“You want to get better, right? Not have to deal with the pain? Well, at this moment, only mage blood can help you with this situation, and I’m the only one available for miles.” She closed her eyes and shook her head, about to tell me no again, when I sighed at her stubbornness. “Rayla, just drink. Count it as one ally helping another. Nothing more, nothing less.” I hesitated before I added, “Plus, we don’t want to carry you home and your father get mad at us.” Mentioning her father caused her to groan, and her body slumped in defeat, then I smirked as I had learned a weakness in her armor. She either didn’t want to disappoint her father or didn’t want him knowing about a situation like this. Either was a win for me.
Another tremor took over her body, and I pushed my forearm harder against her fangs, almost piercing my skin myself. “Drink, Rayla. It’s fine.”
“I... I’m sorry,” she whispered along my skin, sending a shiver up and down my spine, but I kept my arm firm. If I showed her any hesitation, I knew she would back away.
As her fangs pierced my skin, I let out a slow breath, expecting the pain from her fangs. Although I have never been bitten by a vampire, I knew the mechanics and anticipated what it would feel like. As soon as she took her first draw, I knew that everything I read only scratched the surface.
My whole body lit up. Every cell in me felt like it was being touched by her, caressed by her. A soul-searing pleasure raced through me, and I couldn’t help the low moan that spilled from my lips. This felt amazing, electrifying, life-changing.
Was I going to become addicted to this? Is this how it felt whenever any vampire bit you? Somehow, I knew the answer to that last question was no. There was no way that would be the case, otherwise, there would always be an entourage of people following vampires around.
Each pull of my blood felt like a mini-orgasm coursing through my body. My brain was turning into mush as all three elements hummed beneath my skin, wanting to burst out of me. I couldn’t think about the equation I made this morning or what I ate for dinner. What day was it? How long have I been like this? Hours? Days? I was finding it hard to care when it all felt so euphoric.
“Falcon? Are you okay?” Her voice split through the fog my mind was in, waking me like I had been in a deep, coma-like slumber and was opening my eyes for the first time. Her eyes were free from the pain, and a drop of my blood laid at the corner of her mouth. I took my thumb and slowly wiped it away as I was mesmerized by that single drop. It was oddly erotic.
A gust of air ran up my spine as Cosmo appeared next to me, barking out, “Rayla! Give her to me!” His arms were out, demanding me to hand her over to him. Threats of violence and death swirled in his eyes as he glared at me like this whole thing was my fault. His eyes flicked to my forearm with two holes in it. His nostrils flared as his body shook. Before he could start yelling, Rayla swiped her tongue over the holes, closing them up, and then climbed out of my arms.
I instantly missed her. A deep longing in my heart appeared as she got up and dusted herself off. She turned around and held out a hand to me, ignoring Cosmo as she smiled. “Thank you, Falcon. It was your quick thinking that got me out of that magical mess.”
I grabbed her outstretched hand, letting her help me up now that she was better. Her genuine smile disarmed me, and I didn’t know what to do other than follow her lead. She had thanked me, and that made my pride swell.
“No problem,” I rushed out. Then glared at Cosmo as I said, “I was just helping out a fellow ally in a time of need.” While it was a logical reason for everything, I knew deep down it was a lie, but I didn’t have the guts to face the truth just yet. I needed to think about it. Research it before I felt confident.
“RayRay!” Rick blurred between all of us, tackling Rayla into a bear hug. Jogging behind him were Ax and Avery, calling out her name.
Cosmo narrowed his eyes on me. I didn’t miss the bulge of his neck vein or his clenched fists, but when Rayla put her hand on his shoulder, his whole body relaxed. “Cosmo, even with all of our training, I have never felt fae magic like that before. It was like it completely took over... everything.” Her eyes widened as she remembered whatever he had shown her, and fear flashed in her eyes before she could cover it up.
The fuck? Rayla wasn’t scared of anything. I glanced at Cosmo, who had the same look as me. Confused and furious. I took in Breken’s broken body and wished he was alive so I could switch between burning him and choking him to death, making it long and painful just for the satisfaction of retaliation. I wanted him to fear for his life.
I walked toward Breken’s body, confirming what I already knew as I bent down and got a closer look at the navy liquid around his mouth. “It’s Gathein.” Avery’s eyes flared.
“Fucking asshole!” Avery cursed as he stomped his way next to me and confirmed with his own eyes I was right. He got up and kicked the dead body as he whispered, “Good fucking riddance.”
Like he just remembered something, he faced Rayla with his head tilted and eyes narrowed. “How did you get out of it?”
Rayla’s eyes furrowed as she looked at Breken. “What is Gathein?”
Avery took a deep breath as he stuck his hands in his pockets. “It’s an Old World Fae sustenance that would amplify a fae’s magic temporarily. The cost was usually great, taking off years of the user’s life, but if you were in a bad situation, it would save your life. It was only made in small batches back in the Fae lands, so only those that came from the old land had the possibility to have it, but it was so rare, only a handful of fae were able to smuggle it across.” He scowled down at Breken like he wanted to slice him into pieces as he added, “It’s very rare that the victim ever survives the magical assault. Especially if his magic was geared for the mind.”
Rayla took a deep, shaky breath as she absorbed the information. Ax slid up next to her, crossing his arms as if his big, brooding self was silently telling us he would guard her from now on. Cosmo rolled his eyes before he grabbed Rayla’s hand, pulling her attention toward him.
“Ray, how did you get out of it?” His voice was calm and soothing, like he knew demanding her to speak would produce the opposite results.
Her brows furrowed like she was trying to remember something until she gasped, and her eyes widened. She turned around, looking behind and around us, and her eyes lit up in excitement.
“Lex? Lex, where are you?” We all froze.
Was she talking about...No. He was gone. Most likely dead. There was no way... Then I remembered I saw two figures at the end of the alley for a second. That it was only a flash of a moment before it was only one figure, but I could’ve sworn... .
“Rayla, what are you saying?” Rick asked as he pulled on her shoulders, stopping her from searching.
“Lex,” she eagerly said. When we all stared at her, she straightened her shoulders and, with utter confidence, said, “Lex Devil is alive, and he saved my life.”
Well, shit. Was there another heir out there? If so, why has he not come forward? Where has he been all this time? Rayla’s eyes shone with eagerness and determination, but I couldn’t help but wonder why he saved Rayla. What did he want from her?
Chapter 2
1Even though I felt much better, thanks to Falcon’s blood, the guys wouldn’t let me drive my bike home. It made no sense. There was not any room in that damn car for me. I tried to convince Cosmo it had to have a weight limit and putting me in there would tip the scales, but they weren’t having it.
