A Shade of Kiev 3(44)

I expected the emotions coursing through me to have an adverse affect on my powers, as Rhys had always said they would. But a burst of renewed strength ignited within me. I was no longer struggling to maintain the forcefield around me.

His prowess seemed less insurmountable.

Whereas previously, I never thought I possessed the concentration to maintain the shield around me while also aiming curses, now I attempted it.

Even Rhys looked shocked as a fiery blast from my right palm singed his shoulder.

Closing my eyes and taking a deep breath, I willed all the strength I had within me to my fingertips. Once my hands were shaking for release, I let go.

It happened so fast, I could barely believe my eyes.

A raging ball of fire hit him square in the chest.

His eyes widened. His lips parted. His back curved and he lost his balance, falling into the sea.

I ran to the edge and looked down. His head bobbed above the waves, his body motionless.

He floated for several minutes, and when I still sensed no motion in his limbs, I rushed back toward the front of the ship. I wasn’t sure if he was dead, but he was certainly unconscious. And that was good enough for now.

So long, Rhys.

I gasped on seeing Kiev sprawled out on the deck, deep wounds covering his legs and arms. Erik was by his side, trying to feed him his blood.

“Erik,” I said. “Get those sharks moving as fast as you can. We need to get away from here.”

I turned back to face Kiev. The vampire looked up at me with hooded eyes. I fell to the floor and held his head between my hands, my tears falling onto his face as I kissed his salty skin. I ran my hands over his limbs, healing his wounds with my touch.

Although I wanted nothing more than to stay with him, now I had to help Helina.

“Your sister… I have to go.”

“Huh?” Kiev climbed to his feet, following me as I hurried over to where I’d left his sister. When his eyes fell on Helina, still writhing on the floor, he opened his mouth in horror.

He crawled over her and gripped her shoulders. “What happened?” he asked.

Pushing Kiev aside, I sat down on the floor next to his sister and caught her head in my hands, studying her vacant—and now bloodshot—eyes.

“I’m not sure,” I whispered.

Rhys had been firing so many curses at me, I didn’t know which one could have hit her. Besides, curses often had a different effect on vampires than they did on witches. I worried that I might not be able to figure out an antidote in time.

But I had no time to doubt my abilities. I began muttering one chant after the other, trying everything I could think of that could mitigate the curse that was consuming Helina.

I must have sat there for almost an hour before, to my relief, her breathing slowed and her trembling lessened. Her eyes stopped rolling and after a few minutes she sat up, blinking and looking around.

“Wh-what happened?”

Curses could cause temporary memory loss, especially ones as powerful as Rhys had been throwing. Had I not become a Channeler, there was no way that ordinary magic could have saved her. I’d never thought I’d find myself feeling so grateful to Lilith.

“You’ll remember in a few hours,” I said, placing my palm against Helina’s forehead to check her temperature. “For now, just sit down and don’t do anything strenuous.”

Kiev gripped her arms and helped pull her to her feet. He sat her down in a chair next to where Erik was navigating the ship. I looked down at the waves rushing past us. It seemed that the sharks had gained renewed strength from Kiev’s blood.

I looked behind us, my eyes fixed on the spot where the invisible island was. Where we’d left Rhys floating in the waves.

Finally, I am free.





Chapter 36: Kiev





As soon as Mona had healed my sister, all I could think about was Anna. I rushed back down to the lower deck, dreading what sight might be awaiting me in her cabin.

“Kiev,” she gasped, looking up at me as soon as I entered, her forehead covered with beads of sweat. “I think my water broke.”

I swore as I realized she was right.

I ran into the cabin next door and ripped the sheets off the bed and also grabbed any other fabrics I could find—towels, curtains, anything absorbent.

Anna’s eyes were shut tight as she contracted on the bed, her moans becoming louder and louder by the second. Covering her with a sheet, I assisted her in undressing. Then I propped her up against her pillow.

I gripped her clammy hand, trying to calm her as best as I could. She squeezed me back, biting her lip as tears dripped down her cheeks.

“Please don’t leave me,” she breathed.

“Anna,” I said, gripping her jaw and forcing her to face me. “I’m not going anywhere.”