Page 29 of Bloody Bargain
What really was the harm in drinking a little blood?
Reed’s voice filled my head with facts about norovirus, hepatitis, and hemochromatosis, to name just a few. That last one was the most likely, considering how much iron was still in D’abel’s system. Nevermind bloodborne infections and bacterial growth. It made me sick to think about.
But when I thought of that single drop on D’abel’s fingertip specifically, the nausea disappeared, replaced by a low, simmering heat. I swallowed hard.
“I guess it’s a little clearer now, but it doesn’t change anything. You told me at the anchor that you’d give me information, but you haven’t given me anything yet. Why would I exchange blood with you if you aren’t giving me what we agreed to?”
D’abel’s scales shivered, making a noise like a rattlesnake.
“It is information that you will not need any longer when we–”
“If you finish that sentence with anything at all having to do with blood, I will stab you with my fork.”
D’abel snapped his mouth shut, the tip of his tail tapping my ankle with aggravation.
I crossed my arms, taking a step away. I wasrightto be cautious. The b’adruokh had been luring me with information and letting the topic slip away on purpose. Information was leverage, and the longer he strung me along, the longer I would need him, the more likely he was to gain strength.
“Fuck this,” I snapped, heading towards the stairs.
“No!”
D’abel grabbed me around the waist and drew me back against his chest. I struggled, but he was so much larger than me, there was no chance of getting the upper hand. He leaned into my ear, arms banded over my chest so tight that it was hard to breathe.
“Let me go!”
“Fiends are not born,” he panted, struggling to keep his hold on me as I went limp in an attempt to slip out from beneath his arms. “They manifest in mass decay. Bogs, carcasses, rotted logs, infected farmlands…”
I stomped on D’abel’s tail where I’d stabbed it at the anchor and he let me go with a wince. We squared off against each other across the kitchen, catching our breath. He held up his palms to stop me from leaving, guarding the hallway at his back. He was a straight lunge from the backdoor too. I’d let him spin me off towards the stove like an idiot.
“They are jealous of birth. If they can kill it and emulate it, they will. If you carry an egg or a young sprout, they will stare at it or smash it. It is their strongest compulsion.”
My blood ran cold, thinking of the night my world changed on a train platform in Boston. I pushed the memories way down as the old wounds around my head ached and stung.
“More,” I croaked.
“If you set a flame to their foods, they will melt into tar.”
My brow creased as my breath suspended in my lungs. D’abel eased slightly out of his ready stance, palm still outstretched. Unexpected tears lined my lower lashes.
“Are you saying that if I wave a lighter under an apple, I could eat it?”
D’abel softened, breathing again.
“Yes,myn chalis.You could.”
I put my hands on my hips and looked up at the ceiling to keep the sob from escaping my lungs. My soul was starved, my stomach packed with styrofoam. Avoiding real food had eaten away at my health to the point where I barely tasted things anymore. It might not have affected me so much if I’d had people to lean on, but I’d been alone with no way to comfort my soul other than to watch people eat their hot orders at the pub.
D’abel eased towards me, one slow step at a time. His tail came to me first, coiling around my ankle with a gentle squeeze. I ignored it, looking up at the ceiling and counting tiles to keep the tears at bay.
“One day, when you trust me,” D’abel began in a low, soothing rattle, “I will be your eyes. And when we complete each other, you will see the lumps of tar they offer for yourself. You will never doubt your blade again. Your blood protects me, yes, but mine will protect you also.”
I swallowed hard, rubbing a hand over my face. “Fine.”
“Fine?”
“You… do whatever you need to for food,” I said and stepped out of his tail’s hold with careful purpose. “I need to sleep. I can’t process any more. Then we can talk about that fiend at the corner store. I’ll test what you said, and if it works–”
D’abel’s four pupils dilated as he waited with bated breath for me to finish that thought.
