Conquest leans forward, his chest bare underneath his unbuttoned cloak. “Ay, we did. Is it to your liking?”
“I love it. Thank you.” I take another sip of my favorite drink and lean back against War’s chest. “You’ve spiked this with something. I feel… dizzy.”
Famine laughs. “Well, of course.”
“It’s mixed with honey mead and a dash of opium,” Death explains.
I close my eyes and let the intoxicant work its way through my veins. It’s a faint pull to a euphoric abyss but not too strong. Just enough to take one’s edge off. “It’s delicious.” I breathe the words against War’s neck.
He stiffens, his breath hitching. “Don’t be gentle with me, Imogen. I’m not a gentle man.”
A giggle bubbles out of me. I feel so light and free. “Oh, I know. You’re a brute. Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me.”
Famine bursts out laughing. He peers into his own cup. “How much opium did you put in here?”
Death leans back in his chair, his brows pinched together. “Enough to soften the blow.”
I scrape my teeth across War’s throat, whimpering. “Tell me what depraved things you have in store for me today.”
Conquest raises an eyebrow. “What blow? Do you have news of the village?”
The muscle in Death’s jaw ticks. He glares down at the feast laid before us on the table and nods.
My belly flutters, but it doesn’t feel like butterflies. Not the good kind anyway. Something is wrong. I can feel it in my bones. But my head is spinning. I can’t grasp my own emotions with the opium trickling through my veins.
Famine’s face shifts from amusement to concern. “Well, spit it out. Let’s have it. How bad is it?”
War sits forward, forcing me to sit up instead of draping myself across him. “I see now. The opium isn’t for our pleasure. Tell us… tell her what you found.”
Death fingers a loose thread from the gold tablecloth. His face is more pensive than usual. “Imogen… When I smelled the smoke, I rode all night. But I didn’t get there in time. I’m sorry.”
I bolt from War’s lap too fast, and all the blood rushes to my feet. He catches me before I topple over, and places me in the chair next to him. “Easy now.”
Nothing makes sense. I don’t understand his words, but deep inside I know what he’s saying. “Sorry for what?” A sense of dread grips me like two clawed hands around my throat. If he says what I fear the most aloud…
Death rises from his chair. He circles the table and kneels before me, taking my trembling hands in his. “Saint Nick destroyed your village. Everyone is dead.”
A wave of nausea sweeps through my belly. I slump back in my chair, my heart pounding as the toxin in my blood races to sedate me. I’m fighting with the adrenaline, the shock.
“But… you said he wouldn’t… It was my fault. He should have punished me—” I choke back a sob.
Conquest sighs, his eyes full of pity. “He did. Saint Nick can’t get to you here. So he got tothem, knowing that would hurt you the most.”
I shudder and hug my arms to my chest. “No.” I shake my head. “Not Lucy.”
They can’t look at me. The four of them hang their heads, their gazes trained on the floor.
I want to scream and throw things, but my limbs feel heavy. My head is mush. Memories and dreams scramble through my brain like a storm.Lucy…
Death squeezes my hands. “It was always going to be you or them.”
Tears stream down my cheeks. “I don’t care aboutthem. I was savingher,” I cry. “She was supposed to live. My sacrifice means nothing.”
Famine doesn’t laugh for once. Instead, he scoops me up in his arms, carries me over to the hearth, and makes me lie down in front of it. The warm furs against my back do nothing to soothe the devastation in my heart.
He lies down next to me and nuzzles my ear. “You will be all right, little doe. You’re safe with us. In time, you might even grow to love us.”
I don’t know how long we lie there before the others join us. They surround me on the floor, quiet and still.
