Page 23 of Chains of Blood and Darkness

Elena clasped my arm gently. I looked at her wildly; I’d forgotten she was even here. “Serenity, please, you can do this.” Her soft voice couldn’t douse the panic flickering inside me, ready to explode into an inferno.

Angelo stepped around the bed like a panther stalking his prey. I could barely breathe. God, he was going to bite me again, rip my throat out until I looked like the poor man on the bed.

I wriggled my arm free from Elena and stood there quivering, a lamb ready to be slaughtered.

His eyes burning red, he grabbed my shoulders firmly. It was enough to startle me out of panic, but not enough to cause pain. Why were his eyes red? Was he going to suck my blood again?

“You need to believe in yourself, Serenity. You can do this.” He stepped aside, clearing a path to the injured man.

If I didn’t at least try, I knew my punishment would be even greater. I had no choice but to indulge in his delusion.

I forced my wobbly legs to move closer to the man and stretched out my trembling hand. I drew on my power—power that I knew wasn’t strong enough to heal him. But I wouldn’t give up. That wasn’t in my nature. Even if this man was a vampire and had committed unspeakable acts, he didn’t deserve to suffer like this.

Squeezing my eyes, I placed my palm on his arm. As I feared, nothing happened.

Please please please help him

I repeated the words in my mind, calling out to that small healing ability I had, but I was met with silence. Just as I was about to give up, a quiver rippled through me, starting at the base of my spine and spreading through me like wildfire. Nothing like this had ever happened before.

The tingling sensation danced across my skin, growing stronger with each passing second. I wanted to pull my hand away, but something kept it locked to the man’s arm. Something was pulling the power out of me, something unknown, something that terrified me. Warmth rushed over me as if I was bathed in sunlight. But then my teethchattered, and my body shook violently and uncontrollably. Tears streamed down my face and wetness gushed from my nose. Unable to control my movements any longer, I snapped my head back as the overpowering energy flowed through me.

Strong arms caught me and lifted me off the ground.

“See what you did?” Angelo whispered in my ear. I couldn’t tell if he was angry or disappointed or happy.

Gasping for breath, I opened my eyes. The man had stopped bleeding and making that horrible gurgling noise. His chest moved up and then down, and I thought it looked like he could breathe normally, but I wasn’t sure. His white, ashen color had faded, replaced with a normal hue. Angelo guided me to a red velvet Queen Anne’s chair that I hadn’t even noticed was in the room and sat me down.

“I don’t understand how I could have done this,” I whispered. “I can’t even heal myself.”

Elena rushed out of the bathroom with wet towels and wiped away the dried and caked blood on his chest and neck. His gaping neck wound had healed, but he still had three nasty cuts across his chest. I trembled in the chair, wondering numbly if Angelo was going to beat me, because I had failed to heal Enzo completely.

Angelo took one of the damp towels and wiped the blood off my upper lip. “Does this usually happen when you heal someone?”

I frowned as I tried to process his unexpected question. “What?” The word fell from my lips, barely more than a breath, as I struggled to comprehend the sudden shift in his demeanor.

He reached out, his fingers surprisingly tender as they brushed against my skin, wiping away the dampness on my face. The gentleness of his touch sent a shiver down my spine, so unlike the fear and tension that had consumed me mere moments ago. I found myself leaning into his touch, craving the comfort it provided, even as another part of me recoiled at the thought of finding solace in my captor’s touch.

As he withdrew his hand, I noticed the crimson stains on his fingertips. “Do you get a bloody nose after you heal someone?” he asked, his voice softer now, almost concerned.

I nodded. “Yes.” It was all I could muster.

Please don’t bite me again.

“You saved my enforcer’s life.” Angelo looked down at me, his face was still hard as a stone, not a crack of emotion coming through. “Not just my enforcer. My closest friend. I will not forget that.”

I wasn’t sure where this was going. “Meaning?”

“Meaning thank you. I am in your debt. Is there something I can do for you? Other than granting your freedom, of course. I’m afraid that’s not possible.”

“Please don’t bite me again?” I whispered. The plea was worthless. He was an ancient vampire, and I was just food for him.

Elena blinked, as if she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

Angelo’s look was calm, but there was a hardness there, the same hardness I had seen when he first attacked me. I had struck a nerve somehow, one that could involve punishment.

“I suggest you think of something else.” Meaning he would feed on me at will?

I let the question that had been haunting me escape my lips: “How about information, then. Did you kill Detective Louis DuPont?”

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