Hearts At Stake - By Alyxandra Harvey Page 0,53

of lace and ribbon. I’d know those black petticoats anywhere, and the silk corset and jet beads. “Aunt Hyacinth,” I called out, crawling closer, tearing ferns out of my way. “Aunt Hyacinth, hold on, hold on.”

She was lying on her back, her arm thrown over her face. Her arm from elbow to wrist and the entire left side of her face were blistered and raw. Only her age and the thick shadows of the valley had saved her from the full impact of the sun. Even so, she wasn’t moving, wasn’t responding at all. I hovered over her, not wanting to touch her in case it caused her more pain.

“Is she . . .” Kieran’s question trailed off as he came up behind me, panting for breath.

“I think she’s still alive so to speak,” I said, swallowing the lump of fear and grief forming in my throat. “She’s my aunt.” I could practically see bone under the ruin of her cheek. Sunlight alone wouldn’t have done that kind of damage. I scowled.

“Holy water,” I said through my teeth. “Holy water” was what we called the water Helios-Ra used as a weapon. They charged it with UV rays and vitamin D because we were deathly allergic to it in such concentrated form. “Someone threw holy water on her and then pushed her down the hill. The Helios-Ra use holy water, don’t they?” I pressed.

“Solange,” he said softly, tightly.

“Don’t they?” I yelled.

He nodded once, jerkily. “Sometimes.”

“Still so sure your league is totally blameless in everything? Look at her!”

“I’m sorry. I know what it’s like to lose family. My father was killed by vampires, remember?”

“I haven’t lost her yet,” I said grimly, pulling the thick chain out from under my dress. The liquid inside was deep, dark.

“What is that?” Kieran demanded.

“Blood,” I said, not looking away from Aunt Hyacinth. I’d never seen her look so frail, so still. It wasn’t fair. She’d been hunted because of me, because of the damn bounty on my head. She’d have been safely at home drinking Earl Grey tea or critiquing Lucy’s curtsy if it wasn’t for me.

“Ancient blood,” I explained. “From Veronique Dubois, our matriarch. It has healing properties for anyone of her lineage. I’d give her my blood, but it’s tainted right now because of the change.”

I didn’t mention that my vial held only a single dose, meant to give me an edge even if someone was there to help turn me on my birthday. And no one would be.

I’d see to that.

But first I had to save Aunt Hyacinth. I used my thumbnail to lift the lid, the hinge sticking slightly.

“Hold on, Aunt Hyacinth,” I pleaded. “Please hold on. Please, please hold on.”

I held the vial to her mouth and tipped it slowly. Blood welled over her lips, filling the crease until it trickled through her teeth and down her chin. She was so pale, nearly blue as her veins struggled to accept the only substance that could save her. Her throat moved slowly, spasmodically.

“She swallowed!” I nearly wept with relief. I held the vial over her mouth until she couldn’t swallow anymore. She still didn’t open her eyes, didn’t talk. But she looked less like she was about to turn to dust. “It’s all I can do,” I said, letting the chain fall from my fingers. “She needs more, but she’s too weak to finish the rest right now. I’ll leave the vial with her so that someone can use it to keep her alive if they find her soon enough to revive her.”

I rifled through her reticule until I found her cell phone. It had turned itself off when she’d fallen and the plastic was cracked, the screen flickering blue when I finally managed to turn it on. I pressed the code to activate the GPS chip. We weren’t that far from the farmhouse. Someone would find her in time.

But I couldn’t let them find me.

My brothers had nearly been captured and my aunt was hurt, all because of me. I couldn’t bear it if she died or my parents were killed fighting to save me. And Lucy would jump in over her head if she thought it would save me. Even Kieran was putting himself in danger for me and going against his training. I couldn’t let any of them sacrifice themselves for me. I just couldn’t.

They all wanted to save me, but I just wanted to save them.

And there was only one way to do that. I’d always known it,