Chapter 42 Killian
forty-two
Killian
A knot of apprehension formed in Killian’s gut from the moment they left his apartment. A little over a month ago, he’d willingly dropped Ivy off at this building. Now, he was loath to let her walk into that house, whether Finare was with her or not.
He found himself pacing the rooftop of the building across from Veldmoor within minutes of being dropped off. The cool night air did nothing to ease his mind. His eyes were fixed on the mansion, but he saw nothing to indicate whether his Resonant was in danger or not.
When he saw Leseldh’s car screaming down the private drive, his heart started pounding so hard he thought it was going to burst through his chest. He sprang into action, diving off the rooftop and landing on the street with a resounding boom.
Thanks to his Vampire strength, the drop was uncomfortable, but didn’t cause him any damage.
The gap between him and the car was increasing by the second.
Is Ivy in the car? He didn’t get the chance to see the occupants, and the downfall of being on street level was that his view was obscured by the tall hedges and iron fences that ringed the property.
Killian was forced to make a choice—chase the car or check the house.
He took a second he didn’t have to search inside himself.
Upon their Resonance, Killian discovered an invisible string inside himself that was tied to Ivy.
He didn’t understand why he was so drawn to her until he tasted her blood, and that string pulled tight.
He leveraged the string now and felt the connection hold firm—but it also felt strange.
Different. Ivy was fixed in place—she must be in the house. But is she alive?
Stuffing his worry into a corner of his mind, he charged across the street and launched himself at the fence.
He used his strength to pull himself up and over, being careful not to snag himself on the pointed finials that decorated the top.
He pushed off from the top and landed on the ground inside the property.
Killian charged towards Veldmoor’s front door and lowered his shoulder to barrel his way through. The door broke free of its hinges and bounced into the entranceway of the mansion, and Killian slowed to take stock of his surroundings.
“Ivy! Finare!” His alarm intensified when he received no response.
The air shifted and Killian turned to see Ozias soar over his shoulder.
The Erath flew through an open doorway on the right.
Killian followed and was led into a room with couches arranged in a U shape.
One of them served as a perch for Ozias.
Killian peered over the couch facing the mantlepiece to find Ivy and Finare on it, slumped against each other.
Fuck fuck fuck. He vaulted over the couch and dropped to his knees before Ivy.
“Ivy. Can you hear me?” He shook her gently, but she was unresponsive. Her head lolled, revealing a deepening bruise on her throat. The sight of that mark filled him with blind rage, and he felt his fire roar to life within him. He leaned over to shake Finare with similar results.
Killian took a deep breath and shoved his emotions aside to assess the situation pragmatically. He lifted one of Ivy’s eyelids and noted her dilated pupils. Her breathing was shallow, but steady. He ran through the possibilities and only one seemed reasonable—she’d been drugged.
Killian stood up and looked around, and spotted the bottle of wine on the mantelpiece, along with the glasses. A drink was the perfect vehicle for a drugging—especially for these two party animals. He inspected the glasses, but they didn’t appear suspicious.
Their recovery would take time, unless he could feed them. But it would be ridiculously suspicious to drag two unconscious Vampires into a blood bar. He’d risk that for Ivy, though. He frisked Finare, looking for his keys. His pockets were empty. He was forced to consider other alternatives.
The sight of Ivy’s unconscious form and brutalised neck reignited his fury. He felt his blood heat as he admitted that he’d failed her. You should’ve burned this house to the ground. He looked down at his clenched fists. The palms of his hands were starting to glow.
Killian opened his hands, and twin balls of flame burst to life in his palms. He let the fire burn his frustration away, and his mind drifted to the sight of Ivy conjuring his fire in his apartment.
It led him to think about the blood exchange that he believed made it happen, and that made him wonder if his blood could help her now.
He closed his hands to extinguish the flames before approaching Ivy once more. He knelt before her and brought his wrist to his mouth. With his free hand, he cupped Ivy’s jaw and gently forced it open. He gnashed on his wrist to create a large wound, and he quickly pressed it to her open mouth.
Killian felt the wound stitch itself closed, so he withdrew and watched her curiously.
Although he’d given her less of his blood than she’d taken the previous night, he knew it was enough when her eyelids fluttered open.
Her pupils were still so dilated that the irises were the smallest ring of deep green.
He smiled as her fog of unconsciousness cleared. He reached up and brushed her hair from her face. “Hey there, baby vamp.”
Ivy mumbled, “Hey.” She tried to sit up, but her movements were sluggish. Killian lifted her to reposition her, and it caused Finare’s unconscious body to slide further down the couch, so he repositioned him as well.
He knew he needed to revive Ivy’s Broodmate, but sharing his blood with Finare was not as easy of a decision. He’d never shared his blood willingly with anyone other than Ivy and offering himself to Finare felt too intimate.
But Finare wasn’t his enemy, was he? Finare was immensely loyal to Ivy, and it was obvious they cared for each other. Although Killian’s animosity for both Voresta and Leseldh was a separate entity that lived within him, he realised he didn’t feel animosity towards Finare.
Killian wasn’t sure if his blood would help Finare, but he had to try anyway.
He repeated the process of shredding his wrist and offering it to Finare’s open mouth.
As he waited to see if Finare would respond in the same way, he felt a hand brush against his.
He looked over to see Ivy smiling at him, the green of her eyes gradually becoming more prominent as her pupils contracted.
“Thank you.” Ivy’s voice was hazy, but at the sound of the words, Killian knew he’d done the right thing.