Page 41 of The Shadows of Excess

Before I knew what was happening, he lifted me into his brawny arms and held me close.

Surprisingly, Damon didn’t do a damn thing to help me. He only shrugged and smirked. God, I wanted to strangle him.

As Justice leaned closer, the scent of his cologne wafted over me, making my heart race. His lips were inches from mine, and I felt the heat radiating off them. I fought the urge to close the gap between us, wondering if he was using an enchantment on me.

Had the crazy arrow done something to me?

I squirmed and wriggled in his grasp, but his strong arms held me firmly against his chest. “What’s the meaning of this?” I demanded, my voice muffled by his shirt.

“Keeping you from hurting yourself.” He gently put me down on the bathroom floor and clicked on the light.

My breath caught in my throat, and I clamped my hand over my gaping mouth. A surge of panic washed over me, and my face paled as I stared at my reflection. They weren’t lying. My formerly bright blue eyes now glowed with an otherworldly golden hue. Something had taken hold of me, possessing my being.

“What does this mean?” My voice sounded faint, like I was a ghost.

Justice placed his hand gently on my shoulder, offering a semblance of comfort. “I honestly don’t know what’s happening, but we’re in this together. We’ll figure it out,” he assured me.

My mind raced as images from every horror movie I’d ever seen flashed through my thoughts. “That coin. It’s evil. What if I’m being possessed? Is this how the demon takes my soul?”

Justice’s grip tightened before he slowly turned me to face him, his eyes searching mine. “Maybe we got it wrong about the coin. It might not be tied to a demon after all.”

I frowned. “What do you mean?” The idea was hard to grasp, especially with the fear of turning to the dark side looming over me.

Damon leaned against the bathroom door, his expression thoughtful. “You know, I think Justice might be onto something. When that arrow hit you, those demons didn’t exactly cheer. They screamed, but it was like they were scared, not triumphant. I can’t pinpoint exactly what happened, but it’s possible the coin was tied to something else. Maybe it was altered in some way we don’t understand yet.”

I couldn’t figure out whether they were telling the truth or only trying to make me feel better. “How could that be possible?”

Damon shrugged. “Well, like I said, I’m not the encyclopedia of weird. But you know who might have a clue? Our very own Wizard of Oz. Bet he’d have a field day with this one.”

I thought about what happened last night, and a fuzzy memory came back. “Did I shoot the shadow dragon?”

Justice nodded. “I think so, but we don’t know if she’s dead or alive. The arrow comes from the Court of Blossoms, so it probably wounded her, but I’m not sure it killed her. That’s not something we should bet on. Shadow dragons are extremely powerful, and I doubt one arrow could take her down.”

Weariness swept over me, and I leaned against the counter. “What time is it?” I couldn’t keep the exhaustion and frustration out of my voice.

“Three in the freakin’ morning.” Damon glanced at his watch with a weary yawn. “Looks like we’re out of moves for tonight. I’m hitting the sack. Only sane thing to do at this ungodly hour.”

He turned away from me and headed back toward the beds.

“You’ve got to be kidding,” I called after Damon, but he continued in his typical fashion, choosing to ignore me when something didn’t suit him. “How am I supposed to sleep with these flashlight eyes?” My voice shrilled as if I was one step away from turning into a shrieking shrew.

Justice stepped closer, gently lifting my chin to direct my gaze to his. His softly glowing red eyes held mine with intensity. “You need to rest, Sawyer. You’re going to be okay,” he assured me.

A wave of tingles swept over me, and I found myself unable to look away from him. Was this compulsion? I cursed inwardly, feeling my willpower ebbing away despite my resistance. As my head fell back, surrendering to the inevitable, darkness enveloped me again.

I woke to the sound of Damon’s soft snores and a throbbing headache. I blinked my eyes open and realized Justice was nowhere to be seen. Next time I saw that vampire, he would get an earful for using compulsion on me. If he dared say it was for my own good, we’d definitely have a serious problem.

I crawled out of bed, still feeling the effects of the unexpected slumber. After pulling back the curtains, the overly bright morning sun greeted me. The Ford Fairlane was parked out front, so Justice hadn’t driven away. Where could he be?

“What time is it?” Damon’s groggy voice pulled me away from the window.

I let the curtain fall shut. “It’s six A.M.”

He exhaled a tired sigh. “And what, you’re up with the birds because you’ve suddenly turned into an early bird? Going for the worm, are you?”

I settled onto my bed, hugging my arms around myself. “Something like that.”

Damon opened one eye and peered at me. “You still got those flashlight eyes going on. Feeling any weirder?”

---