Page 21 of Taken By the Blood God

“We will. Thanks, Gerald,” Minerva said, winding an arm around my waist. “Which way are we going?”

I realized when she wedged her shoulder under my armpit that I was swaying on my feet again. Shit, her spell was wearing off faster than it should have.

“Up the stairs, to the end of the hall, the last door on the right. It’s the most private of our rooms.”

“Wonderful,” she muttered beneath her breath, mimicking my words from earlier.

She pulled me along with her up the stairs, breathing heavily. We listed sideways, staggering like two drunkards, about halfway down the hall. After a few seconds of teetering back andforth, Minerva managed to stabilize us both and dragged me to the end of the hall.

“Hold on to my shoulder,” she demanded. “I need both hands to open this door.”

She fit the antique key into the lock and turned it. The mechanism creaked, but the door wouldn’t open. Cursing beneath her breath, she jiggled the key. This time, the door swung open. Minerva reached for me, hauling me into the room as the door shut behind us.

I made it to the bed before I dropped my bag on the floor beside it and fell face down on the mattress.

“This looks familiar,” Minerva said from behind me.

I rolled over onto my back to look up at her.

“What does?” I asked.

“You, collapsing on the nearest flat surface. Are you going to pass out for twenty-four hours again?”

“Unfortunately, I probably will. Unless…”

No, I wasn’t going to suggest it. She would never agree.

“Unless what?”

“Nothing. It’s something I would prefer not to do.”

“Will it help you recover faster?” she asked, coming to stand beside the bed so she could see my face.

“Yes.”

Considering the goddess whose power ran in her veins…it would probably restore me to full power.

“Does it involve human sacrifice?” she asked.

I stared at her in horror. “What? No! Why would you ask me that?”

“Because you said you didn’t want to do it, so I assumed it was something truly disgusting.”

I sighed and closed my eyes. The little witch’s opinion of me really couldn’t get any lower.

“Tal,” she called.

I opened my eyes and looked up at her.

“What do you need to do to regain your power? I’m assuming you need my help.”

“I do,” I admitted. “And it does require a sacrifice of sorts, but not one that results in death.”

Her golden eyes didn’t narrow. She wasn’t frowning at me. Minerva stood still, looking down at me expectantly, waiting for me to tell her.

I pushed myself up into a semi-reclined position, resting my weight on my elbows. “I’m a blood god, Minerva. The reason they called me that wasn’t just because I could utilize the magic in my blood or the blood of others. It was because I could draw it out by consuming it.”

She cocked her head and, shocking me completely, asked, “So you drink blood like a vampire?”

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