"Jamal." I tried again to talk to him. "You have to stop drinking from me now. I want to help you, I do, but I can't give you any more blood. We'll have to find you a new donor." That seemed to piss him off, if the lifted upper lip and irritated hiss he gave me were any indication.
Looks like this vampire had gotten a taste of witch and didn't want to go back to a bland human.
I opened my mouth to try to convince him they weren't so bad when he was suddenly on me, those long fangs going for my throat. Catching myself just in time, I sent out another blast of magic, the tips of his teeth scratching my skin just before it punched him back, his boots sliding in the dirt as he fought me. He stopped about ten feet away and tried to lunge at me again, but I was ready this time and held him where he was, my magic around me like a forcefield.
When he realized he couldn't get to me, he began to pace like a caged animal. Back and forth. Back and forth. His eyes never left me, flicking from my face to my bloody wrist and back again, over and over, just waiting for me to weaken. A constant low growl vibrated the air around us, irritating my magical shield. But I knew if he got to me again, I wouldn't survive. All I could do was hold him off until Lizzy got here and could help me.
Long minutes passed by as I waited. By the time I heard the screech of brakes and Lizzy calling my name, I was shaking, my entire body trembling with fatigue. With one look, she rushed up to Jamal and stepped in front of him. "Jamal! You need to back away."
"Get away from him, Lizzy."
At Killian's tone, she stepped away. Although, honestly, she probably didn't need to. Jamal hadn't given any indication he'd noticed her there, even though she was standing right in front of him. His entire focus had been on me, as it had been for what seemed like the last hour, but probably wasn't that long.
Fuck. She'd brought Killian with her. Anxiety rose within me. I didn't want to tell him what was going on. What I'd done. He'd kill me for sure for bringing the djinn here, for putting Kenya in danger. She was his favorite, everyone knew that.
Killian stepped up next to me and glanced at me sideways. "Release him."
"I can't." My voice was little more than a rasp.
"You can. I won't let him hurt you."
"Are you sure about that?"
He made an affirmative noise, his eyes on his friend.
"Okaaaay..." Gods, I was gonna regret this. "Ready, set..." I dropped my hands and drew in my magic, stumbling back into Lizzy's arms. "Thanks," I told her when she kept me from falling on my ass.
"I've got you," she said.
The instant the shield was gone, Jamal's eyes lit up from within and he lunged. I closed my eyes and threw up my arms to try to protect myself as best I could, but he never touched me.
I cracked open my eyes to see Killian had stepped directly in his path. Jamal didn't stop in time and his large body wrapped around him before he pushed off and focused on this new threat that was keeping me from him. Killian stood tall and strong as the tombs surrounding us. He hadn't even flinched.
"Do you want to hurt her, Jamal?" He pushed him off as Jamal rushed him again. "Stop! Look at her. She's hurt. Do you want to hurt her more?"
Jamal's dark eyes skipped over to me. I'd fallen to the ground the moment I saw Killian had him under control, despite Lizzy trying to hold me upright. She was beside me, checking my hand and wrist where I'd ripped him off of me, leaving deep wounds. She pressed on them with her bare hands, trying to stop the bleeding.
"She's MINE." His voice was like something you'd hear in a horror movie, but the words were discernible enough.
I froze when I heard it. As did Lizzy. Then I felt her hand clasp my arm and she squeezed. "Don't move," she whispered.
"You don't need to tell me," I hissed back. Holy shit. I was being claimed by a vampire. He'd tasted me. And now he wanted more. Can't say I blamed the guy. I'm sure I was quite a treat to a blood-starved vamp, but he'd have to get in line behind Mike if he wanted things to go any further than that.
I almost giggled out loud. My head was foggy and the cemetery was starting to spin around me. Without conscious thought, I tried to lift my arms to Jamal. Safety. He was safety.
Lizzy pushed them down into my lap, again applying pressure to the tears on my right hand.
"I know she is, my friend," Killian told him. "I know she is. But you're going to hurt her if you don't get a grip on yourself."
I saw it the moment Jamal's body language changed. His stare shifted from me to Killian, who gave him a knowing nod. His eyes, black as night, narrowed in disbelief. "What the fuck is happening?" Jamal asked him, a note of panic replacing the possessive growl.
"He's hurt," I told them. "The spikes on the fence went right through his stomach."
But when Killian went to grab his shirt, Jamal knocked his hand away. "I'm fine." The words were gritted out between his clenched teeth. "What. Is. Happening. To. Me."
There was a long pause. "I think you know," Killian finally told him.
Jamal shook his head. Fast and hard. "No." He started to pace again. Not like earlier. This was more of a "I can't believe this is happening and walking back and forth will either help me process it or make it not be true" kind of nervous energy. A moment later he stopped. Taking a step forward, he got up in Killian's face. "I will not be chained to THAT WITCH." The words were spit out in disgust, right in Killian's face, but he held his ground. "Isn't it enough that I'm chained to you?"
