Vampire Blood (Vampire Bite #2)

Chapter Seventeen

Annika

Rowena returned just as the first light of dawn bled across the sky, her shadow stretching long at the mouth of the cave. Kael was right behind her, his arms laden with bundles of leaves and roots that smelled sharp and earthy.

“It wasn’t easy,” Rowena said, setting down her satchel with a heavy thump. “But we found it.”

I stood, my legs still shaky, but determination steadied me. Lucas was at my side in an instant, his hand brushing mine, grounding me.

Rowena knelt and began unpacking the ingredients, spreading them across the stone floor. The herb, which she called the Aetheris bloom, was darker than I expected, its leaves almost black with veins of crimson running through them.

Even just looking at it sent a shiver down my spine. It felt alive somehow, as if it pulsed faintly, in tune with my heartbeat.

“This is it?” I asked, swallowing hard.

Rowena didn’t look up. “Yes. Combined with your blood, it will bind Aurelius. It won’t kill him… not completely. That kind of power doesn’t die so easily, but it will put him back to sleep. If we do this right, he won’t rise again.”

Her words settled over us like a heavy fog.

Kael crouched beside her, already pulling out tools like bowls, pestles, strips of cloth. His movements were sharp, focused, but his jaw was set, his expression grim.

“Let’s start,” Lucas said, his voice tight.

I lowered myself onto the floor, across from Rowena. She handed me a small knife. I noticed its blade was wickedly sharp, and I swallowed again.

“We need your blood to activate the herb,” she said softly. “But you must do it of your own accord. It doesn’t have the same power if someone else cuts you.”

My hands trembled. Lucas knelt beside me, placing his hand over mine. His touch was warm, steady.

“You can do this,” he murmured.

I nodded.

The blade sliced quickly across my palm, sharp and fast, and the sting made me gasp. Blood welled instantly, hot and red.

Rowena held out the bowl, and I let the drops fall, darkening the Aetheris leaves as they hit. Something about the way the herb absorbed the blood felt wrong and unnatural, but I didn’t pull away.

“More?” I asked, watching the blood drip into the bowl, but never filling it.

“Yes,” Rowena nodded. “I know this must be unpleasant…”

I didn’t say anything to that. It didn’t hurt. At least not as much as I thought it would. It was merely, as she said, unpleasant.

I had no idea how long the blood kept dripping, but I knew that at one point, I started to feel lightheaded. I was grateful for the fact that I was seated. Otherwise, I fear I would have fainted.

“That’s enough,” Rowena finally said.

She began grinding the leaves, her hands sure and practiced, as Kael added powders and oils from his pack. The scent grew stronger, thicker. Those were herbs and earth, but also something sharp, metallic. Magic.

In the meantime, Lucas took my hand in his, his touch achingly gentle despite the tension humming through him. His thumb brushed just below the cut, careful not to press too hard. Still, even that slight contact sent a sting through my palm. I flinched, and his grip immediately loosened.

“Sorry,” he murmured, his voice low, rough.

I shook my head. “It’s fine.”

But he didn’t look convinced. His dark eyes stayed locked on the wound, his brows pulled tight. He reached for the cloth Rowena had left beside us, dipping it into a bowl of water.

I watched as he wrung it out, his hands steady even though I could feel the storm brewing inside him. It was in the tension in his shoulders, the way his jaw ticked.

“You don’t have to fuss over me,” I said softly.

He ignored me, pressing the damp cloth to my palm. The coolness dulled the sting, and I let out a shaky breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding.

His eyes flicked up to mine. “Let me take care of you. Just this once.”

Just this once.

Like he didn’t already do it constantly. Like every single look, every word, every time he stepped between me and danger wasn’t him taking care of me. Protecting me.

I swallowed hard and nodded.

He worked quickly, cleaning the blood and dirt away, his movements precise but tender. The way he touched me, like I might break, but also like he knew I wouldn’t, sent warmth spreading through my chest.

When he was done, he wrapped my hand in a strip of clean cloth, tying it off carefully. His fingers lingered, still holding mine long after the bandage was in place.

“I hate this,” he said quietly, his voice barely more than a whisper.

“What?”

“That you keep getting hurt.” He looked up, and the rawness in his eyes nearly undid me. He didn’t care that we were alone. “That I can’t stop it.”

I squeezed his hand, ignoring the ache in my palm. “You can’t protect me from everything, Lucas.”

“I’ll die trying.”

His words hung heavy between us.

Suddenly, the bowl in Rowena’s hands began to glow faintly, a soft red pulse that mirrored the beating of my own heart.

“Good,” Rowena said, her voice low, reverent. “It’s working.”

Kael poured the mixture into a small vial, sealing it tightly. He held it up, his expression dark.

“This is it,” he said. “Our only shot.”

I stared at the vial, at the faint red glow swirling within it.

It didn’t look like much—just a small bottle of dark liquid. But I could feel its weight, its power, like it was alive and waiting.

I pressed my hand against the cut in my palm, blood still warm against my skin.

This was my blood. My power.

“You must listen carefully, Annika.” Rowena sat across from me, her sharp eyes locked onto mine, unblinking. “Aurelius is no ordinary monster. He was cunning even before he was bound, and time has only sharpened his hunger. He’ll try to reach you, not just through force but through whispers.”

I swallowed, my throat suddenly dry. “Whispers?”

Her lips thinned. “Promises. Lies dressed as truth.”

A chill crawled down my spine, and I rubbed my arms, suddenly feeling bare despite Lucas’s cloak draped over my shoulders. “What kind of lies?”

