She heard the grunts and pained sounds coming from Jacks and Ariss’ guardian but couldn’t afford to take her eyes off the Ariss.

“Why are you doing this?”

“Consider this a declaration of war from my Master. He’s going to get your land one way or another.”

Vera slammed into Ariss and took her hard to the ground, anything to keep her from using her speed. Her wet hair plastered to her cheeks and her bangs dipped low over her eyes blocking her vision. She was never going to wear bangs again, she vowed.

The power struggle shifted until they were both struggling to choke each other out. Vera gasped as her air was pinched from her throat by a hard, tight grip. Her vision was blacking out and she tightened her neck muscles and sucked in air through her nose. Ariss struggled beneath her, her eyes bulging, legs kicking as she kept her pinned to the wet ground.

She was stronger though and squeezed her hands tighter around Ariss’ throat. It wouldn’t kill her, but it would knock her out. Her arms shook, the muscles burned from her wrists to her biceps with the effort. Blood pooled in her hands making them feel like they were on fire.

Then finally Ariss’ legs stopped kicking. One by one, her hands dropped from her throat and slid boneless to the ground.

Vera stood and wobbled away from her, sucking in huge gasps of air. A bright light flooded the street and Vera turned towards it, palpable relief overwhelming her as a car came towards them, slowing down steadily.

Jacks.

Vera turned and all the blood left her face. Jacks was on the ground, and the guardian was drinking greedily from his neck. Vera launched herself at him, but he sped away too quickly for her to see. Vera cried out and knelt by Jacks, his eyes were closed, his face pale. She looked down the road and watched the Ariss' guardian pick her up and sprint into the woods.

She faintly heard the car pool up and someone rushed at her asking questions. She couldn’t make out what the man said though. She put her fingers against Jacks’ throat but her fingers kept slipping against his skin because of the rain and something red and thick.

The side of his throat was bloody and raw with pieces of skin torn up and chewed on. Vera swallowed back the bile that rose in her throat and put her head to his chest. Tears slid down her face alongside the rain. She choked back a sob when she heard the boom boom of his heart. Her hands curled into his shirt. His heart sounded so faint. Not like before. He was dying.

The thought sent her into a mode she’d never felt before. The human next to her was busy talking excitedly into his cell phone, waving his arm at their car in the ditch and Jacks.

Vera curled her arms under Jackson’s back and waist. A terrifying growl left her throat, and then she was lifting with all her strength as she stood.

She walked to the man’s car carrying her lumara in her arms. She didn’t feel his weight at all. Felt only a slight pressure in her arms. The wide-eyed human came and opened the back door and then she gently placed him inside.

She still couldn’t hear the words he was saying into the phone. She turned towards him and murmured a thank you, and then she got into the driver’s seat and gunned the engine.

The car whipped around in a tight U-turn, and then she was driving fast.

# # #

The drive back to the mansion took half as long to get there than it should have. Vera had no idea how fast she went and didn’t give a shit.

She slammed on the breaks as she pulled up to the mansion. She ran out of the car screaming at the top of her lungs.

“Dmetri! Dmetri, please!”

Her hands shook so bad it took her four tries to open the back door. She laid her hand over Jacks’ heart and felt the dull thud against her palm. It was so faint. Fainter than before. She didn’t have much time.

“Dmetri!” she screamed at the top of her lungs. The rain was pouring hard, drowning out the sound and she wanted to drop to her knees and cry. But something stopped her from doing so, recognized that every second was precious.

A whoosh of movement alerted her. She spun around expecting to find Ariss or her guardian, but it was Dmetri. He was wearing only a silk pair of pants and his hair was a mess like he’d been sleeping. Tears started again down her face and she started blubbering to him.

“He’s hurt. Help him please. Ariss attacked us and her g-guardian bit him. Help me.”

Dmetri’s eyes went alert. He reached into the car and pulled Jacks onto the ground. He inspected the wound at his neck and laid a hand over his heart. When he looked back up at her, his expression said so much more than words. Vera’s knees shook until she dropped down hard to the ground. She was rocking and shaking and couldn’t stop her hands from roaming everywhere.

“He’s dying, Vera. His heart is going to stop any moment now. Why did you bring him here?”

“T-to help him. He’s my mate. I don’t want him to die.”

“Vera, do you want me to turn him?” She nodded quickly, her wet hair slapping against her cheeks.

“What will you do when he wakes up and is angry about this? What if this isn’t something he wants?”

Vera blinked, wide eyed. “Then I’ll kill him myself. Do it, Dmetri.”

Dmetri cursed so loudly, that Vera knew Jacks’ heart had stopped.

Vera watched what happened next as if from outside her own body. She flinched as Dmetri tore his teeth into his wrist. He wasn’t gentle about it, but moved in jerky movements. He held Jacks’ mouth opened with his thumb and let his blood flow heavily down his throat.

“Vera, look at me.” She heard the words vaguely. He said it again before she looked at him. He kept moving side to side, but she knew that was just her own shaking body doing that. “Are you listening to me, Vera?” She nodded jerkily.

“He might not make it, Vera. His heart has already stopped, this might not work. I need you to prepare yourself for that, okay?” Vera sobbed and choked as her heart protested the idea. Jacks’ hand was limp in hers and she wildly wondered how the hell one prepared themselves to lose a loved one? It was impossible. There was no way.

Dmetri pulled his wrist away after several minutes and laid his hand back over Jacks’ heart. Vera watched and waited for a miracle.

Only minutes passed but it felt like hours. Bum. Vera sucked in a breath and squeezed her eyes shut, not sure if what she heard was thunder or...

Bum. Bum. Bum.

Gasping, her eyes shot open to search Jacks’ face. Dmetri looked at her and gave a short nod and suddenly she had the urge to cry all over again. Jacks’ lips twitched, his eyes fluttered beneath his closed lids, then his entire body was shaking in a seizure.

“This is normal, Vera. Don’t panic. He’s going to be okay. Well okay as a man can be when he wakes up to find out what happened.”

Vera helped Dmetri hold him down. The seizure didn’t last long. When it stopped, his entire body went so still she looked to Dmetri in question. He gave her a reassuring smile that bordered on a grimace and nodded towards Jacks’ neck.

Vera’s eyes widened as she watched the torn skin heal and repair itself. She’d known vampires could heal rapidly but she’d never actually seen it. The skin wove itself back together like little stitches and when it was done, his skin was only covered in blood that the rain washed off. Underneath the blood his skin was pink and new. It looked thinner than normal skin.

Jacks’ eyes fluttered then shot open wide and panicked. His eyes found hers and then he was sitting up and taking her hard into his arms. Nothing had ever felt so good in her life.

Vera cried out in relief and held him as if she’d let go he’d fade away and never come back. His hands passed over her hair, her back, and her arms.