Flesh and Blood

‘I’m telling you to live up to your end of the bargain.’ If she took that as a threat, she was smarter than he gave her credit for, because if she didn’t fix Fi, he would find a way to make Aliza and her whole coven pay.

She glared at him for a moment, then studied the fluid in the vial, swishing it around. ‘I can try to clean it, but chances of that working are almost nil. Either way, the blood stays with me.’

‘Fine. Keep it. Just figure out a different way if you can’t clean it.’

‘There is no different way.’ Aliza’s eyes took on a watery sheen. ‘You can’t just release the kind of magic Evie’s under without wiping it out. It has to be destroyed.’

A thought struck him. ‘If you don’t, what happens?’

She shook her head, looking drunk and confused once again. ‘What happens to what?’

‘To the magic. If you don’t destroy it, what happens?’

‘It would find Evie and turn her into stone again.’

‘Just Evie?’ He raised a brow, wondering if his idea had any merit. ‘Or could the magic be redirected?’

She slumped into a kitchen chair, turning the vial in her hands. ‘Sure, but who are you going to get to volunteer to be turned into stone?’

Doc laughed with new hope. ‘Who said anything about a volunteer?’

Chapter Twenty-two

‘Too bad you can’t go in.’ Creek nodded toward the house from his side of the gate into Chrysabelle’s estate.

Mal snorted. ‘She said neither of us could come in. Human hearing must suck more than I remember.’

‘I heard her just fine. I meant you’re incapable of going in. Couldn’t if you tried.’ He shrugged, enjoying the night air. It was good to be outside, although he’d prefer to be at Chrysabelle’s side. ‘Not unless she invites you, which obviously she hasn’t. Now, I, on the other hand, could walk right through that front door—’

‘What makes you think she hasn’t invited me?’

‘Has she?’

Chrysabelle was so much the vampire’s weakness. Who could blame him? She was beautiful. A comarré and a vampire. Kind of like a mouse falling for a cat. A mouse Creek had a vested interest in.

Mal glowered in response.

‘That’s a no, then. You scared that wysper she keeps on staff will start singing?’ He wasn’t sure what Chrysabelle saw in Mal, but he knew too well how good women could fall for bad men. Especially when they’d been brainwashed into thinking it was the right thing to do. The KM could offer her sanctuary if she needed it.

‘Velimai doesn’t scare me. And Chrysabelle’s mother never gave vampires invitation into the house. Chrysabelle has chosen to keep that rule. It’s a good one, considering.’

‘Considering what?’ Creek laughed. ‘That you might sneak in and drink her to death?’

Mal’s eyes went silver, his voice husky. ‘I would never hurt her. She knows that.’ He looked away. ‘I’m not the one she needs to worry about.’

The vampire seemed sincere. Creek guessed that was possible. ‘You mean Tatiana, the woman you were talking about before.’

‘Yes. She’s after something Chrysabelle has. And she’s more than just a woman.’

‘She’s after the ring.’ The focus of his mission. ‘I know who Tatiana is. Elder of the Tepes family. Nasty female vamp. Rumored to be Lord Ivan’s favorite bed toy.’

If the vampire was surprised by Creek’s knowledge, he hid it. ‘I mentioned the ring the night we battled the Nothos. All that proves is you’re a good listener. And yes, that’s the Tatiana we were referring to. Is that all you know about her?’

‘I knew about the ring before that night.’ Creek checked his mental files. ‘As far as Tatiana, there isn’t a lot more to tell. She came out of nowhere, appearing on the scene right after she went through navitas. We also know that Lord Ivan is the noble who resired her, but he’s not her original sire. She’s borderline insane, too, most likely because of the navitas.’

‘Borderline? Try over the line. But I’m pretty sure it started before the navitas.’

‘How do you know? You weren’t ever truly part of the nobility, as far as KM records show.’ Truth was, Creek knew nothing about Mal except what Chrysabelle had told him.

‘You got that right.’ Mal stared toward the house. ‘But I know plenty about Tatiana. I know her intimately. She was my human wife. I’m the one who sired her.’

Creek turned to stare at him. ‘She was your wife?’ He shook his head. ‘Dude. I feel for you.’ Some choice in women. ‘That locket she wears, the one with the portrait of a little girl inside. That little girl mean anything to you?’

Mal’s face froze, but sorrow laced his gaze. ‘Yes.’ He turned his body away from Creek. ‘Our daughter, Sofia.’

‘What happened, if you don’t mind me asking?’

‘I thought the KM knew everything.’ The vampire crossed his arms, his gaze still fixed on the house. Probably listening to Chrysabelle’s heartbeat.

‘The KM might. I only know what I’ve been told.’

‘Tatiana was the linchpin in my being cursed. She’s also responsible for imprisoning me in the dungeon of a ruined castle for fifty years.’

‘Fifty? Damn. I was only in for seven.’ He couldn’t imagine doing a stint that long. He leaned against the gate, feeling luckier than he had when he’d woken up. ‘Time like that changes you.’