The Blood Rite

Chapter Fifty Nine

Orpheus's mouth hung open with his ghostly pleas for mercy.

Ruby looked into his eyes one last time. Memorizing the brown, the grey and the gold. She'd always thought they were beautiful. Had always found him beautiful. But there had been a darkness inside of him that, despite what'd she'd believed, was different from hers. It had morphed him into something between a man and a demon.

Gently closing his lids, Ruby promised him she'd fulfill his goal to protect the High Vampires. Only she'd do things differently. No more death.

She rose and without another look back ran to her friends. "Ruby!" Halle cried, sweeping her up in her arms. They hugged each other tight, and all the worry and guilt that had been building rushed out at once inside Halle's embrace.

"I'm so sorry," Ruby said, sniffing as tears raced down her cheeks, "I'm so sorry I put you guys in danger."

"You have nothing to be sorry about! I should be sorry. I broke my promise to stay hidden with Talon!"

Ruby stepped back with a laugh, "Yeah, you did." She squeezed Halle's hand, all amusement draining away as she said, "Thank you."

Halle smiled weakly and moved aside, revealing two beautiful brown eyes staring up at them.

A choked sound escaped Ruby and she crashed to the ground beside him, "Talon, are you okay?"

"I think so," he said with a cough.

"We patched up his neck," said the doe eyed hunter, "he's going to be okay, aside from a nasty scar."

"An even nastier scar you mean," Talon corrected.

A sob racked Ruby's chest. He was alive and he was joking. She smiled and folded herself around him as gently as she could, "I was so worried," she whispered, her voice hoarse.

He wrapped one arm loosely around her, "I'm okay."

She jerked back and glared at him through her tears, "Why did you come? You could have been killed or worse had your soul doomed to hell for eternity! Why would you do that? Do you realize how much your mom would kill me if I let that happen to you?" She was only half joking. Ruby may be like another daughter to Mary but the woman would murder her with her own Bible.

Talon huffed out a laugh and then fell into a rough coughing fit. The hunter and Ruby both grabbed him, trying to soothe him. Eventually, the coughs died down. He let his head flop back onto the grass and loll towards her. With a crooked grin he said, "You really think I was going to let the girl I want to date go into some soul-dooming vampire battle all alone?"

She grinned like an idiot, "As long as you take that girl out on an amazing date once you're healed she will forgive you. She thinks it will be good for you both."

He blew out a breath, "No doubt about that."

With a laugh, Ruby laid back on top of his chest. Hunters raced around them. Some were crying, some cursing. Others were watching her with wide eyes and slightly confused expressions. Halle and her were vampires who'd defended the people who had made it their lives' work to kill them. There'd be many questions and things to deal with, but right now all she wanted was to listen to the sound of Talon's undying heart and replay his words over in her head, heart excited for something better.

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YES RUBY! Let's give her some VOTES!

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