Once I had my target in sight, I went to Disco. He was fading fast, turning an odd hue of purple that made me want to scream at the fates and damn them for harming someone who didn’t deserve it. Goose offered him his wrist, but Gabriel refused to take it.
“He has to feed and take from us,” Goose said in a rush, obviously panicked. “He’ll die if he doesn’t.”
“Don’t worry.” I met his frantic gaze. “I’ve got this.”
I avoided using Disco’s nickname, knowing he’d take me seriously, as I dropped to my knees at his side, grasped the silver and yanked it free, and put my wrist to his lips. “Gabriel, drink from me. Take from me.”
“Too…late.” The words were hard to understand, muffled by gurgles of blood at his mouth.
“It’s not too late. Listen to me.”
“Where…have…you…been?”
Leave it to Disco to ask questions at the wrong fucking time.
“Look at me, you selfless asshole.” I placed one hand on either side of his face, smearing blood across his cheeks. “I love you and I’m not going to lose you. You’ve always told me to trust you. Now I need you to trust me. Please, drink from me.” I placed my wrist once against at his mouth and ordered, “Take from me.”
“Say…again…” There was a smile on his face, and I wanted to strangle him when I realized he thought this was it, his final time to hear those words he had so long waited for. I reminded myself that if he’d only do as I asked, there was plenty of time to tell him in the future.
“I’ll keep saying it if you do as I ask. I love you, do you hear me? I always have. You’ve always known it. I was just too much of a fucking coward to say so.”
“Still…good to hear it.” His teeth scored me cleanly, although it still hurt, yet I didn’t feel him draining any of the energy he needed to heal himself.
Furious, I looked into his face. “Take what you need from me, right now, goddamn it! I won’t let you die. Do you hear me? I won’t.”
Then, I felt it, a sapping of my strength. Releasing his face, I wrapped my hand around the amulet, focused on the vampires in the room, and repeated the incantation that would bring it all to an end. The alarm in their eyes made this all the more worthwhile.
Fuck with the bull, assholes, and get the horns.
“You’re all about to wish you’d fucked with someone else,” I said when I’d finished reciting the necessary Latin. “Your undead asses belong to me now. On. Your. Knees.”
I wasn’t sure if it was the command that forced them to do as I asked, or if it was the fact that my weakness faded in the very instant I took their lifeforce into myself. Either way, each of their knees bashed the concrete as I drained them of the power that gave them life. Their strength slammed into me, cocooning me in an unbelievable amount of energy.
“Oh God, Rhiannon. How are you doing this?” Goose was mystified, but I could also feel his horror.
“We’ll talk later. Right now, it’s time to take care of a few loose ends.”
After several, agonizing seconds, the wound in Disco’s chest started to mend, closing slowly as the flesh came together. His heartbeat sounded in my ears, growing louder as he reclaimed his strength. When the wound was almost sealed, I drew a deep breath, finding comfort in his lips against my skin. I didn’t want to stop him, but I knew I’d need strength of my own for what was yet to come.
“Goose will take over from here.” I nodded at Goose who offered his wrist as I pulled away. “Keep trusting me, please. There is something I have to do. When we’re safely away from here, I’ll answer all of your questions.”
Even if they are things you don’t want to know, I reminded myself bleakly.
He was still too weak to do little more than sit upright, but he grasped my hand. “Once more, tell me.”
“I love you.” I planted a hard kiss on him and pulled away. “I love you so much, you arrogant bastard. Happy now?”