And even if not, I’m not about to let anyone hurt him, least of all a high fae who thinks she can prey on vampires to take power that doesn’t belong to her. Should never belong to her.
I race out the door and onto the street. The sun is dropping low, shadows lengthening. I take a breath and break into a run.
Chapter Thirty
Vladimir
IfeelsomethingfromGrant.I do not know what, and I do not dare examine the bond too closely for fear of drawing Eirian’s attention to it. Of course I am certain she knows it is there—she is high fae, after all. What I do not want is for her to attempt to capture Grant and use him as leverage. He would be far more effective bait than Rachel.
Not that I want her to die. I do not want to bite her, kill her, turn her. That is not the way of things, and it is clearly not something she wants, either. What if she does not even end up with the same powers as Grant? What if Eirian attempts to give her even more magic and kills her?
“I’m waiting,” Eirian says, eyes flinty. She has not looked away from me the entire time. The puca pushes Rachel into the centre of the room, then to her knees. She still has a knife to Rachel’s throat.
“This will not help you take the throne.”
“Of course it will.”
It cannot. When the queen dies, there are heirs to take her place. I do not like Eirian’s chances against them. I do not know them, but they must be powerful to have those roles in the first place. And should they fall or fail to take their rightful seats, there is a court full of fae who are power-hungry, which is to say nothing of the Seelie, who have been waiting for the end of Unseelie rule for centuries.
“I did not ask your opinion, anyway,” Eirian says. The puca steps aside when she approaches and Eirian grabs Rachel’s hair, forcing her head back. “You will turn her, or she will die.”
I see the knife in Eirian’s hand too late. The blade is black stone, and when it sinks into Rachel’s side, she lets out a pained cry. Eirian does not remove the blade. She lets go and wraps her free hand around Rachel’s throat.
“I don’t want her to die,” she says, looking at me, “but I will remove the blade if you continue to refuse. How long is it that humans last without all that blood? Not long at all, surely.”
Not long enough, no. The scent of it has already flooded my senses, though I am least certain I can keep any bloodlust under control. The sun is beginning to go down, but we will not last long enough. By the time they all realise I have not joined them, it will be too late.
Unless Grant has noticed something already. Though, considering what I felt from him a few minutes ago, I think that unlikely. He has his own fight. I have mine.
The trouble is that there are two of them, Eirian is far more powerful than I could hope to be, and Rachel is more of a liability than anything else right now. I cannot get her to freedom without risking the sun.
Should I do that? Can I get her somewhere safe, even if it kills me? I know Grant will be—I do not want to do this to him. But I do not want to turn his cousin, either.
“Come, now,” Eirian coos. She slides her thumb down Rachel’s jaw, then lets go of her completely. Rachel slumps forward, softly crying. Eirian steps around her and approaches me.
She is not as tall as I am and slender, but there is no denying she holds all the power in the room. Shadows spread around the puca, her eyes darkening as she prepares to drop her glamour. They both know I will fight. They are both prepared for that.
“It’s not just her I’ll kill,” Eirian murmurs. “I will find all the other friends you have here, all the other little members of Iagan’s club, and I’ll kill them one by one until you turn someone for me. It really is a simple choice. Turn her, and I’ll let them live.”
She can’t lie. She’ll letthemlive. But not me. Not even Rachel, should Rachel prove not to be the obedient pet she truly wishes for.
What else can I do? Rachel’s breaths are growing shallower, her face pale. Turning her will at least buy us more time.
I swallow a growl. I will turn her. I will kill the puca. I will… However I deal with Eirian, I will ensure it is done. Rachel will be safe from both of them because Eirian needs her.
I crouch down. “Rachel?”
Her eyes flick to my face. They’re too wide and too dark and for the first time, I truly see the familial connection between her andGrant. It hits me hard, almost a physical punch, and I clench my teeth together because I will not have her die here.
“No, please,” she murmurs, shaking her head. “I don’t want it.”
Eirian chuckles condescendingly. “You’ll die.”
Rachel glares up at her. Her hand closes around the hilt of the dagger, and Eirian’s eyes widen, and the puca shifts on her feet, but they’re not going to be fast enough, either of them.
“Let me die, then,” she says and pulls the dagger from her side, then tosses it across the floor, where it shatters into gleaming black pieces.
Eirian shouts, and shadows fill the room, and when Rachel sways to one side, I tackle the puca and bring her to the ground. I need to get her before she can entirely shift out of her glamour, but her magic pushes back against mine and when she kicks me in the stomach, I roll away with a gasp.
