Page 77 of Accidental Blood Lust
“What happened, Jare? Are you okay?”
“It’s them. Not all of them, but those two for sure.”
I don’t have to ask what he’s talking about. I can feel it. I pull him into my arms and kiss the top of his head. “Our mate will protect you. He’ll make them pay for it.”
Jareth buries his face in my chest and I look up in time to see Roman body slam one of the vampires. It slows him down, but of course, it takes more than that to truly hurt a vampire.
One of them jumps on Roman and bites his neck, making my chest hurt. I want to get back in there and help, but I want to stay here and comfort Jareth too.
The three of them crash into a drink cart, breaking glasses, but they continue their battle. I have to do something. I can’t just sit here and not assist.
“How does a vampire kill a vampire, Jare?”
He rubs his forehead. “Bad blood, um… beheading… and, um…” He squeezes his eyes. “I can’t remember the third one.”
“Beheading it is.” I stroke his hair. “I need to help our mate.”
He nods, his brow creased, but as I go to sit up, he grabs my arm. “Wait. I can help. Just need a minute.”
“No. You’re mortal, love.”
“I can help. Trust me.”
JARETH
I manageto push down my shock and the ocean of trauma I found myself floating in. I recognized them immediately, even though it’s been years since my attack. Vampires don’t change and I’d know those sneering faces anywhere.
Right now, Roman needs help and I can offer it. I close my eyes, summoning my magic. Loch holds my hand, but I can feel his stress, wanting to jump in and help, but these aren’t mortal men. They’re not even regular vampires. They’re fueled by the fae magic in their veins.
A spell I never thought I’d have a use for appears in my mind, the words scrawled on tattered parchment paper, the scent of old magic permeating the air. The words bleed from my lips in a whisper as the tattoos embedded in my flesh come to life, pulsing with light. I feel a hand on my shoulder, then another one, and I know without looking that they belong to other magic users, offering me their power to help strengthen mine.
A bright white light shoots out of my chest and washes over Roman, while at the same time, it flows down my arm to where my hand is intertwined with Loch’s and spreads through him too.
“Whoa,” Lochlan whispers.
Then he’s on his feet, rushing into the chaos, and he and Roman are side by side. I watch in awe as the two of them make quick work of the vampires. Roman tears into the neck of one of them, tearing his throat out while Lochlan literally rips the other guy’s head off. Fae-scented vampire blood spurts everywhere, drawing in the other supes, who either lap it up or collect it for later purposes.
I slump against the wall, nodding in appreciation to the two magic users who helped me. Loch and Roman both looked dazed as they survey the bloody mess around them. Roman’s eyes find me first, and his shoulders relax as his wolf features retreat untilhe looks fully human again. He hooks his hand around Loch’s arm and the two of them walk back to me.
After struggling to my feet, I meet them halfway and fall into their arms. I’m worn out from the spell I cast, but so thankful my mates are okay.
“Draining me did no good,” Loch mumbles.
“Not true,” Roman growls. “They didn’t hunt you. I walked us right in.”
“You didn’t know,” I say. “You couldn’t have known.”
“It took me longer than it should have,” Loch says. “I smelled something off but I couldn’t name it.”
“You’ve never smelled anything like that before.”
“Gods, it reeked. Did I smell that bad before you drained me?”
“No. They were tweaked out.” Roman strokes Loch’s hair. “You smelled perfect. Still do.”
Loch nods, then rubs my shoulder. “Are you okay, love?”
I nod. “Yeah. My strength is returning.” Much quicker than usual too. I don’t know if it’s because of all the magic in the air recharging me, or if it has something to do with regularly sharing energy with Roman and Lochlan now. Either way, I’ll happily take it.
