Crimson Covenant (Onyx Assassins 1)

“Put your phone away. The hospital can’t help her.” I diverted just enough of my power to curl around the human’s mind and alter her thought pattern.

“They can’t help her,” she said softly, putting her phone in her back pocket.

“When we leave,” I sent another push, which was twice as much as it took to compel a human. “You won’t remember we were here. Lyric left with her bodyguard. You’re going to go home and get a good night’s rest. Lyric will call you in the morning.”

The girl blinked huge brown eyes at me and tucked her long red hair behind her ears. Then she stilled so completely that her only movements were the rise and fall of her shoulders with each breath.

She was under compulsion, and there was no time to lose.

“Infirmary,” I snapped at Ransom, gathering Lyric into my arms.

He nodded, throwing Lachlan over his shoulder, and we both wended deep beneath the grounds of the estate.

The lights were so bright I had to blink as I materialized into the state-of-the-art emergency trauma room we had for just this reason.

“Gabriel!” I shouted, placing Lyric’s limp frame on the gurney.

“Sire?” The vampire raced from a hallway, a nurse right behind him. “The queen!” The guy was big enough to be an assassin, but he’d followed in his father’s footsteps, choosing to serve as our doctor.

“One bullet to the chest. Lachlan is hit in the shoulder.” I spoke sparingly, using all of my power to convince Lyric’s body to slow her demise.

“He’s still unconscious,” Ransom noted. “It’s just…a graze. What the hell?”

Gabriel glanced at the second gurney, where Lachlan lay, before turning his full attention to Lyric. He sliced away her sweater, revealing a hole directly above her heart.

Sweat beaded on my brow, but I couldn’t keep the blood from pumping out of her frail, breakable body.

“She’s bleeding out,” Gabriel said calmly. “Get the O negative,” he ordered the nurse, who went running. “I had a supply brought in just in case she needed it.”

I nodded, incapable of saying anything else as he started tests, and another nurse hooked her up to the monitors. The world went hazy at the edges as I focused solely on Lyric’s heart and the fraying bond between us.

Benedict materialized. “Shooter was gone, but I found two casings. I’ll take them for lab work.” He wended out again.

“Hawke is with Avi?” I asked Ransom.

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.