Page 67 of Blood So Brutal

“Careful,” I warned. “You never know who could be listening around here.”

Wolf stepped closer, eyes darkening. “I’m always very aware of who may be listening.”

I knew what it was like to grow up in a place that wasn’t safe. I knew what it was like to look over your shoulder for danger at every damn turn. “It must have been hard here, living as a vampyre.”

He dropped his head, mind escaping somewhere I could not follow. “It was isolating, confusing. My father already brought vampyres into this kingdom, but nothing could prepare me for what would happen when he sacrificed me to the goddess.”

My breath hitched. “How could Era let that happen? How could the goddess allow him to turn you into a vampyre?”

Wolf shook his head. “She spoke to me that day. I thought it was a dream at first, but then…” He paused, clearing his throat before continuing, “she told me I would understand eventually, and that she was doing what had to be done.”

Those words made me pause. “Strange,” I mumbled.

“What’s strange?”

“She told me something similar during the Transcendent, after we both—after I thought we both died.” I didn’t exactly want to tell him that Era told me to stay with him, especially since everything that happened afterward was so fucking awful.

“I wonder if this is what she meant,” Wolf continued. “Your blood could change things, Huntyr. Your power could change things.”

I thought back to the passages in the books left in Wolf’s bedroom. “I read something about this, about the powerful one with blood who could end the hungry ones. What you said about my mother looking for a cure, and now this...” I stared at Wolf, waiting for some sort of reaction, but the tight clenching of his jaw was the only thing that indicated he heard me. “It’s me, isn’t it? Your father thinks I am the one who can do all of that, who can control them.”

Wolf didn't answer me. He didn’t have to.

“He’s wrong,” I continued, voice wavering only slightly. “You know he’s wrong, Wolf.”

“No, I don’t.” His eyes met mine in a hungry glaze. “What I tasted in your blood—I’ve never tasted anything like it, Huntyr. You have something special. I mean, hells, look at your wings. When’s the last time you saw someone with wings like that?”

I stiffened. “We both know what happened when the hungry ones attacked us in the forest. I saw it. Jessiah saw it.”

“It was an accident. Hells, who knows if that was even my power? You were the one who said we needed to keep it a secret, Wolf. You were the one so adamant on protecting this.” I didn’t understand him! One second, he’s swearing me to secrecy about what we saw in Scarlata, and the next, he’s wanting to exploit me.

“Things have changed, Huntyr. We need to prepare to show him what you can do before he becomes impatient.”

“You’re kidding, right? I can’t show him any of my magic, Wolf! Not with what he can do to me!”

“We don’t have a choice. If I don’t get it out of you, someone else will.”

“Wealwayshave a choice!” Emotion leaked into my words. “This is too far, Wolf. I’ll marry you. I’ll pretend to be on his side, but I will not show him my power. He’ll use me. He’ll make me… Hells, I don’t even know what he’ll do with my magic once he finds out!”

I felt the presence of the archangel before I saw him. He sauntered into the room behind Wolf.

And then, a slow clap came from Asmodeus.

Wolf stiffened, eyes snapping to me in warning.

“Good work, son,” Asmodeus said. “It seems you know a few things you have yet to share with me. Care to rectify that? Or shall I?”

Wolf’s posture instantly changed. “I was planning on telling you,” he said, “as soon as she was ready.”

What the fuck was happening?

“I knew you were the one I was looking for.” He stepped forward to stand beside Wolf, his disgusting eyes flickering over my body. I fought to keep my chin up, even as everything in me wanted me to retreat from his gaze. “I just needed something to confirm it.”

“You can’t prove anything,” I spat.

“Maybe not,” Asmodeus pushed. “But my son here seems to think you’re worth protecting, which means you truly are powerful.”

I didn’t dare look at Wolf. This was a completely different version of him than I saw in Scarlata. Was he doing this to protect me? Fuck that! Fuck protection! This was much deeper than him and me now.

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