My heart tripped in my chest, and I risked a glance behind me to make certain that he was okay. The vampires had managed to grab his spear, and one mangy-haired enemy had dug the sharp end into Lugh’s shoulder. Blood poured from the wound, splashing onto Lugh’s darkshirt.
I jolted, forgetting about the attackers now surrounding me. I had to get to Lugh. I had to knock that vampire away from him. Despite the prophecy, a real, deep fear went through my gut. Lugh was surrounded. He didn’t have his weapon. What if he died heretonight?
Tears burned in my eyes. With a roar, I sprang toward him, my feet pounding hard against the carpet of grass. I reached him within an instant and slammed my fist into the vampire’s head. The creature stumbled back, letting go of the spear. It was just enough of a break in the fight for me to grab the end of the spear and yank it out of Lugh’sskin.
Another enemy loomed over Lugh’s shoulder. I curled my hand tight around the shaft and shoved the spear’s end into the vampire’s eye. Blood spurted into myface.
I let go of the shaft, stumbling back as I wiped the stinging goo out of my vision. Another bony hand grabbed me again. And then another. I couldn’t see them, but I could certainly hear them. It was a chorus of screams and gleeful cries of rage. The sound rose up around me like thunder, complete with the pounding drums in the form of chargingfeet.
Something heavy slammed into my body once again, and I fell back onto the grass. My head hit the ground. Now, I couldn’t hear. Hell, I could barely think. There were so many of them. They squatted on my chest. Sharp stabs went through my neck once again, and all the life felt as if it were flowing right out ofme.
Distantly, I understood exactly what was happening. We’d been swarmed. By dozens upon dozens of them. They were feeding on me. Hungry, rabid, desperate for my blood. They would drink me dry. Too wild to comprehend the need to stop, they would feed until there was nothing left of me but the timid pulsing of a heart that had no blood to keep it going anylonger.
I tried to fight them off, but my body was far too weak. They’d already drank so much of me. The world seemed to tip to the side, and a strange light flickered in a distant corner of my mind. I was leaving the world. It was slipping away fromme.
I was going to diehere.
The vampires were going to make sure I didn’tsurvive.
And I would never seen my mateagain.
10
Ipried open my eyes.Everything hurt. My lungs, my skin, my very bones. I felt as though I’d been smashed to bits by a lorry, ten times over, and then burnt to a crisp. Needless to say, those vampires had done a number onme.
Lugh’s face was the first thing I saw. He leaned over me, his dark hair falling into his eyes. I reached up and traced my finger along his strong jaw, wincing when a new wave of pain crashed into every single one of mybones.
“Ouch,” I whispered, throat raw. “Whathappened?”
“The vampires. There were at least a hundred ofthem.”
Groaning, I tried to make sense of it. We’d been surrounded. I’d fallen prey to their fangs. Truly, I should have been dead. “How...how did wesurvive?”
“When we first got to Craigmillar Castle, I sent out an alert to the rest of the team. Something felt off, particularly with that sorcerer who calls herself a witch.” He let out a low growl. “The team showed up just in time to fight the vamps. There were enough of us to scare them off, and we got you back to the healers in time to save yourlife.”
“Ah.” I sighed and sank lower into the cloud-like pillows. “So, I wasuseless.”
“There were too many of them for us to take on alone.” His eyes narrowed. “I will make them pay for what they did to you. I will rain down fire from the skies. Iwill—”
“Lugh,” I said, hoarsely, pressing a finger to his lips. “Don’t become all nightmare wraith on me now. I’m okay.See?”
I tried to push up from the mound of pillows behind my head. But as soon as I was barely forty-five degrees upright, exhaustion swept over me. I fell back onto the pillows,puffing.
“You are not alright,” he said in a growl. “They have gone too far this time. The vampires of this city grow toostrong.”
“Ask Clark to send help.” I gave him a faint smile, knowing his answer before he spoke it. “The Raven Court has plenty of warriors willing to fight some out-of-control vamps, especially ones willing to team up with a fae trying to take down thiscity.”
His jaw flickered as he ground his teeth. “I will not ask your Queen forhelp.”
It was a familiar argument by this point. Lugh was convinced that asking for Clark’s help would be demonstrating a weakness he couldn’t afford to show. As King, he believed that he and he alone should take care of his people, of his city. In truth, that might have been the way of the world once, but it wasn’t anymore. Clark would help. She wouldn’t demand fealty. But Lugh didn’t know how to reconcile her modern rule with his ancientmind.
“At least we got a location for the spear guy,” I said, wincing again. Even talkinghurt.
“If Jezebel was even speaking the truth,” hesaid.
“She was,” I replied. “She ran when the vamps showed up. Pretty sure she had nothing to do with that attack. They probably followed us to the castle from OldTown.”
His expression softened as I huffed out the last few words. “You shouldn’t worry about this right now. After what you’ve been through, you need to rest. We’ll take care of the situation. The team and I are going to A Knight’s End to finish this once and forall.”
