Page 114 of Resurrection
And she strikes.
Her arm cocks back, and instead of punching me as I expect her to, she slaps her hand on my chest, flattening her palm. A force like no other sends me flying, my fingers around her neck slipping and losing their grip. I’m left dazed when my back hits a brick wall behind me, shattering it, raining dust and mortar over my head. I shake my head to clear it, and then I’m on her, my fist breaking her cheekbone and slamming her on the trunk of a tree. The force unroots it, taking it down with her, the soil-covered roots as thick as my arms jutting up in the air.
“Where is she?” I roar in her face, looming over her. “Have you been plotting against her?”
Marcus pounces too, fast as a feline, but with a flick of her hand, she sends him flying too. Rolling on her hands and knees,she pushes herself up and the bones pop and mend before she fully faces me.
“You think I betrayed her?” All the fight drains from her as she looks at me through her lashes. With a grimace, she cleans the blood from her split lip using her fingertips.
“You let me hear her plan to visit the tunnel when you could’ve hidden it, yet you disappear when she needs you, only to return after the fact acting like nothing is amiss.”
“Not to betray her, you stupid child!” Those ancient eyes narrow to slits. “Good thing you are pretty or you’d be useless to her.”
I swing for her head, but she dodges the hit without missing a beat.
“I was trying to clean up the mess the Council left without dumping one more burden on her shoulders.” The shake of her head seems genuine, but I don’t trust it.
“You could’ve told me.” She’ll need more than that for me to believe she had nothing to do with this.
“You, along with her, were grieving a friend. I know the feeling too well from when I lost her once.” Her full lips press in a firm line. “I thought I could handle it. When we found the young one, I realized I might need help, but it was too late to ask after that.”
“What are you talking about?” Marcus rolls his shoulder, rubbing it to, no doubt, push it back into its socket, at least if the crunch I hear is anything to go by.
“Khan,” Eshe spits the word like a curse. “He had the mages doing his bidding because he traded blood for their help.”
I stare at her.
“Vampire blood,” she adds.
I’m stunned, but Marcus curses up a storm, switching from Italian to Latin, to English and circling through all of themback. Muttering spreads like a wave among the silent Guardians standing around us.
“What does that mean? They do blood magic?” What else they can use our blood for is beyond me.
“You didn’t notice anything strange fighting them?” She rubs her forehead with a sigh. “They are more resilient and stronger than they should be. I thought with Khan gone it was all over, that the effects would eventually go away. When I saw the young one carved up, I realized they only changed the supplier.”
“Fuck.” Seething, I pace back and forth in front of her. “They kept him alive so they can drain him as they needed.”
“He was the closest to the old blood they were used to, yes,” she confirms.
“This is worse than I imagined.” Fear and rage war inside me. “We need to find her. Now.”
“I might be able to help with that,” comes a voice in low, careful tones from between the Guardians.
I turn to see them part, forming an aisle, and Andrei lumbers through, still pale and weak with dark circles under his eyes. Marcus darts to him, taking him in a harsh hug and almost toppling him over when he slaps him on the shoulder.
“Where?” It’s all I can say.
“I heard them talking about building an underground bunker below this theater when they thought I was unconscious from blood loss and pain.” Andrei rubs a fist at the center of his chest. “I think that’s where she is. Sebastian, we must get to her before they touch her.” A visible shiver passes through him. “The things they did. The magic they used. I don’t know how I kept my sanity.”
“You heard him,” I turn to the Guardians that are already standing at attention, determination clear on their faces to find April. “Rip this fucking building off the ground if you have to. Find her.”
The ground under my feet trembles from their feet when they move like an approaching earthquake. It vibrates in my chest like a war drum.
“You and I are not done. I’ll deal with you after we get April out of here,” I tell Eshe, and she nods.
We turn to join the Guardians when a blast of magic so strong it throws all of us back explodes the building outward.
Chapter Ninety-Seven
