Chapter 61
Chapter Sixty-One
SEBASTIAN
April’s scream is like a dagger to my chest. Hurling myself at the mage, wrapping my hands around his head, I twist and pull, separating his head from his body. I’m out of the alley before both parts of him hit the ground.
Following the scent of blood that covers April from head to toe when she is done with the idiot that thought he could best her, I stop in my tracks at the sight in front of me.
One arm and one leg from the running mage are hanging on a pile of stacked up vehicles.
Andrei and Marcus are circling April, looking for an opening to snatch the unconscious, bleeding male from her.
She, on the other hand, is clutching the limp body of her dog in one arm, the head, and tail swaying with every movement she makes.
With the other, she is doing her best to remove the other leg from the mage. No wonder he is unconscious.
Approaching her cautiously, I lift both hands to my sides so that she can see I mean no harm.
Snarling, she turns my way, and a gasp is all I can manage when I see her face.
The skin around her eyes is burned, but that’s not what shocks me.
I know she will heal before I even get her out of the open.
What leaves me frozen and speechless is the bright yellow glow of her eyes now ringed with three red circles, each smaller than the other, the last one ending next to her irises.
“April, it’s me, Sebastian, my redemption.” Inching closer, I don’t dare lose eye contact. “Let us keep the mage alive so we can find out what he did to your eyes. If we kill him, it will take much longer. Are you hurting, heart of my heart?”
“Ha usato un linguaggio vile pensando di accecarmi. Gli scemi patetici non sanno che non puoi maledire qualcuno che ha fatto del male a se stesso. Non possono prendere qualcosa che non hanno dato. Io guarirò, ma loro bruceranno per l’eternità.”
“He used foul language, thinking he can blind me. The pathetic fools don’t know you cannot curse someone that has done worse to themselves.
They cannot take something that they have not given.
I will heal, but they will burn for eternity.
” I repeat her words in my mind, chills numbing me from the otherworldly sound of her voice.
And then, just like nothing has happened, her face crumples, and she looks at the dog.
“He hurt mutt.” A tear rolls down her cheek.
“Come to me, my redemption. Let me see if I can help the creature.” Approaching her slowly, I wait for her nod before touching her.
“He is breathing. I can feel his heartbeat on my fingers. He just won’t wake up.” She drops the half-ripped leg of the mage and cradles the dog to her chest. “He tried to save me, you know. Just like he always does.” A sob shakes her shoulders. “He will be okay, right?”
It’s unnerving when she turns the golden, red rimmed eyes to me, but I pull her to my chest, the dog squeezed between us.
She shudders, and so do I. Too close. Too many times, they have come too close to hurting her.
This whole charade needs to end, and it needs to end now.
But first, I have to take care of April.
“Portalo dentro e sveglialo.”
Marcus and Andrei follow my order, lifting the mage and picking their way through the rubble. They’ll find me when they wake him up, as I asked. Tightening my arms around the woman who holds my heart, I place her head under my chin.
“The dog will be fine. After what you just told me, I think I’d rather have him around you non-stop. It was foolish to keep the two of you apart.” Kissing the top of her head, I pull away. “Is something wrong with your sight, or it just needs to heal?”
With a deep sigh, she turns around and starts making her way towards the hotel.
I follow next to her, my hand in constant contact at the small of her back.
I feel like something will happen if I don’t have a hold on her.
It’s ridiculous, but the protectiveness is surging through me and rocking me on my heels.
“Everything is still blurry, but it’s getting better.” Lifting her face, she looks at the sickle-shaped moon. “He used that crystal to try and take my eyes. It burns like a bitch.”
My feet slow down at her comment. She takes two more steps before looking at me over her shoulder. Paying closer attention to the burnt skin around her eyes, I can see the muscle and tissue knitting together but it’s a lot slower than average for a vampire.
“That is the same crystal they used to make the thrones?” My fingers hover above the injured skin. “The same one we used for the medallion of the humans?”
“Of course, I haven’t seen another type.” She cocks her head. “Actually, that’s a lie. The crystal coffin that they had you in was different. It had power, but it wasn’t exactly the same, now that I think of it.”
“I have held the crystal; I even touched their thrones the night you were reborn.” Wincing at the reminder, I wait for a snappy comment, but it doesn’t come. “It doesn’t burn.”
“The mage was chanting,” she says dryly, calling me an idiot without the words. “I very much doubt the crystal itself can burn, or they wouldn’t be keeping their asses on it for centuries.”
“The Council Towers are abandoned. I’ll send Guardians to collect every piece they find, and I’m going to destroy it.” Jaw clenching, I steer her towards the hotel again.
Snorting, she glances at me before looking in front of her. “Why on earth would you be destroying a beautiful crystal? Men. Always swinging their fists first, asking questions later.”
The slight accent in her voice reminds me that April is still not in full control of herself. The fact that she is calm and conversing lulls me into a false sense of averted danger. I better remember that.
“What would you have me do, my redemption?” Making sure she hears the reverence in my voice, I straighten my shoulders.
She may not be herself right now, but I better remember it’s my matron that I awakened.
She deserves my loyalty and respect, although I do act like a fool most of the time around her.
She stays quiet, and I can feel her thinking while her fingers stroke the fur of her dog.
Keeping my hand on her back, we reach the hotel, passing through the opening.
The two Guardians almost run away when they see her.
April just nods regally at them, still lost in thought and leaving them gaping at her open mouth.
Everyone stops whatever they were doing, their eyes following in our wake.
I don’t know if it’s because they can feel her power pulsing from her like I do, or it’s the unusual glow in her eyes when she looks at them.
Whatever it is, I can feel the shift happening in front of my eyes.
They were all scared of her. They steered clear, unsure of what she would do or how she would act, so avoidance was the best action.
Now the same reverence I feel is reflected in most of their faces, some even bowing deeply when she walks past.
“Terrò i troni.” Addressing me first, she says it loudly enough in English for everyone to hear. “I will keep the crystal thrones and sit there while my murderers grovel at my feet.”
With a small smile, she disappears through the double doors of the rooms we are using, leaving me and everyone else stunned.