Page 101 of Prodigal Son

The soft kick of her heartbeat met his ears like a puff of air. “It’s working!” Cain shoved him out of the way, and pressed his wrist to her mouth. “Drink, Cybil!”

He flexed his fist, forcing the blood to flow faster into her mouth. She wasn’t breathing, but every few seconds he heard the soft murmur of a heartbeat. When his wound closed again, he left it closed.

“Why are you stopping?”

“I’ve done everything I can do.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means we wait.” Words were useless at this point.

Minutes passed like eons as they silently watched her, ignoring the fact that they both were in tears. Perhaps he’d done it wrong. He should have given her some of his blood first. Mating was different. With mates, the blood exchange happened simultaneously.

“Did you see that?” Dane gasped. “Her finger twitched.”

Cain watched her hand, but it didn’t move. Another soft beat of her heart. He stood and pulled Dane to his feet. “Give her room.” Her finger twitched again and Dane tried to go to her, but Cain placed a restraining hand on his shoulder, unsure how disoriented she might be. “Stay back.”

Cain watched her chest, his eyes unblinking, as a red blush bloomed in her cheeks.

“It’s working!”

Cain apprehensively watched as color rose in her neck, putting life back into her lips, and removing the gaunt appearance of her sunken skin. The cuticles filling the beds of her nails receded, and the chapped skin around her knuckles rejuvenated. Her hair thickened from baby fine to a weighty mass of healthy golden waves. Her lips plumped and pinkened, and her silver lashes doubled in length.

Breath wheezed into her lungs, expanding her chest and her mouth opened, exposing sharp, twin fangs. Then her lashes lifted, blue irises drowned by red pools that seeped into the whites of her eyes.

“Cybil, you’re alive!”

Cain yanked the boy behind him. “That’s not Cybil.”

“What are you talking about? Move!”

Cain grabbed him by the collar and jerked him hard. “Don’t you get it? She’s alive, but it’s not her anymore. I never should have let you convince me to—"

“Cain?” Destiny’s voice crested the hill and he let Dane go.

“Destiny, go back to the house,” he shouted, trying to keep his voice calm and praying she didn’t come any closer. He looked back at Cybil who was breathing faster, her blood-red eyes wild and agitated. The bull and blood adding to the horrific scene.

“It’s getting late and Vito wants to go.”

“Go back to the house,” he snapped. “Don’t come any closer.”

“But we’re leaving.”

Cybil sat up.

“Get back to the house, Destiny!”

Destiny came into view and Cybil shot off the ground with inhuman speed. Her body launched through the air and Destiny screamed, her cry cut short with a gurgle as the newborn vampire latched onto her neck.

“Cybil, no!” Cain ripped the child back and Destiny gasped and coughed, her hand pulling away from her neck as her eyes widened in horror at the sight of so much blood. She struggled to breathe. Cain tried to calm her, but every time he neared her, Cybil went ballistic biting and hissing, clawing at his eyes.

“Enough!” He snapped her neck.

“No!” Dane screamed, not realizing she would only rise again in a minute or two.

Destiny looked up at him, her mouth gaping in panic, her eyes wild with fear.

“I’ve got you.” He caught her in his arms as she stumbled to the ground. Her panic was not with the blood, but with him. “I won’t hurt you.”

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