Chapter 29
I could feel Blackthorn’s gaze on me even with his hood up. My hand lifted, and I took a single step toward him. Hands grabbed at me, pulling me back from him, but my eyes never left him.
“Where is your master?” Blackthorn asked, his head turning from one side to the other. “Bring him to me.”
A low rumble of whispers spread through the crowd. Someone would spread the word to Rumple and then there would be hell to pay.
“You can’t...” I started and then paused, not sure how to approach this. I was beyond thrilled to see him, and yet I worried what Rumple would do to him. I sucked in a breath. “You shouldn’t have come back here.”
Those dark eyes landed on me once more. “I told you I would.”
“Yes,” I hissed, eyes darting around at our audience. “But I didn’t think you were stupid enough to do it.”
He lowered his hood, gaining him awes and gasps from the crowd. Murmurs of vampire spread through the room. He took one single step forward, and the whole of the room backed up a step, except me.
“For you,” Blackthorn flashed a fang-toothed smile, “only for you.”
“And who breaks down my door not once but twice?” Rumple’s voice caused everyone in the room to stiffen their eyes dropping to the ground at his presence.
I stared straight ahead, not giving him any ammunition to use against Blackthorn or me by acting out.
Blackthorn didn’t have the same caution as I did. He glared up at where Rumple stood on his perch, lording over us as he always did. “I am here for what’s mine.”
Rumple laughed, a horrible sound. “And what might that be?” He gestured around the room. “Everything here belongs to me.”
“I disagree.” Blackthorn stepped forward. “I owe a life debt to this one. Mara.” He stopped in front of me, placing a hand on my shoulder. “I should see it paid in full.”
The room was silent for a moment before Rumple hummed, stroking his whiskered chin.
“Are you offering to take her place in my service? You are aware it is for life? And a vampire like yourself...” He smirked, eyes glinting with malice.
“That is an awful long time. Pardon me, but I can’t exactly see a man as powerful as you sweating away in front of a wash basin. ”
“No,” Blackthorn snarled, flashing his fangs at him. “I can’t say that I am.”
“If you aren’t here to take Mara’s place, then what are you doing here? How do you plan to repay your debt?” Rumple waved a hand around the room as if it had the answer to his questions.
“I will pay you for her,” Blackthorn stated, pulling out a large bag of coins. “Two hundred gold coins. Far more than any servant is worth.”
Rumple sniffed and stalked down from his perch, breaking the crowd up when he reached the ground floor. When he reached the space where Blackthorn and I stood, I stiffened. My hand came up to cling to Blackthorn’s arm.
Rumple reached out to take the sack of gold from Blackthorn’s hand, weighing it in his palm.
“You are quite right,” Rumple murmured, staring at the bag of gold. “Two hundred gold is far more than any servant is worth.”
I held my breath, unable to believe that Rumple would actually accept payment to release me.
“Except...” Rumple drew out, his eyes flicking up to my face. “Mara signed a contract. If I let her out of her contract for a price, then others would think they could do the same. I can’t have that, now, can I? Who would work in my factory?” He turned slightly toward the room with a broad grin.
Blackthorn’s gaze turned to me, softening slightly before turning back to Rumple. “Are you refusing my offer?”
Rumple gnashed his teeth at him. “I am saying get the fuck out of my factory before I make you greet the morning sun.”
The hand on my shoulder tightened, and I grabbed a hold of Blackthorn’s arm. “Please, just go. I absolve you of your debt. Don’t die because of me.”
“Yes, listen to her, blood sucker,” Rumple said with a contemptuous smile. “Run back to your castle. You’ve made us all lose enough precious sleep tonight.”
“I tried to do this the peaceful way, but you have left me with no choice.” Blackthorn lifted a hand, and vines came out from the earth, shoving the stone flooring out of the way. They shot toward Rumple, who laughed and dodged out of the way.
The room broke into chaos. Everyone ran from where Rumple and Blackthorn fought. Many of them rushed to the second floor, hiding behind the railing to watch the fight go on.
I didn’t know what to do. I was frozen in place. Never in all my life had I thought someone would fight for me, and here Blackthorn was, doing just that against the best-known sorcerer in all Candiopolis.
Blackthorn flew through the air, smashing into a wooden washing barrel. Water spilled onto the floor, flooding the ground around us, turning the dirt that had come out with the vines into mud.
I scurried back from the battle, unsure how I could help but not wanting to get in the way.
Rumple laughed at Blackthorn’s prone form. “It’s a good thing you brought gold, because that’s going to cost you.”
Vines shot out from the ground behind him and wrapped around Rumple’s body, binding his arms and legs, tightening around his throat until his face turned red.
Blackthorn stood from the ground eyes narrowed on the choking sorcerer. He stalked toward the smaller man, his fangs bared hissing like the monsters everyone thought him to be.
“What will happen when you die? Will all your slaves go free?” Blackthorn asked, taunting him as his face turned blue with the effort. “This whole empire you’ve built will come crashing down on you because you were too prideful to let one woman go. How will they remember you then?”
For a second, I thought Blackthorn might actually win this fight. That Rumple would be defeated, and everyone here would be free.
Metal rattled nearby. The air in my lungs stilled, and my head slowly turned toward the sound. A pair of scissors floated up in the air, moving on its own until they twisted around to point directly at Blackthorn’s back.
