I flashed my gaze back to the girl in shadow, but she was already gone.
Though Jonah did not turn to face me—instead, keeping his focus on the Vampires that crouched all around—he knew I was behind him. A particularly young-looking boy, no more than fourteen in human years, regarded me with an astonished expression. Frothing at the mouth, he growled at Jonah and gestured for the others to retreat. He was in charge of the losing side tonight and though reluctant to concede it, he knew this fight was over. Turning his back, he vaulted into the trees hanging over the house and away into the night.
As the branch sprang back, I watched as the bare twigs drifted and fell to the ground in slow motion. Time seemed to elude me, and as the moment became extended, I heard the echo of a gunshot from some distance away. The air seemed to swell and I smelled the silver melting as it sped toward Jonah.
I couldn’t stop time, but time itself seemed to become lost. It was slowing, giving me just enough precious seconds to swoop half a foot to the right, and I swung my back to the bullet and protected Jonah’s chest. A sharp, scolding shot of red-hot lead fused with silver components perforated my skin. It ate its way through my flesh, finally lodging itself in my shoulder. I peeked up at Jonah’s frozen face and as his eyelashes finally started to move, time seemed to catch back up with me.
My legs gave way and I fell.
Jonah threw himself underneath my body, stopping me from hitting the ground.
“Cessie! Are you hurt?” he shouted in alarm as he shifted my weight on top of his body. His muscular arms now wrapped around my back, supporting me as he sat up. He glared powerfully at my face and I grimaced in response.
“It’s okay, they’ve gone. You’re safe now.…” He trailed off as he removed his hand from behind me. His expression spread with confusion as my blood seeped down his hand.
I blacked out.
* * *
THE NEXT THING I WAS AWARE OF was the icy breeze skimming my cheeks as we fled into the night, my body bundled in Jonah’s strong arms. The blaze from the bullet was fierce and it coursed through me; it was hard to catch my breath and even harder with the wind whipping my body. It sounded like Jonah was talking about me, but his words were all muffled and disjointed.
As we ground to a halt, a new voice sounded. “We should be safe here. I need to put pressure on the wound. We’ll do the rest back at the house. Go, we’ll be right behind you!”
“I can’t leave you here! What if they come back? What if they’ve followed us? We’ll wait for you, love, and we’ll all leave together.” Another voice, though it sounded lighter and softer, that of a woman, retaliated.
“It’s too dangerous, it’s an open wound. Please, leave.”
I didn’t hear any further complaint, and the next thing I felt was the ground underneath me as Jonah carefully placed me down. My ponytail had fallen out and my mass of blond hair was sodden in the blood sticking to my skin. I sensed Jonah was still present, but he had now moved back, and someone new was taking me in.
“Her name is Francesca,” Jonah said.
Gentleness was touching my face, moving my hair from over my eyes. “You’re okay.…” His voice was such a soothing sound, hushing the screaming pain that was vibrating inside me. “Francesca, can you hear me?” he murmured gently, his words reverberating all the way through my skin and into my bones.
I tried to sit up, but the wound in my shoulder made it impossible for me to move. So instead, I fought the urge to pass out and with all my will forced my eyes to open.
My vision was hazy at first, but with every passing second the smoke cleared until eventually I could see him. He stole what little breath I had left. There he was, right in front of me. I deliberated, unsure if he was real or whether I was no longer conscious and just dreaming this. To my surprise, his expression mirrored my confusion; though it was like he was looking into me, through me, and past me, all at once.
“Gabriel…” I finally stuttered through the sweet-tasting blood in between my teeth, shattering the silence between us.
In an instant he was on his feet, hovering over me on the ground. He was so beautiful that he could not be of this world. His loose blond curls framed his perfect chiseled cheekbones and jaw; his eyes were so deep that if you fell into them, you would never be able to climb back out. Not that you would want to. He exuded an aura of light all around him, but then perhaps I was imagining things.
He turned away from me, still barely moving, standing over six feet tall, his body muscular and toned. His hands were clenched into fists, making the veins running up his arms jut out.
I tried to say his name again but this time it was harder to speak. I let out a cry, my shoulder continuing to burn. The lead and silver fusion was boiling my flesh; the pain was growing. My agony seemed to bring him back to me and he spun around immediately.
“How?” His short question was fired with such intensity, but still the words seemed to dance from his tongue.
“I know your face.…” I tried to answer, though I wasn’t sure if his question had been directed at me.
He scanned me quickly and unzipped my jacket, tearing my top to reveal the extent of my injury. He removed his woolen sweater and with no effort tore the sleeves off. Working swiftly, he wrapped one around the top of my shoulder tightly, desperately trying to stop the blood flow, and then seemed drawn to my wrist.
Shoving the fabric out of the way, the look on his face was pained as he took in the fang marks from where Jonah had pierced my skin and fed from me. It was raw, red and ravaged, and still smeared with traces of my blood. He flinched as he wrapped part of the other sleeve around it firmly.
Gabriel glanced over his shoulder and although I couldn’t see, I sensed Jonah move farther back from where I was lying, helpless. “We need to get the bullet out before you bleed to death,” he ordered.
“Okay,” was all I could manage to choke out.
Gabriel lingered, and I could taste his fear. Fear for not knowing what to do next and fear for not understanding what I was. “I’m taking you back, I’ll remove it myself.”
Without even a moment passing, I was in Gabriel’s arms, the wind hitting my body again; only this time I forced my eyes open. I didn’t want to forget this.
I had to keep breathing.
I tried to recall how I had ended up with a bullet in my back. The girl in the shadow was the last image in my mind. I tried to push past it, but I couldn’t. Jonah’s expression as he had observed his bloodied hand was the next thing I could clearly remember. I tried to focus, to stay conscious.