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“I can’t. Damien, I can’t do this.”
“Don’t worry,” I assured him. “It’s okay. Just bite.”
Robby took my arm in both of his hands. He was shaking as he approached. He looked at me again, and I nodded, giving him the OK. He opened his mouth and bit, his brand-new fangs slicing right through flesh. It was an almost intoxicating rush, something I had only heard about happening but had never experienced firsthand. I shut my eyes as Robby drank, hungry. His grip tightened, fangs sinking in a little deeper. Blood dripped down to the floor. I could feel his tongue lapping at me.
“Okay, that’s enough, Robby.” Benjamin was behind him now, trying to pry him off. But he wouldn’t let go; he only kept feeding. “Robby, stop, or you’ll drain him.”
I could make out his words but not the actual meaning of them. I was just happy. Robby was back. I had him back.
“Robby!” A blast of Dawn’s electricity threw him back to the floor. His eyes were wide, apologetic. Realization instantly dawned on him.
“Damien, I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay,” I tried to reassure him.
“It happens to all of us,” Benjamin said, helping Robby up to his feet. I decided to stay sitting for a moment while my head stopped spinning. “Welcome back.”
“Did we…” He looked to the statue of the Matriarch. Unlike others affected by the basilisk magic, she didn’t turn to dust, staying instead as that solid stone statue, her wicked smile still on her lips, a curling tentacle slipping out and stretching through the air. “Do we know if the curse is broken?”
“I’ve just got confirmation from a friend,” Xavier said, holding his phone up. “Their sister isn’t sick anymore.”
“Same,” Dawn said, her face lighting up as bright as her armor. “Penelope said her mother isn’t sick anymore. That’s it. The dragon fall is over.” She couldn’t hide the excited hop in place she did. Warrick wooted; Madds pumped the air with a fist. Xavier started to cry.
I got to my feet and went directly to Robby. He took a step away from me. “I’m a monster now. I literally almost drank you dry.”
“Robby, nothing about you could be defined as monstrous. Nothing. I know the soul that’s still in here.” I placed a hand directly where the blade had been. I could feel his heart beating, and I’d never been more grateful. “Your body may have changed, but you’re still you. Now with some added, eh, quirks.”
He arched a brow, and I saw a flare of the old Robby flash in his eyes, which was a slight mindfuck because his chin was still coated in my blood. “Quirks? You have such a way with words.”
“It’s all the books I’ve collected over time and never read. The vocabulary sinks in with osmosis.”
Robby shook his head and chuckled, the sound as sweet as warm honey.
“Come,” I said, reaching for his hand. He didn’t pull away this time. “Let’s get you cleaned up and out of here. We’ve done what we came here to do. We’ll let the vamps deal with the aftermath.”
“You mean me? I’m one of them now, remember?”
I didn’t think I’d ever forget. I just squeezed his hand and pulled us toward the exit, every step I took with Robby at my side feeling lighter and lighter than the last.
Chapter 33
Second Chances
Damien
The castle flooded with an energy I hadn’t felt fill these walls in a long, long time.
Pure, unfiltered, overflowing joy.
Robby was in the shower, my family gathered in the living room, a few of our friends and fellow fighters also with us. The mood was absolutely celebratory as beers were popped open and glasses of wine were clinked together. We had done it. It had been confirmed that the curse was broken, the dragons were saved, the Matriarch defeated.
And my Robby still with me.
Yes he was changed, and yes there was a journey ahead of us, but at least we could tackle it together. I had never felt more helpless in the moments after Robby was stabbed, seeing his blood flow to the floor, having no way to stop it. I thought everything I had envisioned between us had went up in an instant puff of smoke. I thought the last I’d see of Robby was those haunting, soulless eyes turned up to the ceiling.
It was still an image seared into my brain, and one I doubted I’d be able to shake for some time. But at least I had the antidote; Robby’s actual gaze, lit up by that permanent smile of his. I’d stare into his deep brown eyes all day, every day if it meant helping erase those empty, dead orbs from my memory.
“We fucking did it,” Xavier said, bumping into me with his shoulder, smiling from ear to ear. He had recently gotten a haircut, a near buzz cut, the sharp new look making him appear like one of the celebrity clients he protected.
