Page 161 of Their Blood Rite

‘The claiming is done. You swore to us you would give us a blood witch after the war. One which we would keep. One we would command and own.’

‘You murdered them all and betrayed us. You have no right to the gift I offered.’

‘We didn’t kill this one.’ Shaw nods his head in my direction. ‘And we would never have been able to claim her if you had not given us a covenant to do so. It cannot be undone, and we will not hand her over to you.’

She looks him up and down again.

‘Gods below,’ she scoffs. ‘You reek of love. You are in love with my daughter.’

He remains silent, but his back straightens.

She burst into angry laughter, narrowing her eyes on him.

‘You are mine, Ronan. I made you. We made you all. And now you dare hold us hostage and make demands when you hold my child as your hostage?’

‘You made us monsters,’ Archie says, his voice a little firmer but still far from his usual confident self. ‘Do as we want. Reverse the curse. Agree to our terms, and we will break the seal to let you out.’

Sinthia giggles wildly.

‘My puppy has learnt how to bark. I like it.’

The way she looks at him. Like he’s a new toy to break and put together again.

‘Child,’ Neve says softly, looking at me. ‘Free us from the circle, and I will free you from their claim.’

‘The claim can never be undone, and you know it, Neve. She is ours. Now reverse the curse.’ Dorian grips a doll in his hand, and the blood queen doubles over, screaming in agony.

‘It cannot be undone!’ Dhalia bellows, holding her sister. ‘Our bloodline cursed you, and it will only end when our bloodline is no more.’

Dorian’s grip on the doll eases.

Dhalia comforts the crazed blood queen.

‘The only way to end the need for a blood witch's blood is to kill us.’ She nods at me. ‘And to kill her.’

The guys look at me in Archie’s arms. Silence falls between us.

I wait. That’s all I can do. Wait to see if they end me. End us all. After all, that’s what this has all been about, right? To get their magic back. To rid themselves of their need for me.

I’m just a little pixie. A blood whore. A mud witch.

I’m nothing to them.

‘Pixie…’ Shaw says. ‘I’m-’

‘Make it quick,’ I tell him. ‘Don’t let it hurt.’

To hang. To be crushed. To be cut. I can’t bear the idea of feeling it again. I lift my head, exposing my neck.

‘Do it. End this fucking nightmare.’

The ground trembles. They spin to see a tremendous winged creature which has crashed to earth, shattering the ground and creating a small crater beneath its feet. Black wings stretch out from its back. Its body is covered in what looks like horse hair, and two massive horns protrude from its head.

The witches laugh.

‘Shit…’ Archie whispers, staring at the beast. ‘That can’t be good.’

‘Unseelie,’ Dorian growls.

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