Blue Flames

Chapter 69

I always kept the tips trimmed and blunt. Now, however, they looked longer and sharper. A lot sharper. I flexed my fingers, dread settling like a heavy rock in my stomach. As I watched, the nails grew sharper and curvier.

Claws. I was growing claws.

My wide eyes met Arthur's. He showed me his own hands. His trim nails grew and curved. They were much longer and scarier than mine.

"The venom?" I whispered. Was I getting another step closer to the monster within?

"Maybe. Or maybe it just expedited the change that would have happened with time."

I stared at my claws. I'd known vampires grew fangs and claws. I had my fangs when the spell broke, and now I had claws. I didn't know how to feel about it. I focused on my fingers and the claws slowly retreated.

Would there be any more changes? Would I even recognize myself in a few decades?

I leaned my head on Arthur's shoulder and closed my eyes. The venom's effects were still there, but Arthur's proximity quieted down the insanity. Arthur put his hand on my knee and kept it there until my father stopped the car.

We parked by the side of the road.

"Doyle's mansion is about a ten minute walk deep in the woods," my father said. "There's a road that leads there, but I don't want to risk him fleeing if his guards alert him of our presence."

Noah and Arthur's steps were quiet, even my father managed a silent tread. I had more difficulty focusing on the walk. My stomach had begun churning since we left the car and the burn in my throat increased. We walked for five minutes before Noah spoke.

"Two guards."

"I'll handle them," my father said. He narrowed his eyes. His magic slithered forward, under the ground. A quiet snake.

My father's eyes grew bright, the green glowing like lit up emeralds. After a few minutes, he nodded. "Done."

Then we moved forward. A couple of times Noah stopped us again before we came in contact with more guards, and my father took care of them. His eyes were eager and bright, more alive than I'd ever seen them before.

The mansion soon came to view between the trees.

"Where are the guards?" I asked my father.

"Taking a nap under the ground," he replied.

Arthur and my father continued past the tree line. They were no longer worried about being unseen. We were close enough to the sprawling white mansion to give chase if the bastard tried to flee.

Our steps no longer quiet, we walked through the green front yard then onto the paved paths. Two guards who stood at the door exchanged a look, but my father's presence stopped them from reaching for their weapons.

One of them abandoned his post and rushed down the steps. He bowed his head, watching as we closed the distance between us. "Your highness? Should I alert the lord-"

Arthur's magic flared. The fae was pushed back, hurled through the air until he collided with his colleague. They remained plastered to the wall. We went up the steps. The two men's faces were red, their mouths gaping like fish out of the water.

"Is he in?" My father asked.

Arthur lessened the pressure on their throats so they could barely whisper. "Yes."

I could feel every small use of Arthur's magic through the bond.

"Is there a backdoor?" Noah asked.

Another strangled whisper. "Yes."