Page 61 of Lifebound

“Ow—watch it!” said the right and slammed against the left, too.

“Just proving a difference, that’s all,” said the left, and both hands went to where they’d hit each other, and they were rubbing the spots at the same time.

“What areyou, beautiful girl?” The right head sniffed. “Can’t really smell anything.”

“I’m, uh… I’m…” I looked back at Rune for a moment. Still there. “Can I ask you something?”

“You just did,” said the left head—Tuck.

“But go ahead, go ahead,” said Tucker. “We love questions.”

“Heloves questions,” muttered Tuck, nudging his head at the right.

“That vampire just bit you—I saw it.” My hand went to the side of my neck and my eyes went to those puncture marks on Tucker’s. “Why?”

“He’s a messenger,” the head said. “Vampires will only be paid in blood, so we paid.”

I shook my head. “I don’t understand. You willingly let him bite you?” Becausevampire.

Why wasn’t anybody else alarmed by this?

“Of course, yeah. He’s relatively cheap. Will take only about half a cup,” said Tuck.

“We’ve paid more, haven’t we?” asked Tucker.

“Yes, yes, we have.”

“So you just…let him bite you and then he?—“

“Delivers our message to Blackwater,” said Tuck. “Our mother works there. We were supposed to be on our way to her by tonight, but we’ve been having some logistics issues so…”

“We sent word,” Tucker continued. “She’ll send what we need back.”

“She always does.” Tuck nodded.

It might be the strangest exchange I’d ever seen—same body, two heads speaking as if they were their own persons for real.

“Oh. I see.” I held back the urge to ask if their mother had two heads, too. “Well, it was nice to meet you two. I hope you get to your mother safely.” I waved a hand awkwardly and stepped back.

“Hey, hey, beautiful Nilah—a word of advice since you are so nice?” said Tuck, and his eyes were behind me—to where I supposed Rune was still waiting for me by that tree.

“Watch out forhim,will you?” said Tucker.

I smiled a little. “You just agreed to be bitten by a vampire to send a message.” And they were telling me to watch out for Rune?

“Yes, but he’s just a vampire,” Tuck said, waving the left hand. “That one is fae.”

The way he said the word—fae.Like one would saythe boogiemanback home.

“And he’s marked,” Tucker whispered.

“What does that mean exactly?”

Both heads raised their dark brows and looked at one another—or tried to. The heads were so close together they were cheek to cheek before they could turn all the way.

“What do you mean, what does that mean?” Tucker said.

“It means he’s a traitor, that’s what,” said Tuck.

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