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He has no idea what Octavia has become. To him, this is his friend who’s been murdered violently and left on the beach.
“Apollo,” I say. “Listen to me. None of this is what it seems.”
Tension crackles across the air between us. I glance over at Cooper to see him stir. One hand flexes, and his eyelids flutter.At least he’s okay.
“What happened here?” Apollo forces the words out between his teeth. “Who did this?”
“You don’t understand,” I say. “She was trying to kill me!”
He rises to his full height, and I back away, remembering his size and strength. Remembering the punch he landed on my jaw.
“She was good. She was kind. This isyou.” He spits the word. “You are the troublemaker. I knew you would be. Belvederes always are.” Then he zeroes in on Cyrus and Anastasia for the first time and stumbles back, almost falling. “You… you’re…”
“The original owners of this humble home,” Anastasia says with a grin. “I do believe you’re trespassing on our land.”
In an instant, her face transforms into predator mode. Her teeth elongate, and she displays them to Apollo with a hiss.
I try to catch Cyrus’s eye, but he’s staring straight at Apollo as a low growl comes from his throat. Both of these vampires are ready to fight, and I’m not sure I can do anything about it.
“Ignis.” Apollo thrusts out a hand, and a wall of flame shoots towards us.
Cyrus acts fast, grabbing me and pushing me behind him. He holds out one hand. “Maceria.”
A ward protects us from the flames.
As soon as the flames dissipate, Anastasia launches herself towards Apollo, leading with fangs and talons like a tiger.
He raises a hand and pushes her back with an invisible force, but Cyrus whispers another spell, and the force relinquishes its hold on Anastasia. She lands on her feet like a cat. Her head snaps up, and she refocuses on her prey.
“Stop!” I shout. “Stop this! Apollo!” I’m desperate to endthe fighting, to make Apollo see that the vampires are not the enemy here. But they are all primed for battle. Only Cyrus reacts, vaguely flicking his eyes my way.
Anastasia lunges at Apollo for a second time, her sharp nails raking down the side of his face. This time, he hits her squarely in the chest, sending her flying. Cyrus growls and breaks into a sprint. Apollo throws more fire in his direction, which Cyrus dodges, and my heart is in my mouth watching him duck and dive between fireballs.
Behind me, Cooper groans. I tear my eyes away from the fight and rush over to him. Slowly, he manages to sit up against the rocks.
“What’s going on?” he asks sleepily.
“Apollo doesn’t understand.” I’m frantic now. “He thinks Octavia was murdered. He doesn’t know she was the evil one.”
Cooper’s eyes narrow as he takes in the scene before him. “But she was telling the truth? You really did resurrect a vampire?”
“It was an accident,” I say. “And… and he’s good. I swear. He isn’t—”
“He’s killing Apollo Finn.”
The words make my blood run cold. I turn my head to see Anastasia and Cyrus each holding one of Apollo’s arms. Both look like they’re about to tear his head off with their fangs.
I clamber to my feet and rush towards them. “Cyrus! No!”
But it’s too late. His teeth sink into Apollo’s flesh. I throw out a hand, and a stream of light emits from my palm. That light floods into Apollo. I hold it there, keeping himalive with the light as Cyrus and Anastasia back away, shading their faces.
Apollo shines from within, his body a shimmering beacon, until I collapse to the ground, and the world goes black.
Fifty-One
APOLLO
Life floods through his veins. It’s remarkable. He’s never seen a necromancer use this kind of power before. Rather than resurrect a dead body, Kira Belvedere seems to be protecting his life force somehow, keeping him alive. She’s flooding his body withherlife force. Either that or creating new life within him.
