Page 79 of Wicked Thirst
“Just go grab a human.”
“O, no, we can’t do that.” Zinnia shook her head, sending those wild black waves flying around her face.
Ophelia scoffed. “Why not? Just grab a bad one who deserves it. Orrrr I could grab one and throw it into one of Beckett’s portals. Oh my god. Did I just come up with a new business? Free human delivery. It’s brilliant.”
“I’m not delivering humans to vampires, O,” Beckett called out so that she could hear.
“Listen up, cuz, no one would miss them. We’ll pick the worst of the worst and send them to their fate. The vamps get a snack and the world gets rid of a terrible human. It’s really a win-win.” She sounded so bubbly when talking about mass murder.
“No, O.” He scrubbed a hand down his face.
“Don’t tell me I didn’t think of ways to make you rich,” she snapped back at him.
“I already am rich,” he said, leaning closer to the phone and raising his voice.
“Then those are all the ideas I’ve got.”
The phone went dead. She didn’t say goodbye or any kind of warning that would suggest the conversation was over.
“That was . . . super helpful,” I said.
A second later Beckett’s phone rang. He didn’t look at the screen before answering it. “I said I’m not transporting humans for vampire snacks, O.” He paused and his eyes widened. “Oh, um, yes. Sure.”
“What was that?” Astrid arched her brow at him. “It didn’t sound like Ophelia.”
“It wasn’t.” He waved his hand, and his portal opened once more.
A perfectly tailored Martin strolled through and stopped just outside the portal. He looked at me, then looked around at the others. “Oh my. I see I’ve arrived just in time.”
I sprang to my feet and wrapped my hands around the bars in front of me. “Martin!”
He pressed his lips into a thin line as he walked through the thick grass toward my cage. Martin seemed so out of place among the rest of us. He wore a perfectly pressed navy-blue suit, a crisp white shirt, and polished brown shoes. A cross-body satchel was draped over his shoulder. He moved closer to the bars. “They’ve put you in a cage.”
“I asked them to.”
He pulled the bag from his shoulder and pushed it through the bars. “Then I’ve arrived just in time.”
I took the bag and flipped it open. There were three bags of blood inside. My stomach tightened. I wanted to dig into them right away, but I knew what would happen if I drank the wrong blood, and I knew we didn’t have time for me to lose my damn mind. “I have to be careful.”
“There’s a note.” He pointed to a small, folded piece of paper.
I yanked it from the bag and opened it quickly. “You’ve got to be kidding.”
‘Piper,
Though we find ourselves on opposite sides of the coin, I respect your choices as I’m sure you respect my own. Loyalty deserves loyalty in kind. You love him as I do. I don’t fancy having to kill my best friend’s soulmate, or worse, both of you. Do take the blood and avoid the tip of my knife.
Respectfully,
Atlas.’
“It’s from Atlas.” My jaw dropped, but I grabbed the first bag, eager to dig in and end my hunger pains.
“Wait.” Kylian sprang to his feet. “Could be poisoned.”
Martin squeaked and pressed his hand to his chest. His cheeks turned pink with annoyance. “Excuse me, I would never allow that to happen.”
“Right, nerdy leech, because you look like the sort to stop a killer.” Kylian gave a dark chuckle. “Errand boys don’t use knives to make their deliveries.”
