Read Online Ashes to Ashes-Blood Ties 3 by Jennifer Armintrout - Free Book Online
Authors: Jennifer Armintrout
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pulled away.
I gripped her wrist—still nothing—then began another set of compressions. At the cessation of compressions, blood traveling through the heart slows. Resuming the process doesn't bring the circulation back up to speed. It's like accelerating to seventy, dropping to fifty, speeding up to sixty, then dropping to forty. Bella's fingernails showed signs of cyanosis. Blue is never a promising color.
But we didn't have to call for help. This time when Max breathed for her, her body shuddered and she choked to life, taking great, panicked breaths.
"Bella, you're fine, you're fine," I assured her, checking again for a pulse. Though a little slow, it was strong. I nearly sobbed with relief.
"Calm down, baby," Max urged, brushing her hair back. "Just calm down. You're fine." She opened and closed her mouth, vomited spectacularly, then visibly relaxed, shutting her eyes as her head dropped back to the floor.
"Let's get her to a bed," Max said, scooping her up. Bella's eyes opened to slits and she laughed weakly. "Always trying to get me into your bed, vampire."
"You know it." If Bella's eyes hadn't closed again, she would surely have seen the mix of relief and sadness, and the determination not to show them, that crossed Max's face.
"You take care of her. I'll tell Nathan not to call the paramedics," I offered. Max and Bella needed time alone. If near death wouldn't inspire them to talk without sniping at each other, nothing would.
I found Nathan in the kitchen, slumped over the island with the phone in his hands. When he looked up, his eyes were rimmed with red. "Is she—"
"She's fine." I pulled out the stool next to his and climbed onto it. "Banged up, but she'll pull through. I'm not so sure about you, though."
Nathan sniffed and tried to cover it with a laugh. "Oh, I'll be fine. Just rattled my nerves, is all."
Because she was possessed.
My gaze dropped to his arm, where he'd rolled up the sleeve of his sweater. Though vampires heal quickly, for some reason the self-inflicted marks he'd carved under the Soul Eater's influence had never completely faded.
I went to his side and put my arms around him. "It still bothers you."
"You're damn right it bothers me!" he snapped, pushing away from the island and stalking
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to the other end of the kitchen. "Jesus, Carrie! She found us. She nearly killed Belial" He looked instantly repentant for his outburst. "She could have chosen you. She could have done that to you."
"Nathan," I whispered, my heart twisting in my chest. "She didn't pick me. She attacked Bella. There hasn't been a time since I've know you that we haven't been in danger. Why is it so different now?"
"Because now…" His hands fisted at his sides, and he looked away. "It's just different." Because now you love me , I finished for him across the blood tie. He shook his head. The denial didn't skewer my heart the way it would have before. "You love me, and you're afraid to lose me."
"We've got to take care of this," he said, changing the subject smoothly. "We have no idea if anyone else even knows what happened. If we're the only ones, and we wait… I don't even want to think of the consequences."
He was right. I hated it, but he was right. "What do you suggest we do?"
"Tonight? Nothing. There's no time. But tomorrow night we meet up again and we make an actual plan. Something concrete. Something—"
"Bloody and violent?" The rage emanating over the blood tie was almost frightening.
"You know, we might have a better chance of success if we didn't make this personal." Nathan jerked his head toward the door. "Tell that to Max."
"Good point." I went to Nathan and leaned my head against his chest, waited for him to put his arms around me. He hesitated, until I said, "We've been through worse, haven't we?"
I felt the low rumble in his chest, but the laughter wasn't enough to produce sound. "No. But
I gripped her wrist—still nothing—then began another set of compressions. At the cessation of compressions, blood traveling through the heart slows. Resuming the process doesn't bring the circulation back up to speed. It's like accelerating to seventy, dropping to fifty, speeding up to sixty, then dropping to forty. Bella's fingernails showed signs of cyanosis. Blue is never a promising color.
But we didn't have to call for help. This time when Max breathed for her, her body shuddered and she choked to life, taking great, panicked breaths.
"Bella, you're fine, you're fine," I assured her, checking again for a pulse. Though a little slow, it was strong. I nearly sobbed with relief.
"Calm down, baby," Max urged, brushing her hair back. "Just calm down. You're fine." She opened and closed her mouth, vomited spectacularly, then visibly relaxed, shutting her eyes as her head dropped back to the floor.
"Let's get her to a bed," Max said, scooping her up. Bella's eyes opened to slits and she laughed weakly. "Always trying to get me into your bed, vampire."
"You know it." If Bella's eyes hadn't closed again, she would surely have seen the mix of relief and sadness, and the determination not to show them, that crossed Max's face.
"You take care of her. I'll tell Nathan not to call the paramedics," I offered. Max and Bella needed time alone. If near death wouldn't inspire them to talk without sniping at each other, nothing would.
I found Nathan in the kitchen, slumped over the island with the phone in his hands. When he looked up, his eyes were rimmed with red. "Is she—"
"She's fine." I pulled out the stool next to his and climbed onto it. "Banged up, but she'll pull through. I'm not so sure about you, though."
Nathan sniffed and tried to cover it with a laugh. "Oh, I'll be fine. Just rattled my nerves, is all."
Because she was possessed.
My gaze dropped to his arm, where he'd rolled up the sleeve of his sweater. Though vampires heal quickly, for some reason the self-inflicted marks he'd carved under the Soul Eater's influence had never completely faded.
I went to his side and put my arms around him. "It still bothers you."
"You're damn right it bothers me!" he snapped, pushing away from the island and stalking
Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer ( http://www.novapdf.com )
to the other end of the kitchen. "Jesus, Carrie! She found us. She nearly killed Belial" He looked instantly repentant for his outburst. "She could have chosen you. She could have done that to you."
"Nathan," I whispered, my heart twisting in my chest. "She didn't pick me. She attacked Bella. There hasn't been a time since I've know you that we haven't been in danger. Why is it so different now?"
"Because now…" His hands fisted at his sides, and he looked away. "It's just different." Because now you love me , I finished for him across the blood tie. He shook his head. The denial didn't skewer my heart the way it would have before. "You love me, and you're afraid to lose me."
"We've got to take care of this," he said, changing the subject smoothly. "We have no idea if anyone else even knows what happened. If we're the only ones, and we wait… I don't even want to think of the consequences."
He was right. I hated it, but he was right. "What do you suggest we do?"
"Tonight? Nothing. There's no time. But tomorrow night we meet up again and we make an actual plan. Something concrete. Something—"
"Bloody and violent?" The rage emanating over the blood tie was almost frightening.
"You know, we might have a better chance of success if we didn't make this personal." Nathan jerked his head toward the door. "Tell that to Max."
"Good point." I went to Nathan and leaned my head against his chest, waited for him to put his arms around me. He hesitated, until I said, "We've been through worse, haven't we?"
I felt the low rumble in his chest, but the laughter wasn't enough to produce sound. "No. But
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