Lucas was instantly pissed and never even thought about what he did. Whatever small gift the woman had, Lucas focused on it and then thought about erasing it, as if he was standing in front of a chalkboard.
The woman screamed, getting louder as Lucas kept erasing.
Someone opened a door, probably alerted to the noise. Lucas didn’t even think twice. He stopped the guy in his tracks, quite literally. He was just about to fix Sage’s leg, but he noticed it straightening out, asif it was mending itself. Lucas wasn’t sure how it was possible, because it wasn’t him fixing Sage.
The woman stopped yelling and Lucas knew her mind was broken. He didn’t have time to think about her, though, or about how Sage’s leg was normal again. He crouched next to Sage. “Are you okay?”
Sage nodded.
“My voice is normal. How?” Shawn said. “What the fuck is happening right now?”
Maybe taking away the woman’s powers also erased every curse she ever put on anyone.
“Do you think you can shift and get the key from that guy? I won’t be able to hold him much longer,” Lucas said, ignoring Shawn.
Sage shifted immediately. His clothing fell to the floor. He slithered out from under his bloody jeans and through the slats of the door. His little black head turned to Lucas. Lucas smiled at him in encouragement. He really was rather pretty as a snake He was all black with green stripes running down his back. Lucas watched as Sage shifted to his human form, grabbing the keys.
Blood smeared across Sage’s naked ass and Lucas wanted to cry for him. Instead, he sucked in the tears and gathered up his clothes.
The vampire struggled against Lucas’ influence. Lucas could feel him in his mind, seeing the guy’s lust for blood. He had a hunger for killing. He also knew what he’d done to Sage.
Sage’s hands shook as he grabbed the keys from the vampire’s pocket. Sage ran back to him quickly and fumbled with the keys in the lock for several seconds. Lucas touched his hand, stilling it. Tears gathered in his eyes.
“He won’t be able to hurt you or anyone else ever again. None of them will when I get done.” Lucas meant every word because Sage needed him to forget his own fear and exact justice.
It didn’t escape Lucas’ notice that Sage could have slithered out of the cell long before now. Lucas had been a dick to him at the café and still Sage had his back, quite literally as it turned out.
Sage finally got the key into the lock and Lucas pulled his hand away. The door opened and Lucas stepped out, handing Sage his clothing.
He heeded Bennett’s warning about not draining himself and decided to do to the vampire what he’d done to the crazy lady who seemed to curse every single person she came into contact with. He stood in front of that chalkboard again and began erasing the vampire from the man. It took longer, because vampires were closer to human and that made it harder to separate the parts that made him a vampire. Lucas hesitated when he felt life leave the vampire. His skin wrinkled as if his time on earth was catching up with him all at once. Then Lucas thought about what he had done to Sage and he kept erasing.
“Holy shit. What is happening to that guy?” Shawn said from directly behind him.
“Lucas is happening to that guy,” Sage answered.
Lucas finished erasing the vampire until he turned to ash. Erasing took longer, but he exuded a lot less energy.
Lucas turned to them then and Shawn shied away from him when Lucas tried to hug him.
“What the fuck are you?” Shawn asked.
“I’m a witch. You know what I am, Shawn. You knew even before I did. I’m not going to hurt you.” Lucas pleaded with Shawn. He missed his friend and just wanted to know he was real. Lucas sighed and turned back around. “Let’s go.”
I’m out of that stupid cage.
We’re ten minutes out.
I don’t know if I can get us out of the house in one piece. There’s a lot of vampires in this place. I sense a shifter too. I think he’s held prisoner somewhere.
Are you sure?
Not one hundred percent, no. I feel someone, though. We can’t leave him to these people.
He hated to admit that but killing all these people would drain his energy way too fast.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Lucas expected the vampires to have locked the door, but they hadn’t. He pulled it open as quietly as he could and held his breath, counting to three before he stuck his head out. When he didn’t see anyone, he inhaled again.
