Page 90 of Curses & Keys
Four vampires, three men, and one woman, stride out of the forest with Mathias hanging in their arms, and my heart plummets. He’s in bad shape, blood pouring from several wounds, and he can’t hold up his head.
“Give us the panel, and we’ll let you live,” a dark voice booms across the field.
Jamison curses, and a loud screech comes from Gatlin.
Steel-blue eyes turn to me, a question in their depths, and I nod.
“Mathias for the panel. We’ll make the exchange at the temple,” I shout in return.
Silence.
“Gatlin, shift back,” Jamison orders. “Hawthorne, be ready to get us out of here. Not the house but close by.” He turns to me. “Why the temple?”
“Because the gods favor me,” I state confidently, my voice loud. Although they would never come to my rescue. Still, if the vampires are listening, this might make them pause.
“Agreed,” the ominous voice rings out.
The four vampires pivot toward the temple. We move into its center and wait for them to bring Mathias to us. I glance at one of the men carrying him and realize that not all of the soldiers are vampires. That’s the guy Mathias has been tracking.Fucker.I seethe. When they get there, they drop him at our feet. Furious, I throw the panel with all my might into the field, and all four rush to get it as if the first one to the panel will win a prize.
“Now,” Jamison roars, creating a shield of fire around the temple.
Gatlin picks up Mathias. Hawthorne reaches down and grabs my hand. And the four of us enter the portal.
On the other side, Jamison takes a stance, but not one vampire comes through after us. With a jerk of his head, we hurry over a few streets and into the safety of the house. Gatlin lays Mathias down on the dining table.
“There are too many wounds,” Jamison says, slipping his belt from its loops and pressing it to Mathias’ mouth. “Bite on this. We’ll cauterize them, then give you blood.”
Hawthorne and Jamison begin to close the wounds. The scent of burning flesh fills the air, making me gag. Tears run down my cheeks while I watch Mathias strain against the pain. Gatlin returns with a blood bag in his hand, waiting for them to finish.
“Done,” Hawthorne announces, wiping the sweat from his face. “Give him the blood.”
Mathias rips the blood from Gatlin’s hand and drinks it in three gulps. “More.” His voice is guttural, not even close to the smooth cadence that usually flows from his mouth.
Gatlin takes a deep breath. “You drank the others. My contact had a limited supply. I can try to reach out to a few others.”
Jamison flicks a hand, and a golden rope appears, wrapping itself tightly around Mathias. Alarmed, I reach out to pull it away, but he stops me. “If he goes into bloodlust, we won’t be able to stop him.” He begins to roll up his sleeve.
“You’re giving him blood?”
Jamison doesn’t answer, only holds his wrist up to his friend. “Take what I freely give.”
Mathias turns his head, rejecting Jamison’s offer. “Her.”
Jamison vehemently shakes his head. “No. Mine.”
“Can’t,” Mathias admits, sharing a silent conversation with Jamison.
“Fuck,” Hawthorne curses, swiping his hand through his hair. “He can only drink directly from her.”
“Why me?” I ask, staring down at Mathias.
They all turn to him, and he nods at Jamison.
Jamison takes my hands in his. “He didn’t want to tell you because he didn’t want you to feel forced into anything. You’re his mate.”
“Likematemate?!” I screech, unable to believe what I’m hearing. “His forever and ever kind of mate?” Anger rises, and my eyes drop to Mathias. “Is this true?”
He gives one nod.
