Christian gave me a wolfish grin. “I know that, Precious. I meantafter.”
Viktor cupped my face in his hands. “You brought down the wall?”
I nodded.
His hands rested on my shoulders. “I always knew you were more than a killer. When we first met, you did not have a pot to piss in. Now look at how far you’ve come.”
My lips twitched, but I was too overwhelmed to smile. “I don’t know if I can break this curse, but we’re going to try. Christian’s going to charm him, but I don’t know how to wield this power. It’s stronger than anything I’ve ever known. I need time.”
“How long until it leaves your body?”
“Usually twenty-four hours. But…”
“But what?”
“I can keep it, Viktor.”
His eyes narrowed. “And how will you do this?”
I stepped back and touched my neck, uncertain how he would react. “We find an Infuser and seal it to my light.”
Christian surged forward. “Raven, no.”
“It’ll buy us the time we need. What if I do this and kill everyone? I don’t understand this power. Maybe I need to practice.”
He shook his head. “It’s not yours. You don’t want that responsibility. You’ll be too powerful. Men will hunt you. If not to kill you, then to steal your light. It’s more than a gift now. It’s a weapon.”
“But don’t you see? I’ll be strong. I can make Keystone stronger. I’m just a half Mage, Christian. My powers have never been equal to others.”
“You’re also half-Vampire,” he reminded me. “And that means you can do what no other Mage can do. Learn to use what skills you have instead of thieving from others.” He cupped his hand around my nape. “You’re tenacious, have common sense, and don’t have a selfish bone in your body. Isn’t that strength enough? Which of those would you sacrifice to steal all this power? Do you think it will change you for the better?”
I imagined a life where I was this powerful all the time. No one could hurt me or the ones I loved. Christian could never understand this temptation. Maybe deep down, he was afraid of me possessing this much power. And by the look in Viktor’s eyes, I could see he was too.
“It’s not wrong,” I pressed, hoping they would see my side. “It’s not illegal. If you say it is, then you don’t fully support Mage gifts. Mine allows me to take power, and an Infuser was made to seal energy to core light. It’s who we are. The same way it is for Christian to drink someone’s blood or charm them for secrets.”
With his eyes downcast, Viktor folded his arms. “It is not my decision to make. I cannot forbid you from a natural gift. I would only warn you that you may no longer have a place at Keystone. We will have no choice but to reveal to the higher authority and Mageri what we did with Sparrow’s light. I cannot predict what they might think about you keeping it. But as Christian said, others will see you as a threat to their way of life, and that will bring much unwanted attention to Keystone. If that power places my people in jeopardy, I have no choice but to let you go.”
I understood the threat I would bring. People were afraid of unexplainable power, and they’d already seen what Sparrow could do. Would they trust that level of power in a rogue like me? Probably not. I wondered if the Mageri might take away my immortality as a punishment since they were in charge of Mage laws. I’d never officially gone to them to have my light measured, and to be honest, I still wasn’t confident they would allow me to live even without this newfound power. If Viktor wanted me out, he would swiss cheese my memories, and that might mean forgetting a lot of memories with Christian and even my father. Could I break the curse without practice? Did I have enough confidence in my abilities that I could pull it off without killing everyone in the process? No other power like this existed, and once it was gone, it would be gone forever. A heavy decision weighed on my shoulders, not one to be taken lightly. After all, this was my life—my future. And no one should have their life dictated by others.
Viktor rubbed his jaw. “Before we make any hasty decisions, let us gather the bodies. We cannot notify officials until we have the situation under control.” He broke off in Russian, but I could tell he was mainly mumbling to himself. “We would have to explain where Sparrow’s gifts are, and I am not ready to do that until we know if the curse can be broken. Christian, bring him inside and find a secure place where he cannot harm himself.”
“I have just the spot,” Christian said, dragging Sparrow by his collar.
CHAPTER29
By the time the sun had gone down, I had little energy left in me. We had spent the remainder of the day scouring the inside of Keystone, searching each and every room. After that, we dragged the dismembered Vampires and body parts out back. Not all of them were dead. The Shifters hunted the surrounding woods for runaways, but by sundown, there was no need.
Some of Sambah’s people volunteered to stay behind and help burn the bodies. Firewood was insufficient, but we had several felled trees from earlier in the year that Christian hadn’t yet chopped up. They were dry since we kept everything stacked in a sunny spot by the woodpile. While the Shifters dug a few pits, Christian dragged the trunks and large branches to the end of the meadow, and they got to work cutting them up to make the bonfires. Meanwhile, inside, Shepherd and Claude used large rolls of plastic to tape up broken windows to keep the snow out. Repairs would come later.
After a brief nap, I looked out my bedroom window at the fires burning in the darkness. Those who remained behind must have wanted closure for the packmates they had lost. Their fallen brethren were respectfully loaded onto pickup trucks and taken back to their homes for a proper burial. Without them, we would have all died. No question. Even with Gem’s energy balls, we couldn’t have taken on that many Vampires alone. Sparrow’s plan might have worked, and the civilized world as we knew it would have been flipped upside down.
A knock sounded at the door.
“Come in.” I looked over my shoulder.
When Viktor walked in, I crossed the room to greet him. We embraced, not typical for us, but we both felt the immeasurable loss of so many who had helped us.
“I spoke to your father. He is safe.”
