Total pages in book: 153
Estimated words: 141492 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 707(@200wpm)___ 566(@250wpm)___ 472(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 141492 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 707(@200wpm)___ 566(@250wpm)___ 472(@300wpm)
“There are no Carpathians in this area at all?” Nicu asked.
“Just Aura. Her mother followed her father in death several weeks ago. She was the last.” A little shiver went through her body. “I need to get to the farm.”
“They are in good hands. My friends will take care of any vampires daring to attack your family. I am going to remove the parasites and heal your body. We can talk about how you fought this vampire alone after. I am very proud of you, although it is disturbing to me.”
She watched as he suddenly was simply gone, shedding his body as if it were no more than a shell. She caught a glimpse of a brilliant white light, and that was gone as well. She blinked several times, wondering if she was beginning to hallucinate from blood loss. It was possible. Maybe none of this was real. She’d seen Aura heal small wounds before, but she’d never left her body behind.
Warmth moved through her insides. Heat. Then it was hot, very hot in places. Tiny drops of blood leaked from her pores to the ground, each containing several wiggling parasites. The sight turned her stomach. Those had been inside her. Now she hoped she was hallucinating.
Each time the maggots touched the surface, Nicu aimed a streak of fiery lightning at them, incinerating them instantly. “You never want to give them a chance to burrow back into the soil. If you pull them out of you, burn them right away,” he said.
The easy, casual way he called down lightning through the blue-gray fog added to the weird way she was feeling. At the same time, she liked that he was treating her with enough respect to give her advice. She also wanted to examine everything Petru was doing. She was very good at learning how to do things once she was shown the way. He’d shed his body so quickly, she couldn’t figure out how he’d done it, but she could ask Aura. If it was possible for a human to do it, Safia had confidence that she would be able to learn.
She did her best to keep her senses alert for trouble and at the same time be aware of what was happening inside her body, trying to follow the healing process. There was no doubt that Petru was meticulously repairing the bones, organs and muscles the vampire had shredded.
Three dictators have arrived to tell me how to conduct myself properly as a female Carpathian. Aura’s amused voice slipped into her mind. They would have made very short work of Larriot, but your father and oldest brother managed to lure him right where we wanted him. It was perfect, Safia. He went just like you said he would go. Your strategy was exact.
There was not only elation but admiration in her voice, something that made Safia feel much better. She’d worked hard on tactics to divide the vampires and lure each one to a different site where they could be destroyed. Things hadn’t gone perfectly on her end, but she’d managed to kill the vampire and incinerate his heart. Yes, she’d been wounded, but that had been expected. Maybe not quite as severely as it had occurred.
Was anyone hurt? What if she’d been wrong? She had studied their adversaries, but there was no way to target individuals. She had no idea how many her family would be pitted against.
Everyone is fine. Well, apart from me. I have a few ruffled feathers. I had forgotten what Carpathian males could be like. Again, amusement flooded Safia’s mind. Aura didn’t seem as upset as she indicated.
Abruptly, Petru was back in his own body and looking up at her with eyes the color of mercury—eyes that seemed to penetrate her shields. He couldn’t possibly hear her conversation with Aura, but there was no doubt that he knew she was talking to someone, and he didn’t like it any more than she had.
“If you are going to converse with another, you can loop me in.”
Nicu casually made a straight cut in his wrist. Blood welled up instantly, and he offered it to Petru as if he’d done so a million times. Petru brought the laceration to his mouth. Safia looked away. She couldn’t do that. Not in a million years. She could give him blood. But take it from him? Hadn’t Aura said there had to be an exchange?
“Why are you shaking your head?” Nicu asked. “Stay still. You’ve lost too much blood and you are weak.”
Her gaze jumped to his. “If you’re planning on giving me blood, I require a transfusion the normal human way, not . . .” She broke off, gesturing toward Petru without looking in his direction. “I know that’s your custom, and I respect whatever it is you do, but it isn’t my way.” She was swaying again, her body definitely weak. She had lost too much blood. She needed to get away from them. She needed to be home, where her grandfather, father and family would surround her with love and care.