Page 57 of Halfblood Deceived

Kamilla bit her wrist and placed it against Gabby’s mouth. She whispered a spell under her breath, and Gabby’s throat bobbed, taking a few mouthfuls of blood.

“Are they alright?” Lex asked Kamilla once she stopped feeding Gabby, his voice tight.

Kamilla nodded, carefully taking Gabby’s brutally broken arm in her healing hands. The sound of bones and joints rearranging made them all wince. “They are fine,” Kamilla answered. “Gabby has a concussion, too, along with broken ribs and a few fissured vertebrae. Like some pregnant vampires, she’s healing a bit slower than normal. But my blood will help her system regenerate fully. And your baby girl is completely, miraculously safe. Now, I’ll focus on making sure her arm heals well.”

“It wasn’t a miracle,” Zeydan affirmed, looking at Aella.

Aylana was doing her best to hold the stasis spell to preserve Aella’s heartbeat and breathing. But her energy was unsteady thanks to the corrupted poisoning magic of the gargoyle’s blades.

Sebastian crouched next to Zeydan, examining Aella. “The poison needs to be neutralized, and without potions, the only option is vampire blood.”

“I know,” Zeydan admitted. “But Aella is a half-gargoyle. Vampire blood could be toxic for her.”

Sebastian hummed. “It depends, some can tolerate it well. And she will die in ten minutes, even if we all try to heal her with magic, unless the poison is neutralized.” His platinum eyes transmitted empathy as he met Zeydan’s gaze. “Use your blood to clean the poison, and I’ll cast a healing spell I know for a fact will work on a halfblood.”

Sebastian’s eyes darted toward Aylana.

She gave him a smile that was melancholic, fond, and pained all at once. “We indeed know it will work.”

Zeydan hesitated, but only for a second. He bit his forearm.

Sebastian hastened to finish tearing apart Aella’s bloody top. He gasped at the sight of the still green bruises. “What the ever-loving fuck?”

Aylana’s eyes widened.

“It’s a long and fucking horrifying story,” Andreas surprisingly said.

Zeydan tasted his blood and released his bite, pouring the crimson liquid on the massive wound, blinking fast as his eyes itched. Aella’s body shook as his blood entered the wound.

Sebastian gripped Zeydan’s arm before he could move it, squeezing to keep the blood flow. “That reaction is normal, mild even. Don’t stop. Apply more.” He let go of Zeydan’s wrist.

Zeydan obeyed, biting his forearm again, more savagely this time so that as much of his blood as possible poured inside the wound. A good amount bathed Aella’s stomach, mixing with her blood and sliding down her side.

“I think that will be enough,” Sebastian approved once Zeydan’s wounds had healed again. Sebastian dipped his forefinger into the puddle of blood, his hand glowing with blue magic along with his eyes as he drew a series of glyphs on Aella’s bruised, pale skin. Zeydan had seen Mari use that same spell a few times before, but not with blood. Sebastian cast a long incantation.

Zeydan inhaled sharply as part of the blood—his—turned into blue energy and seeped inside Aella, half closing the wound. He could hear the less labored thump-thump of Aella’s heart, but he could hardly believe it.

“Now, it’s best to lick the wound to heal it as much as possible,” Sebastian advised. “I warn you, it will make you feel as if your throat is on fire. I can do it if you want—”

Zeydan leaned closer and licked the wound. His predator side made his mouth flood with saliva, but he welcomed the instinctive reaction, for his saliva would help Aella heal. And Sebastian was right, it burned like the devil. Underneath the foul, metallic taste of gargoyle magic and his own blood, Zeydan tasted the strangely spicy, coppery, delicious flavor of Aella’s blood.

“We should turn her and repeat the process,” Sebastian said. “The bastard ran her through.”

Sebastian helped Zeydan gently turn Aella, so she lay on her stomach. Zeydan’s stomach twisted at the sight of the equally brutal wound on Aella’s back. Just half an inch to the right, and that bastard—Micah—would have severed her spine. They repeated the process, and Zeydan couldn’t help but be in awe of Sebastian’s healing magic. In awe and a bit jealous.

Zeydan had telekinesis, his mist, and a few other talents. His blood could heal as did the blood of most vampires. But he didn’t possess healing magic like his cousins and Sebastian did. Zeydan doubted many vampires did. He knew it was illogical, but he wished it was his magic healing Aella. And goddess, what the Hells did that mean? He wasn’t sure he wanted to know.

By the time they carefully turned Aella face up again, Aylana was no longer holding the stasis spell.

Zeydan let out a low sound of relief that might have embarrassed him to utter in public on another occasion, but he didn’t give a flying fuck at the moment.

Aylana placed her hands on Aella’s chest and stomach, taking a deep breath and casting a long, lilting spell. The fey’s full form glowed as her emerald aura broke free. Her healing power flowed inside Aella with gentle, but undeniably mighty, force.

Sebastian sighed and gave a half-lidded, utterly besotted look at Aylana. A line of energy left him and met Aylana, whose lips tilted upward even as she kept her casting steady. Zeydan immediately knew the striking fey and Sebastian were soulmates.

Feeling his staring, Sebastian flicked Zeydan a shameless, dreamy look. “Isn’t she amazing?”

“She is,” Zeydan had to admit.

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