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Then his body hit the ground just before she did. He didn’t get to see her brains splattered on the wall, but Christiana was safe. That was all that mattered.

* * * *

Christiana fell on her knees, naked from the change, on the alley’s cold pavement. The taste of Isabella was still in her mouth, bitter and acidic.

“Blane,” Elena said from somewhere above her.

She glanced to where he had been. The sight of his body face down with blood pooling beneath him made her heart stop.

She crawled toward him, then rolled him onto his back. Her eyes darted to Jonas, then back to him. “What’s wrong with him?”

The other vampire appeared at her side, quickly checking his wounds. “Something’s wrong. He’s not healing the bullet holes. He’s actually bleeding to death.”

“Allow me.”

The voice pulled Christiana’s eyes straight up to Khalil’s face. He was holding a long, dark coat out to her. “Put this on.”

She took it and did as he asked while Khalil lifted Blane’s head from the ground. He ripped his wrist with his own mouth, then pressed it to Blane’s.

“You really think that will help?”

“You’re going to feed him next. This is only to get him through the change.”

A choking sound came from Blane’s throat, and he began to drink.

“You mean make him like me?”

Khalil never took his eyes off Blane. “Yes.”

“No.”

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Khalil arched a brow at her. “You’d prefer he die?”

“No.”

“What is in those wounds will kill him. We’ve already lost three of my guard to them.

But it only seems to work on us. One of my men shot them with one of their own guns and it had no effect.”

“So they’re immune to whatever’s in it,” Elena said, as if she suddenly saw the entire picture. “And if you make him like you, he will be, too.”

“Exactly.”

“Shit.” Christiana said, drawing everyone’s stare.

“All right, give him your vein, dear.”

She did as her
creatore
asked, swapping his wrist for hers in Blane’s mouth.

He drank hard and deep, making it almost impossible not to wince in pain.

“When we finish, he must go somewhere safe,” Khalil said. “There was a learning curve to your change?”

Christiana laughed. “You could say that.”

“Where do you want to go?” This from Jonas.

“To the house we’re staying at,” she said. “We’ll need privacy to keep him focused and everyone safe for a few days.”

“We should go,” Khalil said, motioning toward her arm. “I believe the human police will be here soon.”

She tugged slowly on her arm, giving Blane the chance to release her. He did, licking his lips.

Christiana glanced down at his wounds. The bleeding had slowed, but the pain hadn’t

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started yet. “We’ve only got a few seconds to get him into an automobile.”

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Chapter Nineteen

Christiana sat on the floor. Blane lay sleeping on the cold cement of the safe house’s basement next to her. She didn’t need an explanation of why he’d chosen that spot and refused to move. After feeling cold in her core for so long, the heat that came with their change was almost unbearable. Even resting her hands on the cement felt wonderful.

Jonas came down the steps with heavy footfalls. “Should I ask why the mattress is in the back yard?”

Blane’s eyes cracked open and the look he shot Jonas negated the need for a verbal answer.

Khalil’s laid a hand on her shoulder. “Do you feel anything from him?”

She searched through the room with that part of her that felt the others’ emotions. Jonas and Elena had gone to a level of lust that made her feel like a voyeur for sensing it. Khalil was hopeful; proud, even. But when she focused on Blane, there was nothing.

She sighed. “The bond is there. Even stronger. But I can’t feel his emotions.”

“How do you feel?” he asked Blane.

“Strong.”

“How is he recovering so quickly?” Jonas said.

“My blood.”

Christiana watched Khalil walk over to him and offer his hand. “We need to find out if you’ve had a similar change in abilities before the sun rises.”

As with everything cryptic thing he said, she didn’t question it. He always seemed to be right.

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Blane took his hand and stood. Those golden wolf eyes stared down at her, then a seductive smile spread over his face. There was no rush of emotion to go with it, which left only her own need to touch him, to kiss him. It was frustrating, but in some ways, it made her own need stronger.

Khalil looked at Christiana as if he’d heard her silent questions. “Jonas told me about your new gift. Because it is associated with your normal ability to make others feel things, I believe the power Blane has now may also be another extension of his own abilities. For you, the power came out in the same way as your vampire power. I’m curious to see what a telekinetic can do with such a gift.”

Blane laughed. “We should go outside for this.”

Christiana let him take her hand as he moved past. His telekinesis was a handy trick, but she hadn’t seen anything that indicated a serious danger. How could the heat affect it?

* * * *

Energy coursed through Blane’s muscles as he stepped into the open back yard of the house. He could feel it flowing like blood through his body, pulsing. Had Khalil given him more power along with the blood? The ancients were said to have that ability, but he couldn’t recall Christiana mentioning a difference after her change.

To protect my daughter
, a voice whispered through his mind.

Blane’s head jerked around to Khalil, who simply smiled.

“Try to do something with this,” Jonas said, carrying a kitchen chair out to the center of the grassy area.

Blane released Christiana’s hand. He rolled his shoulders and focused on the chair. All the power flowed down his arms, into his hands, pulsing faster. He raised his hands and the chair

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moved off the ground with an ease he’d never before experienced.

“You have to let the change start, then focus the heat upon it,” Christiana whispered behind him.

Blane exhaled and let the fire build in his core. It grew until there was little room left for it to go, then he threw it down the same path that the telekinetic power went, out his fingertips.

The chair burst into flames, then exploded in a shower of flaming splinters.

Jonas laughed. “Holy shit!”

“It’s like
Firestarter
,” Elena said behind him.

When he cut his eyes toward Khalil, the leader was watching, unsurprised by the display.

He must have seen this, too, and that possibility made the whole situation that much more complex. Had he planned to let them become hybrids to add to his own power? Or simply decided to protect his daughter in this twisted way?

“Blane?” Christiana said.

“Yeah?”

“I think you’re going to have to work on this.” She pulled his body toward hers, her hands sliding up his arms. Her sly smile betrayed the thought. She was remembering the mattress. What would his power do when she made him co—

Khalil cleared his throat. “Dawn is coming. Perhaps we should return to the estate for the day?”

Jonas and Elena agreed, making polite goodbyes as they all left.

Blane led Christiana toward the house. “I think we need to sleep in the basement tonight.”

She laughed. “Wouldn’t want to burn down the house, would we?”

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He chuckled with her, but there was no humor in the situation. For the first time, he was glad she couldn’t feel his emotions. The new power was everything he’d wanted. He was more powerful than the others and now a worthy member of such a strong
cosca
, but what if he lost control? He could actually torch her during sex.

After dragging the mattress to the basement, they snuggled into bed just before dawn. She nuzzled against his chest and let her hand wander up his arm. “We’ve got just enough time.”

He stifled a sigh and scooted his hips away enough to hid his growing erection. “There’s not enough time to do all I want to do you. Let’s wait until we wake up.” He kissed her forehead and felt her brows draw up in the center.

“I love you,” she said in a breathy voice.