“The kind that will tempt you.” She leaned closer, her voice dropping lower. “He’ll offer you everything you want, power, safety, love. He’ll speak as though he understands you, as though he’s the only one who can. He’ll make you feel seen, Annika, and it will be a lie.”

I shivered but forced myself to meet her gaze. “And what if he doesn’t lie? What if—?”

Rowena cut me off with a sharp shake of her head. “No. He will lie. That’s all he knows how to do.”

I tried to keep my voice steady. “What if he offers his servitude? His loyalty? If he swears to help us?”

Her eyes blazed. “Then he’s already begun.”

Her words sank like a stone in my gut.

“You don’t understand the depth of his hunger,” she continued. “He’ll twist your thoughts, plant doubts, make you question everything you know. And it won’t always feel like deception. That’s the danger of him. He’ll make you want to believe him.”

My fingers dug into the cloak, twisting the fabric. “How do I fight that?”

“You don’t listen,” she said firmly. “Not to his words. Not to his voice. If he speaks, you turn away. If he begs, you shut your ears. And if he pleads for mercy, you remember what he is.”

I wanted to believe I could do that. Wanted to believe I was strong enough to resist whatever poison Aurelius might try to pour into my mind. But doubt gnawed at the edges of my resolve.

Rowena must have seen it because she reached out, grasping my hands in hers. Her grip was warm, strong, and it steadied me.

“You are not weak, Annika,” she said. “You are his cage. His chains. His end. But only if you remember who you are.”

About an hour later, we stood at the mouth of the cave. The air was cool, and we were ready to go back home. My thoughts were still tangled in Rowena’s warnings.

She stood before us, her dark eyes steady as she handed me a small leather pouch tied shut with twine. I held it carefully, as though it might shatter, though I knew it held power far stronger than its fragile appearance suggested.

“This is everything I can give you,” Rowena said, her voice calm but heavy. “The binding mixture is ready. You know what must be done.”

I nodded, swallowing past the tightness in my throat. “Thank you.”

Her gaze softened. “Don’t thank me yet. The path ahead is still shrouded in shadow.”

Lucas shifted beside me, his hand brushing against mine as though grounding me. Kael stood a little apart, his expression guarded, but even he inclined his head in respect.

Rowena’s sharp gaze landed on him. “Protect her.”

“I will,” Kael said without hesitation.

She turned to Lucas next. “And you… keep your head. Don’t let your anger make you reckless.”

His jaw tightened, but he nodded.

Then she looked at me again, and her expression shifted into something gentler. “Remember what I told you, Annika. He’ll twist his words, but you must stay rooted in yours. Don’t waver.”

“I won’t.” My voice was steadier than I felt.

Rowena didn’t press further. Instead, she stepped back, her dark robes blending into the shadows of the cave entrance. “Go now. And may the spirits guard your steps.”

We turned away, walking down the narrow path that led back to the forest. My heart was pounding, and I gripped the pouch tightly, as though holding it could somehow hold back the fear rising in my chest.

The forest felt different now… quieter, heavier, like it was waiting.

We reached the horses and immediately rushed back home. But the weight of what was coming pressed down on me with every step.

I was right to be worried.

Smoke stung my eyes before we even crested the last hill. My heart lurched.

The town was burning.

Flames licked at rooftops, black smoke twisting into the sky like fingers clawing for the heavens. Screams carried on the wind, sharp, panicked cries that made my stomach churn. Shadows moved through the chaos, fast and brutal.

Shifters. Vampires. The enemy had come… for me.

“No,” I breathed, my legs already moving.

“Annika!” Lucas caught my arm, holding me back for half a second. His grip was firm but trembling. “Stay close to me.”

I nodded, though my pulse was a drumbeat of terror and fury.

Kael didn’t hesitate. He drew his blade and sprinted ahead, vanishing into the smoke. Lucas cursed under his breath and followed, his hand releasing me only when I matched his stride.

We crossed the distance fast, the sound of battle swallowing us whole. The streets were chaos. There were shifters in their monstrous forms tearing through homes, rogue vampires stalking between them like wolves among sheep. Bodies littered the ground, some human, some not. The smell of blood was thick, metallic and suffocating.

A shifter lunged at me, teeth bared. I barely had time to react before Lucas was there, cutting it down with savage efficiency. Blood splattered across the dirt, and he grabbed my wrist, yanking me behind him.

“Stay sharp!” he barked, his voice raw.

I didn’t need to be told twice. A vampire broke through the smoke, claws bared, eyes glowing red. This one was fast. I barely dodged in time, my knife slashing out more out of instinct than aim. It nicked his arm, and he hissed, retreating just enough for Lucas to step in front of me and drive his sword through the vampire’s chest.

“Are you hurt?” Lucas’s voice was sharp, but his eyes softened when they met mine.

“No. Keep going.”

We pressed forward, cutting through the chaos. Every corner we turned revealed more destruction. Homes were gutted, carts overturned, the streets slick with blood.

My stomach twisted, but there was no time to stop. No time to think.

Kael was fighting ahead of us, taking down a shifter twice his size with practiced precision. He glanced back and saw us, then jerked his head toward the square.

“The center!” he shouted. “They’re pushing everyone there!”

We ran, dodging flames and bodies. My breath burned in my lungs, but I didn’t stop. Couldn’t stop.

We reached the square, and what I saw stole my breath.

Dozens of townsfolk were gathered, forced to their knees by the enemy. Some were crying, others bleeding. Around them, the rogues and shifters prowled, snarling and snapping, keeping them caged.