Page 22 of Unholy Gambit: Checkmate in Blood
She unlocked the apartment door and stepped inside, Axel right behind her. When they were both through, she flipped the lock automatically. Ruby was already home, curled on the couch in sweatpants and a long-sleeved shirt, hair twisted into a messy bun, but her makeup still flawless. Casual, but not unprepared.
In an instant, her friend leapt to her feet, her Chinese takeout box left sitting precariously on the sofa, chopsticks still clutched in one hand.
Ruby didn’t speak. Didn’t blink. Her whole body froze, statue-still, spine straight, shoulders tight.
And then her eyes changed. A missile locking onto a target.
Aury had only seen Ruby give this particular glare a handful of times during their twelve-year friendship, and what came next was never pretty.
And yet, this was sharper.
Aury’s stomach dropped.
“I blocked you from scenting me and recognizing what I am earlier,” Axel said calmly. “Your friend has now been oathed. You’re free to share with her, when you couldn’t before.”
Aury blinked. Once. Twice.
His words started a chain reaction in her mind, conclusions firing off in rapid succession until they aligned like a chess strategy pulling into shape with a singular focus — Ruby wouldn’t know what he is unless she already knew about supernaturals, whatever she is had known he’s a vampire the second he walked in, and he’d fucked with her mind to keep her from recognizing the truth.
Aury focused in on the core truth: Her friend was some kind of supernatural who’d immediately recognized a vampire the second she saw him, when her mind wasn’t being fucked with.
Aury’s chest tightened and ached, betrayal spiking hot and sharp, too fast to brace against.
“I was trying to figure out how to tell you!” Aury blurted, turning fully to Ruby. “And you’ve had this huge secret all your life that you never told me!?”
Ruby scowled at the chopsticks in her hands like she didn’t know how they’d gotten there, tossed them on a side table, and crossed her arms. “I’m an eagle,” she snapped. “And your asshole vampire just forced me to admit that to you when I don’t have permission.”
Aury’s pulse thudded in her ears. A fuckingeagle?
Ruby glared at Axel again. “If you’re lying about her being oathed, I will find a way to end you.”
“No,” Aury said quickly, swallowing the swirl of emotion that wanted to turn her whole body inside out. “I did the blood thing with him, and then tried to write about it, and couldn’t.”
The memory of the oath clicked into place — the taste of wine, the strange pull in her gut when the magic took hold. Had Ruby been oathed? She said she didn’t have permission, though. Was it different, for her?
“Okay then,” Ruby said. “First off, I’m glad I can finally talk about it. But second…” Her eyes narrowed, brow creasing. “What are you doing with a fucking vampire?”
“He’s the one who rescued me, when I was five.” Aury’s voice softened. “It’s him. I recognized him right off the bat. I still just have the dream memories, and not the real one, but he’s going to show the entire event as soon as we can work out a time to do it with Dr. Woods present.”
Ruby’s mouth drew tight, her forehead lined with concentration. “What does it mean that he can do this in front of Dr. Woods, do you think?”
“That he’s some kind of mythical creature, too,” Aury said without missing a beat, because her brain was still screamingeagle. “Wait, do you really shift into an eagle? Can I see?”
Ruby gave her a weary look. “Yeah, but not now.” She turned to Axel. “What are your intentions?”
“I fell in love with Aurélie when she was five years old. Not romantic love back then, but between two souls. I fell in love with her as a person, as a living being — so smart, so brave. I’ve kept track of her as best I could from an ocean away, and I’m the one who put the suggestion into her father’s head that he needed to get his family away from Europe and into a small-to-mid-sized city in the United States. I knew it would take her from me, but I needed her to be safe.”
“What attacked her mother?”
“Celrau. Standard protocol was to kill all humans who witnessed it and burn the house, so there’d be no fang marks in soft tissue, no way to know how much blood was missing. I found a way to save them.”
“Why did he drink from her arm instead of her neck or torso?” Ruby asked.
“She. Female Celrau. She wanted the Fae blood, but there were some homophobic thoughts in there. I didn’t delve too deeply.”
“Wait, it was a woman?” Aury asked. “I remember it being a man.”
“I’m aware, and that wasn’t my doing. She had short hair and was dressed in all black. Children aren’t used to seeing women as the enemy.”
