Page 2 of Taken By the Blood God

I also ignored the fact that I’d been making him cakes, cookies, pies, and other assorted treats since he’d awakened in that cave and come home with me. The first night, when I’d been too tired to do anything, he’d gone through the kitchen and put together a plate of fruit and cheese for me to eat in bed. He’d also brought a plate with a few cookies on it, asking me what they were.

Once I explained, I’d offered to let him try one. When he did, his eyes lit up, and he’d smiled as though he’d discovered something marvelous. He asked me where I got them, and I told him I’d made them. The way he looked at me in that moment…it had made my knees weak.

As soon as I had regained my strength, I’d started making him treats. Even on the days I was ready to cast a spell that would trap him back under that damn mountain because he was driving me absolutely bonkers.

“Why are you still awake?” he asked. For once, his question didn’t have a sarcastic edge. He sounded as though he cared.

“I’m not sure,” I answered, pouring hot water over the tea ball resting in my cup.

“Did you have a bad dream?”

I shook my head. “No. I haven’t been able to fall asleep yet.”

He fell silent. When I finished making my tea and turned around, I found him watching me closely, the plate that held his cake empty. He must have inhaled it.

I didn’t want to, but I walked over to the table and took the chair on the opposite end, facing him. I grabbed the honey from the center of the table and drizzled some into my cup.

He waited until I’d taken my first sip of tea before he said, “We need to talk about my brother.”

I lowered my cup, the flavor of lemon and herbs on my tongue. “What about him?”

“About how we’ll free him.”

I put the mug down on the table with a snap, the tea sloshing over the side and spilling across the scarred wood. “We’re not freeing him. He threatened to kill me, and he could have killed my niece with his asinine plan to have her wake you.”

A muscle in Talant’s jaw ticked as he stared at me. His eyes brightened. Their gold color was now tinged with a hint of ruby light.

“I gave him my vow that I would come for him soon, and it’s been two weeks. You needed that time to recuperate from your ordeal, but now we must act.”

“I won’t help you,” I argued.

He sighed. “I’m afraid you don’t have a choice.”

“And why is that?” I asked, my question biting.

“Because you’re the Conduit of the goddess who imprisoned him, and only your power is capable of setting him free.”

Chapter

Two

Minerva

“I don’t give a shit,”I shot back, taking another sip of my tea.

“You should.”

“Why?”

“Because Sommerton isn’t the only warlock feeding off my brother’s power. There are many, many more. And they will do much worse things than he did. They will harm innocents. Even kill. My brother has enough power to fuel hundreds, if not thousands, of warlocks like Sommerton. By leaving him there, you are giving them exactly what they need to carry out any atrocity they wish.”

I opened my mouth, then closed it.

Shit. He had a point.

If that were true, as much as I wanted to, we couldn’t leave his brother there. But I wasn’t comfortable setting him free either.

My thoughts raced as I tried to come up with a compromise that I would find acceptable. His brother was powerful and had a deep disdain for humans and even other supernaturals. Hecouldn’t be trusted not to pull some crazy shit if he was free. Though I didn’t know why he’d been imprisoned in the first place, I doubted it was because he spread sunshine and rainbows far and wide.

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