Chapter 83
Chapter Eighty-Three
SEBASTIAN
“What did you expect me to do?” Marcus snarls at me, and it takes everything in me not to rip his head off his shoulders.
The fact that half of his face looks melted and chunks of skin keep falling from his chest and arm with wet plops works in his favor.
I still might kill him later after he heals.
“Not taking her to her death would suffice.” My retort is clipped while I struggle for control through the pain and anger.
“I need you to remind me why I’ve trusted you with my life all these centuries.
” I point out, pacing the floor and wincing with each step, my own flesh making squelching sounds as it slides from my bones and drops at my feet.
“Why in all the heavens and hells have I trusted you with her life? And speak faster before I change my mind and kill you where you stand.”
“Non fare il coglione.” Marcus hisses like a snake, his face contouring in anger.
“Oh good, both of you are still alive. And what do you mean don’t be a dick?
” April’s rasp freezes me in my tracks. “He was born that way,” she answers Marcus, her eyes still closed but her lips curled at the corners.
“You know,” she tells him, “maybe he was born with it, maybe it’s Maybelline.
” She tries to snicker, the sound turning into a cough.
“Stop talking,” I snap at her, rushing to her side.
“Don’t talk, it’ll take time for some of the burns to heal.
” I search her beautiful face for any indication of pain, but if she feels it, she doesn’t show it.
“Insufferable woman,” I murmur on a sigh, as I feel the heat from Marcus’s body when he steps behind me to peer down at her.
“Please consider me still unconscious before you answer my question, Sebastian.” Her eyelashes flutter, and she darts her gaze from me to Marcus before they fall shut again, casting crescent shadows over her cheekbones like she can’t stand to look at us.
My heart, which only beats thanks to her, hurts.
She seems so fragile and small in the middle of the large bed.
When she doesn’t speak, I forcibly unclench my jaw, brushing a few strands of hair stuck to her face away.
Eshe cleaned her up the best she could when I brought her back, but the stench of tainted blood and magic is still clinging to her skin and burning my nostrils.
I was so close to losing her this evening.
So fucking close I’m finding it hard to fill my lungs with air.
“What is your question, mia redenzione?” I’ve called her my redemption often, so it slays me when she flinches at my words.
Taking a deep breath, she speaks. “On a scale of one to ten, how pissed are you right now?” She peeks at me through her lashes before scrunching her eyes shut. “Remember, if the answer is anything above four, we never had this conversation and I’m still out. Now, go.”
Marcus chokes behind me, and my fingers twitch to wrap around his neck.
“I know you are in pain from that vile magic since I can feel it on my own skin.” I force the tone of my voice to be even, but it’s still much harsher than I intend it to be, and it makes her cringe. “Let’s just say you will pay for sneaking out like this when you are no longer hurt.”
“Aannndd, I’m out,” she singsongs, shoving me off the side of the bed where I’m perched with her hand.
“Shoo, go. Nothing to see here, just me unconscious and taking time to heal.” Her eyes open, and she blinks innocently at me.
“It’ll take a long, long time before I feel better, so you might want to move on with your life.
” At my level stare, she shrugs. “Just saying. Now go.”
Marcus, the fuck, barks out a laugh, forcing me to clench my jaw so I don’t kill him for real.
“April.” Her name spills through my gnashing teeth, but the warning is there. She needs to not test my patience any further.
“Dude, I’m healing here,” she huffs, exasperated and not even bothering to open her eyes.
“Go yell at someone else. You have Marcus here; do I need to remind you that he was there with me? Feeding me fish eggs, of all things, that cost fucking three hundred and fifty bucks for a teaspoon of them. How about them apples? Go scream at him.”
“La donna è incorreggibile.” Throwing both his arms in the air, Marcus tilts his face up and stares at the ceiling as if begging the heavens to help him. “She is absolutely incorrigible, I swear it to everything holy,” he repeats it in English, gaping at her openmouthed.
“Your soul will burn in hell for cursing at holy shit, just so you know.” She sniffs primly, still keeping her eyes closed. “All joking aside, the Guardians came back with us, right?” All pretenses drop, and she levels me with a stare that squeezes my chest like a vice.
For all her flippant attitude and disregard for her own life and well-being, April loves our people with every breath she takes.
The connection that forms between her and each of them when they take her blood just adds to the burden she carries like an anvil around her neck.
If I knew how hard this would be on her, I would’ve taken her on some deserted island and locked her away from everyone the moment she was turned.
Drowning in my guilt, I don’t answer her, but Marcus does.
“Yes, they both returned, but it will be a while until they heal from the last magic blast.” Shoving dirty fingers through his hair, he yanks on it in frustration, chunks of it tangling between them when he drops his hands to the sides.
“I’ve never seen anything like it before.
It must be some secret spell they plan on using against us.
” Gaze full of desperation, he looks at me.
