House of Royals(58)

Rath carries Lillian into the first guest bedroom on the ground floor. Gingerly, he lays her on the bed. Blood instantly stains the light blue comforter.

“Do you know why I have objected to your and Ian’s relationship?” Rath asks with controlled anger in his voice.

I look back at him with a glare. This is so not the time.

“Because he makes you vulnerable,” he says, his eyes hard and cold. “Feelings blind you in any relationship and getting involved with such a volatile enemy such as Mr. Ward is dangerous.”

“Nothing about being in this town or this world will keep me safe from what is coming,” I say as I look back down at Lillian. “Get over it.”

Lillian’s eyes are unfocused, but her lips move slightly, like she’s trying to say something. I sit beside her on the bed and take her thin hand in mine.

“What can we do to help her?” I ask, once again feeling helpless. I look up at Rath.

“The toxin normally would take twelve hours to wear off,” he says. Rath really is all knowing. “But with her injuries, it might take longer.”

“Do I dare pull the stake out?” I ask in horror as I look back down at it. It’s nearly fully saturated in blood. Had it just been three inches higher and to the left, it would have killed her.

“She’ll live,” Rath says. He stands stoic and removed. His hands folded in front of him.

“And there’s no way to speed up the recovery process?” I ask in sadness. Lillian’s eyes close in pain and she shakes harder.

Rath sighs, heavy and hard, like he doesn’t want to divulge what he’s about to tell me. “Blood not only sustains a vampire, it aids and quickens the healing process.”

And when I glance back at Rath, he’s gone. The bedroom door has been closed.

I look back down at Lillian and feel desperate. We aren’t friends, but she is the one vampire who has been kind and understanding. She never wanted this life and she’s shown sympathy over what is in store for me.

“What were you doing here?” I whisper as I push her short hair off of her forehead. She’s sweating profusely. I need to get that stake out, but I’m scared to do it. I wish Ian were here. As an EMT, he deals with blood and gore all the time. It’d be no big deal to him.

Lillian clenches her teeth and breathes in hard, harsh pulls. And suddenly a scream rips from her chest.

I swear she’s dying.

And I can’t just sit here and watch.

“Lillian, nod if you can hear me,” I say, feeling frantic. She takes a second, but she nods. “I’ve got to pull that stake out. You’re not going to recover if I don’t. I’m going to pull it out and then I need to be able to trust you.”

I swallow hard. Because this is terrifying what I’m about to say.

“I’m going to trust you that you have damn good self-control,” I continue. “You’re going to feed on me, just enough to give you a boost. You will not kill me, you will not drain me. You hear?”

Her eyes open just a sliver. But I see commitment there. And gratitude. She nods her head.

“Okay,” I say, trying to calm my thundering heart. “On three. One, two.” But I don’t wait till three. I yank the stake out on two.

She screams in pain, bunching up around her stomach. But I hold my arm out in front of her and shove it against her teeth.

And like a shot of adrenaline, her teeth latch into my skin.

It’s been months since I’ve been bitten by a vampire, but I haven’t forgotten what it feels like. The numbing sensation. The blurring out of my mind. The languid feeling of floating off into darkness. Lillian pulls the life from me, and I am both terrified and don’t care.

I’m not positive how long it’s been since she bit me, but eventually, she releases me. And instantly my brain starts to clear. I blink hard and my vision sharpens. My breathing returns to normal.

I look back down at Lillian. My blood is smeared all over her lips, clings to her teeth. But her face doesn’t reflect agony any more. She looks in pain, but my eyes slide down and marvel.

Her skin is slowly knitting itself back together. The bleeding stops. The claw marks on her arm mend, leaving only crusted blood.

“Thank you,” she manages to hiss. She’s not out of the woods yet. Obviously, human blood doesn’t reverse the effects of Elle’s toxin or the House would have used that method. But she’s recovering from her external physical injuries.

“You’re welcome,” I say, feeling slightly woozy. “How are you feeling?”

“Like piss, but it’s better than shit,” she gets out.

A tiny smile crosses my lips. Lillian is all class and beauty. It’s odd hearing such vulgar words from her. I can only imagine what she’s feeling right now.