Chapter 21 Danica #2
"Luc-ian…p-please," I try one last time, but my eyes flutter shut, and I feel the darkness taking over.
I'm teetering on the brink of unconsciousness, my heartbeat slowing in my ears like a dying drumbeat.
My body's failing me, and all I can do is pray that something snaps him out of this before it's too late.
I fall into the black oblivion, my eyes shutting as I can only pray for a miracle.
I don't know how long I drift in that abyss, but the next sensation piercing the darkness is the taste of sweet and bitter copper on my tongue.
Slowly, I open my eyes to find Lucian staring down at me, worry and fear etched in his big brown eyes.
His wrist is pressed against my mouth, and the realization hits me like a freight train.
"I'm sorry," he whispers with regret in his eyes.
Oh, no... no... no. Not again. As his blood drips down my throat, I can feel my strength slowly returning, the darkness receding with each swallow. But my body still isn't listening to anything my brain is trying to tell it.
Lucian's eyes soften with relief. He rips his wrist away from my mouth. Before I can muster the energy to say anything, his lips crash into mine, kissing me with wild abandon.
It's a kiss that demands everything and offers no room for argument.
It's overwhelming, the blend of our blood still fresh on his lips, the residual power of his venom coursing through my veins, making everything feel heightened, more intense.
His hands are everywhere, cradling my head, gripping my waist, pulling me closer as if he's afraid I'll disappear if he lets go.
His tongue, soft, spongy, and warm, slowly flicks against mine, and I can't help but respond, thrusting back with need—the venom still a massive factor in my body's betrayal.
Each stroke of his tongue against mine sends shivers down my spine, igniting a fire within me that makes it impossible not to kiss him back, matching his rhythm with increasing fervor.
His actions become urgent as if he can hear my thoughts, and his fierce possessiveness borders on feral. And yet, beneath it all, there's a gentleness, a softness that speaks of something deeper, something more.
Just then, he jerkingly rears back like a puppet on a string, his neck twisting to the side with a sickening crack that churns my stomach. He slumps to the floor, and I follow, my legs and limbs useless.
My blood trickles down my neck in a sticky stream, a dreadful reminder of what just happened.
"Danica!" a voice I'd know anywhere screeches from the other side of the room. "Jesus fuck, I'm so sorry."
Emily rushes over, helping me off the floor with Sable on my other side. They practically carry me to the couch, where I slump down like a ragdoll. Sable dashes to the kitchen and returns quickly, pressing a wet dish towel to my neck.
I crane my neck around Emily to get a look at Lucian's lifeless body sprawled on the floor. "Is he... dead?" I croak.
I know I shouldn't be worried about that asshat right now, but I can't help it. I don't want him dead, even if he did try to drain me.
"Hell no. Just taking a nice long timeout," Emily snaps. "Shit, girl. I'm so fucking sorry he did that to you. I didn't think it would actually work."
Sable chimes in, her voice a mixture of 'no shit' and awe. "It worked, Emily."
I look back and forth between them, my confusion and annoyance growing by the second. "What worked? What the hell are you two talking about?"
Emily gives me a look that's a cross between sheepish and 'please don't kill me.' "We sort of... summoned you here. With a spell."
I blink. Once. Twice. Three times. "You did what now?"
"We summoned you," Sable explains, her voice gentle like talking to a spooked horse. "We were trying to find a way to get you back—we had no idea where you went, so we found this spell—"
"And you thought, hey, let's just give it a whirl and see what happens?" I ask, my tone sharp, with venom. "Did it not occur to you that maybe, just maybe, fucking with magic you don't understand could be a bad idea?"
Emily rolls her eyes. "Oh, don't give me that shit. We were trying to help you. And it worked, didn't it? You're here, aren't you?"
I let out a humorless laugh. "Yeah, I'm here. And so is Lucian, who just tried to turn me into a fucking Bloody Mary—Thanks for that, by the way."
Sable winces, her face a picture of guilt. "We didn't know that would happen, Dani. Lucian was gone, and we didn't think…"
I sigh, the anger draining from me as quickly as it came.
I know they were trying to help, even if their methods were questionable at best. The fact that she got me out of Bloodbane's bullshit is a relief.
"I know, Sable. I'm sorry. I'm just... I'm fucking exhausted, and this whole situation is just.. ."
"Fucked up?" Emily supplies helpfully.
"Yeah. Fucked up. Do you have any idea what that damn summons did to me? It felt like someone was trying to rip my insides out through my ass. Not exactly a pleasant experience, let me tell you."
Emily and Sable exchange a look of 'Oh shit.
' Emily drops to her knees in front of me, her expression of guilt and apology.
"I'm sorry, hun. We just thought..." She struggles for a moment, trying to find the right words.
"Look, I'm new to this whole witchy shit, okay?
We had no idea where you jetted off to. We were worried, and I-I don't know…
I thought having you here could help with Lucian's issues—I'm tired of babysitting the vampire toddler. "
I raise an eyebrow at her, clearly conveying how unimpressed I am with her explanation.
