Page 20 of Her Blood Revenge

‘What do you want?’ Archie asks. ‘In exchange for giving us the answers?’

‘How about,’ she ponders, her finger tapping her lip in fake contemplation. ‘You all drop dead right here and now. Do that, and I’ll answer any questions you like.’

Archie laughs, looking between the two of us. Even I can’t help but smile.

‘Afraid we can’t do that,’ I reply. ‘But I can offer you training?’

‘Training?’ she repeats.

‘Help you practice your magic. Help you learnto feed properly.’

‘Oh. Do I not get a selection of half-naked males delivered to me by the king?’ She steps closer, her eyes staring into my soul. ‘Ones I can strip and fuck and drink? Just as you do?’

‘Did,’ Dorian corrects. ‘You know we haven’t touched another since-’

‘The fire was lit four nights ago. Do not lie to me,’ she spits.

‘We fed from a wrist only and left straight after. We neither touched nor even looked at the women they presented.’

She scoffs and rolls her eyes.

‘We need to feed. Or we get weak.’ I step closer. ‘We would rather feed from you.’

‘Did you?’ she asks accusingly. ‘Whilst I was sleeping?’

‘You were in a drunken stupor. Not sleeping.’

‘That’s not an answer.’

I shake my head.

‘We vowed we wouldn’t, and we kept that promise. Even though feeding from you makes us strong enough to protect you.’

She lets out a little exhale. She believes me. That’s an improvement. And she’s speaking to us. A step in the right direction.

I risk another step closer. She looks up at me through her lashes.

‘Pixie. Are you protected from the spirits?’ I take her wrist, my thumb rolling the beads and charms.

She nods and pulls away from me, cupping her handsbehind her back.

‘Where is Neve?’ she asks.

‘We don’t know.’ She visibly pales at my words. ‘Her and Cole haven’t surfaced.’

‘Have you looked?’

‘Of course. But no one knows about her return except us and the unseelie who serve her. All of whom have gone annoyingly quiet.’

‘Did you discover anything about my biological father?’ she asks Archie.

‘No.’

She lets out a breath and lowers her head. Not the answers she was hoping for, I know. But I promised the truth, so that’s what she will get.

She lifts her head and meets my gaze.

‘I want my snake,’ she says. ‘My familiar. I want her back. You have no right keeping her from me.’

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