Page 162 of Gift from the Nexus

Keeper begins to bellow below me and I squeeze my eyes tighter, not relenting despite knowing the pain I’m causing him. He doesn’t pull away or even flinch, but the wails and screams leaving his throat shakes me to the core. I can feel his entire body trembling through my hands, and I fight back tears.

“Almost there,” I whisper as I feel the cord beneath my hand become more fluid.

This is the part I knew would be most tricky, so I take a deep, calming inhale, zeroing in on my inner Tillman. On my exhale, I command my earth to travel the same path my flame is on. It obeys, but so does my water.

I try not to panic at the elusive elements’ surprise interference, but this isn’t what I had planned out and now isn’t the time to switch things up. As it enters the river of liquid mercury flowing around Keeper’s neck, I command it and my earth to embed themselves into the material.

My flame heats the water as well, so rather than hardening the cord back like I was fearful of, it contains it in a thermal-like layer. His screaming dies down and his racing pulse starts to slow, so I know his pain is subsiding.

Risky, risky little trick there, water.

Blinking my eyes open, I slowly start pulling my claw out of his neck and simultaneously, I command my three elements to start pulling the cord through. There’s a slight resistance just as everything attempts to come through the hole, but I power through, sending one more small blast of my flame through.

Beside me, Jamie steps up his hands stretched out toward Keeper’s shoulder with a jar made of some sort of stone. I gawk, mesmerized as the flow of his blue blood turns to silver and I direct it into the jar, assuming Jamie wants it there.

The moment the last of the silver dripples out, Keeper sags to the ground and I stumble back, landing in the arms of my men. Their touch works wonders for me in seconds while Jamie leansdown, laying his hand to Keeper’s neck. I’m shaking from both adrenaline and fear as it takes him much longer than I expected for him to come to.

“Is he okay?” I ask Jamie.

“He’s alive but quite tired. I think. I’ve never had to heal a vampire before.”

“Not tired. Hungry. We should probably find something for that before he wakes up on his own,” San says, observing Keeper keenly.

“Shit. I didn’t even think about that,” I say, staring at my men for direction.

“I did, princess. Cas,” Corentin says and out of the shadows drifts a small box. When Corentin opens it up, it has at least ten blood bags.

“So do we just…feed it to him?” I ask.

“You do nothing, little wanderer. I got it. If he wakes up in some sort of frenzy, I don’t think he’ll attack me,” Draken says as he grabs three of the bags from the box.

Well, that doesn’t make me feel better at all.

I hold my breath as Draken kneels in front of Keeper and tears the blood bag open, then wafts it under his nose. When that doesn’t work, I hear him mutter a low fuck it before he pinches Keeper’s chin, opens his mouth, and begins pouring the blood in.

Just as I grow fearful that Keeper’s going to choke because he’s not swallowing, his eyes fly open and far faster than I saw coming, he’s sitting up, holding the bag himself and chugging down the rest of its contents. The moment he’s done with that one, Draken quickly hands over the next.

Not gonna lie, I feel incredibly relieved when Keeper both shakes his head no to the third bag and seems perfectly fine. The hole on his neck is already closed and I can tell that comes as a shock to him when he reaches his fingers up, feeling the closed spot.

“How do you feel?” I ask when his eyes meet mine.

“Free.” He smiles and I can’t help but return it.

“We need to move if you’re ready. Is there anything you need to get before we go? Clothes and all other necessities will be provided to you, but if there’s anything of sentimental value you’d like, you need to grab it now. And are there any hostages in the forest?” Tillman asks Keeper as he wraps his hand around my stomach.

“No. There’re no others amongst the vampires right now. But yes, I do need to get something. One moment,” he says before speeding off.

One moment was literally all it took and he comes back, halting gracefully as if he wasn’t just running faster than time moves. In his hand is a small black book that he clutches tightly. It resembles the one that the Summum-Master stole of his, but I know it isn’t the same because this one is far newer.

“This is all. I have all I need now,” he says, sparing a small, quick glance at Draken before nodding at us.

“Everyone, move out. Through the ward and assemble in the clearing for the next directions. Prepare yourself for the barricades to come down,” Tillman orders to all the E.F. members.

All my men start calling their elements and gifts back to them and snarling, yelling in a language I don’t understand, creeps through the makeshift barrier the thinner it becomes. Far, far more vampires are now standing at the ready than when we blocked them off.

Keeper pulls his shoulders back, cracking his neck, smirking as he stands in front of us. With a wink shot my way, his eyes begin to scan the horde, and like a game of dominos, all the vampires begin to hit the ground, bowing to him.

Well, shit. Looks like that cord was doing a little more than keeping him trapped here.

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