Page 88 of Their Blood Rite

‘You’re a great fuck, Pixie,’ he calls after me. ‘Considering you were a virgin, you did amazing.’

‘I’m sure you’ve had plenty of others to compare it to.’ I look back at him as I carry on wading out of the water. ‘Enjoy your run.’

‘That’s it? You’re just going to leave?’

‘What do you expect me to be like? Should I swoon over you? Cling onto your arm and beg for more?’ I shrug. ‘You got off. I got off. The transaction is ended.’

I continue wading out of the water.

‘Well… can I cling ontoyourarm and beg for more?’ he calls after me. I stop and can hear his smile as he speaks. ‘I’m already swooning over you. You’re the best pussy I’ve ever had.’

I look back at him. His hair is a dishevelled mess, and his eyes shine as he offers me the most perfectly boyish smile I think I have ever seen. It’s hard to believe that he just held me underwater until I called him master.

‘You’re swooning overmypussy?’ I laugh.

‘Absolutely,’ he beams. ‘And I never thought I would ever say that to a blood witch.’

‘Well, I’m honoured. And thank you. Turns out sex doesn’t have to be painful and life-threatening after all.’

Something hot sears into my side. Archie’s face goes ashen as he looks at me. Following his gaze, I see an arrow sticking out of my side, the tip dripping blood.

‘Ow.’

I fall into the water, dizzy and disorientated. There’s a splash as Archie leaps to my side and hauls me up.

We both look down.

There’s an arrow in my side!

‘You had to say some fate-tempting shit like that, didn’t you?!’

‘Someone shot me?’ I blurt, looking at the weapon piercing me. I look up at Archie. ‘Someone just fucking shot me!’

‘I can see that, now stay still!’

He yanks it out in one fell swoop, making me scream as it tears the wound further. Blood sprays over his chest and face as he tosses the arrow aside. When he slams his hand on the wound, I swear loudly, the pain hot and searing beneath his palm.

He bites his wrist and shoves it in my mouth, feeding me his blood.

‘Drink,’ he orders.

We both look in the direction the arrow came from, just as another comes flying towards us.

He throws himself on top of me and lets out a vicious growl as it penetrates his shoulder instead of mine.

With a painful grunt, he yanks it free.

‘Get back to the castle. You hear me?’

‘What about you?’

He turns and shifts before my eyes. The great white wolf returns and nudges me away with his nose. Archie moves fast, running straight at the danger as I clumsily run for cover behind a rock.

I got one mouthful of his blood. It’s not enough. Blood spills down my side, and when I throw myself behind the nearest stone, I slam my hand down on the wound, trying to stop the blood from leaking out.

In the distance, somewhere in the ancient woodland, I hear Archie’s roars. But I don’t hear anyone else. No people shouting or attacking, just Archie.

Then I hear a high-pitched whine. I look over the rock.

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