"What?" he said automatically, and then realized that Lucian had also mentioned something about his eyes earlier.
The blood heaved again and he felt its energy start to amass once more, just as it had before each spell it had recently cast. It threw him for a second before he realized exactly what was going to happen. His gaze jerked to Lucian, and he saw the answering panic reflected in his expression. Christian's breath came in small raspy gasps, the potency of the blood's desire was overwhelming—he wanted to kill Lucian like he had never wanted to kill anyone, not even at the most ferocious demands of his hunger as a just-turned vampire. The desire for his death was eviscerating.
"Tori!" he said, gasping. His voice was desperate, and Victoria became instantly alert to the alarm in his tone.
"What is it?" she said.
"Your blood inside me healed you but now it wants to k ... kill Lucian!"
Christian was on his knees grasping his stomach in unbearable pain, forcing himself not to look at his brother. Victoria looked completely shocked, and then touched her head, realizing that a spell that hadn't been of her own making had healed her head wound. She could still feel the remaining tackiness from the blood that had congealed in her hair, and she looked at Christian, recognizing that the healing spell had unbelievably come from his lips. And now it was her blood that held him darkly captive ... it had been in his eyes, wanton and blatant.
Now it wanted sacrifice, vengeance!
Christian's face was covered in a damp sheen of sweat as he battled to not even look at Lucian, whose own expression was one of unconcealed dread.
"Sectumcorpus," Christian whispered, and Lucian screamed in agony, the pain intensified by his complete inability to move. Victoria's face was frozen in horror as she watched the veins in Lucian's neck bulging from the fury of the offensive spell intended to disembowel its victim. She could see the blood trickling from his nose. Where had that spell come from? Her blood was lethal even when it wasn't inside of her, probably even more so somehow knowing that it was outside of her normal control!
"Libero," Victoria shouted, after a worried glance at Christian still clawing the floor and his belly, and Lucian, finally released from his magical prison, backed away his eyes wide and gasping as his body automatically regenerated.
Despite the fading pain, Lucian clenched his jaw as the enthralling allure of her scent had not diminished in any way. Still, he moved away even further, watching intently as she crouched next to Christian's heaving body. Christian's face was strained, the veins in his head and throat standing out in clear relief as he violently struggled for control.
"Run," he said. Run, Lucian!
Lucian didn't need to be told twice. After an inscrutable look at the two of them, he vanished in moments and the cavernous room was empty. They were alone. Victoria looked around, noticing that Angie had also gone, and hoped that she had gotten to safety.
Christian was hunched over, pain evident in every rigid line of his body. Even though Lucian had left, the blood still sought vengeance against the aggressor who had threatened it, and its will was incredibly strong despite the fact that most of its strength had been used to restore Victoria. It was awe-inspiring and terrifying, and Christian's body strained with the effort to contain its vicious will.
He couldn't believe the force of its control and though he fought it with every shred of his own vampire strength, Christian did not feel any lessening in its desire for punishment ... for sacrifice. It was rampant within him, fueled by its own desires and infecting his senses with its taste for death. Christian felt the soft touch of Victoria's hand and drew a deep, shuddering breath.
Victoria realized that her blood only recognized one master and even though it flowed temporarily in his veins, there was no way it would obey him. He had no power over it. With some terror, she knew that the blood magic would probably destroy Christian the more he fought against it, and would attempt to dominate him completely or kill him, whichever came first. Victoria squeezed his shoulder and focused, delving into the power of the amulet. She would have to kill the blood before it had a chance to do either.
"Cruentus immunis totus," she said, her voice unwavering as she spoke the words to exorcise the blood curse. She grasped his hands. The power surged from the amulet through her body to his, and she felt Christian's body heave responsively, his skin growing fiery hot to the touch as the rogue blood struggled against its own execution. His shoulders convulsed spasmodically and within seconds, he retched, regurgitating a thick, blackly red mass that was almost spongy in its consistency. It was revolting.