Page 57 of Let Sleeping Vampires Lie

“Good,” I said, opening my eyes.

The graveyard swam into view, then slowly steadied. The first light of dawn kissed the tops of the stones, turning the edges soft and gray. Raven leaned against Con’s chest, her hand still braced on my wrist.

Her color was better. Not great. But improved. The wound at her side was still ugly, but the darkness around the edges had faded. The bleeding had slowed to a sluggish seep instead of a heavy flow.

I sagged back on my heels, suddenly aware of how much my body ached. Every muscle felt overused, every nerve humming.

Con studied my face. “You look like hell.”

“Thanks,” I muttered.

Raven let out a weak laugh. “Welcome to my world.”

I glanced back down at the wound and watched, breath caught, as the skin finally gave the first small twitch toward knitting. Not closed. Not even close. But moving in the right direction.

Raven stared down at it, then at me. Her eyes shone, not just with pain now, but with gratitude.

“What did you do?” she whispered.

“Circle and burn,” I said. “Your instructions. I just followed them.”

She squeezed my hand weakly. “You did more than that.”

Con’s thumb brushed the inside of my wrist, grounding and assessing all at once. “How much did you give her?”

“Enough,” I said.

His eyes narrowed. “Cass.”

“Enough to keep her here,” I clarified. “The rest she can handle herself.”

Raven closed her eyes, a single tear sliding free. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet,” I said. “We still have to get you to bed without anyone fainting on the way.”

She snorted softly. “You first.”

Con slowly released my wrist, but his gaze lingered on my face.

“We’re carrying her,” he said. “You both need to rest.”

“I can walk,” Raven protested.

“Good,” he replied. “You can walk from the bed to the bathroom in a day or two.”

He shifted, sliding one arm beneath her knees and the other around her back. She hissed as he lifted her, then settled against his chest with a pained sigh.

I pushed myself to my feet, swaying just slightly. The world tilted for half a heartbeat, then righted itself.

Con saw it.

His gaze sharpened. “You’re done with magic for tonight.”

“Probably,” I said.

“Cass.”

I met his eyes. “For now,” I amended. “Until the next crisis.”