Chapter 145 A big price
“Daine,” Finn said above me, his husky voice low, coaxing. “You gotta…”
“He does not have to do anything,” Hale wrenched him away. I sat on the marble, bloodstained floor looking up at them, bouncing my leg with my arms around my sister as if I could rock her back to life.
Mordaine could wake my sister up, but Hale would not let him.
“You have no idea about the gravity of your request.” His words fired out like rapid bullets. “It is madness. He cannot do that.”
But Finn did not seem like he could hear him, like he could see past his desperation to help me as he continued to plead. However, Mordaine was nonchalant and Hale was restrictive.
I moved then, laying Gianna flat on her back and doing what I should have done since. What should have been my first aid if my ancestors had not taught their descendants to forget what it was like to be human.
I grabbed the hem of my dress and ripped it. Then I made a pad out of the fabric and placed it against the wound on her neck that was still bleeding. I pinned the cloth in place with my knee and locked my fingers.
“Wake up.” I placed the heel of my hands on her chest and began to compress. One, two, three.
It was madness, but I was a continent away from home, married to not one but two men who were actually gods and could wake the dead, in love with the vampire who just murdered my little sister. I was right in the middle of madness, this was, in fact, the most sane thing about my reality right now.
“Gianna, please.” one, two, three. The tears were here finally, blurring my vision, giving motion to her stiff form. One, two, three.
Above me, the men continued to argue, pleading with the god, discouraging the god, a cacophony of deep voices all for the benefit of the cold god who stood tall and watched us all like we were entertainment.
I had been a fool, carried away by the pampering, the endless sexual pleasures. Mordaine was still the terrifying dragon of our Hearthrown city, the rumored ruthless monster who had no regard for life. And Hale was his twin, he could be kind, charming and flirty, but he had that same unshakeable coldness.
I raised my locked hands and slammed it down against her chest now. “Wake up!”
Strong hands grabbed me from behind and started to pull me away immediately, “She is gone. It's too late for that to work, fairy. You cannot wake her up.” He continued to pull me off my sister even as I beat back and kicked and struggled to tear away from him.
“But he can,” Finn's voice rose with rage, echoing through the building. “I don't understand how you both can watch her like this. Help her, help us!”
Hale froze, going still behind me. Then his hands fell away, “If you intend to wake her up,” his voice was tired, resigned. “Now is the time.”
“You understand the burden of this request, they don't." Mordaine said, and I looked up to lock eyes with him.
Shamelessly, I crawled towards him and clutched his leg. “Please. I will bear any burden. Just wake her up.”
I was excruciatingly foolish, yes, because in life Gianna had been dedicated to my destruction, made an attempt on my life twice. But I could never look at her and not see the little girl who used to follow me around one time, who wanted to show me how well she could spin too, when she understood I was a ballerina. “Please, wake her up.”
“I never claimed to have the ability to wake the dead.” Mordaine smirked down at me, “I mean, I wish I did. I can only heal her, and re-route her soul. It might not work, and it is not free.”
I sat back on my heels, staring up at him in defeat. He already owned my life. What other payments could he want?
“I never said I wanted payment.” I frowned.
How could he always guess my unspoken words when he was not listening to my thoughts? He lowered to a squat and stared directly in my eyes.
“These things cost the universe something.” He once again looked like the man I had come to experience the last few days, the one who liked to trade stories and entertain me with historical tales. “I had to wed you to get you to walk again. And as I have no intention of taking another wife, much less this…” the look of disgust on his face made me flinch. “Your sister, someone else would have to pay the firstborns' debt.”
“I will do it,” Finn said immediately, moving towards us.
“No,” Mordaine said. One word. But I could feel all the love and protection in that voice. And for a brief second, I envied Finn. He was lucky to be his queen’s reincarnate. To have the most sincere love of this dragon and his husband.
I nodded hurriedly to show I understood. “I will do it, anything.”
His eyes flashed now, raw gold, and he palmed my neck from behind. “You promised that once.”
“And I have kept to our deal. Just please…” I wiped my cheeks. “Wake my sister up.”
He stared at me for a long time, a hint of disappointment in his eyes, the corner of his lips slightly curled in irritation. Then he turned to Gianna, and stared down at her.
“A cut on your palm, pet.” He held his hand out. I bared my claw, made a long slash across my palm and placed my hand in his.
His hand was like a real stove, scorching hot. I whimpered but let him hold my bleeding hand over my sister’s mouth. Smoke curled up from my hand as his heat licked at my blood.
We were all silent as we watched the bubbling red liquid run into her lips, fire and blood. For several seconds, nothing happened. Then Rhea kicked below my ribs, and I felt Gianna's wolf stirring to life.
Hale must have felt it too because I heard his heavy exhale. Her wolf was healing her now, stemming the neck bleed, healing the wound. But she was still not breathing, lying stiff, pale.
Mordaine stood up, and pulled Finn with him. Hale stopped by me, and smoothed the scorched skin around my wrist where Mordaine held me.
When he walked away, he left with my pain and without a word to me. I saw the look in his eyes though, I had just crossed a boundary I should not have.
Gianna's eyes fluttered open finally before her heart gave the first kick.
“Gi.” I leaned towards her, using her pet name I hadn't in years. “Are you OK? Can you see me?”
She stared a second longer, disoriented. Then her brows furrowed in a frown as if she was trying to recollect something. She sat up with a snap, her eyes round as she looked around us fearfully.
“Gianna.” I reached for her arm, to assure her she was OK. But she turned to me, her face tight with hateful disgust.
“Get off me.” She spat. Her voice was weak, barely audible, but she looked like she would attack me if I dared to touch her again. “You told him something,”
“What?”
“You must have filled his head with lies about me.” She struggled to her knees, swooning twice.
I blinked, confused. She managed to get to her feet, but her weak legs could not support her, and she went crashing into a wall.
I jumped to my feet, reached her in two steps and cradled her head from hard impact against the wall. She panted, her eyes fluttering open and close again. She appeared extremely weak, out of breath.
But in a flash, she pushed me away from her with surprising strength. “I said, stay the hell away from me.”
I narrowly managed not to sprain my ankle in my high heel as I stumbled and grabbed a wall for support.
“Just look at me.” She stared down at her bloodied dress with disgust. “Your psychopath friend would have killed me if I did not have a strong wolf.”
My shoulders sagged. She would never know how wrong she was, how right now her corpse would have been en route to a morgue.
She pushed off the wall, a little steadier on her feet. “Does Grandma know you are frolicking with a vampire?”
“Ginna.”
“You told him lies about me. Ruined my chances before he even got to know me.” She smiled bitterly. “That's so like you, always ruining my life ahead of time.” Her eyes darkened now, a chilling match to her dark smile. “This will be the last time you do this to me. I will make you really sorry for this, big sister.”