Page 90 of Our Sins in Shadows (Coven of Sin 2)

I needed Sterling.

I didn’t understand what was happening to me. A coldness leached from my chest and branched through me like some kind of sentient ice. Whatever it was, it stretched down to the very marrow of my bones.

Like I was being frozen from the inside out.

The name of my silver prince played on repeat in my mind, a cry of help bleeding out from somewhere deep inside me. It was as if my ancient survival instincts were somehow just as aware of the priest as I was that I needed him as much as I needed air to breathe.

My bare feet thumped against the old Persian rugs as I sprinted down the corridor toward the library. My heart thrashed wildly like it was trying to remind me it was still there, still beating, even if it felt like it’d been ripped out and replaced with a chunk of ice.

So fucking cold.

Why? Why was Isocold?

I ran faster, hoping my roaring blood would spark some warmth into my body and chase away the chill that crept through my veins.

When I’d marked Vincent, there’d been an explosion of energy that burned with an intense radiance. I had sensed his heat on my body even if he was miles away. Now the sensation had evaporated. Like the sun, along with all the stars in my sky, had extinguished, plunging me into the coldest and darkest night I’d ever experienced.

I couldn’t detect any trace of his presence at all. I knew he wasn’t dead, but my brain failed to send that message to my heart. The hollow sensation that stretched down to the very crux of my being was enough to convince my inner monster that her mate had left her.

It hurt more than anything I’d ever experienced, including when my spine had snapped in Boston. That was vanilla foreplay compared to this shit.

How was I still running? I couldn’t feel my legs beneath me. My eyes flooded with tears, blearing my vision, but I didn’t wipe them. The warmth of the salty beads was heaven on my frozen cheeks.

The figure of a male stepped in front of me, and I didn’t register him in time enough to avoid a collision. I slammed into a wall of muscle so hard it knocked all the wind from my lungs. The man didn’t sway at the impact. He was as solid as rock. Before I collected enough air to speak, powerful arms banded around me.

Oh, sweet baby Jesus.Heat. This man might as well have been a furnace with how his muscled warmth chased away the cold. Unable to resist, I sagged against him. The scent of cloves and smoke filled my nose and a familiar voice—grated from years of cigarettes—rasped a greeting that made me want to weep with joy.

“Baby doll. It’s alright, I’m here.”

“Eros.” My voice came out so thin, it quaked with my relief. I rapidly blinked back the curtain of hot tears to see my mate’s features take shape like a holy vision amid a nightmare. Or, in Eros’ case, an unholy vision. He wore only his camo pants, and his shirtless, tattooed chest heaved like he’d run here from the basement faster than he’d ever moved before.

His golden pierced brows scrunched with concern. “You’re hurt.”

A statement, not a question.

He was well aware that I was in pain. That’s why he’d come running. It was daylight, and he’d still come to check on me. With every window shuttered, bolted, and drapes pulled over the metal paneling for extra measure, there was no chance a drop of sunlight would reach him. Still, it was taxing for a full-blooded vampire to roam around during daylight hours.

“You shouldn’t be up yet. You didn’t have to come.”

“Yes, I did. Your pain is mine.” Sensing that I needed to be near him, he didn’t pull away from me. Instead, he probed for the source of my pain with his hands. They slid over my curves in a way that would have me humming if it wasn’t for the numbing sensation slowly taking over my nerves. He was checking for broken bones, bruises, cuts. He wouldn’t find my wound with a pat-down, not unless he was game to rip my chest open where he’d find my heart in pieces.

“What’s happened? You’re not physically injured.”

“I’m so cold. Or I was. I feel almost paralyzed…I’m not sure.” The warmth Eros’ body generated was still there, keeping some of the chills at bay, though it didn’t stave it off completely. In fact, it was growing worse with each second. “I think Vincent went back to his home realm. I can’t feel him.” My eyes drifted shut. “I can’t really feel much of anything.”

Eros swore beneath his breath as he hauled me into his arms and launched into a breakneck run. While he moved, the vampire dropped his lips to my shoulder to kiss his mark through Corry’s t-shirt. I moaned my relief as a fresh surge of heat unfurled beneath my flesh where the scar sat.

“Can you still feel me, at least? Our bond?”

“I do,” I murmured. “Damn, that’s good. Kiss me again. Actually, take me down to the basement. Bite me. Fuck me. Tie me up and pull out my heart with pliers and hold it to the furnace if that’s what it takes for me to feel again,” I groaned.

Shit, did I really just say all that? Or was this another dream? No, this was reality. My mind was just shutting down with the rest of me.

“We have to get you to Sterling.” Eros’ teeth ground together as he spoke, a failed attempt to mask his own pain. My chest squeezed. Not only was my mate worried for me, but there was no hiding the clear agony that underscored every breath he took. I wondered if he was suffering because of our mating bond. Was he experiencing the same arctic bite that crystallized my nerves? Or was the strain on his body from the simple fact that he was awake during daylight? Probably a combination of the two, I decided.

I reached up to stroke the blond scruff on his stony jaw, unsure if my fingers found their mark. They had little sensation left in them. “Thank you. For being here for me.”

“You shouldn’t have to thank your mate for simply being around,” he said bitterly, refusing to meet my gaze. Red flecks of fury glimmered in his irises like little embers. He didn’t want me to see the unguarded rage or the fear banked in his infernal glare.

---