He nodded, keeping pressure on Lachlan’s shoulder.
A bag of blood was hung, monitors beeped, but it was all in the background for me. Stay with me, Lyric. I clutched her hand as her face became a shade paler than I’d ever seen.
“Alek,” Gabriel snapped, and I had the feeling that it wasn’t the first time he’d tried to get my attention. “There’s nothing we can do. I can crack her chest, but she’ll be gone in the next three minutes even with you slowing her heart.”
“Hang more blood.” My stomach dropped out. No, no, no.
“She’s losing it faster than I can put it in,” he said softly.
“Call the witches—”
“Even Genevieve can’t help—” he started.
“Jocelyn is rumored to be more powerful.” There had to be something, anything I could do. Losing Lyric on this fucking table wasn’t an option. Fuck, there was so much blood.
“Alek, there is nothing I can do,” Gabriel stated a little more firmly this time.
“You can,” Julian said between gasps from the doorway, clearly having run from the archives. “Feed her.”
“I’ve already fed her twice!” I growled at the scholar.
“Then turn her!” he countered. “It’s her only chance.”
“She’ll die!” God help me, I was not going to be Lyric’s executioner…or maybe that was my penance for holding the title for so many others over the years. Had this always been fated? Was I supposed to lose my mate as the cost for the crown? If so, I didn’t fucking want it. I wanted her.
“She’s going to die either way, Alek,” Ransom added softly.
The sluggish beat of her heart confirmed it. The bond was growing fainter by the moment. I was losing her.
The pain of it was so debilitating that I went numb. I cupped her cheeks between my bloodied hands and pushed my powers into her, willing her to wake, willing her to open those beautiful emerald eyes once more. “Come on, Lyric. Come back to me, love.”
“Alek.” Her eyes flashed open and she sucked in a breath. My relief was short-lived. With her conscious, I lost control of her heart. We only had moments.
“My love, you’ve lost too much blood, and the only way you have a shot of making it is if I turn you,” I explained quickly.
“Then turn me,” she whispered, acute agony filling her eyes. “Alek!” Her breath stuttered.
“You don’t have to do this,” I rushed. “I will go with you. You will never be alone,” I promised as her lungs struggled to draw air.
“Turn me. I know…” A wet, sucking sound replaced her breath. “What I’m asking for. I love you. Turn. Me.” The monitors flat-lined.
Fuck. It was all on me, now. Whether she lived or died, it was my blood that would condemn her to her fate.
I nodded, and slashed open my wrist with a fang, placing it over her mouth. “I love you more than I ever thought possible,” I told her as she began to drink, the suction weak. “You give my life purpose and meaning. You make me grateful for every sunset. I love you, Lyric.”
Her sucking grew weaker, and her eyes fluttered shut.
“She’s not feeding enough,” Gabriel muttered, pushing the equipment out of his way.
“Take it!” I shoved my other arm at Gabriel.
He nodded in understanding and jumped into action with supernatural speed, hooking up a line from my vein directly to hers.
“Hang on, love,” I whispered, the flat, monotone sound of the monitors filling my head. This wasn’t the end. It couldn’t be. She was too young and had too much left to experience. She’d barely seen anything of this world. I hadn’t had nearly enough time to love her.
The blood stopped flowing from her chest and the wound healed, the flesh knitting itself together, but still, the monitor droned on. How long had it been? Minutes? An hour? Time had no meaning as I held on to the flickering light of our bond and pulled.
“You will not leave me,” I growled, leaning my forehead to hers. “Do you hear me? Get back here and fight with me. Love me. Scream at me. Just come back.”
No one spoke.
No one dared to move a muscle.
The droning monitor ceased, and my gaze flew to the screen. Beep. Beep. Beep.
“She has a heartbeat,” Gabriel said with obvious relief, coming to Lyric’s other side with his stethoscope.
I felt the edges of my vision dim, and my grip on the bond slipped.
“Alek!” Ransom shouted, catching me before I even realized I’d begun to fall.
“That’s all you can give her,” Gabriel said softly, taking the needle from my arm, then Lyric’s. “There’s nothing more to do than monitor how her body accepts the blood. I’ll get you a hu—”
“No,” I barked. I would not feed while she lay close to death.
Gabriel and Ransom shared an exasperated look, and I nearly punched them in their Ken-doll perfect faces.
“Alek.” Ransom sat me in a chair that the nurse had brought over. “You have to feed. The Queen may or may not have just survived an assassination attempt. Your second in command is still unconscious. We don’t know if there is another attack planned, and we need you at full strength, if only to defend Lyric.”
I arched a brow at his last tactic, but it worked. I couldn’t defend the estate against any kind of assault in this condition. “Fine. Get me a bag.”
A nurse nodded and ran off to do just that, and I sat back between my wife and my best friend to do the only thing I could—wait.
It had been hours, and neither of them had yet to rise. I rubbed the skin between my eyebrows and took what comfort I could from the steady pulses on the monitor.
“There’s no reason he should still be out,” Gabriel muttered, redressing Lachlan’s wound.
“I’ve seen the Scot take far worse wounds and walk off the battlefield,” I agreed, rubbing my thumb over Lyric’s hand and wrapping my powers even tighter around the bond between us. If not for that steady, bright glow, I would have been on the floor already.
“Exactly.” Gabriel stood over Lachlan, his brow furrowed.
“How is she?” Julian asked, leaning on the doorframe. He looked about as haggard as I felt.
“Still not awake,” I answered.
“She will be.” His confidence was both assuring and really fucking annoying.
“You’re so sure of that?”
He nodded, pushing his blond hair out of his eyes. “I found her bloodline. She’s a Seer from her father’s side, and she might not be the last one. This will work, Alek.”
“Tell me something, if we’ve had the knowledge to turn humans all this time, why would it be hidden? Why would only one, obscure coven practice it?” I watched the even rise and fall of her chest, trying to convince myself that I hadn’t killed her.
“Your father knew,” he said softly.
My gaze snapped to his, narrowing. “Say that again.”
“The text I found regarding human transformation bore the signature of every king in the back. Your father’s was last. My guess is he didn’t have time to pass the information to you.” He sighed, studying Lyric. “Think about it. If we knew we could turn humans and humans knew, they’d never leave us alone. Mortals are obsessed with immortality, and giving it away means risking our exposure as that particular coven learned the hard way.”