Page 49 of Feathers From the Sky

“I’m not, Gwyn. I’m not a good person, and it’s about time I make you believe it.”

* * *

“What the fuck are you doing?”Margot puffs on her vape, tapping her foot obnoxiously on the kitchen floor.

“Emile was right. He has more blood sworns, and there’s an easy way for me to get them.” I’m fucking around on my phone, not looking at her. Margot will do as I say, but she won’t hesitate to tell me what she thinks about it.

“You’re just going to let anyone feed from her? That doesn’t bother you?”

I lock my screen and toss the phone on the kitchen island. My teeth extend in my mouth, the idea of sharing Gwyn’s blood with anyone else an idea that sours my stomach. I’m shaken by my conversation with Emile; the fact that my father might not force him to swear to me is more possible with each passing day. The longer I investigate Remy, the less patient my father is. Between that and my boundary crossing with Gwyn in her bathroom and the conversation we had after, I’m tightly wound. I feel like I’m being held beneath water, dying slowly, and I don’t know which way is up.

I walk over to the monitors and watch Gwyn doing yoga. She’s never taken a single class from my research, and I doubt she knows what she’s doing. She’s wearing leggings Margot sent down, and I’m reminded of that day in the swamp. The way the camera is angled, I get a perfect view of her round ass, and I’m thoroughly reminded of the threat she poses.

“Margot, you know Björn is sick of my shit with Remy. I have to be prepared for Emile to take my birthright. He’s been busy while I’ve been gone, and I need to catch up. If my father sees he has so many more sworn to him, he’ll have doubts about me.”

Margot opens the fridge behind me, then I hear her digging around for a bottle opener. The clink of metal on glass sounds like nails on a chalkboard.

“Why don’t you just let Emile have it?” I turn around, and she laughs at the face I make at her. I can tell it’s an ugly one, shock causing my mouth to drop open while disgust wrinkles my brow. “Okay, okay. I get it.”

Margot doesn’t need me to rant about this again. Emile would continue running this coven like my father has all these centuries, and it’s time for a change. We still must maintain the sanctity of Agnarr’s tomb, protect our immortality, but we have no natural predator. Not anymore, anyway. None that couldn’t be handled with ease. The sorcerers who stood against us when I was a child are long dead, and Bill is gone while I have his daughter safely locked away. We can spread out, actually have lives and families without being encouraged so forcefully to stay within the compound.

“Fine. I’ll make the announcement.” I hear her tapping out the notification blast, and my pulse rockets. I start pacing, thinking about Hannigan’s fucking fangs piercing Gwyn’s neck, and I want to vomit.

“Make sure they’re not already sworn to me, and they only bite her wrist. Understand?” I direct, just as her phone rings.

I’m drawn to the monitors once more, feeling as if I made a mistake. To share her with the coven feels like an insult—to whom, I don’t know. Is it fair of me to keep her from my people when I’ve brought her back to prove I can protect them? When I’ve promised an end to the hunter dynasty which has taken countless people from our ranks over the years? When she takes her hair out of the high ponytail and I watch it cascade over her shoulders on the screen, I’m about to tell Margot I changed my mind. The thought of another vampire with her hair between their fingers is enough to make my jaw clench. I don’t get a chance though, because Margot is grabbing my wrist as she puts her phone call on speaker.

“You ready for the address?” the voice on the other end says as Margot mouths the words Charlie Palmer.

* * *

“I really feellike we should have brought someone else,” Margot whispers as we pick our way through the trees. Charlie lives in an isolated cabin in Wisconsin, just on the other side of the Illinois border. It’s not off-the-grid, but the only utility he pays for is electricity—through a company name. He’d been nearly impossible to find.

“He’s not a hunter, doesn’t even have wards. We’ll be fine.” I didn’t drive up the two-mile-long gravel path for a reason, though. His license expired about a decade ago, and he already looked a little crazed back then. I can only imagine what time and isolation have done. I thought it best to catch him off guard because of it. A few hours from dawn seems like the best time to surprise him.

Margot whines as her heel gets stuck in the mud. She didn’t dress to go “mucking through the woods” as she put it, so I already promised to replace her fancy shoes. They have a red sole, so I know they’re expensive.

“I’m just going to go ahead so I stop getting stuck,” she says, and she’s off, sprinting through the woods using a burst of vampire speed. My temple throbs, annoyed. She clearly must be irritated with me, though, and I don’t understand why.

Liar.

I don’t pick up the pace to match her, giving her some space. She thinks using Gwyn for the blood oaths is a mistake. A violation. Which she’s not wrong. But I don’t think I can afford to care. I need more people sworn to me, and I need to be reminded of what Gwyn is to me. The woman serves a purpose. I need Gwyn to realize I don’t deserve her pity or her kindness, and it’s futile to hope for mine. She will help me figure out the truth behind Remy’s murder, and she can help me win more vampires to my favor. That’s it.

If only for Remy and every other vampire within my coven murdered by her kin, I cannot allow myself to grow soft for Gwyn. Margot’s reaction tells me she has grown fond of the woman, and though I don’t blame her, she needs to get over it. My friend knew where this was headed from the beginning and helped me all these months. It’s not my fault she’s grown attached and can’t control her emotions.

A twig snaps behind me, and I spin around, ready even if my thoughts have been distracting. A raccoon makes its way up a tree, and I relax. When I turn to look back toward the house, though, I freeze. There’s a high-pitched buzzing sound, and when I hear a wooden door slam shut, I sprint into action.

A shot rings out just as Margot screams, and the sharp tang of her blood hits my nostrils. I dart out past a tree, terrified for my friend, and I see Charlie standing on his front porch. All I can see is the shotgun he points at her. Margot is writhing on the ground at the edge of the trees, and it only takes me a moment to understand why she’s not getting back up.

Buckshot. Probably makeshift with silver pellets.

“Stop,” I say, loading my voice with influence, but all it does is make him turn the gun on me. I’m farther away, so if he shoots, I might be better off than Margot. “Fuck,” I say, when I realize he’s wearing noise-canceling headphones. My influence won’t work on him if he can’t fucking hear me.

“Fuck off, vampire!”

I step closer, both hands in the air as I try to get to Margot. She won’t be able to heal until we get that silver out of her. Charlie clearly knows what the fuck we are, and now he’s my primary suspect. If Bill would’ve tasked anyone with protecting his daughter, it would be this fucking guy. Because of that, I’m not willing to leave without answers.

I remember my promise to Gwyn that I wouldn’t hurt him unless I knew for sure he was responsible for Remy’s death. Those beautiful brown eyes had bartered with her whole heart behind them, and a small part of me is sad to disappoint her. But the moment he shot my friend and turned a silver-loaded shotgun on me, that deal was off the table.

---