My lips quirked up at that. We both knew that a blade to Locke’s throat wouldn’t be of much concern to the vampire. It wasn’t like I would have been able to slice his head off with my small dagger, and Locke would heal quickly from any cut I could give him. But I appreciated how powerful Darian made me sound.
Locke’s gaze lingered on me a moment longer, his lips twitching as if he knew exactly why I was smiling, and then he lifted to his feet and held out a hand to me.
I stared at his long, pale fingers in surprise. Somehow, him offering me his hand felt like it was a bigger deal than him just trying to help me to my feet. I shifted uncomfortably under the watchful eyes of Darian, Kade, and Asher.
Sliding my dagger back into its sheath, I took Locke’s hand and let him pull me to my feet.
CHAPTER 3
~ Locke ~
AsherandIwalkedat the back of the group, and I watched as Kade pulled a canteen from the small leather satchel now hanging across his chest. When we’d prepared before entering the fae portal, we’d agreed Kade and I would carry essential supplies. This included canteens of water, a few portions of dried rations, flint and steel, a roll of bandages, and some blue paste in case we needed to patch any wounds.
“Here,” Kade said, opening the canteen and holding it out to Raine who strode beside him. After the incident with the toadstools, Raine had explained how one of the baby fungi had touched her and her hand had been paralyzed, but thankfully the effects had worn off within the hour. Still, Darian now held the fae books securely in his arms.
“I don’t need it yet,” she replied, refusing to take the canteen. She was wearing her shirt again, thank fuck, though I was sad to have lost the tempting view.
Kade kept his hand outstretched. “Drink, Mahare,” he said, his words more of a plea than a command.
Raine frowned at the canteen, but she reluctantly grabbed it.
I tugged at the hood of the long black cloak draped over my body, protecting me from the bright afternoon sun of the fae realm, and thought of the satchel hanging by my own side. Like Kade’s, mine had two water canteens and rations of dried meat and bread—things I didn’t need, but I knew the others did. Instead of flint and steel, mine also contained vials of synthetic blood.
The stuff tasted disgusting, lacking the warmth and sweetness of fresh blood. It was enough to sustain me and keep my monster contained, but it was less satisfying than drinking from a fresh source, and I had to consume at least three vials a day to quench my hunger.
Only a few hours had passed since we’d exited the portal, and already my throat was painfully dry, the insatiable thirst starting to take over my thoughts. I could only imagine that our encounter with the fae toadstools hadn’t helped, not to mention the fucking sun.
As Raine lifted the canteen to her lips and tipped some water into her mouth, I watched her throat bob as she swallowed. My focus fixed on the small veins running down her delicate neck, and the scent of her blood called to me as loudly as a siren’s song. I imagined sinking my fangs into her flesh and drinking from her, and my fangs lengthened in my mouth.Just one taste.
“Are you sure you’re all right?” Darian asked from Raine’s other side. His expression of concern was enough to pull me from my dark thoughts, and I scowled, knowing just how badly I’d wanted to give in to the temptation. The sooner we broke the curse plaguing us monsters, the sooner I could be human again rather than the abomination I was. I’d do whatever I had to in order to break the magic.
Raine rolled her eyes at my siren brother, but the expression lacked her usual fire. She was shaken after our latest ordeal, and that thought…bothered me. I hadn’t meant to be so rough with her. At some point when I’d been running after her, the unnatural happiness perverting my thoughts had left me, only to be replaced by a possessive desire. Then when I’d finally come completely to my senses and realized what was going on, the scent of Raine’s blood had hunger overpowering my thoughts instead.
The magic that had been afflicting me had made me weaker, and the scent of Raine’s exposed wound had made my thirst heighten to the point of pain. I’d pushed her to the grass and leaned into her, forcing her body to accommodate me. Cruel devils, the taste of her blood on my fingertips had been enough that I’d almost lost control entirely. A vampire’s thirst for blood was linked to their sexual desire, and I’d been so close to drinking from her while I took her. Pressing her blade against my neck had been a smart move on her part, but it wouldn’t have stopped me. Not if I’d decided to take her. The added scent of her arousal mixing with that of her blood was enough to all but drive me to madness, but the sting of her dagger at my neck had helped ground me. Helped me fight away the shadows of my monster.
Fucking Enzal,I cursed the devil of the damned. Darian had smeared blue paste on Raine’s marks, and her arm had healed, but I couldn’t get the scent of her blood out of my mind. After unclasping the satchel at my side, I began rummaging through the contents, but I pulled my hand back when something sharp pricked my fingers.
Black blood dripped from my fingertips, and I jolted to a halt. Panic made my chest tighten as I opened the satchel wider.No.Oh fuck.Inside the satchel was a mess of broken glass and synthetic blood. The sticky substance covered the wrapped parcels of food and coated the two canteens, making them look like dirty black lumps. Not a single vial of blood had been left intact. Not one. My nostrils flared as I tried to contain my anger.I could only guess they’d been smashed when I’d been running through the forest, chasing Raine. Unlike fresh blood, synthetic blood was nearly odorless, and I hadn’t thought anything of it when I’d detected the faint trace of the fake blood as we’d trekked through the forest.
Asher, who had been walking next to me, had stopped when I had, and he was watching me carefully. “What’s wrong?”
I clenched my jaw. “They’re all broken,” I said, my voice devoid of emotion even though fear was already darkening my thoughts.
My demon brother didn’t ask what I was referring to. He could read it on my face. Asher understood my internal struggles, possibly more than the others did. Like me, he loathed his monster form and wanted to be human again almost as badly as I did. For once, he had no jokes or lighthearted retorts. His grim expression mimicked my own, and he followed my gaze to the human who was still walking with Darian and Kade ahead of us.
~ Raine ~
The fae forest was like something from a dream. Now that baby toadstools weren’t falling from the sky like freaky little fungi monsters, I could appreciate my dazzling surroundings again. The gleaming white bark of the trees was contrasting against the glittering bright pink, orange, and blue leaves of the willowy trees. Bushes with long, furry leaves reached as high as my thighs, the leaves curling toward the ground, and delicate star-shaped flowers sprouted around the area, the thick petals longer than my hands.
I knew we weren’t safe, but it was nice to be out of the mountain, away from the scrutiny of monsters. Well, if you didn’t include the four monsters who had now taken it upon themselves to stay close to me at all times. You’d think after I’d saved their lives yet again, they’d treat me like the badass I was, but…no.
“I still believe it’s a mistake leaving the other fae books,” Darian commented to no one in particular, pulling me from my musings. Guilt went through me then when I thought of the fairy tales that were littering the ground back near where the portal had been.
“Maybe the toadstools are enjoying the new literature?” I joked.
“We can’t go back,” Kade growled from my other side.
I nodded earnestly then, eager to agree with him. “He’s right. I don’t know if I could handle you four losing your minds again.” I said it lightheartedly, but I was deadly serious.
