Page 47 of Her Blood Revenge

‘That was before I found out she was being molested by dirty old men when she was barely out of pigtails.’ He sweeps her wet hair from her face. ‘She’s seen enough death. She can miss this. It’s not safe. Not for her. Dorian and I will take care of the coven. You look after her. If she wakes up, do whatever you must to keep her safe.’

Shaw sits beside her and exhales. She twitches and whimpers.

‘Stop… Cole…’

‘That fucker is in her fucking dreams again,’ I hiss.

Shaw’s eyes go white as he walks in her dreams. She settles as he takes her nightmares for his own. She twitches, and her eyes roll beneath her lids.

Then she stills.

‘I’ve put her in the meadow,’ he says, his voice soft and calm. ‘Give me a moment. I’m looking.’

‘Looking?’ I ask, staring at the pure whites of his eyes.

‘Her nightmares as a child. I want those faces. I want those names.’

‘She can’t see what you’re doing, can she?’

He shakes his head.

‘She’s in a meadow of wildflowers and ponies. She’s at peace.’

I watch him as he walks. He walks every night and sometimes even during the day. He’s made it his mission to tormentCole whenever he sleeps. Every time Cole dreams, he torments him with nightmares made especially for him. Archie said Cole looked tired. It’s incredible how quickly a man can go mad when he can’t get any real rest.

Shaw blinks, his eyes returning to normal.

‘Five faces. Five names. They’re all still alive, or were when we took her on rite night.’ He watches her sleep, his eye twitching. ‘That needs to be remedied as soon as possible.’

There’s a light tap at the door. We smell that it’s Leo. I head over and open it up, guiding him out into the hall and closing the door behind us.

‘What?’

‘The fire is about to be lit. The others, well, those still here, have started to gather. The king’s men will be here any moment with your offerings.’

How the fuck could we forget?!

Tonight is a night the fire is lit. The soldiers will come, and if we’re not there, reports will be made to the king. We are to be fed, and if we’re not, he will want to know why. Considering we’re not supposed to feed from any unwilling prey, our refusal of his offerings will only look suspicious. Not to mention the fact that he is still waiting on news of the matrimony still to take place between Ashe and Shaw.

And now is not a time we want to push our luck.

‘Your barrier still up?’ I ask.

‘Yep. Only humans will pass through. I’ll make sure of it.’

I nod and notice a long scratch down the side of his face. It’s fresh.

‘What’s that?’

‘Oh.’ He wipes the beads of blood. ‘The little earth witch downstairs. We had an argument.’

‘How?’ I ask. ‘She has no tongue.’

He laughs and shakes his head.

‘That one doesn’t need a tongue to tell me to get fucked.’

He turns to leave.

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