43. So Am I
DAMIEN
Something is wrong. The moment I leave Night Haven and enter the network of shadows, I sense Eloise’s pain down our bond. Not like before. This isn’t emotional pain. It’s physical. She’s injured. Fuck, if Tony has hurt her, I’ll flay his skin from his body.
The rank smell of blood reaches me the moment I manifest in her parlor. I follow the scent to an art studio at the back of the house.
“Eloise!” I find her curled in a ball, at the base of a tower of blades. Tony dangles from the structure, staring at her through dead eyes. Blood pools beneath him, spreading, threatening her even in death. Commanding the shadows, I sweep her out of its reach and carry her away from the scene of death and violence. When I feel her chest rise and fall against mine, I’m so relieved I almost weep. But any comfort I take that she’s alive fades quickly when I’m unable to rouse her.
In the parlor, I gently lay her down on the green velvet sofa and carefully assess her injuries. Every inch of her is covered in bruises, even beneath her clothing. Rage kindles deep within me, a spark growing into a blaze. I feel cheated knowing Tony is dead in the next room. I almost wish the Gowdies owed me a favor so that I could reanimate his corpse and kill him again. “That fucking bastard.”
Mercifully, Eloise’s eyes blink open and meet mine, but they’re glazed, and motherfucker, the pattern of bruises on her neck suggests she’s been strangled. Her injuries are serious. More than shade saliva can heal or what little magic I wield can fix.
“You need a doctor,” I say, pulling out her phone. “I’m calling 911.”
She shakes her head. “No hospital.”
“Eloise, you’re hurt. I can’t fix this.” Panic rises to fill every part of me. Doing nothing is unthinkable. So much can go wrong with her fragile human body. What if there’s internal bleeding? Losing her now would be the single worst moment in my existence. I’d rather have my heart torn from my chest in full sunlight.
“They’ll ask questions, Damien. I’ll be blamed for Tony’s murder.” She takes a deep, rattling breath.
A vampire could turn her, make her immortal. Shades have live young but vampires turn humans. No. Cursing her to that fate is unthinkable. Not if there is another way. “Fine.” I swallow, knowing what I must do. “No doctors. But there’s someone else I can call.”
“Who?”
“You know who.” Maeve is a powerful witch, and even amateur elementals have healing spells.
“She may not come.” She swallows and winces like it’s painful. “Hates me... the candle.”
I grind my teeth. I’m prepared to do whatever it takes to save Eloise. Maeve is her friend but I don’t trust the witch not to use the circumstances to her advantage. If I call her, it will not be beyond reason for her to expect restitution. But I don’t hesitate. I will allow myself to be bound again if that’s what it takes to save Eloise. Resigned, I rise and walk to the kitchen so that Eloise can’t hear if I have to bargain for her life. I place the call, and Maeve answers on the second ring.
“Did not have this on my bingo card today,” she says by way of hello. “Why the hell are you calling me, Advocate?”
“He hurt her,” I grit out, unable to suppress a growl. “I think she’s dying.”
Maeve doesn’t ask me to elaborate. “Where are you?”
“Harcourt.”
“Where is Tony?”
“Dead.”
“I’ll be right there.”
I end the call and rush back to Eloise’s side. She’s worse. When I touch her, she shivers but will not open her eyes. I tuck a blanket around her body and start a fire in the fireplace. The room warms quickly but her shivering doesn’t stop. Desperate to help her, I gather her into my arms, rocking her like a child.
A frustratingly long hour later, Maeve arrives and lets herself in the front door, pulling up short when she sees Eloise. “By the goddess.”
“Thank you for coming,” I say, bracing myself for the worst. What will the witch make me do to save my mate? “We need your help. Please.”
“Shut up. You did the right thing calling me. I’m going to fix her. I brought my Aunt Hildegard’s tea. It’s never been known to fail.” Maeve’s voice holds a slight tremor, and I wonder how sure she is she can fix this. I’m not familiar enough with human anatomy to know how damaged Eloise is, but I sense her injuries are severe. I’m doing my best not to notice the smell of death that surrounds her.
Maeve pads off toward the kitchen and I hear her lift the kettle from the counter and start the water. She returns later with tea, and together, we sit Eloise up and rouse her enough to get a few sips down her throat. After a few more, her eyes are clearer, and the swelling is down.
