Page 17 of Halfblood Deceived

The sound of metal against concrete startled them both.

A cylinder fell a few feet away from them and then came the blast of an explosion that smashed Aella’s head against the wall, sending her to the ground, and took Zeydan off his feet.

Aella couldn’t hear. She blinked hard, dizzy beyond belief, and tried to stand, but her legs didn’t respond.

The metallic white fog produced by the explosion entered her lungs, and she coughed. Her throat burned and she couldn’t draw a breath. A loud beeping sound invaded her ears.

She felt vibrations under her feet and turned to see that three gargoyles had landed at the furthest end of the alley, swords drawn.

They approached, looking imposing in their leathers, wings tucked near their bodies.

Aella turned, looking for Zeydan, and found him mere yards away along with Lex. The vampire’s bright green eyes were wide and he was screaming something. His face was full of cuts, blood pouring out of his nose, and his hair wild as Lex dragged him away.

“Not without her,” Aella thought she read in his lips.

And then everything turned black.

CHAPTER 5

Zeydan awoke with a jolt. The first words out of his mouth were: “Where is she?”

“I thought Lex was kidding about you becoming obsessed with the gargoyle bitch that almost had you killed, but no,” said a deep male voice.

Zeydan blinked to clear his sight and found Andreas sitting in a chair by his bedside. The vampire male had his sword strapped to his back and was clad in tactical pants, a cardigan, and combat boots. He narrowed his brown eyes at Zeydan, jaw ticking, and full lips twisted into a frown. “What the fuck has gotten into you?”

Zeydan took a deep breath that prompted a fit of coughing, and half sat.

Muttering about Zeydan being a fucking idiot, Andreas poured him a glass of water from the pitcher on the table by the bed, and placed a steadying hand between Zeydan’s shoulder blades.

Every inch of Zeydan’s body ached. The stab wound Aella had given him was fully healed, but his side was still tender.

Aella.

The bizarre half-gargoyle intrigued him more than she should. Worse than that, Zeydan was worried about her. Goddess, Andreas was right, he was an idiot. Aella would have likely stood by and watched him get hacked into pieces by her mate and his stinky buddies. She was the enemy, and he had to remember that.

But something… instinctive didn’t let him.

Zeydan drank the whole glass, taking measured breaths before meeting his friend’s scowl and answering. “She didn’t know the truth about us. They used her like bait. I had a thousand chances to kill her.”

“And you should have fucking taken them,” Andreas chided.

Zeydan shook his head. “She is… different in a way I can’t explain.”

“You just need to get laid,” Andreas said.

Zeydan snorted. It hurt. “Pot, kettle,” he answered automatically and then wished he could cut off his tongue.

Andreas released him, clenching his teeth so hard that Zeydan was worried he’d break them, hands turning into fists.

“Sorry,” Zeydan hastened to say.

An uncomfortable silence stretched between them. Zeydan tried to ignore the waves of rageful pain pulsing from his usually stoic friend by giving a cursory look at the white room of the infirmary and the vials of potions next to the water pitcher. He let his eyes drift over to the counter with a sink and the many shelves above it full of potions. He cleared his throat. “Fuck. What the Hells was in that bomb?”

Andreas scowled at him for a few seconds more. “Mari is analyzing your clothes and blood to find out. Whatever it is, it’s bad. You had burn marks, your cuts didn’t heal, and your heart flatlined once. I think poor Lex will defy biology and develop a few gray hairs.”

Zeydan half smiled.

As if summoned, Mari entered the room, wearing black scrubs and a lab coat like usual, a tablet in her hands. “Oh, good. You’re awake. I had to feed you ten potions and give you a transfusion of Andreas’ blood to clear the poison out of your system,” she said in a rush, still not looking at Zeydan.

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