Page 15 of Blood So Brutal

She reached out and pulled me back into her arms, giving me another quick hug. “You’re here now,” she whispered into my ear. “For whatever reason, you made it. You survived. That’s all that matters.”

“Why us, though? Why did we survive when everyone else died?”

She shrugged. “I guess Era’s not done with us yet. But at least the others have peace in death. They didn’t have to wake up in this mess.”

“Look, Voiler.” I stepped even closer to her and lowered my voice, ensuring nobody else could hear us. “I need to talk to you. There’s obviously something horrible happening here. I’m trying to figure it all out, but I could really use a friend here, someone I can actually trust.”

“Of course,” she smiled. “Anything you need, I’m here. Wolf isn’t friendly enough for you, I take it?” Her eyes flickered behind me.

I looked back over my shoulder to where Wolf still glared at us, pulling his mug of ale to his lips.

“Has heeverbeen friendly?” I joked. Now wasnotthe time or place to tell Voiler about everything. I still wasn’t sure who I could trust. Half the people in this tavern could be funneling information directly back to Asmodeus. Wolf’s friend seemed nice enough, but I had no idea where his loyalties lied.

“Not everything is as it seems here.” She slid her hand into mine and interlocked our fingers. It was a strange show of affection I had never seen from her. She was much more closed off in Moira, very reserved. I was even more surprised when she tugged me forward and wrapped both arms around me, hugging me tightly and nuzzling her face into my black hair.

“I know what they’re doing to you,” she whispered. I kept my face blank, wrapping my arms around her and showing just as much affection for my old friend. “You aren’t alone, Huntyr. You have allies here, and we’re not going to let him use you. Just hang on.”

I said nothing, just stood and hugged her for a few more seconds before she pulled away slowly.

“It was nice to see you again.” She put a polite smile on her face. “Stay safe, Huntyr.”

I gave her one more squeeze before she turned away, smiling just as casually. “You too.”

My eyes didn’t leave her body as she made her way back to her friends.I’m not alone here.Who were these people she found? Clearly, she made her way into a very different group of friends. Did she really know I was the blood queen? Did she know Asmodeus’s plans to take over Scarlata? She drank her ale, laughing and bumping shoulders with one of the males at the table.

In the months we spent together at Moira, I never saw her like this. So relaxed. So natural.

“You’re staring,” Wolf said from behind me.

“Fuck off.” I snapped out of my gaze and returned to my table, taking Wolf in for the first time since I’d seen Voiler. “Did you know she was here? Did you know she survived?”

He shrugged. “I suspected. There was no way to know for sure. I’ve been a bit preoccupied here.”

“I can’t believe this. Voiler survived! I mean, who else survived and is wandering around here in The Golden City?”

Wolf glanced over his shoulder at the people Voiler befriended. He let his eyes linger before answering, “There’s no telling, but I can guarantee that surviving the Transcendent was the least of their problems. These streets are crawling with vampyres, Huntyr. Hungry ones, too. Voiler’s lucky she found them.”

“How is that possible? Nobody can enter The Golden City without going through Moira, yet hungry ones are here?”

His chin dipped. “He lets them in.”

I repeated those words in my mind, ensuring I heard him correctly. “He lets the hungry ones into The Golden City? That doesn’t make any sense.”

“My father doesn’t care if the people living here are safe or not. In his mind, you’ll survive if you’re strong enough. This is a power move for him. Keep the people weak, and nobody will challenge his rule. He thrives on chaos, not to mention his deep infatuation with the vampyres.”

My mind spun. The entire point of The Golden City was to keep vampyres out. It was supposed to be a safe space, a luxurious place for the elites to live in comfort.

But this? This was no better than living in Midgrave. It was worse, actually. At least in Midgrave, I had the illusion of freedom.

“Hells,” I muttered. “I can’t tell if he hates vampyres or loves them.”

“He loves the destruction they bring. He loves that Scarlata was once the most powerful kingdom in existence. He loves that if he could control them, if he could use the hungry ones to spread even more chaos; he could take over the entire world.”

The entire fucking world. I pulled my mug to my lips and swallowed a mouthful of the golden liquid. How did things get so messed up? How did we get here? Wolf sat in silence beside me. I wanted nothing more than to wring him out for being a part of this, for allowing such a sacred place to crumble entirely.

But a heaviness radiated from him now as we both sat here, reveling in the truth. It felt almost impossible to bring light back here. So much evilness, so much hatred, lingered here, all brought on by his father. The same father who forced him to turn to a vampyre, who cut his wings from his body.

I was talking too much. I knew I was. It had to be the ale softening me, making me forget the heinous things he, too, was guilty of.

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