Page 120 of Heir

“To feed?”

He lifted his brows, then nodded.

Oh!

“Oh . . . uh . . . okay.” I double checked that Lerris was still unconscious and Maxar was okay before I and tilted my head to the side to expose my neck. “O-okay.”

“A wrist will do,” he said weakly.

Swallowing, I pulled up the sleeve of my hoodie to expose my veins. He carefully slid one descended fang into my skin, which hurt less than a vaccination, then pressed his lips to my flesh. In seconds, his complexion regained color, and I watched before my very eyes as his wound began to close up and stop bleeding.

Unlike the first time he bit me when we had sex, this wasn’t as pleasurable. It didn’t hurt, but I got no ethereal high. No out-of-body experience.

He removed his lips and swept his tongue over the puncture hole to seal it. I helped him stand, and he only hobbled a little as we made our way over to Maxar and helped him sit up. “You need to make another flame crown thing for Drak,” I said.

He nodded and used up probably every last bit of energy he had to create one more.

I picked up the thrown sword and held the immense weight in my hand. A rush of pure magic flowed from the handle up into my arm and body, filling my heart with heat and, just like that, the sword wasn’t heavy anymore. I spun around to go deliver Lerris his final death blow, to make him pay for all the people he killed, but he was gone.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Omaera

Another cry in Gemma’s voice down the hall had us all running.

The sword was now an extension of me and I held it out in front as I made my way down the hallway. Maxar and Drak hobbled behind me as best they could.

A door was open, and another scream shook my bones.

I ran in to find Lerris standing over Gemma as she writhed on the floor, blood flowing out of her nose and ears. She clutched at the side of her head. Blood seeped from the corners of her eyes and it looked as though she’d raked her nails repeatedly down her face. Everything was battered and bloody.

Rage filled every corner of my body and just as I prepared to charge forward and take off Lerris’s head, thunder cracked through the room like a sonic boom, shoving my uncle hard against the far wall, his head hitting the brick with a deafening crack. Maxar and Drak were thrown too.

Only I remained standing.

I ran to Gemma, brushing the hair off her face. “Gem. Oh Gemma! I’m so sorry.”

“He’s getting away,” Drak said pointing at Lerris, who was scrambling to stand up and open the exit door right next to him.

I wanted to kill him. But my friend was more important. My mates and their injuries were more important. This wasn’t the end of my war with Lerris. But for now, it was the end of the battle. I needed to care for my soldiers, take them home to heal.

Lerris and I locked eyes. Triumph mixed with pain flickered back at me. “Those powers aren’t yours, you mongrel. You can’t hide from me. I’m the true king and the whole realm knows it.”

Then he limped out the exit, the slam of the door making the whole room shake.

I shook Gemma by the shoulders. “Gem. Gemma, you need to wake up.”

Her eyes were closed, but she was breathing.

“Help!” I demanded, looking to Maxar and Drak.

They scrambled up from where they were on the floor and made their way over.

“What do I do?

Maxar kneeled down beside Gemma, hovering his palms above her body and allowing little yellow and purple flames to flicker out. Some of the cuts on her face began to heal.

“That’s all I can do,” he said, extinguishing the flames. “I don’t have powers to heal her anymore. I don’t have enough energy to cauterize anymore. I’m sorry.”

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