I had to look away, blinking back the tears that were welling in my eyes. This past year had pushed their friendship past the breaking point several times. Not too long ago, Maximus had been in Vlad’s dungeons, and not long after that, Vlad’s now-dead enemy Szilagyi had sent Vlad a video of what looked like Maximus raping me. None of us thought that Vlad could get past that even when he discovered that it wasn’t real, but he had. He and Maximus still weren’t back to where they’d been before, but maybe this was bringing them one step closer.
Then Maximus said, “Leila can transfer the spell on her to Gretchen,” and my hopeful mood shattered.
Vlad spun to face me. “What?” he asked in a tone that could have split rock.
I stared at Maximus while my mind briefly went blank from rage. He stared back at me, unblinking.
“Go ahead, slice out my heart. I don’t fear death, and to die for my prince is a great honor.”
I was torn between that mind-numbing rage and a frustrated sort of admiration. I hated Maximus for telling Vlad because of how it endangered Gretchen, and I respected him because his staunch loyalty meant he could do nothing else except tell Vlad.
“No one is dying for me today,” Vlad said, his tone suddenly betraying a weariness that his sizzling aura gave no indication of. “But you will tell me what he means, Leila.”
And so, far sooner than I intended, I found myself telling Vlad about the legacy magic in my Cherokee line, how Gretchen was the only matrilineal relative that it could be transferred to, and what it did to both the person giving it and receiving it. With each word, Vlad’s gaze grew greener, brighter, until by the end, it felt as if I was staring into twin emerald suns.
“Do it” were his first words once I was finished.
I gave a seething glance at Maximus before refocusing my attention back on Vlad. Sometimes it sucked to be right.
“Look, I hate that you’re being jerked around by Mircea’s captors because of me. I hate it to my core, and I will carry the guilt of Samir’s death for the rest of my life because you did it to save me. But I can’t transfer this spell to Gretchen. For starters, I don’t even know how, and—”
“Leotie!” Vlad thundered, spinning on his heel to face the open cell door. “I know you’re listening, get down here!”
“And I can’t condemn Gretchen to death that way,” I went on as if he hadn’t interrupted me. “Admit it, Vlad! Yesterday, if your choice would have been Gretchen’s life or Samir’s, you would have chosen Samir. I get why; he was your loyal friend for hundreds of years and you only met Gretchen a few months ago.” I drew in a breath, forcing myself to go on. “The problem is, the reason why I understand is because I feel the same way. I liked Samir and I feel awful about his death, but I only knew him for a few months. Gretchen was born when I was three, so I don’t have a single memory where she wasn’t a part of my life. Hell, when we were little and had to cross a street, Mom would hold my hand and I would hold Gretchen’s. I was her big sister, so of course I knew it was my job to watch out for her . . .”
I paused to dash away the tears that started to leak from my eyes. Dammit, I didn’t have time for those any more than I had time for another electrical meltdown! My emotions would have to wait until things calmed down enough for them to take the wheel.
“She’s my little sister and I love her,” I summarized, fighting to sound brisk instead of broken, which was what I felt like over this next admission. “And I would sacrifice my life and everyone else’s life for hers . . . except your life.”
More treacherous tears slipped out. This time, I didn’t swipe them away. I was too busy staring at Vlad as I bared the most vulnerable, selfish part of my soul.
“That’s the real reason I wasn’t going to tell you about the spell transfer until after we had safely retrieved Mircea. No matter how much I love Gretchen, I love you more, so if it somehow came down to your life or risking hers by giving Gretchen the hex, I’d choose you.”
The tears fell faster now, until everything in the room seemed to waver from my looking at it through a liquid lens.
“And I know you’d choose me. That’s why I didn’t want you to know that I could transfer the spell to Gretchen. I knew what you’d say. There’s nothing either of us wouldn’t do to save the other, but unless it is your life on the line, I’m not doing it. I can’t, so be furious with me because I chose Gretchen over Samir, but please, don’t ask me to transfer the spell again.”
Vlad didn’t say anything. He just folded me into his arms and held me hard enough to force the remaining air out of my lungs. When I felt something burning brush across on my forehead, I knew it was his lips.
“I’m not furious with you,” he murmured against my skin. “I’m not even angry. You’re fighting for those you love the most. How could I, out of all people, fail to understand that?”
“You might not have to choose between Vlad and your sister,” a cool voice noted behind us. “I know a way to give Gretchen the spell without it endangering her.”
Chapter 30
My head jerked up and the arms around me tensed. I hadn’t noticed Leotie coming down here, yet she now stood in the cell’s open doorway.
“How?” Vlad asked before I could.
Leotie raised a graceful brow. “Legacy magic transforms into whatever the person needs most at the time of transfer. When I received it, I most needed to hide from my pursuers, so it gave me the gift of shape-shifting. When Leila received it, she most needed to survive a lethal dose of voltage, so it gave her the gift of making that electricity a functioning part of her body. Right now, Gretchen most needs blood, but in a few weeks . . .”