Page 100 of Devoted

“I never kid about such things,” I said, my voice echoing back to me as though I stood at the end of a long tunnel.

“Gods, you’re ugly. Looks like you tried to outrun Death and fell on your face.” Gabriel chuckled, reaching up to give me a fist bump, and I decided maybe my old friend wasn’t such an asshole after all.

37

EMBERLINE

Isat cross-legged in the grass, watching Emilia slowly become unglued.

The sight was reassuring on a personal level, watching the ancient priestess lose her shit because Nico wouldn’t—or couldn’t—turn himself back into a vampire. Between his increasingly smart-ass comments and her snippy instructions, I was growing worried he’d be stuck in this form forever when she slammed her hand into the center of his chest—possible only because he was leaning down—and sent a seismic blast of magic crackling over him.

Nico’s body shrank in increments, and from his pained grimace, the process wasn’t exactly… pleasant.

“There, but next time, you are on your own,” Emilia snapped, some of her cool poise slipping back into place.

“Gods, is that even real, or am I imagining it? I might have a brain bleed.” Lucien tipped his head forward, a soaked handkerchief stuffed up his nose, dried blood crusted around his nostrils and ears, matting his hair. “Tell me I’m not seeing things.”

“Thank you for what you did for him,” I said quietly. “And yes, I’m afraid this is all real.”

Emilia had explained Lucien was a Warden, and what I’d seen him doing—something magical right after Nico transformed—had actually been him helping Nico to control his transformation. Then Lucien had collapsed, blood pouring down his face.

Until he’d opened his eyes, I thought he was dead.

“His magic is…” Lucien shook his head. “Usually, all I have to do is apply some pressure, some additional control, like training wheels on a bike. I usually help young vampires who have newly come into their powers or older vamps whose powers have grown substantially in a short time. But this was…” He blew out a long exhale, staring at Nico with something resembling awe.

“This was like trying to harness the universe and force the stars themselves to obey. He seriously kicked my ass.”

Nico was shrinking back to his normal size, not that Emilia looked happy about that, talking fast and low with her finger in his face.

“She’s not angry, if that’s what you’re worried about,” Lucien murmured, seeing my pinched expression. “She’s scared. And she doesn’t get scared often.”

“Well, that makes two of us,” I muttered as Dante and Gabriel crossed the torn-up yard after seeing Severin off. In typical nothing-can-keep-me-down male fashion, Lucien climbed to his feet, stuffed the bloodied handkerchief in his pocket, and offered his hand.

“Lucien Delvecchio. Forgive my appearance. I seem to have underestimated your friend.”

“Yeah, well, don’t feel bad.” Dante shook the male’s hand, gaze pinned on Nico. “That happens a lot. Hey, you don’t happen to know any good Death jokes, do you? We’re running low.”

Lucien thought for a second. “What about staring death in the face?”

“I think we already used that one.” Dante looked at Gabriel, who shrugged. “It’s getting hard to keep track.”

“What about duel to the death? Or at death’s door?”

Dante perked up. “Those have some potential. Damn, this is harder than I thought. Now we’ll have to figure out how to work them into normal conversation.”

I snorted. “Like that’s even a thing.”

“It is a thing, and once Nico stops fucking around,”—Dante leaned closer, voice dropping—“we’re getting out of here. We have a surprise for you, tesoro, and I cannot wait for you to see it.”

“This surprise had better not be a nasty eyeless monster with eight creepy legs because I’ve had about all the surprises I can stand.”

“This is the best kind of surprise, Emberline.” Gabriel’s gentle smile lit up his entire face, blue eyes shining as he looked down at me.

“After everything… let us make the rest of today special.”

The world folded in on itself with that familiar twist of disorienting motion, cold prickling my skin before the magic spit us back out into warm sunlight. My boots sank into powder-soft sand, and for a heartbeat, all I could do was stare.

A hidden cove stretched out around me, cradling us inside towering walls of rough stone that shut out everything except a circle of blue sky above our heads. The cliffs curved around us like the arms of an ancient guardian, a slender waterfall framed by vining red and purple flowers, glossy green leaves.