His face was almost unrecognizable.
Pieces of his flesh were missing and his clothes were shredded and bloody. There were gashes all over his arms and legs shaped in small, angry circles. Thank goodness the spell not only froze him—but knocked him out. He was a supe; he’d heal. I took his hand gently in mine.
Eamon had laid Naomi down a few feet away.
She was equally damaged. It was hard to look at her. The healing process would take time. I hoped it didn’t hurt too much and that they both stayed unconscious throughout the process.
“They will not recover from this,” Eamon stated, his voice remorseful as he gazed down at his sister. “They have been too gravely injured.”
I glanced sharply at him. “What did you say?”
Eamon shook his head. “The wounds might close some, but they will never heal over completely. They will fester and bleed until the venom finally kills them.”
“That can’t be true. They’re supernaturals.” I ran a gaze over Danny’s body.
Eamon was right; none of the wounds were closing.
“Naomi will need the blood of an immortal for any chance of survival, and she cannot drink mine. We are too closely bonded. It will not give her the healing properties she needs. Blood is her only chance, but even with it, she might not recover. Camazotz venom is powerful.”
“What about Danny!” I cried. “How does he heal? He doesn’t drink blood.”
“I do not know.”
Tyler knelt down next to me. “Nobody’s feeding a vampire, Jessica, so don’t even think about it.”
“Tyler,” I argued—it wasn’t worth pretending he didn’t know my thoughts exactly—“we have to be reasonable here. If we have a chance to save a life, we save one.”
“Jess,” Tyler said between clenched teeth, “our races don’t mix. We’ve never mixed. Naomi was ordered by her Queen to do a job. It’s not our problem if she dies. That’s the risk her Queen took—”
“I’ll do it.” Danny’s voice broke as he gasped for air. “Give her my blood then. I’ve lost a hell of a lot of it, but if there’s anything left, she is welcome to it.”
10
My brother and I stared down at him, slack jawed. “Danny, please don’t be awake right now,” I pleaded. “Are you in pain?” I reached my hands out to touch his body, to console him, but pulled them back. I couldn’t risk hurting him.
Nothing was healing. The wounds were a festering mess.
Tyler bent closer, his voice filled with pain. “Danny, you don’t know what you’re saying. You’re hallucinating. Go back to sleep.” He glanced at me. “We have to knock him out again. We can’t let him suffer like this.”
“No,” Danny breathed, his lips almost unmoving. “Give her my… blood. Now.”
I turned to Eamon. His face was grim. He didn’t like the idea any better than I did. I smoothed his hair back carefully. “Danny, you’re too damaged and you’ve lost too much blood. I can’t let you do it.”
“She needs it.”
I glanced at Naomi. He was right. Neither of them appeared able to survive this on their own. Danny looked horrible, but Naomi had been hit harder. She was smaller and had been out there longer. Her body was mangled and shredded beyond recognition. “I can’t argue with you there, buddy, but you can’t be the one to do it,” I said.
Tyler glared at me. “Don’t even think about it, Jess.”
“Why not?” I snapped. “The wolves will never accept me anyway. I’ve been an outcast since the day I was born.” My body tensed with emotion. “Why wouldn’t I choose to save a life? It’s the right thing to do!”
“Because it’s not the right thing to do!” Tyler shouted, jumping to his feet. “We are sworn enemies of the vampires. If they had their way, they would’ve annihilated our race long ago. They’ve always wanted supreme power over all the Sects. Their Queen will not expect you to save this girl!” He gestured angrily at Naomi. “And the wolves will never accept it.”
“What he says is correct,” Eamon interrupted.