"So, let me get this straight. You thought you'd just, what, summon me here like a friggin genie in a bottle, get me to fix Lucian's scrambled egg brain?
Did it not occur to you that maybe, just maybe, I might have some objections to being yanked across dimensions like a goddamn yo-yo? "
Sable winces, "We didn't think it through—"
"Wait. What do you mean you're new to this witchy shit?" I snap, glaring pointedly at her. "Emily, you're no witch. Sable, yes. But you? Since when did you decide to enroll in the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?"
They both exchange a look, "That's the other thing we summoned you here for…"
"So, let me see if I understand this." I lean back, trying to make sense of the wild story Emily and Sable have dropped on me. "You guys rescued Lucian from Azrael and Paige, and in the middle of all this chaos, Emily suddenly turned into Supergirl—with fire powers and who knows what else?"
Emily grins, clearly enjoying her newfound abilities. "Yep, pretty much. Who knew that biting the dust would come with such kickass perks?"
I roll my eyes but can't hide my intrigue. "And how exactly did this magical transformation happen?"
Sable clears her throat, her voice steady. "I've been doing some digging and talked to my Grandma. She believes you somehow siphoned all the witch's magic into Emily."
The memory of that night rushes back like a tidal wave. Emily, dead on the grass, her body a charred mess, and the haunting screams of the witches I roasted still echoing in my head. "So you're telling me that when I brought Emily back from the dead, she absorbed the powers of those witches?"
Sable nods, sipping her coffee. "Precisely. Normally, when a witch dies, her power returns to the Earth, creating a balance. But when you resurrected Emily, their powers went into her instead of dispersing back to the Earth. It's kind of like a supernatural shortcut. At least, that's my theory."
I sit here, my mind reeling as I process this bombshell. "This is insane. I thought witches were just humans with the power of chanting."
Sable shakes her head, a patient smile on her face. "It's more than that," she clarifies. "Power runs through bloodlines. No one can create witches; it has to be through a direct descendant of one of the original witch lines."
I gulp my coffee, the sweet caffeine jumping through my veins. "So, Emily then is a descendant of some long-lost witch?" I ask, my brow furrowing as I attempt to piece together this puzzle.
Sable shrugs, her expression thoughtful. "That is still up for debate—her situation is different as you brought her back from death. We don't know what to make of it."
I lean back on the couch, my mind whirring with possibilities. "Okay, so Emily died. I brought her back to life, and now she has powers that rival Sabrina, the Teenage Witch. And we have no idea if she's related to any witches or if this is just some freaky side effect of resurrection?"
Sable nods, her eyes sparkling with excitement and uncertainty. "That's the gist of it. It's uncharted territory, Dani. We're in the realm of the unknown here."
I shake my head, my eyes wide. "This is some next-level shit."
Emily, who's been uncharacteristically quiet during this exchange, finally pipes up. "Tell me about it. I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that I can start fires with my mind. It's like I'm living in a damn X-Men movie."
I turn to her, a grin spreading across my face. "Hey, at least you got a cool origin story from it. Not everyone can say they died and came back with witchy superpowers."
Emily rolls her eyes, but I can see the hint of a smile tugging at her lips. "Yeah, well, I could have done without the whole 'dying' part. That shit was not fun."
I reach over and squeeze her hand, my heart clenching at the memory of her lifeless body. "I know, Em. I'm just glad you're here, powers or no powers."
She squeezes back, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "Me too."
We sit here for a moment, the weight of everything hanging in the air between us. Finally, I break the silence, "Alright, so we've got a lot to figure out. Emily's powers, Lucian's memory, and let's not forget that I need to return to Aquaria and Rhyland."
The thought of Rhyland sends a pang of longing through my heart. I miss him more than I ever thought possible, and being here while he's in Aquaria makes me want to scream. I need to figure out Lucian and get back to Rhyland—like yesterday.
I glance down at Lucian, who's still out cold on the floor. He looks almost peaceful, like a sleeping baby vampire. "How long is he going to be napping like that?"
Emily shrugs."Takes about a few hours, give or take."
I raise an eyebrow, curious about how she knows that little tidbit. If I had to guess, it's not the first time she's had to put Lucian in a supernatural time-out. I make a mental note to ask her about that when we're not knee-deep in interdimensional drama.
"We should use this time to come up with a plan. Lucian's memory loss is a big issue, and we need to figure out how to fix it." Sable pauses, "We've tried everything to uncurse him, but nothing works. That bitch did a number on him, and I'm not sure if it's reversible."
"I can try something," I offer, my mind racing with possibilities. "Maybe I can tap into my angel powers and uncurse his brain. It's a shot in the dark but worth a try."
Emily raises an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. "Your angel power? You think you can act like some celestial brain surgeon?"
I shrug, trying to sound more confident than I feel. "Why not? I've got this whole light and creation gig going on. Maybe I can give his scrambled egg brain a little reboot."