died in his arms.
My eyes closed, and the promise of escape drew near. The sound of my sister’s sobs was especially loud. I slipped further into the approaching black, finding release from the pain there. The voices grew distant.
The last thing I heard distinctly was Shya’s calm, disaffected tone. “There’s something I can do. You might not like it.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
I came awake with a scream. It echoed in the silence of the vast room. Disoriented and shaky, it took a moment for me to figure out where I was.
I was still inside Lilah’s house. In fact, I was inside her circle. Sprawled beside me with eyes open in terror lay a man with his throat slit. One of Lilah’s sacrificial humans, he was dead.
My breath came too hard and fast. I hyperventilated as a series of broken images flashed through my brain. Lena, Raoul, my parents. I had seen them in my dreams as I hovered between life and death. Nothing coherent had lingered.
“Calm down, Alexa. One breath at a time.” Shya’s voice startled me, and I turned to find him standing at the head of the pentagram.
I reached to touch my battered face and disheveled hair. I was solid, real and alive. No vampire fangs.
“What happened?” My voice cracked. My throat was sore and dry.
Arys’s t-shirt covered me like a small blanket. I cast a glance about, seeking him. He crouched near the sunken circle, watching me with a fear in his blue gaze that I’d never seen before.
“What does it look like?” Shya looked especially pleased with himself. “I gave you an extension on that fragile mortal life you so desperately cling to.”
I gaped at the body beside me. The circle, a sacrifice, I quickly pieced it together. The demon had exchanged another life for mine. What an ugly realization.
“But, why?” I asked no one in particular.
“Because, sweetheart.” Shya extended a hand as if to help me up. “This world isn’t yet ready for you to walk as a vampire.”
I looked uncertainly to Arys. The room was empty save the three of us. I had so many questions. Where was my sister?
Arys bent to gather the clothing I had shed before the shift. That’s when I saw the big black dragon etched into his back, its wings flared and tail disappearing beneath the hip of his jeans. Shock exploded through me, and I leaped at Shya with a venomous rage.
“What did you do to him?” I shrieked, slashing his face with clawed fingertips. “What the fuck did you do?”
Shya caught hold of my arm and threw me down at his feet. Standing over me with ebony wings spread wide, an inky swell of demon power oozed from him.
“I did what I do best. You are useless to me if you die before I find the scroll. Trust me, wolf, you don’t want to be useless.” His eyes flashed brighter red, the snake-like pupils shrunk to the tiniest slits. “Consider this a warning for sneaking around, talking to FPA agents. Be grateful. I let you live.”
“What?” I shook my head, trying to understand. “I was never sneaking around.”
Shya shoved me away and spun on his heel. “I’ll let the two of you talk. Nice job tonight. You did well, all things considered.” With that, he exited the room with a flap of wings. The faint scent of sulfur lingered in his place.
Arys pulled me into his embrace and just held me until I couldn’t take it anymore. Something had happened while I was unconscious. I needed to know what it was.
“Tell me,” I whispered against his bare chest.
“Shya doesn’t trust us, Lex. He wasn’t going to save you. As much as he needs you, he said he could do without. Find another way. I had to make him a promise.”
I drew back to meet his gaze. A sinking sensation swallowed me whole. “Oh, Arys, you didn’t.”
“In exchange for your life, I had to agree to turn Gabriel. When it’s done, he removes the mark.” There was such anguish in Arys. It radiated from him in powerful waves.
“He lied, Arys.” I took my clothes from him, passing back his shirt. I felt ill. “He wouldn’t have let me die. I know it. That’s what they do. Goddamn demons. They are deceivers.”
“I couldn’t take that chance. I was watching you die.” He turned away and rubbed his eyes. The dragon burnt into his flesh mocked me. I didn’t think I could hate anyone more than I hated Shya.
I got dressed, noting