Page 18 of Shifting Hearts

“Aldron.”

He listens for a bit before setting the device to “speaker.”

“Hello, Akasha,” Aldron says. “I’m terribly sorry to bother both of you at this time but we need your help.”

“My help?” I ask, confused.

“Could you come down to The Gin Room?”

I look to Korvin, who is already moving around, and he nods. “We’re on our way.”

Luckily, we had only just gotten out of the shower so we could dress quickly and jump in Korvin’s truck. My nerves are frayed as we drive the few blocks to The Gin Room, not knowing what is waiting for us.

“I can feel your trepidation, Mate,” Korvin says casually. “But you don’t need to worry. Aldron knows you are limited in your powers, and I will be there every step of the way.”

I smile at him, thankful for his reassurance as we stop across the street. The Gin Room should already be open and filling up with people. But on the door is a notice:

CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE

What the hell is going on here? Korvin knocks and a moment later one of the twins opens the door. His face is ashen, and I can see that something bad has happened.

“Thanks for coming,” he says. “They’re downstairs.”

“What happened?” Korvin asks.

“Knox got into it with a vampire from Arkansas over the weekend. He hit the girl that was with him,” he explains as we cross the empty bar and make our way down the stairs. “Turns out she wasn’t with him willingly and he was using her as a damn blood bag. We took her home with us.”

His ears turn bright red, and I hear Korvin chuckle softly. I must be missing something.

“Anyway, Aldron said with Akasha starting her training, Celeste could have the position at the bar until we figured outwhat to do. We were opening and getting ready for tonight when the asshole vamp returned with three friends.”

“Is Knox hurt?” I ask as we reach the bottom step.

“You could say that.”

In front of me is a scene of pure carnage. On every surface of what I assume is an underground fighting ring is blood. There are two dead men lying outside the ring, and Knox is in the center. His head rests on the lap of a pretty blonde woman I have never met but vaguely remember. Beside her is a willowy brunette woman in a flowy emerald green dress. But the thing that grabs my attention is the fact that Knox is basically grey.

I quickly make my way over to them and crouch down, my fingers on the inside of his left wrist, looking for a pulse. Just when I am about to give up, I find it, thready and weak. The blonde woman is sobbing softly, pushing his hair off his forehead and whispering softly to him.

“What can I do?” I ask the other woman.

Her gaze clashes with mine like she is only now realizing she isn’t alone anymore. “I need to tap into your natural magic. If my coven was here, I would call on them, but everyone is out of town for the blood moon ceremony.”

“Okay,” I say instantly, wanting to help before he dies. “You’ll need to walk me through this step by step.”

She stares at me in disbelief. “Aldron said you were a novice, but you don’t know anything, do you?”

“Nope.”

“You and I are going to have fun once your training starts,” she says with a chuckle. “But for now, let’s save Knox. We can chat later.”

She takes my right hand in hers and places my right hand on his chest, over his heart, that is barely moving with his labored breaths. It’s only then I see the massive hole in his chest.

“We just need to get him back to this side of the living,”she explains. “Once he can sit up, he will be able to shift and then he can heal naturally. Close your eyes and clear your mind.”

I do as she says but it’s harder than one would think.

“Think of fire, the way the flames dance, the way the heat caresses your skin,” she whispers.

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