My heart stopped.
“Sebastian!” I cried out, running toward him. I threw myself into his arms as he turned toward me, his expression filled with confusion just as a pain unlike any other ripped through my back.
I glanced down, finding the silver end of the scissors sticking out of my sternum.
Blackthorn roared, and his hand snapped. His vines mimicked his motion, snapping Rumple’s neck before sending him crumbling to the ground. He clutched me to his front, his hands smoothing back my hair from my face.
“No, no. Why? Why would you jump in the way? Didn’t you know only a stake through the heart and the sun can kill me?”
“That would have been good to know.” I laughed, coughing up thick liquid. My head lifted, my gaze going hazy as I reached for Blackthorn’s face. “Thank you for loving me.”
“Don’t thank me,” Blackthorn growled, holding me close. “Don’t you dare thank me. You’re going to live, damn you, Mara. I didn’t break every rule just for you to die on me.”
I huffed a laugh, coughing up more blood as the darkness closed in. “Sorry about that.”
Then the pain faded, and all I felt was numb. The factory and even Rumple’s face disappeared into the dark, and the last thing I remembered was Blackthorn yelling for help.
Unfortunately, the darkness didn’t last.
Something pressed against my mouth, and liquid that tasted of copper and death filled my mouth. I tried to spit it out, but I was too weak. Whoever was doing this made me swallow the fluid down.
Then a burning fire started in my chest, spreading through my veins as if my very blood was boiling.
I breathed heavily, sucking in breath after breath until I couldn’t take in anymore. The pulse in my ears slowed, and the fire cooled leaving an unbelievable chill behind. The pain miraculously eased, and an unquenchable thirst rose in its place.
I coughed, shifting where I laid, a soft mattress beneath my body.
“She’s waking up,” a voice I couldn’t place said.
I coughed again, getting out the word, “Water.”
An arm wrapped around my back, lifting me up and pressing a cup to my lips. Cool liquid filled my mouth. I barely swallowed it down before I jerked, falling to the side as my body rejected the water, throwing it up onto the bed.
“Shhh,” a soothing voice said, pulling my hair back from my face. “It’s alright. The transition can take its toll.”
My brows furrowed, and I blinked, my eyes trying to adjust to the light. I was in Blackthorn’s bedroom, in his bed. Fran stood on one side of the bed, cleaning up the water I had thrown up. Blackthorn stood at my other side, his hand brushing across my forehead.
“What?” I gaped at him, then looked down at my chest. “I was dying... dead. How?”
Blackthorn stared at me. “You know how.”
Licking my lips, I gasped, blood filling my mouth at the cut. I opened my mouth, my fingers coming up to touch the sharp points of my canines, much longer and sharper than before. I covered my hand over my mouth and blinked at Blackthorn.
“I’m a... vampire? Like you?”
Nodding, Blackthorn held out a different cup to me. This one smelled sweet, like the sweetest wine I’d ever come across. That burning thirst came over me once more, and I grabbed for the cup, swallowing it down before I realized that it wasn’t wine.
It was too thick. Too red.
I slowly lowered the cup, staring down at its contents. Blood. I wasn’t sure whose blood it was, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to know.
Fran watched quietly from the side, gathering up the dirty linen. When she opened the door, there was a clatter, and then children’s laughter came from outside the bedroom door.
My head jerked at the sound. Children? Since when were there children in the castle?
“When Rumpelstiltskin died,” Blackthorn took the cup from my hands, “all your contracts became null and void.”
“But they’re free... Why would they...?”
“Come here?” Blackthorn’s head cocked to the sides.
“They were given a choice. They could leave, be free, go home, whatever they wanted, or... they could come back here... with us.” He sat on the edge of the bed and stroked the line of my jaw.
“Many chose to leave, but more than that chose to stay... for you.”
My eyes widened. “For me?”
Blackthorn grinned. “You don’t know how much you mean to them, do you? They’ve told me some of what you’ve done for them. Many of them owe you their lives, just like me.” He laced my fingers with his. “I owe you twice now. I suppose I’ll have to spend the rest of my life making it up to you.”
I stared down at his hand, my brow crinkling. “You mean the rest of my life. You’ll live forever.”
Lifting my hand to his lips, he pressed a kiss on it. “And so now will you.”
“Oh, right.” I frowned.
“Mara?” Blackthorn stared at me for a long moment. “Do you not want to spend your life with me?”
I gaped at him. “No! I mean, yes. I mean... I don’t know... Everything is... There’s too much going on. I can’t think straight.”
“I understand.” Blackthorn smiled, tipping my chin up so his lips could caress mine. “I’ll just have to keep you tied up here until you can make a decision.”
“You wouldn’t dare!” I gasped, smacking him in the chest. “I’m not your prisoner.”
Blackthorn laughed and grasped my offending fist in his own, dropping a kiss to my wrist. “No, you’re not. You’re mine and I am yours. Forever.”
My expression softened, my forehead pressing to his. “Forever.”
He captured my mouth with a soul searing kiss. Pulling back, I nipped at his lip, drawing blood from it. I licked the blood away, his eyes heavy with desire.
A different kind of hunger filled me.
And there the vampire made love to me in our bed. My friends were finally free of Rumple and had their whole lives ahead of them.
As for me... my happily ever after would last a very very long time after all.