Page 49 of Blood So Brutal

Jessiah agreed, grabbing the young girl’s hand and taking the lead as he led us across the scattered cobblestone, now half-overgrown with tall grasses and greenery creeping in from the forest.

Every few feet, though, I spotted broken grass, crumpled dirt.

We were not the only ones here. Huntyr walked a step ahead of me, Venom drawn and her knuckles white from gripping. She was prepared for an attack, always. As much as I hated it, her inability to trust any situation would keep her alive here.

A few minutes later, we made our way to the tall tower that still stood in this wretched place. It was ten stories high, maybe more. In the height of Scarlata, this would have been one of the smaller buildings, but the war destroyed everything, buried every building, every home. Now, this was one of the only places left.

“What are we going to do with her?” Huntyr asked, looking at Abigail.

Fuck. I had to be very careful about this. Huntyr knew very little about what really existed here in Scarlata. I still wasn’t sure she would be ready to know the truth. “I have a plan,” I answered honestly. “There’s someone here who can take care of her.”

Huntyr nearly tripped over her own feet. “You know people living here?”

I squinted and gripped her arm, stopping her from walking. Jessiah and Abigail kept moving forward, oblivious to our conversation. “It’s complicated, but yes. I can’t tell you anything more without putting you in danger.”

She nodded, still skeptical. “Does your father know?”

“Absolutely not, and it’s going to stay that way.” I stared into her deep eyes, silently begging her to understand everything I wasn’t saying. Yes, I knew others living here in the ruins. No, my father didn’t know.

And I would die before I let him find out about them.

“Okay,” Huntyr said after a few seconds, turning her attention to Jessiah and Abigail. “As long as she’s safe.”

“She’ll be much safer here than back in The Golden City. I think we both know that.” My words were harsh, but true. Here, she could be with her own people, other vampyres who would raise her as their own, who would keep her safe. Back home, she’d be exploited for everything she was. Hells, I wouldn’t be surprised if my father killed her on sight.

Without another word, we followed the others through the rubble and ruins. I knew where they were heading, the same place Jessiah and I always stayed when we visited here. We walked until we made it to the base of the tallest standing building in Scarlata.

“Is anyone in there?” Huntyr whispered, turning her head to the sky.

“Not anymore,” Jessiah answered, pushing the door open. “They know we’re here. They always know when we are coming.”

“And they just leave us alone?”

My brother and I shared a look. If we were lucky, yes, they would leave us alone. Sometimes, we were lucky. Other times, we were met withunwelcomingsurprises.

“Keep your guard up,” was all I said. “It has been a while since we were last here.”

The little girl was as silent as a shadow, lurking near the wall and keeping her wide, innocent eyes on everything that moved.

Smart girl. She might actually have a chance at surviving.

We walked through the arched doorway that led to a tall, narrow staircase. We started the ascent to the top floor—just as we did each time we visited these ruins. It was the safest spot, but it also gave us an advantage to see what had been going on since we last visited. We could see any buildings that were rebuilt, any gatherings of vampyres, anything.

The stairs creaked beneath our weight, but we kept moving. One by one, we climbed those stairs in silence. Nobody said a word until we reached the top floor.

Jessiah pushed the already-open door open further, ducking inside with his sword drawn before giving us the signal. The room was clear. I let out a breath I was holding then followed Huntyr inside, shutting the iron door behind me.

Each time we made it to this room, it looked nearly the same, but there were small things, little details, that told me people had been here. Not fae or angels, but vampyres. We had no idea if they were our friends or our enemies, no idea where they were in this world or what they wanted, but they had been here, rummaging through the few rations we kept, sorting through clothes and supplies, leaving a trail of their mixed scents behind.

The top floor was the largest in the entire tower. Someone noble must have lived here, the furniture left behind wascertainly grand. Expensive, too. A gold-rimmed couch sat near the large window at the back of the room. Two bedrooms flanked each side, each with a large bed and plenty of clothes left.

There was a kitchen with a large table, plenty of space for us every time we visited, but running water hadn’t existed here for quite some time now. That, I missed.

Huntyr paced the perimeter of the room, scanning the furniture, pushing the torn, white-lace curtain aside and peering out the window. “Why does it feel like we’re being watched?” she asked quietly, more to herself than to either of us.

Jessiah and I set our bags down before trailing behind her to look out that same window. “It always feels this way,” he answered. “Whoever is out there, they know we’re here. We just have to hope they’re smart enough to leave us alone.”

“I can’t believe your own father sends you here.”

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