Page 142 of The Ghost and the Graveyard (Knight Games 1)
"I am interested in a long, free existence. It is in my best interest to win your good graces. What better way to earn your trust than to unveil this deception to you?"
Wow. He was good. My hackles were up. He definitely had that used-car-salesman vibe. But some part of me wondered if there wasn't a shred of truth among the lies.
"Message received," I said, starting toward the door again with Rick by my side. I stepped over Marcus' head and moved into the forest of carcasses.
"Before you go," Julius called, "I'd like to introduce you to the newest member of our coven." Over my shoulder, I watched Julius sweep his hand toward the left. A door opened. I halted abruptly.
"Gary!" I gasped as my ex-boyfriend walked forward. He'd changed. His blue eyes bulged, and his skin was so pale I could see the map of his veins on his forehead. With a stiff gait, he limped to Julius' side. "What? You're a vampire? You're a vampire." I lowered my eyebrows and peered at him as if an explanation would bloom across his forehead.
"Grateful," Gary said, his nocturnal eyes finding my face. "I'd like to apologize. As you can see, I've gone through some changes."
I managed to close my gaping jaw. "You stole my money!" I accused. After I said it, I questioned whether it was appropriate. I'd just discovered he was the undead. Was it polite to focus on the money rather than the loss of his humanity? I was too tired to think about it.
Julius grinned. "Gary will be paying back his debt to you. I'll make sure of that. As I said before, our coven wishes to maintain a long and prosperous relationship with you, Hecate."
Rick grabbed my arm and forced me toward the door. He wasn't gentle about it.
"Next time, then." Julius laughed wickedly. "I'll remember the pleasantries if you will."
"Rick, stop pushing me. What is the matter with you? Ow!"
"You are injured. Julius is trying to distract you, to delay you, because if we stay much longer, healing will become...complicated. We will be vulnerable."
He was right. Once we were outside, the pain hit full force.
"Help me," I cried to him.
He walked around to my left side. "This will hurt, mi cielo. I can't heal you until your bones are in the correct alignment. I will have to put your shoulder back in first."
I gritted my teeth. I'd seen this done in the ER and, if patient screams were any gauge, it was excruciating. "Go," I said.
He made it quick, lifting and slamming my arm into my shoulder in one smooth move. Still, I screamed until his wrist plugged my mouth and blood gushed over my tongue. The more I drank, the better I felt. Warmth spread through my body, healing my jaw, my bones, and my bruises. With the pain gone, I stopped drinking and started thinking. I pushed his arm away.
"Is it true?" I asked, the taste of his blood still in my mouth.
"Of course not," he said. "Julius' greatest desire is to come between us, to weaken us."
"But how does he know when or how I got my power back?"
"He knows because of the timing. Julius said you'd met Padnon before?"
"Yeah, the wrinkled shit attacked me at Java Jane's a few days ago.
"That is how. Julius knows how it is done."
"That makes sense," I said, feeling tired. I chided myself for doubting Rick, even for a minute. Hadn't he risked his life for me enough times to earn my trust?
I crawled into the passenger's seat of the Tesla. Rick pulled out of TiltWorld and headed for home. I dozed the entire ride, only waking when the car stopped in my driveway. Once alert, the uncertainty still had me in its clutches. A train of thought I couldn't stop took control.
"Rick?" I asked before I climbed out of the car, "Why did you let me go into that barn? You must have known I wasn't ready. I'd never fought a vampire before, and I'm not immortal like you. We were vastly outnumbered. Why didn't you warn me?"
"I needed you. You are stronger than you know."
"But you couldn't have known I would kill Marcus." It dawned on me the moment the words were out of my mouth. "You were using me as bait. You knew Marcus would smell my human blood and come running."
"It was necessary," he said, refusing to meet my eyes.
"Does my life mean so little to you?"
