Page 56 of Blood So Brutal

“I’m sure Father had no shortage of horrific things to say about me.”

Jessiah took a few steps toward the broken window that led to the staircase. “Not horrific things, brother. Not horrific at all.”

Chapter 17

Wolf

“You shouldn’t be so angry with him,” Huntyr started. I waited until I heard Jessiah’s footsteps enter the suite, until I heard the door click shut behind him.

“I am not angry with him.” I turned away from her and stared out amongst the ruins of the kingdom. “I am furious.”

“Because he was teaching me to fly?” She sounded like the words were so damn ridiculous.

“Yes.”

She sucked in a breath, waited a few seconds, then followed me. Her warm hand came down around my forearm. “He was just trying to help me, Wolf.”

I clenched my jaw and forced down the wave of emotion that threatened to drown me. I was very fucking aware of the fact that Jessiah was only trying to help Huntyr. That’s what he did. He helped. He supported people. He cared about others and looked after them. That’s all he was doing for Huntyr, too.

But when I looked up and saw her in his arms, saw her laughing and clinging to him like they had no cares in the world, I nearly lost control.

It was bad enough that I spent my morning hunting down theothersand handing Abigail off to them, but I also had to drink from a deer in the forest to keep my cravings at bay. The last thing I needed was the vision of Huntyr with another male.

“It should be me.” My voice betrayed me, wavering slightly. “I should be the one helping you, not him.”

A soft breeze blew the scent of her in my direction. I inhaled deeply—fucking cherries. My chest tightened, my entire body reacting to the smell of her.

She stepped even closer, not helping in the slightest. “You’ve already helped me enough,” she said. “Too much, in fact.” Her eyes flickered away as she said the words. She kneaded her hands in front of her, pulling lightly on each knuckle.

“I told you my blood is yours,” I reminded her. “I meant that.”

“That doesn’t make it any easier.”

“Well, it should. You never have to feed from anyone else, Huntyr. Not ever.” It was my turn to look away, to take a deep breath and swallow the anger and jealousy that came with picturing her drinking from someone else.

“But you do?”

My eyes snapped to hers. “What are you talking about?”

“Where were you just now?” She sucked her bottom lip between her teeth. “Jessiah said you went out to feed after you made sure Abigail was safe.”

“I’m a vampyre, Huntress. I have to feed.”

She blinked a few times, tension filling the air. “And you didn’t think to ask me? You didn’t think I might return the favor?”

I couldn’t meet her deep, oval eyes, not when her voice sounded like that. Not when I could nearly picture the tears welling there, could picture the rare vulnerability she almost never showed me anymore.

“I didn’t want to put you in that position,” I said honestly. “Not after everything I’ve done.”

Another beat of silence. I didn’t look at Huntyr, but I could feel her. Fuck, I could feel her, like every single ounce of her body had a map in my soul, like I would know each of her movements before she made them.

Like she belonged to me.

“You could have asked.”

My breath hitched in my chest, and I turned away so she wouldn’t see. Fuck. I wanted her to forgive me so badly, I wanted all this shit to be put behind us. I wanted her forgiveness, but I never expected it. I wasn’t blind to how much I hurt her.

Sharing her blood with me was the most vulnerable thing she had ever done, and I betrayed her. I was never going to touch her veins without her permission. I would starve first; it would be a much easier death than living with that shame.

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