Page 48 of Her Blood Revenge

‘Leo?’ He stops and looks back. ‘Does your coven make their females watch others fuck when they’re young? To teach them how it all works?’

He looks past me to the door and nods in her direction.

‘She tell you about that?’

I don’t reply, but he slides his hands into his pocket and faces me with a sad nod.

‘Yeah. They make us watch. Was she one of the females the males practised on?’

I step closer, my shadows darkening at my back. He staggers back, utterly taken aback.

‘Sorry. I didn’t mean any offence,’ he stammers, holding his hands up. ‘Honest.’

I calm, and my shadows retreat.

‘No. She was not.’

His hands lower and slowly return to his pockets.

‘The covens are cruel, Dorian,’ he says. ‘They’re sadistic, almost. You took a bunch of powerful creatures and caged them together. When you take power away from powerful beings, they find a way to regain that power. Those higher up the chain feel owed, and they take it out on the likes of us. The ones who can’t fight back. Who refuse to obey laws that cause nothing but pain and suffering.’ He nods to her door. ‘We’re witches. Witches are wild. We need space and freedom. We become feral and cruel when caged.’

‘Is that so?’ I drawl.

‘It is. Youshould know better than most.’ He steps back. ‘I’ll see you by the fire.’

He leaves, and I return to the bedroom.

‘Problem?’ Shaw asks.

‘Fire night. Leo just reminded me.’

‘Shit,’ he hisses, looking down at our sleeping girl.

‘How long do you think that sleep dust will work on her?’ I ask Shaw, feeling the dread rise at the idea she may wake up and see something we would rather she didn’t.

‘A normal witch? All night. But her and knowing our luck? Ten fucking minutes. Archie, can you stay with her as we go down? I’ll come back up as soon as I’ve shown my face, and then you will go down and show yours.’ He stands and rolls his neck. ‘Let’s get this over with.’

Usually, these nights are full of drinking, chatter and debauchery.

Not so much tonight.

Five others are sitting around the fire. Everyone else has left.

The king’s men will notice. They will comment. Especially considering the only remaining creatures are male and the guards enjoy the females we provide.

What has our life become when we have to wait around for the scraps the king throws at us?

To be fair. They are very beautiful scraps, butscraps nonetheless.

And what have we become when we sit here hiding, protected by an air witch as our enemies gather their forces in the world beyond the barrier surrounding our castle?

Weak. Cowardly. Tame. That is what we have become.

We can not stay here. This is not going to work. I need to convince Shaw to leave. He’s clinging to this place, and if he is not careful, all this will slip through his cold, dead fingers.

I will take her if he refuses to abandon this place.

Since Neve’s return, I’ve realised more and more that we are living in a cage, and the king, as well as his human army, have been holding the key. Yes. We are free to leave the castle but with rules and restrictions.

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