His face contorts, shifting from one to the next like a slot machine in Vegas. Worthless scum.
“He’s not going to tell us anything,” I say. “Foxx’s men are too loyal to him.”
“Agreed. Foxx will be long gone by now, anyway,” Sage adds. “Finish him so we can help Ev.”
Without a second thought, Kaine tightens the rope, severing the man’s head from his body. They both fall to the ground with a dull thud.
I stare down at it for about two seconds before casting a ball of fire at his ankles. It’s the only dry place on his body, but it’s all I need. He burns slowly, the water hissing as it evaporates against melting skin. Within a minute, the vampire is nothing more than a pile of ash.
I turn my back on him, sinking to my knees beside Evan again. He hasn’t changed.
Red is still pouring his healing magic into the wound, but his expression is grim. “He’s barely hanging on, Jer. I’m doing the best I can, but if the paramedics don’t get here soon—”
“Don’t say it.” I bite into my wrist again, giving Evan more blood as I carefully pull him into my lap. His head rolls to the side, mouth agape. God, he looks so weak. So pale. If I didn’t hear his faint heartbeat with my own ears, I would’ve thought we were too late.
We still might be.
I clutch him to my chest, a broken sob escaping me as I tuck my face against his. “Please don’t go, baby,” I say, kissing his cold, lifeless lips. “I need you.”
After years of loving Evan and never believing it was possible for him to love me back, thiscan’tbe how it ends. This can’t be how Evan dies—at the hand of someone who wasn’t even my sire. His death would be for nothing—a waste in this ridiculous war. Foxx is still out there, still going to hurt innocent people.
Evancan’tdie.
So many memories flash before my eyes—from our hikes in the mountains to the first time I saw him on our college campus. He captured my attention immediately with his easy smile and warm laugh. And the first time we spoke, it was like he reached directly into my heart, touching me in a way no one ever had.
Evan helped me feel alive again after walking around numb for so long. I had been grieving my family for years, feeling lost and alone… and then he came in and poured his life into me like a warm blanket. He taught me how to laugh again, gave me the motivation to pick up a pencil again. Evan became my best friend instantly, and through the years, he became so much more.
I was in love with him long before I ever realized it.
“I love you,” I whisper.
Tears sear my skin in rivulets down my cheeks. I clutch his shirt, struggling to breathe through the pain. “You hear that?” I shake him. “I fuckingloveyou Evan, so don’t you leave me!”
Footsteps sound nearby, and I vaguely hear paramedics surveying the scene. I ignore them, still holding Evan to my chest. I can’t let him go. If I do, I might never get him back.
“Sir, we’re here to help,” someone says, tapping my shoulder.
I whirl around, baring my fangs at the woman who dared touch me. She steps back, throwing her arms up.
“Holy shit,” Sage says, stepping closer.
Red gasps, leaning in. “Jericho, look!”
I wipe my eyes, trying to see what has them so excited through the blurry vision. Shock and confusion swirl within. “How…”
I lift my gaze to Red. “You?”
He shakes his head, almost laughing with relief. “Your tears.”
“My… what?”
“Your phoenix tears,” he clarifies. “The tears of a phoenix have healing powers.”
I look back down, realizing with a start that he’s right. My tears still glisten against Evan’s skin, covering the wound almost completely. The gaping wound had been too severe to close when we first arrived, yet now it is stitching itself closed. Not perfectly, but enough to stop the bleeding.
I did that?
“Sir,” the paramedic tries again.
