“Vampires arenotwelcome here!”
He didn’t get the chance to see who the thunderous voice belonged to before a blast of wind hit him. It was so strong and unexpected that it threw him out of the lodge before he could register what was happening.
He flew a good ten feet through the air before hitting the ground. He bounced across the earth on his ass before stopping with his back against a tree. Sahira crashed into his feet as she skidded to a halt in front of him.
Chapter Fifteen
When Lexi returnedto the Gloaming with the healing potions, she rushed back to Cole’s side and knelt on the bed beside him. She’d only been gone for a couple of minutes, but he hadn’t moved.
That fact—despite knowing a person sleeping normally wouldn’t have moved around during that time—only ratcheted up her panic. He barely breathed as she carefully lifted his head and prodded open his mouth.
Pressing the bottle to his lips, she steadied her trembling hands before pouring some of the liquid into his mouth. Her heart pounded as she waited for him to swallow before giving him more.
When the bottle was empty, she stroked his cheek with her thumb as she tried to calm her racing heart. He was too cold to the touch. Far too cold, and his lips had taken on a blue hue.
“Don’t you dare die on me,” she commanded before kissing him.
Laying him gently back on the pillows, she slid off the bed. She ran into the bathroom, scrubbed her hands, and gathered as many towels as she could before returning to Cole. With tender care, she placed the towels around him to be ready for when she pulled out the sword.
Resting her hands on his back, she carefully shifted him again so she could see the sword embedded in him and the wound in his side. She blinked away the tears blurring her eyes.
He’d been so brutalized and beaten, but he was still alive, which was more than she could say for his enemies. And if the leaders of the rebellion weren’t already dead, she’d kill them herself.
But they were dead, and she had to make sure Cole survived. She shifted him again, so the blade rested against the bed but wasn’t digging into it. It couldn’t get stuck in the mattress.
Taking a deep breath, she wiped her palms on the clean sheets of the bed before gripping the hilt of the sword. She stared at Cole’s pale, handsome face as she tried to gather the courage to remove the blade.
No matter what she did, this was going to hurt him, and even though she’d given him the potion, he would not heal while the weapon remained inside him. She braced herself and pulled, but the sword didn’t budge.
She couldn’t get enough leverage to pull the sword free. After readjusting him a little, she pulled again, but the blade still wouldn’t budge. Biting her lip, she shoved aside her frustration as she resisted her impulse to jerk on it; that would only hurt him more.
She studied Cole and the sword. She might be able to get it free if she placed her foot against his chest and pulled on it, but she couldn’t do that to him.
Finally, she admitted she would need help to remove it.
Reluctantly, she crawled off the bed, returned to the outer door, moved the chair, and cracked the door open. Niall stood on the other side with his legs braced apart and his arms crossed over his chest.
Beyond him, the hall was empty, but someone could be lurking there. When Niall glanced at her over his shoulder, the stony countenance of his face eased a little.
“Is everything okay?” he asked.
“I need your help,” she whispered.
“Cole?”
“He’s fine, but I can’t get the sword out.”
She stepped back enough for Niall to enter. She studied the hall, but if there were a dark fae out there, she wouldn’t see them if they were hiding in the shadows.
She hoped the palace would know and alert them to someone trying to approach, but she wasn’t exactly sure how this place worked. The magic and mayhem here were all a fantastic mystery, but one that could backfire on her if she trusted it too much.
Lexi closed the door, locked it, and positioned the chair against it again. It was then she realized Niall wasn’t in the room.
Chapter Sixteen
Lexi raninto the bedroom and skidded to a halt when she discovered Niall standing beside the bed. He wasn’t doing anything other than standing there, studying Cole, but she stalked over to stand protectively near Cole. She climbed back onto the bed and rested her hand on Cole’s shoulder.
“He’s going to survive,” Niall said. “If he’s made it this far, he’ll survive. No other dark fae would still be breathing.”
