Page 66 of Blood So Brutal

The possessive flare inside me heated up. “That was different. You didn’t know what I was; I couldn’t exactly feed off you to survive.”

“And now?” Her smirk dropped. “You’ve been feeding since we arrived in The Golden City. It certainly hasn’t been from me.”

I clenched my fists and reminded myself to breathe. Hells, even thinking about her blood sent me into a freaking whirlwind.

“Would you rather I fed from you?” Thick tension clung to the air. “Do you want it to be your blood that keeps me alive, Huntress?”

A lustful gaze flashed through her eyes, but she blinked and cleared her throat. “I don’t know what to think, not anymore.”

Pain stabbed me in the chest. I took a step back.

I knew that would be the answer. I hurt her too badly; I betrayed her trust too much. What happened in Scarlata between us… the kissing… the everything, it still wasn’t the same.

Because I could never go back in time and take back everything I said to her, everything I did, everything I used her for. I couldn’t go back in time and fix things between us.

I took another step back, putting more distance between us. “Exactly,” I mumbled. “My blood is yours anytime you need it, Huntress.” I couldn’t look at her as I said the words. “But you won’t have to worry about who I’m drinking from, so long as it’s not you.”

I felt our bond, tried to sense any emotions coming from the other side. I got the slightest whisper—like a scent wafting in the wind—of grief.

“Anyway,” I started again, “we need to continue training your magic. We have to show Asmodeus something, so it’s better we plan for it now than get blindsided at the equinox.”

I turned around and reached for the doorknob.

“Wait,” she started, “you mean right now?”

“We only have a few weeks to find the true strength in your blood. Time is a luxury we do not have. Follow me, Huntress.”

To my surprise, she followed me without arguing. Perhaps she understood how dire this situation was, how little time we had to get her magic under control before Asmodeus took matters into his own hands. And this time, I didn’t hold back. I pushed Huntyr as far as she would allow, both mentally and physically.

Something in the air shifted. The lightness, the joking around the situation was long gone.

It wasn’t just about us anymore. It wasn’t simply Huntyr and me, our conflicts, her own fight for survival.

Others were counting on her to survive. Others were counting on her to fight back.

Chapter 20

Huntyr

Wolf and I trained together in Moira, but nothing like this. It was as if something deep within him unleashed, as if he was holding back on his own power the entire time we were in that academy working together.

The first few days, I could barely get out of bed in the morning. Not only was Wolf challenging my body by throwing lessons of tactical training in every so often, but he absolutely drained my magic every single day.

I thought my magic was supposed to be growing. I thought there was supposed to be something special about my blood, about what I could do.

It certainly didn’t fucking feel like it.

“I need a break,” I gasped. I bent over and put both hands on my knees, supporting myself. “Hells, I don’t remember this being so difficult.”

“That’s because you barely even touched your magic in Moira. What they taught you there was hardly even the basics.”

“Really?” I pushed my black hair aside and looked up at him. “That’s not how I remember it.”

Wolf scoffed, putting both hands on his sweaty waist. “I hated being there, watching you struggle to learn what they were teaching you. They barely had any idea what they were talking about.”

I took a few more big gulps of air, finally catching my breath. “How? How can Moira possibly exist when this is what’s waiting for us on the other side of the Transcendent? How do they not know they’re sending everyone to their deaths?”

Wolf shrugged. “They trust the archangels. That alone is probably the most dangerous thing anyone can do.”

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