Elle Jasper - Darklove

With a gusty sigh, I nod. “Might as well be.” Relief washes over me. Rhine and the boys are safe. Everyone is alive.

Noah scoots close, pulls me up in his arms, and settles me against his chest. He pulls the patchwork quilt—one I recognize is made by my Gullah grandma, Estelle—over my legs and waist. “This is going to take all night.”

“It’s what?” I ask, almost jerking out of the comfort of Noah’s arms.

“Settle down, wildcat,” he says quietly. “It’s mid-January.”

No longer comforted, I sit up, turn around, and face Noah. He’s sitting with his back against the pile of quilts and pillows. “How in the hell can it be mid-January, Noah? We were in Inverness in early November.”

“I know.”

I blink, awaiting a decent answer.

Where has all the time gone?

Noah rests his forearms against his drawn-up knees and looks at me. “Do you remember everything that happened in the realm?”

I think about it. “I killed Carrine. Then Eli attacked me.” I look at him. “Valerian tried to make me kill Eli. But . . .” I think hard, my memories starting to blur. “Victorian showed up. He killed Valerian.” Panic rises in my throat. “I saw you . . . bite Eli. Then Vic picked me up and ran. Everything else is a . . . blur.”

Noah nods, his gaze locking on to mine. “It’s called a cluster fuck, Riley. I had to subdue Eli. He was . . . out-of-control sick. His bloodlust . . .” He shakes his head, and a long dread falls over his shoulder. “It was greater than any I’ve ever seen before.” He looks at me. “Ever.”

“What’d you do, Noah?” I ask. My fear has risen and turned to bile. My stomach hurts.

“I gave him my venom. Maybe too much. It was the only thing to do at the time. He was going apeshit crazy in there. It made him calm enough to get him out of the realm and back to the Crachan. I had him in chains by the time Jake and Gabriel showed up. And then, hell. There was you.”

I look at him, waiting.

“Jake, Gabriel, and Luc took one jet with Eli, back to Savannah. I grabbed another one with you, Seth, Phin, Rhine, and Arcos. Preacher, his cousin Garr, and Eli’s parents were waiting for us at the airport. Preacher accompanied Eli’s parents to the other island with Eli. Jake, Gabriel, and Luc went, too. Garr set us up here. Arcos, on another island.”

I cock my head, puzzled. “What do you mean?”

Noah shrugs. “Between Preacher and Garr, and Eli’s parents, they insisted that if Arcos was going to hang around here, he had to be cleansed. It didn’t take long. He was pretty cooperative.”

“Where is he now?” I ask.

Noah rubs his chin with his hands. “Lucky for us, Vic killed his own brother, instead of me killing Valerian. He’s back in Romania right now, clearing things up with his family.”

I notice Noah is telling me everything there is to know about everyone . . . except me.

And that’s got me a little worried.

“Why are we here alone?” I ask.

Noah’s penetrating, serious silver gaze makes my heart leap. “Noah?”

He sighs. “The bite you took from Valerian Arcos?” He shakes his head. “It wasn’t meant for you. It was meant for Eli. To kill him.”

I blink, confused. “And?”

“You . . . went through a few changes.”

I shake my head. “I’ve had Arcos venom before, Noah—three times. Why is this different?”

He shrugs. “Arcos venom overload? Don’t exactly know yet, Riley. But your DNA may have . . . crossed over.”

The air swooshes out of my lungs. “Crossed over? As in full-blown vampire?”

Noah’s hand reaches for mine, and he squeezes. “We’re not sure yet. You’ve been detoxed in the most aggressive ways possible. Eli, too. And Victorian. Going on nine weeks now.” He shakes his head. “Eli . . . he’s not exactly remembering things, Ri.” He stares at me. “Last time I saw him, he didn’t remember me. He may not remember you.”

My heart plummets. I thought all we had to do was get him alive. Detox him. The thought never crossed my mind that Eli wouldn’t remember me. His family. His old life. I take a deep breath and push myself to my feet. My legs are wobbly, weak, and Noah’s up and beside me. His hand slips under my elbow, and I look up at him. “Why are we here alone?”

“Eli needed all hands, so to speak. Once your detox was complete, and you only needed a guardian, I volunteered. The others are all with Preacher and Garr at the other island. Besides . . .” He gives me a warm smile. “A vow’s a vow. I promised Eli I would keep you safe. Remember?”

I lean my head on his shoulder. “Yeah, I do. And I appreciate it.” Outside the makeshift lean-to, the waves roll up onto the sand. “I need to walk,” I say.

Noah drapes an arm over my shoulders and guides me out. “Then let’s walk.”

We start out of the lean-to, and I stop, looking up. “Thank you,” I say.

Noah flashes a grin—different from the sexy, cocky one he usually portrays. “Anytime.” As we walk, he reaches in the pocket of his jeans and pulls out his cell.

“She’s awake,” he says into the phone, and hangs up.

“Who was that?” I ask. I’m barefoot, and the sand squishes between my toes as we walk along the shoreline. Gulls scream overhead, and sandpipers scurry along the tide, poking their long beaks into the sand. The familiar briny scent washes over me, and I breathe it in. It settles me, comforts me. It’s home.

Noah pulls me against him. “You’ll see. And by the way . . . I saw what you did with Carrine.” Affection and admiration lighten his gaze. “You’re sick, you know that, right?”

I give a wan smile. “Yeah.”

Noah kisses the top of my head. “We’re not giving up on Eli, darlin’. No one’s giving up on him. You got that?”

His words comfort me. “I know.”

Riley? How are you, love?

Vic . . . I’m fine. How are you?

Ready to leave this drafty old Arcos castle. I just wanted to hear your voice. I’ll be along to the States as soon as I can. Please, mind your Gullah brethren. And mind Miles. I beg you.

I will, I will. See ya soon, Vic.

Not soon enough.

A few minutes later, the purr of a boat motor carries across the inlet, and as the sun’s setting I see the boat heading toward us. Two dark figures, and a handful of light ones.

The boat pushes up onto shore, and my heart leaps.

“Dere’s my girl,” Estelle says, her beautiful ebony skin splitting at the mouth in a wide grin, showing off her stark-white teeth. “Somebody git me outta dis ting.”

Eli’s brother Phin scoops her up, and Estelle squeals like a little girl. He sets her in the sand, and she makes her way to me. I rush into her arms and squeeze her tight.

“Grandma!” I say into her neck. She smells of spices and Dial soap, and it’s never smelled so good.

Estelle pats me on the back several times. “Oh, now. Dere, dere, child. Don’t go gettin’ my dress all wet, right?” She laughs, and the familiar sound goes straight to my soul. “I’m almost too old to be jumpin’ from island to island, watchin’ out for you young’ns.”