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She’s barely alive.
My eyes scan the room, pausing on each of my brothers. There’s a fire in Lex’s eyes, but something else as well. He’s scared—for Calla. Kade is sitting on the coffee table in front of the couch, stroking Calla’s matted dark brown hair, brushing the messy waves away from her face. Under her eyes are dark, only made more prominent by her colorless complexion. Dried blood sticks to her chin, almost as ifshewas feeding, and my chest constricts at the thought. The front of her sweater is stained crimson, caused by blood running down her neck from the deep puncture marks there.
Atlas stands behind the couch, his arms gripping the back of it so tight his knuckles have gone white. His eyes are locked on her face, his jaw clenched tight.
“She’s waking up,” Kade says in a rough voice.
I move forward immediately, standing on one side of Kade, while Lex shifts to the other side.
Her eyelids flutter and her body tenses. When her brows pinch together and her chin starts trembling, I feel as if someone has stuck a hot poker through my chest.
She’s in pain.
“Calla,” Kade murmurs, cupping her cheek. His thumb brushes over her skin, as if he’s trying to coax her awake. “Open your eyes for us. Please.” That last word is a faint whisper, tinged with something awfully close to desperation.
I finally let out a breath when she opens her eyes. They’re slits at first as she winces at the light above us. Lex quickly moves to shut it off. It’s still daylight outside, which likely isn’t helping.
“We should move her to the other room and draw the curtains. The sunlight—”
“I don’t think we should move her,” I cut in, unable to tear my eyes away from her frail body. “Not until she’s healed.”
Kade leans back slightly as Calla blinks her eyes open a bit more, then he bites into his wrist, moving to feed her—to heal her.
She stiffens, making a feeble attempt to move away from him before gasping for breath and collapsing against the cushions. “N-no,” she stammers weakly, her voice raspy,broken.
The sound rips right through me, and guilt digs its claws deeper. This… Calla being in this pain ismyfault. Selene intervening in her life, bringing this upon her… None of it would’ve happened if it weren’t for me and my ties to the vampire who did this to her.
Kade’s eyes narrow. “No? What do you mean, no?” He looks to me, then to Atlas, as if searching for direction. His expression softens as he looks back at her, and I know where this is heading. He’s going to glamour her.
“Kade,” she warns—not that it holds much strength. But he pauses, hanging onto her every word. “Please, no.” She shakes her head, making it very clear she doesn’t want his blood.
“Why not?” Lex asks, crouching in front of the couch to be closer to her. He slides his fingers through hers slowly, curling them around the back of her hand, his eyes searching her face.
Calla presses her lips together, flicking a glance toward where Atlas stands over her. Her brows pinch again and she lets out a shaky breath. “Selene bit me. More than once. Her venom is in my veins.” She closes her eyes again, as if she can’t bear to hold them open any longer. “And so is her blood.”
“You drank her blood?” Atlas asks, speaking for the first time.
Her lips turn down. “No. I-I mean, yes.” Tension fills her features, and she keeps her eyes shut. “I… I don’t remember it. I didn’t… even know it happened until Selene told me that she…” Her voice trails off and her eyes open, finding mine in an instant and knocking the air out of my chest.
I fight the urge to reach for her, to pull her against me and feel her heartbeat against my chest. To make sure she’s really alive. “What did she tell you, angel?” I ask in a gentle tone.
She blinks quickly. “Gabriel, I…” She sniffles, struggling to hold my gaze. “I’m so sorry.” Her chin quivers, but she continues, “If I die now, with her blood and venom in my system…”
Kade shakes his head. “Hey.” He turns her face to meet his gaze. “That isn’t going to happen. You’re here, you’re safe now.”
“Safe.” She chokes on the word.
“You need vampire blood to heal,” Atlas says in a firm voice.
“What Ineedis for you to listen to me. For once.” Her eyes flick between Kade’s. “No more vampire blood. Just the thought of it makes me so nauseous my head won’t stop spinning.”
“Okay,” Kade says.
I frown at the back of his head. That’s it? We’re just going to let her stay in this pain while her injuries heal at a human pace? My pulse kicks up, along with the throbbing in my gums as my fangs threaten to cut through. When a deep growl rattles through me, Atlas moves around the couch and grabs me by the arm, dragging me out of the room. He doesn’t stop until we’re in the formal sitting room, far enough away that Calla won’t hear when I shove him away and snap, “What the hell was that?”
“You needed a minute,” is all he says, standing between me and the hallway back to the other room.
“I need for her not to die,” I correct him sharply.
