He dropped the bloody load, then looked around. This was the cave where Wu Shen had once taken him, J.L., Howard, Gregori, and Abigail Tucker prisoner. It was here that he’d met Darafer and the three vampire lords. And Master Han.
Han—short for Hankelburg? Russell recalled how the vampire lords had wanted to kill them. Master Han had stiffened after seeing Russell. Shock at seeing his brother on the opposing team? Han had quickly announced that Russell bore his mark. He’d kept his brother alive.
Russell sighed. He didn’t see how he could do the same. Most probably, Markos would have to die.
After teleporting back home, Russell showered and put on clean clothes. Jia was still dead. He looked at the clock on the microwave. Twenty-five minutes had passed.
He warmed up more blood and took small sips. His strength was coming back. But what about Jia? She’d lost so much blood. Wouldn’t she be weak when she woke up? She would need some good food.
“I’ll be right back,” he told her, then grabbed a tote bag and teleported to the kitchen in Zoltan’s castle.
What would be quick but healthy? He examined the contents of the refrigerator and spotted a Ziploc bag of sliced ham. He grabbed it and a package of sliced cheese. He tossed them into the tote bag, then stepped into the pantry. A loaf of bread, a bag of chips, some bananas, a jar of mixed nuts.
“Russell, what are you doing?” Howard’s voice called out. His footsteps were drawing close at a fast pace.
“What I always do. Steal.” Russell stuffed some paper plates into the bag. It was full now. “Later.”
“Wait!” Howard came to a halt at the pantry door. “I just heard the latest report. Rajiv is frantic. What happened to Jia?”
“She’s fine. I need to get back to her.”
Howard gave him a worried look. “Is it true what Xiao Fang told them? That Han is your brother?”
Russell’s jaw clenched. The news was out.
Howard grimaced. “Holy crap. What are—”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of him.”
“Listen, you’re not in this alone. Will you—”
Russell teleported back to the cave. The last thing he wanted to hear now was sympathy. He checked on Jia. Still dead.
He spread the food out on the table and soon had a paper plate stacked with four ham and cheese sandwiches. He was just opening the bag of potato chips when he heard a soft gasp.
Jia was waking to her second life.
Chapter Eighteen
Jia inhaled deeply as a feeling of euphoria swept through her. She was alive, but so much more alive than before. Every nerve seemed to tingle with heightened sensibility. Even the air she breathed was more refreshing.
She opened her eyes, and her vision was sharper. In spite of the dim light, she could see every crack and crevice in the rock ceiling overhead. Heat surged through her, igniting every muscle with extra strength and more flexibility. Her heart pounded so loud that it deafened her.
The tiger inside her growled, elated with the gift of more power. The heat increased, simmering in her chest like a fire. She kicked off the blanket and sat up.
“Jia, you’re back! Thank God.”
She glanced to the side. Russell was approaching her, a relieved, happy look on his face. He seemed to be glowing with a golden hue. Were her eyes doing something odd? No matter, for he looked more gorgeous than ever.
“Jia?”
Her heart pounded so loud that his voice seemed to be coming from a mile away. He was asking her something, but it was hard to concentrate, when the fire inside her was creeping up her neck. Sweat trickled between her breasts, and she rubbed her chest. What was she wearing? It looked like one of Russell’s T-shirts.
“Jia!” He raised his voice as he stepped closer. “Are you all right?”
Was she? Had the wound healed? She pulled the T-shirt up to look.
“Sheesh.” Russell spun about, putting his back to her. “I—” He cleared his throat. “I made some sandwiches in case you’re hungry. You should probably eat. Get your strength back. You’ve been through a lot.”
His words made her smile. He didn’t realize how strong she felt. She was naked underneath the shirt and fairly clean. All the blood was gone, so he must have washed it away. She felt along her rib cage. Her skin was intact. And tingling.
She recognized the feeling. Her skin was burning and itching, as if she needed to escape her human shell. Even though the moon wasn’t full, she was going to shift. From now on, she would be able to shift whenever she wanted.
What freedom and power! With a grin, she yanked the T-shirt off and tossed it aside. It landed by Russell’s feet.
He glanced at it, his back still turned toward her. “Do you want some new clothes? There are some clean ones on the drying rack. I can—”
His voice grew dim as her heartbeat thundered in her ears and the fire exploded in her head. She crouched on all fours, digging her fingers into the blanket. A cry escaped her mouth as her body shifted.
“What’s wrong?” Russell turned back to her. “Oh, shit!”
Her bones crackled, seeking a new shape. Fur sprouted from her skin. Her skull expanded, her teeth grew longer. Sharper. Claws shot from the end of her fingers as her hands transformed into paws.
“Damn.” He stepped back. “I didn’t realize you were going to—”
She threw her head back and roared. Power surged through her, fueled by the inner fire. Never had she felt so alive.