Page 68 of Her Blood Revenge

‘I think you know what it is, Pix. And why is your face bloody?’

‘An accident,’ I reply, not wanting to tell him the truth.

He already seems pissed off.

Shaw hands me a letter, and I read it with panic swirling in my stomach.

‘A wedding?’ I ask, lifting my gaze to look at Shaw. ‘Ourwedding?’

‘What?!’ Archie snatches it from my hand to read it himself. ‘But, the king said you had until the snow falls.’

‘Seems he has moved it up. He wants us there tomorrow to wed before the court.’ Shaw looks past me at the dress. ‘The guards handed it to me when I walked them out. Apparently, it’s a gift from the queen. It’s… nice.’

‘Then you wear it,’ I sneer back, taking the letter from Archie and shoving it back at Shaw. ‘I am not marrying you. And we are not going to the palace!’

‘You knew it was coming.’

‘I hoped one of us would be dead by then,’ I bite back.

‘I’m sorry,’ he scoffs. ‘I thought we were past the hostility.’

‘What made you think that?’

‘Well. We did all haveour cocks inside you a matter of hours ago, Pixie.’

‘Oh. So now sex means marriage? Shall we pop out some kids and grow old together?’ I sneer. ‘Shall we cuddle and braid each other’s hair?’ I point at the dress. ‘That is not happening.’

‘You do know we have no intention of letting you leave, so why are you fighting this?’ he argues. ‘It’s just a wedding.’

‘Because we should in no way be walking into the human king’s palace, where they will put a binding cuff on me. What if it’s a trap?’

‘She has a point,’ Archie agrees. ‘Timing seems off to me. He did say when the snow falls. We’re a good month from that. Why move it up? The guards saw how empty the castle was. Now this?’

‘If we refuse, they will come and fetch us,’ Shaw replies. ‘And we will be the enemy.’

‘Wearethe enemy,’ Archie reminds him. ‘Or we will be when they learn the truth of what we are and what we have done.’

We all fall into an awkward silence.

‘Where’s Dorian?’ Shaw asks.

‘Looking for Thalia,’ Archie replies distractedly.

‘Excuse me? Why?’

‘She got out and made a run for it.’

‘What?! When?’

‘About an hour ago. When Sinthia possessed Pix and gave me a surprise blow job right before I kicked her in the face and broke her nose.’

Shaw just blinks at him with his eyebrows up and lips parted.

‘Maybe this could be a good thing,’ Archiesuggests. ‘We could talk to the king and warn him about Neve.’

‘And when he asks how she returned, what will you say?’ I ask.

‘That we don’t know. But he can be rest assured we will kill her. Just as we did before.’

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