewhere new—just you and me. Somewhere we can see every star glint against the evening sky.” Her grip tightened around my arm, keeping me upright as I made promises about our future. “I will build you a library and fill it with your favorite stories. You can decorate the house however you wish. And we can take the dogs, too?—”
“Rion!”
Sloane shouted my name across the room, but it was too late.
A sharp burst of power speared into my chest, knocking me back into the wall. White, hot light encompassed my hands, twisting into swirling tendrils which pulled me into the air. I kicked and thrashed helplessly, watching in horror as Leonora stood triumphant with a ruby-red blade in her hands.
No, no, no, no…
Though my blood would have lent her abilities my strength, it would not have healed Calia completely. Exhaustion would lull her into a false sense of security, unable to move.
And now she was utterly defenseless.
