Chapter Eight
Finally.
Magical defenses were in place, invisible shields where they needed to be.
Aldon couldn’t find Sadie despite the blood he’d taken from her, even if he tried to use a spell. But the blood Trey had given her had been just enough to get the job done. It had taken every ounce of her magic to finish the deed. She couldn’t keep going. Not like this. And she couldn’t take more from Trey to regain what she’d lost. Not yet. Taking more was too dangerous.
That meant she wouldn’t be able to provide for herself and Leigh.
She watched her friend, wondering how she should break the bad news.
“I’m beat,” Leigh said, peeping through the blinds covering the window.
Sadie wanted to tell the young vampire she had no idea.
Instead of basking in the afterglow of her encounter with Trey, it had taken her nearly an hour to calm the fledgling down. Leigh had lodged herself in a corner in a bedroom, crouching between a dresser and the wall. Nathan had tried to calm her down but his presence only upset the girl. Sadie’d come to the rescue, asking everyone to leave in order to take charge of the situation. Trey and Nathan hadn’t liked it but they’d relented. During their absence she’d managed to convince Leigh to put aside her fear, warning her Aldon would find them if she didn’t. Sadie had given Leigh as much blood as the vampire would take, explained what they needed to do and shortly thereafter they’d gotten to work.
To Nathan and Trey’s credit, the shifters had gone about their business. Although Sadie had seen them check in on them here and there as they moved through the house. The women—Ava and Mary—had made themselves scarce. Sadie wasn’t sure if they were busy or didn’t trust the crazed vampires in their home. Either way, she understood. Things weren’t simple. Leigh had to understand that now more than ever.
I have to tell her. Sadie drew a deep breath. Bring on the crazy.
“We need to talk.” She plopped down on the bed, glad to get off her feet.
Yet again her pride and confidence had gotten in her way. She’d thought she could do this. After all, she’d defended the coven for years. But the people in Diskant’s home weren’t her coven and Aldon wasn’t an idle threat. In light of what she’d learned, she’d accepted she couldn’t defend everyone on her own. Leigh had all a vampire could need—blood from a sister, power beyond a human’s belief—but it wasn’t enough. Not even close. With his abilities Aldon could crush through the girl’s defenses and take them down one by one.
Leigh had to accept things had changed.
“About?” Leigh asked, continuing to look outside.
“What’s at stake,” she exhaled in a rush, frightened for the first time since she’d entered Disktant’s domain. Trey’s earlier warning returned to torment her. Diskant would kill Leigh if he had to. Sadie had to make sure that didn’t happen. “You have to be prepared.”
Leigh pivoted, a wave of dark hair spilling over her shoulder. “I don’t understand. You said we only needed to cast the spell. We’ve done it,” she stated, relief on her pale face. “We’re safe.”
Safe? If only.
Leigh’s abilities surpassed Sadie’s by leaps and bounds. As painful as it was to admit, the newborn vampire’s magic was much more potent. It shouldn’t have come as a shock when Leigh had memorized the spell Sadie had taught her, worked to create it and sealed off the place without breaking sweat. Even now—standing in front of Sadie with her face aglow—Leigh looked like she’d done little more than climb a hill. Meanwhile, even if Leigh wasn’t aware of it, the magic had put Sadie on her ass. If it weren’t for Sadie’s determination to defend the compound—to defend Trey—she might have given up. Fortunately Leigh had taken over with ease, invoking the spell like a seasoned pro.
That was the bitch of it.
Leigh thought everything was gravy.
The naïve creature had no idea how strong she really was.
Be honest. Tell her the truth.
“Your magic is stronger then you realize. That comes with a cost.”
A shadow of agony crossed the woman’s face. “You think I don’t know that?” Leigh snapped with a hint of bitterness. “I don’t cast spells or use my abilities unless I have to. I wouldn’t have now if it weren’t so important. You know how I feel. I’ve told you why.”
Leigh hated the magic, feeling it made her less human.
The poor thing—even though she knew better—held out hope that one day she’d return to her normal life. She denied herself blood, preferring to eat human food that did nothing for her body. It left the vampire thin, ghostly pale and constantly weak.
Sadie wanted to curse the world that had treated Leigh so cruelly.
One minute Leigh had been a human girl with hopes and dreams. The next she’d been changed by a vampire who’d left her to rot. No one knew why. Some rogues thought it was funny to create fledglings who didn’t understand what they’d become. Leigh’s case was strange though. Most creators—even dickhead rogues—usually returned to their progeny and established some sort of connection. Whoever had made Leigh would always be able to find her. A link formed between a vampire and its child, one that could only be broken in death. Why he hadn’t shown himself—why he hadn’t returned—was anyone’s guess.
“You’re going to have to get over the past.” Sadie lifted her head to stare at her friend. “This spell—our spell—is nothing. Call it a blimp on the shit-o-dar. We’re about to deal with some medieval stuff. You’re going to have to come to terms with your part in this.”
A surge of exhaustion rushed through her.
“Some choices are never easy.” She kept going, hoping Leigh would listen. “You take what you’re given or you die. You’re going to have to accept more than you’re willing to, even if you hate me for it.”
Leigh’s bitterness swiftly changed to suspicion. “What do you mean?”
“I can’t feed you,” she blurted, shaking her head to clear away cobwebs clouding her thoughts. She bowed her head, unable to bear the horror in Leigh’s face. “I thought I could but I can’t. I’m sorry.”
“I can go a long time without blood. It shouldn’t be an issue.” There was resolve in Leigh’s statement, as though she harbored a small bit of hope.
Hope for what?
A world gone to shit? A world in which everyone would burn?
“Diskant will kill you.” She hated the gravity the words carried. It wasn’t her job to threaten members of her coven—it never had been until this moment. “He’ll tear you apart if he thinks you’re a threat. If you want to live, you’re going to have to accept I can’t provide for you. Starving yourself isn’t an option. This isn’t the coven. You can’t hide out and pretend you’re not a vampire anymore.” Telling her sister-in-magic something so brutally honest hurt Sadie more than Leigh would ever understand. She tried to keep a level head, attempting to convey her concerns. “You’re going to have to take what you’re given, even if that means accepting what you’re not ready for. I wish it were different. I wish I could give you choices. I’m sorry you have to…”
Take Nathan’s blood. Be Nathan’s mate.
Sadie’s chest ached at the thought. Forcing Leigh to accept Nathan—a man the woman didn’t love—wasn’t what she wanted for her friend.
Damn it.
Life wasn’t simple. If Leigh wanted to survive, she had to think about the future.
Maybe it was Sadie’s old age. She accepted that some things were decided by fate. Leigh had been born a mortal, putting her faith in a higher power. The truth was no one knew what happened for certain when a person died. And Nathan wouldn’t let anything happen to Leigh. If Diskant threatened to harm her the Beta would take Leigh somewhere else—to another pack perhaps. Sadie would insist on traveling with them but she needed to know if something happened Leigh would have a protector.