Page 170 of The Vampire's Bride

Juliet’s wrists are still bound, her face bruised and battered. Extending my claws, I slice through her bindings, freeing her wrists. “Are you all right?” Gently, I cup her face, careful of her injuries. “You need some of my blood. It will heal you.”

“Thank the gods you’re all right, Valaric. I was so worried. I—”

She glances over my shoulder, and her eyes widen. I twist to look back, but she throws herself at me, knocking me off balance. I stumble to the side as a sharp whistling sound slices through the air, and I watch in horror as an arrow pierces her chest.

“No!” I roar as she collapses, catching her in my arms before she hits the ground.

A blur of movement catches my eye as Damar races to deal with the archer hidden in the woods.

I gaze down at Juliet. Blood seeps from the wound, pooling beneath her and staining the snow red.

“No, no, no.” My hands shake as I pull the arrow free from her body and press my palm over her wound in a futile attempt to stem the bleeding.

Fear claws at my chest as her eyelids flutter open and closed. I bite my wrist and hold it to her lips, desperate to save her. “Please.” My pulse pounds in my ears. “Stay with me, my Juliet.”

A few drops of my blood pass her lips.

Damar stands over me, his expression grim.

“It will work,” I whisper. “It has to.”

Despair tightens my chest. Juliet’s face is pale and drawn as she lifts a trembling hand to my cheek. Her luminous green eyes stare up at me as she whispers. “You came for me.”

“You are my heart.” I run my fingers through her long blonde hair, cupping the back of her head. Tears blur my vision as I drop my forehead gently to hers. “I will always come for you.”

“I love you, Valaric,” she whispers. “I—”

Her eyes close, and her head falls back as she goes still in my arms.

My soul shatters in a thousand pieces. Cradling her to my chest, a loud and mournful cry rips from my throat as I roar my anguish to the sky.

Damar rests a hand on my shoulder, his expression pained.

“I gave you my blood,” I murmur as I stare down at her, watching and praying for her eyes to open. “Please, Juliet. Wake up.”

A broken sob escapes me as I wrap her up in my arms and wings. “I gave you my blood.” My voice quavers as I hold her to me. “I—”

I still as my ears detect the faint beat of her heart.

“She needs more of your blood,” Damar says over my shoulder. “Quickly.”

I start to lift my wrist to her mouth, but a sharp voice rings out. “Stop, or I will end her this moment.”

An invisible force restrains me, and I cannot move.

A menacing laugh echoes through the woods. A gust of wind rushes toward us and I snap my head up to find the blood witch standing before me. Talindra glances down at Juliet’s still form in my arms. “Do you want to save her, Vampyr?”

A snarl curls my lips. “Yes.”

Damar races toward her, but she disappears in a puff of smoke, reappearing on my other side.

She narrows her eyes at him. “Try that again, and I’ll make you watch as I kill him”—she gestures to me—“in front of you.” An evil smirk curves her mouth. “Because that’s your fear, isn’t it? Losing the only thing you care about.”

A deep growl vibrates in his chest as he levels a dark glare at her.

She turns her attention back to me. “You summoned me, did you not?” Talindra asks in a mocking tone. Wicked amusement dances in her eyes. “Well, here I am.”

“I summoned you weeks ago.” I seethe. “She passed your test, now let me save her.”

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