Chapter 15

A metallic taste filled my mouth, and I coughed. My entire body hurt, even my eyelids, as I strained to open them. Was I dead, along with everyone else within miles? Would I even be having thoughts if I wasn't alive in some way? The ground was warm beneath my side. I moved my legs to sit up and a searing pain shot down my spine. The scent of blood and burning pitch filled my nostrils. I sneezed and my body ached from it.

“Regan!” someone shouted, and I cracked an eye open.

The Unseelie moon shone brighter than the sun, and I shielded my eyes, ignoring the throbbing in my muscles. My mouth was dry, despite it tasting like I'd licked an old copper penny. Ugh, what exactly was that taste?

“Did you mean to do that to your hair?”

When I gaped at the woman we rescued for asking, she pointed her chin toward me. I grasped my locks and looked down. Holy shit! My dark hair was now super white. Like all the color had been leeched out of it. And I was pretty sure no amount of hair dye or magic was going to fix this.

“How are you doing?” Mason asked, leaning over me and helping block out the moon's wickedly illumination.

“Do I have to answer that?” I felt as though I'd swallowed a hydrogen bomb that had exploded twice. My magic pressed against my head and heart, seeking an escape. I'd set up the wall to quarantine each half, but the zenyar had swelled and broken my internal barriers. Why couldn't I separate the two like before?

Stryker came into view and my heart soared. He was alive? Right, vamp healing. Had to be a stake through the heart, plus decapitation, to kill a vampire. Then, with Stryker being an older master, did that mean there was something else that had to be done on top of that to put him down permanently?

“Good to have you back.” He patted my shoulder, and a tingle spread down my arm. “And I like your hair, makes you look distinctive and sexy.”

My body purred from his touch and words. Wait, I shouldn't care a damn what he thought about me or anything.

“What the holy hell did you do to me?” I jerked away from him.

“He gave you his blood to resurrect you.” Daniella gave me a weary smile.

Shit. If someone decided to kill me, then I would revive as an undead bloodsucker. Freaking wonderful. And to top it off, I couldn't get my magics to separate again. They churned inside me, both halves of my heritage combining in a potent cocktail. I felt like if I sneezed wrong, I'd explode and wipe out everything.

Guess I had to show gratitude. “Thanks, Stryker. But next time, I'll punch you so hard, I'll knock both sets of your fangs out.”

He chuckled. “Fair enough.”

His laugh warmed me. Until his blood was out of my system, I'd be enamored with him, which must be the reason I hadn't hit him already. And with each passing day, the pull to have his approval would grow stronger, his allure more addictive, until the last drop was purged out.

Sure, I could chain myself in my apartment and perform a spell to expel the blood out of my system, but the way my skull pounded and the magic puffed up inside me like a separate entity, I didn't trust myself to light a candle. My luck, I'd turn myself into some kind of weird hybrid magical bat.

First, figure out how to break apart my wizard and witch magic before it turned on me again and ripped a huge hole in the earth. Second, remove the vamp blood in my system. And finally, hunt down Herbert and kill him, now that the damn blood vow was fulfilled.

“Thank you for saving us.” Daniella's mouth twisted to the side like she'd hardly had to say those words before. “I am in a life debt to you. And I will pay my mother's debt to you as well.”

“Ah, that's okay.” Now that the iron and wood collar was off her throat and mouth, two small fangs were visible. Not entirely vamp ones. If Stryker was her father, and he had two sets of vamp teeth, then that meant Daniella was a dhampir: half-human and half-vampire. And I thought my heritage was crazed. This woman wouldn't have been accepted by either species… not entirely. Most vamps didn't care about their offspring, and a hybrid like her would've been killed to keep the vamp race pure. So both of her parents had fought to save her. The sentiment softened my heart. “Tell ya what, if I ever need a favor, I'll let you know and we'll call it even.”

“What's your name?” she asked.

“Regan… why?” By my count, Stryker owed me a dozen favors. What would it feel like if he kissed me? I shuddered. Stupid vamp pheromones. I needed to get as far away from him as possible.

“Call me Dani.” She smiled. “And I am at your service until the double-debt releases us.”

A stirring snapped around my middle, and I felt the weight of her words. Great, now I had to worry about someone else in my life. Add another task to my growing list: figure out how to break this new tie.

“Regan, how soon before you're fully recovered?” Mason asked, straightening her suit jacket. Her ebony skin shone in the moonlight.

“Why is everything so freaking bright?” Seriously, did the fae put forever lightbulbs in their moon and turn it to the brightest setting? I squinted my eyes, shielding them with my hand and wishing I had the darkest pair of Cartier sunglasses ever. Never mind that they were wicked expensive, I just saved the President, her daughter—hell, probably half the planet at least. The government could give me a bonus.

“That's the vamp blood.” Dani pulled out a wooden knife and tossed it over to me. “Keep one of those with you at all times. Sleeping, shower, everywhere.”

“Why are my emotions…” I dreaded the answer, but maybe hearing it would help my hormones that wanted to jump Stryker to back off. My gaze shifted to him and he looked away, embarrassed? I couldn't tell since vampires didn't blush. Goddess, he was handsome. And with his Native American features, how old was he exactly? I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts from obsessing about him.

“The pull between you both will get stronger each day.” She spared a glance at her father who paced around us in a tight circle. “And, after four days of no interaction, other vampires will be alerted to your condition and may try and replace Stryker's claim on you.”

Oh hell no! “Not happening. Ever. With him or any of your kind.” Ouch, that sounded harsh. “Sorry, I didn't mean—”

“Don't worry about it. Listen, even with that weapon, you need protection.” Stryker said. His dark eyes were full of concern, almost like he really did care about me.

I shook my head, because that couldn't be right, had to be the blood bonding and would wear off with time. Provided I didn't mess anything up. Right, no pressure.

Dani stepped forward and held out a hand. “How about I be your bodyguard for the time being?”

I didn't need anyone complicating things. But the alternative of turning into a vamp junkie made me nauseous. “Deal, provided one of the life debts will be removed after I'm…cured.” Besides, having her around might help me. She could watch my back while I figured out how to get out of this binding. Of course, there was the issue of completing the assignment that led me to the Terin and being arrested. Yeah, I had a debt to pay that dude back for in spades.

“Agreed. Now let's get the hell out of here,” she said as I took her hand and rose.

Two days ago, everything had been simple. Now I had a shitload to do, and honestly, I wasn't sure where to begin.

Welcome to my life.