Page 37 of Let Sleeping Vampires Lie

No flare of awareness. No jolt of surprise. Normally, when I leaned heavily on our shared power, she felt something, a tug, a rush, a sense of my presence brushing against hers. This time, she remained fixed on Jana, her emotions a messy swirl of fear, love, and worry, but no recognition of what I’d just done.

A cold twist formed in my gut.

“She didn’t notice,” I whispered.

Con’s brows knit. “What?”

“Raven didn’t feel it,” I repeated, voice tight. “I pushed a lot of magic through our tether. Enough that she should at least flinch. She didn’t react at all.”

Con followed my gaze to the bar. Raven stood with both hands clasped around Jana’s, her face composed but strained. She looked drained in the way people do after too many nights without sleep. Her eyes were slightly glazed, her shoulders tense, posture held together by habit and willpower alone.

“That’s not good,” he said.

“No,” I agreed. “It’s not.”

“What did you do exactly?” he asked.

“Sent a boost to Rene.” I kept my tone matter-of-fact. “It worked. I felt him respond. But Raven didn’t notice. That means her side of the bond is even more frayed than I thought. She’s not feeling half of what he is anymore.”

Con’s gaze darkened. “Which means we’re closer to losing him than she realizes.”

“Yes.”

I exhaled slowly, fighting off a wave of dizziness that tried to drag my vision sideways. The spell had taken more out of me than I wanted to admit.

Con’s fingers tightened slightly on my arm. “You need to stop,” he said. “No more magic until the end.”

I blinked at him. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me. Save it for the auction and whatever comes after. We don’t know what we’re walking into. You burning yourself out now won’t help anyone.”

Anger flickered to life beneath my ribs. “I just bought him time.”

“You might have sacrificed yourself,” Con countered calmly. “If you collapse in the middle of a confrontation, that ‘boost’ won’t matter. We need you at full strength when we go after this piece. When we hunt the others. When we face Valerian.”

The logic grated. It was sound, rational, tactical—and I hated it.

“What you’re asking,” I said, keeping my voice low but terse, “is the same as asking a human not to breathe.”

His eyes narrowed. “That’s not what I⁠—”

“It is,” I cut in. “Magic is part of me now. Part of how I fight. Part of how I protect the people I—” I broke off, unwilling to finish that sentence out loud in the middle of a crowded club.

His gaze softened slightly, but his jaw stayed clenched. “I know it’s part of you. I also know you push yourself until you break. That may work in patrol skirmishes. This is different.”

“This is the same,” I insisted. “It’s life and death. That’s what I’ve been trained for.”

He held my stare. I held his.

Down at the bar, Raven and Jana continued to talk.

“She needs him, Con,” I said quietly. “You saw Isra’s face. You felt what’s happening to the clan. If Rene dies, this entire world tears itself apart. I have power that can help. I am not going to sit on it because it might make me tired later.”

His voice dropped lower. “This isn’t about being tired.”

“No,” I admitted. “It’s about risk. Fine. I’ll manage it. I know my limits.”

He gave a humorless sort of grunt. “That’s debatable.”