Page 30 of Blood Illusions

He chuckled. “Yes. It always amuses me that humans think this is the only realm. There are many, including heaven and hell.”

Something hummed in my ears. I glanced up at him. “Is this bow humming?”

His eyes twinkled. “The crossbow sings when it chooses its new owner.”

I blinked. “Excuse me? Are you serious?”

“I am. In the supernatural world, weapons choose the bearer.” He picked up a quiver of arrows. “The shafts are crafted from the same silverback wood. They’re also slender and perfectly balanced. There’s a beautiful, radiant bird in the Court of Blossoms called the dawnbird. You’ll find the arrow’s feathers will change colors with the light like the bird’s. They are capable of striking with deadly precision and enchanting grace.”

I rubbed my sweaty forehead, still not sure I believed every word he was saying. “Okay. You mean the crossbow isn’t made of silver?”

He gestured toward the bow. “No, feel it.”

I hesitated. The crossbow was larger than I’d expected and looked made of silver. Or maybe steel? I ran my fingers over the wood, and it was smooth to the touch. “It feels like metal.”

“I want you to have it.” His smooth voice sounded truthful, but he was a vampire, and vampires lied.

I did a double-take, and my jaw dropped. “What? Why?”

He put his hands behind his back. “Pick whatever bedroom you want upstairs where you can freshen up.” His gaze was fixed somewhere behind me, avoiding eye contact. It was on Damon, who was giving him the evil eye. “If you’ll excuse me…”

“You okay, sis?” Damon watched Justice like a hawk as he left the storage room.

“I’m fine. I guess,” I told him slowly.

His brows furrowed. “What’s wrong?”

I gestured toward the weapon leaning against the wall. “He wants me to have this crossbow.”

A wide grin spread across Damon’s face. “Then take it. It’s awesome.”

“Damon, the crossbow is from another realm.”

His smile faded as his expression became puzzled. He furrowed his brows and tilted his head in confusion. “Another realm? What the hell does that mean?”

“According to Justice, the fae made it. He claims it’s more accurate and powerful than any of the crossbows in our realm.” I eyed the strangely-crafted weapon warily.

He narrowed his eyes. “And you believe the man behind the curtain?”

I thought about it for a minute. “Actually, I do.” My heart quickened as I reached for the crossbow, as though a secret force drew me closer to the magical power.

He snagged my wrist with lightning speed and shook his head in disbelief. “You’re not actually thinking about taking the damn thing, are you?”

I sighed in frustration. “Five minutes ago, you wanted me to take it.”

He gave me a you’re-not-using-your-brains stare. “That was before I knew it was made in the Land of Oz. You don’t know what that crossbow will do. For all you know, the minute you touch it, you’ll be zapped over the rainbow.”

“Damon, this crossbow and those arrows might be what we need to kill those rogue vampires. They’re out of the ordinary, and maybe we need a weapon that’s out of the ordinary.”

Unfortunately, my brother had his stubborn mask on, and he wasn’t buying anything I told him.

He released my wrist. “I don’t like it. Maybe I should take the crossbow.” His protective voice irritated me like fingernails scraping down a chalkboard.

“You can’t.”

He gave me a hard, brotherly stare. “Why not?”

I rested a hand on my chest. “Because according to Justice, in the supernatural world, weapons choose the bearer. And for some reason, this crossbow chose me.”

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