wasn’t David’s fault. “When I came here last night,” I hurried on and stumbled to a halt, realizing myself that the next part might contain an equally fatal ruling for Pia. But I had to do something and there was a certain death one way and an unknown the other. Diana’s head tilted questioningly at my hesitation. I swallowed and resumed. “Last night, David was dying. He was hypovolemic, unconscious. He had so little blood in his system his heart was thrashing itself to death. This isn’t his fault. I had to do something immediately. There wasn’t time to get you and I thought an ambulance was out of the question. I made him bite me. I had to force him to bite me.”
No one said anything. David’s hoarse breathing was the only sound in the room. Out in the hallway, the floor creaked under the steps of one of the guards.
“Pia?” Bian said, disbelief edging her voice.
Pia’s eyes were red and swiveling to and fro across all of us, pleading for understanding. She looked terrified and she said nothing. I must have got her into as much trouble as David.
“Pia?” Diana sat forward in her chair, a puzzled frown on her brow.
What was she doing? Was she too frightened to speak?
Diana crossed the floor and knelt in front of Pia. Her fingertips traced her brow.
“She’s under a compulsion,” Diana said. Pia nodded and looked at me. Diana reached across and stroked David’s brow. His eyes were glazed, and he didn’t seem to notice her touch.
“Is there no end to this?” Skylur said. “Now you’re compelling members of my House. What are you trying to do? Start a rebellion in Denver?”
“No!” I said. “All I did was tell her to shut up. Surely—”
“Skylur,” Diana interjected. She swung around to look at him, her face grave, and his eyes left me for a moment. “These are no longer members of your House,” she said.
Skylur came to his feet abruptly. So did I, startled into movement.
He was staring at me as if he’d never really seen me before.
I couldn’t get air in my lungs. I felt the cold fingers of his mental powers clamping on my head, sliding icy needles into my brain. Diana had taught me the basics of defending myself. I just needed the fuel for it. I reached into the reservoir of anger in my belly.
And stopped.
I couldn’t fight him off. There was no point in resisting.
Was that me, or was that him making me think that? Think, dammit, think! My life depended on it.
I couldn’t fight him, physically or mentally. That was me. I knew that. The other option was to submit and hope. I’d done some things wrong. It looked bad. From my feeling of protection towards David, I could barely imagine the strength of those feelings in Skylur, and he’d just found out that I’d stolen David from him.
And Pia? How the hell?
None of it intended. And Skylur wasn’t just powerful, he was old, he had gathered wisdom and control. I hoped. Something wailed inside me— no, no, no.
I was only delaying them treating David. I braced my legs, which were threatening to collapse, closed my eyes and tilted my head back to offer my throat.
Oh, God, no, please don’t.
Had I actually said that aloud? Tears were squeezing out and trailing down my cheeks.
Far away, a voice came. “Skylur.”
There was a touch of his breath across my throat like flames, sending tremors down my whole body.
And the pressure in my mind eased off.
I lifted my head back up cautiously.
Skylur now stood a little apart. His face was closed, revealing nothing, but at least he’d backed off. I couldn’t stop shivering. He’d been an inch from biting me.
“Skylur.” Diana spoke again, stepping slightly in front of me. “David is getting critical.”
He made a gesture.
What does that mean? What’s his decision?
Diana swung around.
There was a sensation of twisting in my head, as if I’d been turned upside down. The urge to protect David flooded through me like an electric shock.
Without thinking, I blocked
No one said anything. David’s hoarse breathing was the only sound in the room. Out in the hallway, the floor creaked under the steps of one of the guards.
“Pia?” Bian said, disbelief edging her voice.
Pia’s eyes were red and swiveling to and fro across all of us, pleading for understanding. She looked terrified and she said nothing. I must have got her into as much trouble as David.
“Pia?” Diana sat forward in her chair, a puzzled frown on her brow.
What was she doing? Was she too frightened to speak?
Diana crossed the floor and knelt in front of Pia. Her fingertips traced her brow.
“She’s under a compulsion,” Diana said. Pia nodded and looked at me. Diana reached across and stroked David’s brow. His eyes were glazed, and he didn’t seem to notice her touch.
“Is there no end to this?” Skylur said. “Now you’re compelling members of my House. What are you trying to do? Start a rebellion in Denver?”
“No!” I said. “All I did was tell her to shut up. Surely—”
“Skylur,” Diana interjected. She swung around to look at him, her face grave, and his eyes left me for a moment. “These are no longer members of your House,” she said.
Skylur came to his feet abruptly. So did I, startled into movement.
He was staring at me as if he’d never really seen me before.
I couldn’t get air in my lungs. I felt the cold fingers of his mental powers clamping on my head, sliding icy needles into my brain. Diana had taught me the basics of defending myself. I just needed the fuel for it. I reached into the reservoir of anger in my belly.
And stopped.
I couldn’t fight him off. There was no point in resisting.
Was that me, or was that him making me think that? Think, dammit, think! My life depended on it.
I couldn’t fight him, physically or mentally. That was me. I knew that. The other option was to submit and hope. I’d done some things wrong. It looked bad. From my feeling of protection towards David, I could barely imagine the strength of those feelings in Skylur, and he’d just found out that I’d stolen David from him.
And Pia? How the hell?
None of it intended. And Skylur wasn’t just powerful, he was old, he had gathered wisdom and control. I hoped. Something wailed inside me— no, no, no.
I was only delaying them treating David. I braced my legs, which were threatening to collapse, closed my eyes and tilted my head back to offer my throat.
Oh, God, no, please don’t.
Had I actually said that aloud? Tears were squeezing out and trailing down my cheeks.
Far away, a voice came. “Skylur.”
There was a touch of his breath across my throat like flames, sending tremors down my whole body.
And the pressure in my mind eased off.
I lifted my head back up cautiously.
Skylur now stood a little apart. His face was closed, revealing nothing, but at least he’d backed off. I couldn’t stop shivering. He’d been an inch from biting me.
“Skylur.” Diana spoke again, stepping slightly in front of me. “David is getting critical.”
He made a gesture.
What does that mean? What’s his decision?
Diana swung around.
There was a sensation of twisting in my head, as if I’d been turned upside down. The urge to protect David flooded through me like an electric shock.
Without thinking, I blocked
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