“Jay!” I smack his face sharply, and then I shove my wrist deeper into his mouth, prodding my skin with the tips of his fangs. When I smack him again, he stirs, and his hands drift up to hold my arm in place. With a sigh that goes straight to my heart, he begins to drink.
I sit there, stroking the soft brown waves of his hair with my free hand. He looks so pretty and young and helpless right now, and I love him just as much like this as when he’s facing off against a powerful First Gen vampire. I can’t spare too much blood—I’m tired, and Jay warned me about letting my blood volume get too low—so I gently disengage his teeth after a couple minutes, once he’s inched into the yellow zone. His wet tongue glides over the marks, halting the flow of blood.
The fight is nearly over now. Wounded Progeny litter the room, most of them still zip-tied—which means I did play a helpful role in the conflict, even if the plan didn’t go quite as smoothly as we hoped. Several of Jay’s vampires are still battling Progeny, but they’re gaining the upper hand, so I don’t interfere. There’s a strain in my mind when I think about using my voice, a warning that I’ve exercised my power enough for one day.
Some of Jay’s staff enter the room, offering their own wrists or necks to Jay’s injured vampires. Lillian bustles up to us, rolling her sleeve up her plump arm. “Here, Mr. Gatsby. You should drink some more.”
“Did the humans see anything?” Jay asks weakly.
“They are mostly in the garden. Very smart of you to have the prize drawing out there to distract them.” She nods approvingly. “A few of the guests saw the Wolfsheim folks being taken to the dungeon, but I told them it was part of a special role-play experience that people paid extra for.”
“You’re a genius, Lillian.” Jay smiles at her before carefully biting her arm.
Watching him drink from her doesn’t bother me. She treats him with such motherly affection that I can’t help liking her. She’s part of the family he has built around himself.
Speaking of family… “Lillian, would you stay with him? I have to find Nick.”
She nods, and I jump up, scanning the room frantically. Nick isn’t lying by the pillar, but I spot him not far away. He’s kneeling with his back to me, bowed over Cody’s limp body.
“Oh, no.” I run to him, crouching at his side.
But Cody is awake and drinking from Nick.
“Is he healing?” Nick asks. “I can’t watch. It’s too weird. You look at him for me. Tell me what’s happening.”
Cody rolls his eyes, still sucking from Nick’s wrist. The flesh of Cody’s neck is knitting itself back together tendon by tendon, muscles reforming. Even as I watch, the skin smooths over the wound and it’s seamless again.
“He’s healed,” I say. “Careful not to let him drink too much.”
Cody extracts his fangs and licks the wound he made. “Don’t worry, Coffee Beans. I won’t let your cousin die. I’m rather fond of him.”
“The healing took a while because Wolfsheim tore such a big chunk out of him,” Nick explains. “I thought he was really dead. Worst few minutes of my life.”
“I thought you might be dead, dork.” I ruffle his hair, and he bats my hand away with a chuckle.
“Nah, just dazed for a few minutes. I’ve got a nice big lump on my head, like some character in a cartoon.”
“We should get you checked for a concussion.” I wince as he points out the swollen bump. “So you were in the room the whole time? I thought I was the only human in here.”
“I slipped in with Cody and stood in the corner, behind one of those boxwood trees. Nobody really paid any attention to me. But hey, I got to save your ass, and I have the battle wounds to prove it. Check this out.” He lifts his other arm, where Wolfsheim’s claws left four shallow slashes.
“I would absolutely be dead if you hadn’t jumped in,” I tell him. “Thanks.”
“Oh, I won’t let you forget it. You owe me a life debt now, precious.” He grins.
“Give me that.” Cody drags Nick’s clawed arm to his mouth and licks the wounds tenderly. “That should help with the healing.”
Jordan saunters over and sprawls beside us. Her full lips are slick with blood, and her gorgeous purple gown is nearly shredded. “I drank from one of those Wolfsheim vampires,” she says, grimacing. “She nearly chopped my arm off, so I figured it was only fair that she help with my healing. She’ll probably die in her cell later—I drained her pretty good. Serves her right.” She pushes my shoulder. “What about you, Miss Vampire Queen? I don’t remember exactly what you said—it’s pretty hazy—but you were a freaking rock star! If rock stars talked really quietly, instead of belting it out.”
“It wasn’t perfect, but it worked out okay, I guess.” I lean into her shoulder. “I just wish I’d been able to hold them longer, so you guys wouldn’t have had to fight at all.”
“So Wolfsheim resisted? He broke free?”
“Yeah. I think my influence was spread too thin, and with him being a First Gen, he was more powerful. But I took care of him in the end.”
“I’ll say. His eyes looked completed empty.” Jordan shudders.
“Since all the baddies are locked up now, I think we deserve hot baths and rest.” I climb to my feet, suddenly feeling very bruised and manhandled.
Strong arms travel around my waist, pulling my body against a firm chest. Jay smells like blood, metallic and sour, but there’s a spicy freshness under that smell. I revolve in his arms and press my face to his blood-soaked shoulder, not even caring when my cheek comes away wet. His mouth grazes mine, driving a wild spike of need straight through my exhaustion. I grip him around the neck and throw myself headlong into the kiss, and for a few minutes our desperate relief manifests in a storm of blood and teeth and tongues.
“Get a room,” teases a voice, a grinning Michaelis on his way to Jordan. “Never mind, I’ll join you.” And he dips her for a dramatic kiss.
“You were amazing,” Jay whispers in my ear. “So brave. When you came down from that platform in that dress, I thought my heart was going to explode.”
“Mine too. With terror.” I smother a chuckle against his shoulder. “Can I go home now? I want a bath.”
“You think I’m going to let you out of my sight after what Wolfsheim almost did to you?”
“He’s locked up now.”
“But won’t your parents freak the fuck out if you come tramping in all covered in blood?”
I narrow my eyes at him. “You want me to take a bath here? In your house?”
“It’s not the worst idea.” His mouth curves at the corner. “I could use a bath myself.”
A tingle rolls through my body at what he’s suggesting.
