Page 39 of Soulbound Shadows: Part 1

Damn. So much for that.

“I’ll talk you through it,” I told him. “I do this all the time; you’ll be able to handle it.”

“Very reassuring,” Gabriel said snippily.

“You’re going to need to pull the knife out. It’s going to bleed like crazy, so prepare yourself for that. Try to wash it as clean as you can with whatever’s left in the canteen. Then three drops from the blue bottle in the first aid kit. You need to get it into the wound itself, okay? Not on the skin. Then give me two of the pills in the white bottle.”

Gabriel clenched his jaw and nodded. “On the count of three?”

I attempted a smile. “Surprise me.”

“Suit yourself,” he said. “Do you want me to—” Halfway through the sentence, he yanked the knife out in one smooth motion, and I let out a strangled yelp of pain that echoed off the stone walls around us. Then there was the relief of the cold water—such a shock of sensation that it almost distracted me from the pain.

“Almost done,” Gabriel said quietly, like he was trying to calm down a scared animal. I would’ve resented it more if it wasn’t helping so much. The sharp herbal scent of the healing drops pricked my nose, and my shoulder went blessedly numb as it landed in the wound. Then Gabriel pressed the pills into my hand, and I swallowed them down dry.

“What are those?” he asked. He was running a soft cloth over the area below the spot below where I’d been stabbed, wiping away the blood. It was thoughtful in a way I hadn’t expected. His touch was very gentle. Part of me wished I could see him, and part of me was grateful I couldn’t see his expression.

“Over-the-counter migraine pills,” I said. “They work quick, and they’ve got caffeine in them, so it’ll help me push through when the adrenaline wears off.”

“And you went to the effort of putting them in a glass apothecary bottle?”

“I had extras lying around,” I said. “Plus, the kit’s mostly for other people. They usually respond well to the witchy stuff, especially when they’re out of it. Doesn’t hurt to throw in a little placebo effect on top of the wonders of Tylenol and caffeine.”

“How bad is the pain?” Gabriel asked tensely.

“Better now.” I dug an evidence bag out of my jacket and handed it to him. “Bag up the knife for me?”

“At least now we know how the bear wound up with that dagger in its head,” Gabriel said as he sealed the knife in the baggie.

“You think these vampires have been here for a while?” I asked. “Long enough to throw things at a bear for fun?”

“I intend to find out,” he said firmly. He knelt in front of one of the unconscious vampires and pressed a hand to the man’s forehead like he was checking to see if he was running a fever.

“There’s a coven,” Gabriel said distantly, his eyes closed. “These three are members. Very low-ranking. The coven’s been looking for something, and these three were sent to guard this spot until the brains of the operation could figure out how to break the wards and get to the artifact.”

“Vampires looking for the ascendancy array,” I murmured. “What do they want with it?”

“These three wouldn’t know. They’re just the muscle.” His eyes opened. “They know who you are,” he said. “The coven knows about your investigation.”

“Shit,” I muttered. “Okay, we should find this thing and get the fuck out of here.”

“Your shoulder,” Gabriel said.

“I’ll be fine,” I told him. “Seriously, it’s healing up already. That potion is top-tier stuff. And we got the knife out fast enough that none of the dark magic bullshit got a chance to sink its claws into me.”

Gabriel looked like he wanted to protest, but he just glared at the unconscious vampire.

“What do you need me to do?” he asked instead.

“Deal with these guys.” I nodded at the knocked-out vampires. “I’ll see what I can do about the wards.”

I stretched my shoulder gingerly as I got to my feet, but it was feeling a lot better. The wards covered the entire back wall of the room with a shimmery gold-green light. I raised my good arm and held my hand just in front of the edge of the wards, focusing on the buzz of the magic to try to figure out what, exactly, I was dealing with.

The magic was warm and smelled of fresh-cut grass and baking bread. It was defensive, yes, but as far as I could tell, there weren’t any counterattacks built into it. Deciding to risk it, I pressed my hand flat against the wards. I’d touched plenty of non-aggressive wards before, and they usually felt more or less the same. Generally, it was smooth and hard, like I was touching a pane of glass. This was more like I was dipping my fingers into warm water. I frowned. It felt as though I was checking one of my own wards.

“This is weird,” I called over my shoulder. “I think these wards will just… let me in.”

I stepped forward, and sure enough, the wards slid over me without any resistance. It felt almost welcoming. Definitely weird.

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