Page 92 of Resurrection
If I survive the erosive magic, I think I’m fucked.
Literally, and figuratively.
Like an idiot, and in terrible pain, I grin at the thought before I lose consciousness.
Chapter Eighty-Three
SEBASTIAN
“What did you expect me to do?” Marcus snarls at me, and it takes everything in me not to rip his head off his shoulders. The fact that half of his face looks melted and chunks of skin keep falling from his chest and arm with wet plops works in his favor. I still might kill him later after he heals.
“Not taking her to her death would suffice.” My retort is clipped while I struggle for control through the pain and anger. “I need you to remind me why I’ve trusted you with my life all these centuries.” I point out, pacing the floor and wincing with each step, my own flesh making squelching sounds as it slides from my bones and drops at my feet. “Why in all the heavens and hells have I trusted you with her life? And speak faster before I change my mind and kill you where you stand.”
“Non fare il coglione.” Marcus hisses like a snake, his face contouring in anger.
“Oh good, both of you are still alive. And what do you mean don’t be a dick?” April’s rasp freezes me in my tracks. “He was born that way,” she answers Marcus, her eyes still closed but her lips curled at the corners. “You know,” she tells him, “maybe hewas born with it, maybe it’s Maybelline.” She tries to snicker, the sound turning into a cough.
“Stop talking,” I snap at her, rushing to her side. “Don’t talk, it’ll take time for some of the burns to heal.” I search her beautiful face for any indication of pain, but if she feels it, she doesn’t show it. “Insufferable woman,” I murmur on a sigh, as I feel the heat from Marcus’s body when he steps behind me to peer down at her.
“Please consider me still unconscious before you answer my question, Sebastian.” Her eyelashes flutter, and she darts her gaze from me to Marcus before they fall shut again, casting crescent shadows over her cheekbones like she can’t stand to look at us.
My heart, which only beats thanks to her, hurts. She seems so fragile and small in the middle of the large bed. When she doesn’t speak, I forcibly unclench my jaw, brushing a few strands of hair stuck to her face away. Eshe cleaned her up the best she could when I brought her back, but the stench of tainted blood and magic is still clinging to her skin and burning my nostrils. I was so close to losing her this evening. So fucking close I’m finding it hard to fill my lungs with air.
“What is your question, mia redenzione?” I’ve called her my redemption often, so it slays me when she flinches at my words.
Taking a deep breath, she speaks. “On a scale of one to ten, how pissed are you right now?” She peeks at me through her lashes before scrunching her eyes shut. “Remember, if the answer is anything above four, we never had this conversation and I’m still out. Now, go.”
Marcus chokes behind me, and my fingers twitch to wrap around his neck.
“I know you are in pain from that vile magic since I can feel it on my own skin.” I force the tone of my voice to be even, but it’s still much harsher than I intend it to be, and it makes her cringe.“Let’s just say you will pay for sneaking out like this when you are no longer hurt.”
“Aannndd, I’m out,” she singsongs, shoving me off the side of the bed where I’m perched with her hand. “Shoo, go. Nothing to see here, just me unconscious and taking time to heal.” Her eyes open, and she blinks innocently at me. “It’ll take a long, long time before I feel better, so you might want to move on with your life.” At my level stare, she shrugs. “Just saying. Now go.”
Marcus, the fuck, barks out a laugh, forcing me to clench my jaw so I don’t kill him for real.
“April.” Her name spills through my gnashing teeth, but the warning is there. She needs to not test my patience any further.
“Dude, I’m healing here,” she huffs, exasperated and not even bothering to open her eyes. “Go yell at someone else. You have Marcus here; do I need to remind you that he was there with me? Feeding me fish eggs, of all things, that cost fucking three hundred and fifty bucks for a teaspoon of them. How about them apples? Go scream at him.”
“La donna è incorreggibile.” Throwing both his arms in the air, Marcus tilts his face up and stares at the ceiling as if begging the heavens to help him. “She is absolutely incorrigible, I swear it to everything holy,” he repeats it in English, gaping at her openmouthed.
“Your soul will burn in hell for cursing at holy shit, just so you know.” She sniffs primly, still keeping her eyes closed. “All joking aside, the Guardians came back with us, right?” All pretenses drop, and she levels me with a stare that squeezes my chest like a vice.
For all her flippant attitude and disregard for her own life and well-being, April loves our people with every breath she takes. The connection that forms between her and each of them when they take her blood just adds to the burden she carries like an anvil around her neck. If I knew how hard this would be onher, I would’ve taken her on some deserted island and locked her away from everyone the moment she was turned. Drowning in my guilt, I don’t answer her, but Marcus does.
“Yes, they both returned, but it will be a while until they heal from the last magic blast.” Shoving dirty fingers through his hair, he yanks on it in frustration, chunks of it tangling between them when he drops his hands to the sides.
“I’ve never seen anything like it before. It must be some secret spell they plan on using against us.” Gaze full of desperation, he looks at me. “It might be the same thing they used when they attacked after we defeated the Council. The two that made the magic blast were dead before they hit the floor, probably fueling it with their lifeforce.”
Silent, I watch him pace back and forth next to the bed, and April stirs under the covers, feeling the helplessness oozing out of his pores. I feel it as well, and that’s the only thing keeping my mouth shut instead of shouting at him.
“And what were you thinking!” He whirls on April, pushing me aside to loom over her. “You could’ve died.” The accusation in his tone is like a slap to her, her head shrugging deeper into the pillow.
“It was Eddie,” April mumbles under her breath, her voice hollow after she and Marcus stare unblinking at each other for a very long moment. “Sara’s brother that I did everything to help keep him alive. He wasn’t sick, Sebastian. He told us that they bound his magic so he could appear human. The whole time I was hiding them and making sure no vampire could kill them, both of them were plotting against me. He wanted you to find me so we could kill the Council and make their job easier.”
Biting my tongue, I narrow my eyes at her, and she squints back.
“Don’t you dare give me that look, mister.” Her finger stabs the air, stopping almost at my nose. “Did you know if I givethem my blood and I die all of them will perish along with me, no matter where they are?” Sucking gulps of air, her voice gets louder with each word she speaks. “Did you know you and Marcus would die, too, if they killed me today? Huh? Did you?”
