I swapped my dagger from my right to my left hand, then grabbed the left sleeve of Considine’s spelled shirt. “Considine, you can’t kill her,” I said. “Her bloodline would be furious.”
“I already thought of that, yes.” Considine’s murderous gaze remained locked on Gisila. “But it also occurred to me that there might be a few ways around that.” He smiled, and Gisila kicked her legs—struggling for air.
“You’re going to put one into plan, right? And not kill her?” I asked, my worry starting to grow.
I wanted Gisila caught and arrested but that didn’t mean I wanted her dead, especially since we still had no idea what her aim was.
Considine didn’t answer me. Instead, he waited, his red eyes glowing as he studied Gisila—whose gaze was becoming unfocused, her movements more frantic flops than anything useful.
Just before she passed out, Considine lifted his booted foot enough to give Gisila enough room to take a shallow breath.
“Listen carefully, lizard.” Considine’s voice was dark and raspy.
Gisila, still struggling to breathe as coughs were mixed in with her shallow gasps, looked up at Considine—her eyes wide with fear.
“Touch even a hair on Jade O’Neil, and I will come after you with all the power I possess. She is mine. Understood?”
Gisila made a wheezing noise—the very same sound I would have made if I had less control over myself.
That is your “way around” killing her? By staking a claim on me?!
I couldn’t react—that’d be giving away free information to Gisila—so all I allowed myself was a slow blink.
Considine had essentially declared that going for me would unleash his wrath. Warning her like this gave him a sort of brutal, semi-recognized form of claim, so if she attacked me it would be well within his right to attack her back—and it didn’t need to be stated that when Considine attacked, he’d kill.
“You haven’t answered me, lizard. Understood?” Considine started to put more pressure on Gisila’s throat again.
“Y-yes,” Gisila managed to squeeze out.
“Good.” Considine pressed down harder on her throat, then abruptly backed off. “Then leave.”
Gisila gasped for air for a few moments as she peeled herself off the ground—not looking nearly as gorgeous in her ripped and bloodied dress, her hair full of fly-aways from her struggles against Considine. She glanced up at Considine, then shifted her gaze to me and her eyes darkened with anger.
It looks like she’s going to internalize her embarrassment over Considine handing her rear to her and blame me. How standard for the supernatural community.
Gisila managed to gracefully stand up, her poise returning. She pressed a hand to her bleeding side and rushed through the open door, her footsteps speeding up as she retreated.
Considine was unnaturally still until her footsteps faded entirely. Then he relaxed, the darkness fading away from him as his usual nonchalant attitude returned. “Nicely done,” he said.
I studied him, struggling to balance the threat he posed with what I knew of Connor and his actions as Ruin.
I don’t get him. I thought it was because he was just a weird vampire, but it was probably his age. But vampires as old as Considine don’t care about individuals, much less humans like me. There must be something I’m missing… unless was our relationship as friends real?
That would practically go against the law of nature—a slayer and a vampire?
“Thank you,” I said, slowly.
Considine turned towards me, his expression was amused but almost mask-like. “For warning Gisila off?”
“Yes,” I said.
He shrugged. “Then I should be thanking you for being interesting to watch.”
“Me being interesting… is that why you claimed I belong to you?” I asked.
Considine looked away from me. “I believe I hear some of your coworkers coming, so I’m going to bow out. Happy hospital stay.” He waved and disappeared through the door.
“Wait—your dagger…” I held the weapon out but Considine was gone, his footsteps quieter than Gisila’s had been.
This is an unexpected complication.
It didn’t mean much to me—Considine saying I was his didn’t give him any legal grounds over me, so it really was a protective move. But why, when he’d gone through such lengths to trick me? Being a source of entertainment would only get me so far, so what was this?
My family is going to go off like a grenade when I tell them about this.
I doubted any member of my family or any slayer resources, would help me puzzle through this, either.
I heard more hurried footsteps outside, so I wasn’t too surprised when my doorway was suddenly crowded.
“Never fear, Blood, we’re finally here!” Juggernaut jumped into my room and locked his legs so he went skidding across the floor, skating past my bed.
“Blood—you’re okay!” Brody stood in the doorway, bracing himself as he sniffed the air.
Grove crouched and poked his head through the space under Brody’s arms. “I brought potions! Extra special ones—very potent with absolutely no poisonous materials mixed in. I was that worried for you.” He pushed his way into my room, his leather satchel close to bursting.
Sarge placed his hand on Brody’s muscled shoulder. “Brody, could you go in or get out of the way?”
“Ah—sorry. It just smells weird in here.” Brody took a few steps in, then sneezed.
Sarge, followed by Captain Reese, stepped into my room.
“Blood—glad to see you’re awake.” Sarge folded his arms across his chest and nodded awkwardly at me. “You seem… cognitively sound.”
“I’m, I’m,” I stammered under the scrutiny of so many people, so I paused and took a deep breath. “I’m okay. A bit banged up but doing fine.” I shifted in my bed, then remembered I was still holding Considine’s dagger, which was red with Gisila’s blood. “Uh…”
“Gisila was here.” Captain Reese tapped her nose. “That’s what you’re smelling, Brody: dragon shifter.”
I nodded, and Captain Reese eyed my borrowed dagger. “I take it she is also the recipient of a fresh stab wound?”
“Yeah,” I said. “She didn’t hurt me—she didn’t get the chance. Considine Maledictus warned her off.”
Sarge rubbed his forehead. “I’d be surprised by his actions if I hadn’t received a phone call from Killian Drake himself to tell me where you were and what your condition was—which was a good thing. Tetiana was going crazy, as she knew Considine had you but didn’t know where he took you.”
“What happened with Gisila?” Captain Reese asked.
“Ah-ah—no.” Grove shook a finger at our boss’s boss and set his satchel down on my bed with a thump that I felt through the mattress. “Potions first, questions later. We must make sure that weird goth bat didn’t do anything to her.” Grove turned his attention to me, then curled his hands in a fist. “Blood. How many fingers am I holding up?” He shouted at me.
Brody slapped his hands over his ears. “Bro—warn a guy before you use that volume!”
Juggernaut shook his head. “She hurt her head, Grove, not her ears.”