“It might be the same thing they used when they attacked after we defeated the Council. The two that made the magic blast were dead before they hit the floor, probably fueling it with their lifeforce.”
Silent, I watch him pace back and forth next to the bed, and April stirs under the covers, feeling the helplessness oozing out of his pores. I feel it as well, and that’s the only thing keeping my mouth shut instead of shouting at him.
“And what were you thinking!” He whirls on April, pushing me aside to loom over her. “You could’ve died.” The accusation in his tone is like a slap to her, her head shrugging deeper into the pillow.
“It was Eddie,” April mumbles under her breath, her voice hollow after she and Marcus stare unblinking at each other for a very long moment.
“Sara’s brother that I did everything to help keep him alive.
He wasn’t sick, Sebastian. He told us that they bound his magic so he could appear human.
The whole time I was hiding them and making sure no vampire could kill them, both of them were plotting against me.
He wanted you to find me so we could kill the Council and make their job easier. ”
Biting my tongue, I narrow my eyes at her, and she squints back.
“Don’t you dare give me that look, mister.
” Her finger stabs the air, stopping almost at my nose.
“Did you know if I give them my blood and I die all of them will perish along with me, no matter where they are?” Sucking gulps of air, her voice gets louder with each word she speaks.
“Did you know you and Marcus would die, too, if they killed me today? Huh? Did you?”
“Si.” Her gaze widens at my simple truth, so I repeat it in a soft, even tone. “Yes, I knew.”
“And you two call me insufferable and incorrigible.” Her lips form a thin white line as she darts her gaze from me to Marcus and back. “Take a look in the mirror before you point a finger at me. Now get the fuck out of this room. I don’t want to look at you two for a while.”
“You heard the woman.” Eshe walks through the door holding it open for us. “Scram.” Her hand whirls in circles, hurrying us out.
“This is absolutely insane.” Scrubbing a hand roughly over my face, I regret it the same second when a chunk of my cheek stays stuck to my palm.
“What’s insane is that no one is telling me the truth, if you want to know,” April tells me on a sigh, staring up at the ceiling. “I hate being caught off guard because all of you are keeping vital information from me.”
“We never had time to discuss certain things, not with everything that’s been going on since the moment I found you, Tesoro.
” I take her hand and bring her fingers to my lips, unable to stop myself, although I’m covered in soot and blood.
I didn’t clean up because I didn’t want to leave her side for a second.
“That is on me, and I will remedy that as soon as you wish to speak to me.”
“Later. I’m too riled up right now, and I can barely think.” She pulls her fingers from my hold, and I take that as being dismissed.
She is as stubborn as me, and if I push her now, I’ll get nowhere.
With that knowledge, I climb to my feet, and after a nod to April, I turn to leave, dragging a reluctant Marcus with me.
Eshe glares at us when we walk by her, but I pay her no mind.
The soft click of the door closing behind us is like a nail in my coffin.
I would’ve preferred she slammed it because it would’ve hurt less.
“Sebastian …”
Marcus starts, but I press a finger to my lips to shut him up.
My feet are moving as if I’m walking, although I do not move from the spot while I bundle my power inside me, shutting it almost completely out.
My long-time friend knows me too well and follows suit, both of us as silent as death in the empty hallway.
After a few long moments, voices float out from behind the closed door.
“I never thought I’d see the day when you kicked Sebastian out of your room.” Eshe chortles, and a muscle ticks in my jaw.
“I still liked you better when you talked like some ancient creature that had just freshly walked out of a tomb.” April sasses back at her dryly. “I’m upset with him, but I don’t appreciate you talking shit behind his back, no offense.”
“None taken.” If I’m not mistaken, there is pride in Eshe’s tone that does my head in. What’s her game? “So what’s your plan after successfully managing to almost kill yourself again?”
I hold my breath while keeping my gaze locked on Marcus’s.
“Are you sure they’re gone?” April asks.
“I can’t feel his power. They left.” Was Eshe’s perfect mistake what will work out in my favor this night. I know April is plotting something and there was no way in this life or the next that I would leave anything to chance anymore.
“I’m going into the tunnels tonight.” Marcus looks comical when his eyes bulge out of his skull as April’s words float to our ears. “One way or another, we are putting a stop to this.”
“I’m coming with you.” There is no argument left in Eshe’s tone.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way. We just need to wait and sneak out the moment the coast is clear.”
I drag Marcus away with me, silent as a ghost down the hall. When we are far enough away that April can’t hear us, he turns to me, tugging his arm out of my hand with a sharp yank.
“What now?” he asks through clenched teeth.
“Now we follow behind her,” I tell him, squaring my shoulders. “I hope you can handle a little pain and still do what needs to be done.”
“Always,” is his immediate reply. “After that, I will slap her silly when we survive this shit.”
My chuckle is strained.