Page 79 of Peacemaker

I grabbed the master’s arm and pulled him around to face me, taking his stare off Jamie and Al.

I ran my thumb over his lips, catching the pad on one of his sharp fangs. His nostrils flared at the scent of the blood that beaded on my skin, and I eased my thumb into his mouth. “There is a much more important fight ahead and it doesn’t matter who freed the rifters. Jamie Stone is the reason your vampires are coming back to you.”

He watched me, flicking his tongue over the tiny wound, pulling the taste of my blood into his mouth, into his brain. Finally, he smiled and let my thumb slip from between his lips. “Of course, my love.”

“Get Jamie out of here,” Angus told Alejandro.

“Like taming a wild beast,” Shane said. “Wave some bloody meat under its nose, and you own it.” When Amias shot him a narrow-eyed glare, he shrugged.

Al hurried Jamie from the way station. When he returned to fight, he would leave Jamie at home. “Why did he bring Jamie?” I wondered aloud. “He knew it’d be dangerous.” I glanced at Amias. “Lucky for him you only flashed the lights instead of putting him through a wall.”

Amias lifted an eyebrow. “My power didn’t flash the lights, Trinity. The witch’s did.”

“What? He’s not powerful enough for that.”

“That’s why his master brought him here. He wanted him to absorb the power of the way station. The power of us.”

“Jamie’s ability started to awaken when he used it for his mother,” Leo said. “Alejandro wants to help strengthen it.”

“Yes,” Amias agreed.

I frowned. “Jamie needs a teacher, then. Not a human dominant.”

“Alejandro will handle it,” Rhys assured me. “Don’t worry about Jamie.”

“We need the last two ingredients,” Jin said. “We must finish the potion.”

Amias pulled a tiny wrapped bundle from his pocket and gave it to the impatient Jikininki. “Now the blood,” Jin said. He pulled a small knife from his pocket. “I will take it.”

“No,” Amias said. “I will.”

Jin pursed his lips. “It belongs in the vessel, not in your mouth.”

“I know where it belongs,” Amias said dryly. “I can make it feel good. She would prefer pleasure over pain.”

“Not always,” Shane said, offering me a wink.

Angus sighed. “Somebody get the fucking blood.”

I strode forward, grabbed the blade from Jin, and dragged it over my palm. “There you go.”

The men gathered around as my blood dripped into the vessel. The instant it hit the other ingredients, they began to smoke, then to melt, and finally, to combine with the blood in a thick, boiling soup.

Jin stirred enthusiastically, lips tight, jaw clenched, eyes bright, and I wondered if he might try to steal a taste if he got a chance.

“That is all we need,” Jin told me. “Tend your wound.”

Clayton walked with me to the sink, where he gently washed the blood from between my fingers, then pressed a cloth to the wound. “It doesn’t want to stop bleeding.”

“I will stop it,” Amias said. He took my hand from Clayton, and my breath caught as he ran his tongue over the wound. It sealed with a hiss and a quick, cold burn, but he didn’t release my hand. He kissed my fingers, not taking his stare from mine.

“The beauty of you shines from your eyes,” he said quietly. “Even without our bond, I would have loved you.”

There was something new in the master’s eyes. Something enticing. Not vampire allure, but pure seductive male heat.

But still, the sadness remained. Sadness for me.

When I returned to the table and peered into the pot, I saw that the soup had become a thick, somewhat fluffy mass that resembled dark red clay. Jin broke off pieces and handed each of us a chunk. “You have only to pinch off a small piece and fling it at a demon. It will stick to him and will be impossible for him to detach. He will not trouble you further. Store it somewhere safe, and carry a small amount with you always. You will need it at unexpected times.”