Page 100 of Prodigal Son

Cain knew without touching her that her heart had stopped.

When Dane found no pulse, his panic doubled. He looked up at Cain with stark accusation.

“Tell me she’s okay!” Dane shoved him angrily.

Cain’s jaw trembled as he failed to find the words. Mortals were temporary. Fragile. And she was only a child. He could only shake his head, unable to speak the words.

“No! No! Do you hear me?” Dane shoved him again. “You fix this! You bring her back!”

Cain took pity on him, wishing he could undo what had been done, but it was too late. A boulder of regret formed in his throat, making it hard to breathe. “Dane, I’m sorry—”

“No! Don’t you apologize to me! You fucking fix this!”

“I can’t,” the truth escaped in a brutal sob. What had he done? Cybil was gone. Crushing pain constricted his heart. Sweet, innocent Cybil…

The punch snapped his head back, but did nothing to slow his tears. Dane shook his shoulders, grabbing him by the shirt and forcing him to look him in the eye. “I know what you are! I know you can bring her back! Why won’t you save her?”

“I can’t. That’s not how it works—”

“Bullshit! She’s dead because of you! They’re all dead! Fix her before it’s too late!”

He looked down at her pale, lifeless face. “It only works if she’s my mate.”

“That’s not true!” He cried. “I heard the other men talking. They said it can be done.”

“I can’t. It’s not the same,” Cain pleaded with him, but he was too distraught to listen to reason. “It’ll change her.”

“You have to!” the boy sobbed.

Cain’s heart broke, wishing there was more he could do.

“Please, Cain. She’s all I have left.” He dragged the heel of his palm over his eyes. “I can’t lose her too.”

He looked from Dane to Cybil, and wondered how the world could be so brutal.

“God, forgive me.” He pulled the child onto his lap and sank his fangs into the child’s tender neck, he pulled greedily at her vein. The inborn predator hidden inside of him could taste the youth of her blood, and he reflexively began to purr. Why was nature so cruel?

Her rosy cheeks bleached of color as he reluctantly drained her. Puncturing the vein at his wrist, he turned her head and pressed his wrist to her lips, the crimson contrast of his blood spilling on her bone-white flesh was a vision that would haunt him forever. This was never what he wanted for her.

“She isn’t swallowing it,” Dane cried.

Cain tipped her head back, making a mess of her face and hair. His wound healed and he had to reopen the vein several times. God help him if he couldn’t save her. He couldn’t live with the additional memory of knowing he drained her dry.

Her bonnet fell to the ground as straggly white waves spilled over his legs. “Rub your hand over her throat. She has to swallow my blood for the transition to work.”

Dane massaged her throat, crying and sniffling. It didn’t look good. Her body was cold and it had been several minutes without oxygen to her brain or any sign of life.

“It’s not working.”

“Keep rubbing.” Cain bit his wrist again, opening the vein more so his blood would spill more freely. “She only needs to swallow a drop to survive.”

Her mouth gaped. Her tongue dark with blood and her face pale and lifeless. He couldn’t do anymore for her. Shakily, he lay her on the ground.

“No!” Dane shoved him back and pressed on her chest. “Breathe, Cybil. You hear me. You have to breathe.”

“Dane, don’t.” Cain tried to pull him off of her, but he lashed out and continued to pump his hands over her small chest.

“Don’t you fucking leave me!”

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