“In other words, I look like a drinking fountain for Vampires.”
“If you want to know the truth, I don’t think it was the contact lens that cursed you. I’m willing to wager my immortal soul it was the third hot dog.”
A quick burst of light filled the room, and my leg flooded with heat.
“What are you doing?” I exclaimed.
Niko raised both hands. “Turn her over and I’ll do the others.”
“Niko?” I leaned up and gripped his wrist. “Before you finish, can you do me a favor? Take some of his light out of me.”
He shook his head. “It’s better if I don’t.”
“You don’t know what it’s like. I need to get it out of me. Just take a little.”
Christian flicked a hard gaze up at Niko. “What’s she asking you to do?”
“She can pull core light all the way out of a Mage. It’s a rare gift indeed. Any Mage can drain the light of another Mage, but core light is what replenishes our strength. It’s the very essence of immortality. Raven has the ability to make them human again.”
“Jaysus.”
Niko withdrew his arm and stepped back. “It remains in her for a day or two, and she wants me to take some of it out.”
Christian stood up. “And?”
“It makes no sense to do it. Whatever I take will weaken her, and no matter what, it won’t be enough to remove it all. Viktor expressed his concern about sharing—”
“Then don’t. Finish up your magic show. I have to pull my bike out of the back windshield of that fecking car before Viktor drives it to the junkyard.”
I gripped Christian’s pinky finger, pulling it toward me. “I’m not asking for a lobotomy. Maybe it doesn’t make sense, but neither of you are the ones walking around with this poisonous light.Please.”
Christian stepped back and folded his arms.
I turned to Niko, my eyes pleading in vain to a blind man who couldn’t see my pained expression. “Can’t you see his dark light? I’m sick with it. I shouldn’t have taken it all; I made a mistake. His light is so spoiled that it’s crawling through my flesh like a nightmare. Normally I’m strong enough to tolerate it, but my own light is weak and he’s all that I feel. You won’t have to do this again, I swear.” I covered my face, tears battling against my lashes.
“Yes, Raven. I see him. Let me heal you first and then I’ll draw some of it out.”
* * *
Moments after Nikohad removed as much energy as my body would allow, I blacked out. He couldn’t specifically select one light over the other since they were mixed together, but at least it was just a little bit less than it was before.
I awoke in a dark room, my surroundings unfamiliar. The simple décor and arrangement told me this wasn’t my bedroom. The bed was in the same place with the door to my left, but the bathroom was on the opposite wall. I could make out the dark entrance to the left. A few flickering candles in the fireplace to my right drew my attention. I sat up, my fingers smoothing over a fur blanket, and noticed there weren’t any windows.
Light spilled beneath the door to my left, and I spotted a shadow leaning against the wall.
“Who’s there?”
“A Vampire,” he whispered back.
When I recognized Christian’s voice, I swung my feet onto the floor and waited for my Vampire eyes to adjust to the dim light. As he came into view, I noticed blood smeared across his chest.
My blood.
Not much time had passed.
“Whose room is this?”
“Mine,” he replied in a velvety voice.
