Hellfire

Chapter Forty-Eight

I took Lucius' cool face in my hands, rubbing my thumbs beneath his clouded eyes. Blood was leaking from them ever so slightly and he stared at me blindly, his brow furrowed with mild irritation. He was blind, I realised. It just made my skin shiver as my hackles raised up, anger breathing through my blood. They'd hurt him now, not just Oliver and those witches. Their confidence was growing, making me dread if they'd send their next parasite straight to our door and burn everything and everyone to the ground.

'What's happening?' I demanded, trying to focus my attention on Lucius and not on the fear of losing another family.

'A blinding curse of some kind, but Doc would know better.' Lucius commented lazily, not an inch of him rattled.

'Be fucking mad about this, Lucius! Someone's stolen your sight!' I gestured pointlessly to the crumpled bonnet and shattered windshield. 'You rammed Sam's car into a tree!'

'I'll need to take her out to get a replacement then, won't I?' He murmured thoughtfully.

'Lucius.'

But the dangerous clicking coming from the bonnet made me glance at it. Smoke was rising and with it the stink of oil.

I grabbed my seatbelt and yanked it free, breaking it apart rather than undoing it. 'Get out. Now.'

I barrelled out, quickly glancing at the steep hill we'd careened down and the deep, angry scores left in the damp earth, and hurriedly ran around the edge as the car began to whine horribly.

'Lucius!' I shouted in warning, only to find his arm wrapping about me, crashing me against his chest.

He merged us and melted us away, just as Sam's poor car detonated with a hefty boom. Hot metal and sparks ripped over the woodland, highlighting the cloud of bats whirling between the trees and hissing against the frost as Lucius' cold began to spill from him, ensuring the fire was dead just as quickly as it began.

I stared at the smouldering mess, my breath heavy, before I whirled to face him. He was pinching the bridge of his nose again with his blind eyes half closed, more dark red than ice. My heart fluttered frantically.

'Lay down and let me see your eyes.'

'There's not a lot to be done for now.' He commented.

'Just lay the fuck down and let me look.' I said with sharp exasperation and looked at the singed clothes scratched over his chest. 'I can heal your hellfire wounds while I'm at it anyway.'

Lucius stared at nothing for a moment, clearly considering my points, before abruptly he shrugged his coat free. Without a word, he wrapped me up in it, ensuring I was warm, and tugged me closer so his mouth could brush over my hair.

'If it pleases you.' He murmured huskily.

I hurriedly ignored the blooming pleasure in me.

'It would please me if you weren't cursed.'

'But I am. There's not a lot we can do about it.'

'Just lay down.' I repeated stiffly.

'As you wish.' He said with an amused tone, and laid himself out on the frosted grass; fingers laced over his chest and his face turned roughly to where he thought I was.

I crouched down beside him, leaning over him as I touched his frosted jaw and ignore the sensual way he was displaying himself, and focused instead on the mess of his beautiful eyes.

'It's not a terrible one.' Lucius murmured. 'I'm currently working at it. My main concern is the purpose of it.'

'What do you mean?'