Page 24 of Knave

“If you start feeling unwell, please don’t push yourself.” Maddie tugged Mouse’s arm. “Let me at least take you to Ferris.”

“Thank you.”

Mouse walked beside her sister down the halls leading to the stairs near the palace’s entrance. Mock lingered at the door in his white uniform, his yellow hair pulled back, and his eyes no longer red-rimmed but still puffy. Beside him stood Ferris with his backpack strewn across one arm. He looked positively delicious wearing a tight dark T-shirt and jeans that hugged his thighs perfectly. Mouse’s heart accelerated as she met Ferris’s heavy stare. Did the blasted thing always do that at the sight of him before?

“You might want to give into temptation,” Maddie whispered in her ear.

Mouse shot her sister a glare. “Quiet.”

Maddie drew Ferris and Mouse into a hug on each side. “You watch her with your life,” her sister said to Ferris, then glanced back at Mouse. “And you watch him with yours. Once you find the beastie’s secret, I’ll go after it with the others.”

“That’s fair,” Mouse agreed. “Don’t forget Des likes the leaves from the trees near the lake.”

“She won’t be a happy caterpillar when she wakes.”

Des would understand. Mouse couldn’t stop her stomach from sinking as she peered beneath her lashes at Mock. “I’m sorry about Didi.” Her voice came out louder than usual.

Mock’s brows shot up, his eyes widening. “Thank you, Mouse.” It was the first time she’d spoken to him, and it was a start.

With a final goodbye, Mouse and Ferris walked outside, the cool air rustling the ends of her plait.

“Here you go,” Ferris said, handing her two cold blood bags. She drank the first one down in seconds, then forced herself to go slower with the second.

Mouse noticed his empty hands and he didn’t have any for himself. “Drink some?” She held it out to Ferris. When he didn’t take it, she said more firmly. “I demand it.”

“Well, in that case.” He smirked, taking it from her hands, his fingers brushing hers. Again, the butterflies swarmed in her stomach at the contact.

As she watched him drink from where her mouth had been, his tongue licking the tip clean, she shoved down the urge to press her lips to his, to taste not only the blood there buthim, just like she had last night.

Mouse turned her focus to the portal as they approached, and the flowery scent hit her senses when they crossed through the barrier to the cemetery in the mortal world. There wasn’t a portal directly to Red that she knew of—the queen had somehow kept those a secret, even after her death. But there was one not far away from the cemetery that would take them to the edge of an Ivory forest, next to where Red’s territory began.

“Would you have truly wanted to go to Red without me?” Mouse asked.

“I think you know that answer, luv.” Ferris winked.

She wanted to talk about what they’d done the night before, but that would mean she would need to discuss how badly she’d wanted to taste his blood too. Her gaze fell to the chain around Ferris’s neck, and her chest tightened when she realized what the ring was for. It had to have belonged to Ellie,not just an heirloom or to wear for fashion…

“How about you teach me?” Mouse said as they walked through the cemetery, her gaze trained on his hands to avoid the necklace.

“Teach you what?” he asked, his voice raspy.

Her breath caught, unable to stop the images crawling into her mind of him doingother thingsto her with his hands. “Drums,” she finally answered.

He grinned, bumping his shoulder with hers. “You want to learn? I’ll teach you any song you’d like.”

“How about that AC/DC song you once played for me at your place?” She could still see how fast his hands had moved, hear how the heavy beats had sounded, watch how he’d bit his lip when he closed his eyes, relishing in the music.

“‘Riff Raff?’” He chuckled, his infectious laugh echoing through the cemetery. “You know how long it took me to playthat?”

“I’m a fast learner.”

“I bet you are.” The edges of his lips stayed tilted up as his gaze trained on her mouth.

An urge to draw his face to hers, run her tongue across the seam of those shapely lips, tugged at Mouse. Her hunger was craving both his blood and his body, and she chewed on the inside of her cheek to tame the lust-filled sensations down. These thoughts were becoming out of control, but more so, welcoming…

Mouse walked beside him in comfortable silence, though her body was still coiled tight, as she led him through the woods and the city until they reached the closest bridge over the Thames. “There.” She pointed downward as cars sped past them.

“The river, luv?” Ferris asked. “Where our bodies will collide with water? Are you sure a portal is there?”

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