“I’m so tired,” she says. I release a relieved breath to hear her speak again.
“It’s okay. Rest. I’ll watch over you,” I promise her.
“I’ll stay too. At least until you’ve had another cup.” Maeve takes a seat in the lion’s head rocker near the grandfather clock.
Eloise frowns, her gaze shifting toward the fire. “Tony admitted to murdering my parents.”
Maeve hisses, leaning forward to brace her elbows on her knees. “I thought they were killed in a robbery.”
Eloise repositions herself in my arms. “They were, but Tony told me tonight the murder was orchestrated by the Denardi family. You were right, Maeve. They’re mobsters. Everything he did, even marrying me, was to get his hands on this property and the caverns beneath it.” She goes on, telling us about how Tony has been using the caves to smuggle counterfeit bills. I listen, but by the end, I can barely hear her through the roaring in my ears. I will kill every one of the Denardis to make sure she remains safe. I will bathe in their blood.
“The man was pure evil.” Maeve rubs her eyes with both hands.
“I killed him,” Eloise says, squeezing her eyes shut. “He’s dead because of me.”
I hate how much guilt I hear in her voice. Doesn’t she realize she had no choice? After everything Tony had done to her, the hell he’d put her through, the fact that she can still think him worthy of life both endears me to her and turns my stomach. “How very human of you,” I say, unable to keep the cynicism from my voice.
“Hmm?”
“Little dragon, you have more bruises than skin. Tony admitted to killing your parents, then tried to kill you. You didn’t murder him; you defended yourself.” I bare my teeth. “I only wish I could have done it for you.”
“I agree with the adv— Damien,” Maeve says, forcing out my name. She must realize I am no longer the Gowdie advocate. I hold back my obvious pleasure at the change, for Eloise’s sake. “Tony’s had it coming for a while now. If you hadn’t killed him, you’d definitely be dead.”
Hearing that makes me feel like I want to shred Tony’s body just to have somewhere to direct my rage. I force my protective instincts into a box at the back of my mind. It doesn’t help Eloise for me to lose my shit right now, and I’m close.
“I think he succeeded in killing me, actually.” Eloise’s brows pinch over her nose. “I mean, it felt like I died… for a while. I saw my parents.”
Maeve stops rocking. “What happened in your vision when you saw your parents?”
“They said I had the blood of a dragon in me. We were on the edge of our cliff. They told me I was in the underworld and that my tattoo means I can travel between dimensions. It was such a weird dream. My entire family was there.”
I exchange a nervous glance with Maeve. “Your sigil contains a keyspell to open portals and you spoke with the dead?”
Eloise tips her head back to look at me. “Yes, but, I don”t understand, Damien. I never thought my family was like Maeve’s family. I never noticed any… magic before. Although...”
“Although?” I stroke her hair back from her face.
“The dragon on the door to my mother”s studio, the eye was closed and now it’s open. And when I reached for my palette knife to fight Tony, the cup fell over and it was almost like it flew into my hand. At the same time, my mother’s sculpture started to whir.”
“Whir?” Maeve frowns.
“The knives moved. They repositioned themselves. I kicked Tony and set him off balance, but the sculpture… the blades sliced right through him. Scooped him up into the air.”
“That sounds a lot like magic, El,” Maeve says softly.
Eloise stares at the gallery wall. ”I… I think there”s a connection between the house and my family, my ancestors. Like they”re here, helping me. Like the house is... alive somehow.”
She shifts in my arms. She’s agitated, and I sense she’s not ready for the truth. I pull her closer and exchange an uneasy glance with Maeve. We both know it’s all real, but Eloise isn’t strong enough to face this tonight. Not after everything. “I have you now. You’re safe.”
Maeve takes a deep breath and sighs. “About that. She said there were others in the cavern. They’ll come looking for Tony. Something has to be done with the body, Damien.”
I nod. “I’ll go.”
Eloise twists in my arms. “What are you going to do? They’re dangerous.”
I lower my forehead to hers. “So am I, and I will do what is necessary to keep you safe. Stay with Maeve. Drink your tea. I’m going to make this go away, little dragon. Trust me.”