Dee shot forward, flickering out as she grabbed for Adam. The pulse hit them and they froze. Both took on their human forms for a brief second. An iridescent stream of light leaked from Dee’s nose and spilled from her mouth.
I staggered forward, screaming her name. Blake grabbed me from behind, thrusting me down onto the floor.
She was the first to collapse. Blinking in and out, she crumpled, eyes closed. I struggled under Blake, managing to rise up on my elbows. I screamed again, but it didn’t even sound like me.
Adam…Adam was much worse. A river of light came from his mouth, his eyes, and his ears. His human body shuddered. Liquid radiance dripped onto the floor. He was swathed in light, but it flickered erratically. He took a step forward, raising his hand.
“No!” I screamed.
Blake reared off me, hitting Adam with another blast.
Adam went down.
Pushing on the back of my head, he forced my face into the wooden floor, pressing his knee into the center of my back. “Dammit,” he said hoarsely. “Dammit!”
I couldn’t breathe.
“I didn’t… I didn’t want that to happen,” he said, bending over me. His head pressed into my shoulder and his body shuddered. “Oh God, I didn’t want to hurt anyone.” He trembled, lifting his head. He croaked out a broken laugh. “Well, at least I know it wasn’t either of them who healed you. I’m pretty sure they’re both dead.”
Chapter 31
The last time I’d cried this hard was when the hospice worker forced me away from my dad’s bed during his final moments. They weren’t pretty as he struggled to take his last breath.
“She’s not dead,” Blake said, sounding relieved. “She’s still alive.”
Blood and tears mixed on my face. Sobs clogged my throat, rendering me speechless. Dee was alive. Barely. Her light continued to flicker softly, but Adam… Oh, God. Adam’s light had dulled, no stronger than a weak and faded lightbulb. I could see the shape of his hands and legs. His face wasn’t shapeless, and neither was the rest of his body. It was like a pale, translucent shell of a human. A network of silvery veins existed under the semi-transparent shell. It reminded me of a jellyfish.
Adam was dead.
Quiet sobs raked my throat until it was so hoarse and raw I could hardly breathe. This was my fault. I’d trusted Blake when Daemon practically begged me not to. I’d befriended Dee, and she’d known something was wrong because she knew me. I hadn’t killed Adam, but I’d led him right into this. He’d died trying to protect me.
“Shh,” Blake crooned, lifting me off the floor, turning me over. “You’ve got to calm down.” He wiped a hand along my cheek. “You’re going to make yourself sick.”
“Don’t touch me,” I croaked, scrambling away from him. “Don’t…come. Near. Me.”
He crouched, watching as I crawled to Dee’s side. I wanted to help her, but I didn’t know how. My gaze flickered over to Adam, and I choked on my breath. Not knowing what else to do, I blocked Adam from her view. It was all I could do.
No more than five minutes later, a car door shut outside. Blake stood fluidly, stalking toward me. He placed his hand on my shoulder, and then his phone beeped. I shuddered, knowing what waited beyond the door.
But what I wasn’t expecting was the flare of heat that radiated off my obsidian. I lifted my head. “Arum…”
His fingers dug in. “Just sit still.”
Oh, God… I glanced down at Dee. She was vulnerable, easy pickings. My front door opened. Heavy feet filled the hallway, and the obsidian scalded my skin. I reached up, hands trembling, and dug the rock out.
Vaughn was the first to enter. His eyebrows rose as his gaze landed beside me. “Blake, what happened here?”
I felt Blake stiffen, but I kept my eyes on the two Arum behind Brian. One was Residon and the other male looked a lot like him. Their greedy eyes were bare and went straight to Dee. I turned, feeling the hair on the back of my neck raise.
“They surprised me. I had to fight back or they would’ve taken me out. I didn’t have a choice.” Blake cleared his throat, sounding confused when he spoke again. “Where’s Nancy?”
“This has nothing to do with Nancy.” Vaughn rubbed a long finger over his brow. “And you say that a lot, Blake. There are always choices. However, you’re not really good at making them.” He turned to the Arum. “Take the dead one. See if you can get anything off him.”
“The dead one?” Residon scuffed. “We want the one who is still alive.”
“No.” My voice came out harsh and ragged. “No! They can’t have either of them. They can’t touch them.”
Residon laughed.
Vaughn knelt down in front of me, and as close as we were, I could see the resemblance now. “This can go one of two ways. You come with us of your own free will or I will hand over both of them to these guys. Do you understand?”
My eyes darted to the Arum. “I want them gone first.”
“You’re negotiating?” Vaughn laughed as he glanced up at his nephew. “See, that’s what you do when you’re presented with the unexpected.”
Blake looked away, jaw clenching. “What do you mean this isn’t about Nancy?”
“Just what it sounds like.”
A shudder racked Blake’s taut body. “If we don’t turn her over, they’ll kill—”
“Do I look like I care? Really?” Vaughn laughed, standing as he turned his attention to me. He pushed back his jacket, flashing his gun. “Residon, take the dead one. Dispose of him.”