Page 145 of House of Crimson Hearts
“While I’d love you to kiss me hello, I’m unclear where that mouth has just been. So, I’ll take the words instead and we’ll leave it there.”
“At least three pussies, his arse hole and two cocks. But who’s counting?” Xavier says.
I choke on the sip of wine I just gulped.
“So glad I deferred the kiss to later,” Octavia says.
He laughs, and then grows serious as he tugs his shirt back on. “We need to talk.”
“Sure,” Octavia shrugs and waits for him to explain.
“No… I mean… can I have a word in private?”
I frown, but Octavia nods and they disappear up to her office. I stand and watch the crowd writhing and dancing and wishing I was high on blood but recognising that is probably the last thing I should do now. The alcohol is fending off the worst of the tremors for the moment, but it’s going to be a long day and I should probably try and sleep some of it away before the tremors are so bad I can’t.
I check my watch, twenty-four hours left and counting.
We have nothing.
And with less than a day to go before the end of the trial, the only thing I have on my mind is the fear that I’ll never get the cure. I think back to the balcony and the conversation we had. The way Amelia glanced at Octavia.
A frown creeps across my forehead as I realise she never actually agreed to take it.
Chapter39
OCTAVIA
“What’s wrong?” I say as Xavier takes a seat in my office guest chair. He gestures at Frank.
“Frank, would you mind giving us a few minutes, please?”
Frank startles but then smiles at me. I think he’s warming up to me. He bows and leaves us, closing the door behind him.
Xavier leans across my coffee table and grabs a whiskey bottle, pouring both of us half a glass into the discarded tumblers. I’m not even sure they were clean, but he doesn’t seem to give any shits.
I notice then that there’s a scar on his throat where Dahlia stabbed him. “She scarred you?”
“Yes, and I haven’t forgiven her for that. You know how I feel about my appearance.”
He would be pissed with her, beyond pissed. This is the kind of thing that could cause an outright sibling war.
“What the hell was the blade made of?”
“She claims she doesn’t know, it was left for her. She found it and pocketed it.”
“And you believe her?” I ask, picking up the tumbler and taking a sip. It burns as it slides down my throat. Good vintage.
“If I didn’t, I’d have torn her throat out and placed the blade inherneck so she couldn’t recover.”
“Still pissed then.”
“Deeply. Listen. Have you figured it out?” he says and takes another gulp of his whiskey.
“No. I’ve seen what the others are thinking.”
“Tell me…”
“Gabriel had books from the library. Sadie took something from the church, possibly blood, and Dahlia snipped a lock of hair from the most beautiful women I’d seen in town.”
