Page 32 of Cruel Vampire King

All sound cut out. I didn’t feel anger or fear. As I moved forward, the world seemed to stand utterly still, muffled and distant. I was hardly aware of what I was doing as I clubbed the elf over the head with my staff. His brains sprayed every which way. Ysara tore the throat out of another one as I whirled and smashed my staff into the face of a second elf. His bones cracked and broke as I drove the staff through his head. Another elf cameat my other side, and I ripped the staff free, twisting myself away from the sword. I smashed his hand crushed his throat.

Greyson danced out of the clearing, dueling with another of the elves. I snatched up a fallen knife and plunged it through the eye of the elf I was fighting. Greyson caught a blow to the shoulder, but Ysara leaped on that elf’s back and snapped his neck.

Greyson had the left one. I spun on my heel in time to see him emerge again. My grip tightened on my staff as my gaze raked over his blood-stained clothes. Elf. Elves killed my family. I wanted to kill them all. Destroy them. But Greyson was innocent. Not one of the mercenaries. My muscles tensed all the same. My heart felt torn open, bleeding.Kill them all.

No. He’s innocent. I can’t kill innocent people.

I sucked in a noisy breath, and the sounds of the forest came rushing back. Kael groaned as he clutched his shoulder. My heart raced, blood rushing in my ears. Greyson stared at me with a startled expression. Did he realize the urge I’d had for that split second? The scent of blood filled my nostrils. For a second, I wished I was a vampire, so I could feed and get stronger and go after Luken. The real villain. The one who sent them after me—twice now.

A whimper caught my attention. I turned toward the first elf I’d killed, but he wasn’t the one making the noise. Thessa’s chest rose and fell rapidly as blood stained her shirt.

Alive.

She was alive!

“Thessa!” I screamed. I flung my staff aside and dove to her side. Her eyes were wide, her face bloodless as she stared up at me.

“Elara,” she whispered.

I ripped off my shirt and turned it to the cleanest part to press against the bleeding gash across her chest. I had to stop the bleeding. I couldn’t tell how deep it was or if it needed stitches. Right now, I just needed to put pressure on it, stop her from bleeding out right now.

“Is it…?” Kael murmured from somewhere behind me.

“These elves… they don’t look like other combatants,” Greyson said.

Greyson.

I twisted, finding him quickly. “You can heal her!”

Greyson jumped. His cool, dark gaze met mine, and his jaw tightened. My heart sped. No! No, he wasn’t going to tell me no.

“Heal her,” I begged. “Heal her.”

“I don’t have much left in my stores,” he said. “I won’t be able to do enough.”

“Try.”

Greyson’s expression hardened.

I snarled under my breath and grabbed a knife. “Try, or I swear by my blood, I will kill you right now.”

Ysara and Kael lingered nearby, but they didn’t say anything. Only watched. Greyson heaved out a sigh and came to kneel next to me. His eyes never left my face as he shoved aside my shirt and laid his hand on Thessa’s chest.

“Give me your hand,” he ordered roughly. “If you want this, I’ll be using your energy.”

My energy? I put my hand in his without question. I didn’t know how magic worked but if this was what he said he needed, I wasn’t going to argue. He closed his eyes and I gasped. Fire swept through my veins, followed by ice. My limbs grew heavy as I sagged over Thessa. Her eyes widened even further and her mouth opened in a silent scream as her back bowed.

“Stop it!” Ysara yelled, suddenly yanking Greyson away from both of us. “Stop!”

Greyson shrugged her off. “Tell Elara that. She’s the one that threatened to kill me.”

I ignored them, gasping as I checked Thessa’s injury. It was still oozing, but not bleeding so profusely. Her eyes had rolled to the back of her head and her jaw hung slack. She was breathing, though barely. I pressed my shirt back into place. It was so dirty. I was going to infect her wound. The bleeding had slowed—I needed to clean the wound now.

“It’s cruel,” Kael murmured.

I shuffled toward the spring but his heavy hand came onto my shoulder, stopping me.

“Elara. It’s better to let this kill her quickly. She’d rather die than have to kill any of us. You know that. You’ve seen the way she’s wept. It’s cruel to make her hold on when the colosseum is the only thing that’s waiting for her.” Kael’s voice was low, soothing, and full of hurt.

---