around him like a halo, though this was no heavenly creature. He gripped my ankle and dragged me down to him.
He was each-uisge, an Unseelie creature who was easy to mistake for a kelpie but was infinitely more dangerous because he often shifted forms. If his normal horse form didn’t work, he could give himself hands and feet, as he had now. He pulled me down to face him and I realized we weren’t alone. The Gwragedd Annwn had joined him and they surrounded me, forming a circle I couldn’t break through even if I did manage to get away from the each-uisge.
He shifted his grip to my arms. My hair floated around, swaying at the edge of my vision. I couldn’t breathe. I’d managed to hold my breath this time, but I couldn’t for much longer. My lungs were tight, desperate to take a long gulp of air that did not exist here. My strength was waning, and I wondered what had happened to the vampire. I hadn’t liked the possessive way he’d looked at me, but I had to admit something about him pulled me in.
He’d been so beautiful, a bit like the dark lover who haunted my dreams from time to time. I’d never seen his face, only knew how it felt to be held by him, how safe I’d been in his arms. I wanted to see him again. Especially if this was the end of me.
It was odd. There were times when I’d longed for this, believed beyond a shadow of a doubt that I deserved this. But I couldn’t stop fighting. I couldn’t let go even when I knew in the back of my mind that it might be better for everyone.
Except my parents were out there according to the people I’d just met. According to Marcus they were out there and they wanted me. I was a child in that moment despite everything I’d done. I was a child who wanted so badly to see her mother and father, to have people who were truly mine, to not be alone in all the worlds.
So I fought with everything I had. I fought with my human strength, but it was waning quickly. Every second that passed, my lungs ached and the instinct was right there to take a breath, one that would fill my lungs with water. My brain had started to go fuzzy.
The each-uisge, pulled me in, one hand tangling in my hair, and I couldn’t fight back as he pressed his lips to mine. He sealed his mouth over mine, his thumbs pressing on my jaw so I couldn’t keep him out. Our bodies brushed against each other and I wished he was Marcus. If this was my last moment, I wanted to feel that vampire again.
Air. He gave me air. It flowed from his lungs into mine and I could suddenly think again.
And move. I pushed away, but arms pressed me from behind, the females holding me still for the male. I fought but I couldn’t win against those arms, couldn’t gain purchase with my feet because I was in a place so foreign I might as well have been taken to the stars.
He reached a hand out for my throat and I thought he would tear it open and feed from my blood. I waited for the stroke that would end my life, but he merely touched the charm, studying it before trying to tug it off. He pulled at the charm connected to the chain. It was made from purest silver and had been forged by a magician, used to keep and hold the magic that made up my soul. He tugged at it and I felt it pull at my neck. If I hadn’t been under water, I would have told the male that it was useless. I’d known when I’d placed the charm around my neck that I would never take it off. The only way it could be removed was my death, and then the risk I posed would be ended and the charm would have no power.
I shook my head because I couldn’t give him the words. If he thought he could steal my magic, he was wrong.
I’d made sure no one could take that magic. I’d done enough evil with it. I didn’t need to see what someone else could do if they took the magic from me. I intended to take it with me when I went.