Page 73 of Heart of Iron
Straightening up, Blade sighed.“Don’t look at me with those bloody eyes.Fine.Mebbe a quick bout.Just remember, I ain’t whoever’s been givin’ you grief.”
Will kicked off his boots and stepped onto the soft carpeting, tossing his shirt over a nearby chair.Blade stripped down too, rubbing at his knuckles.Though shorter than Will by nearly a foot, he was lean and well-muscled—and dangerously quick.There wasn’t a trick he didn’t know, and no sign of the knife wound he’d taken.The craving virus had healed it completely.
“Ain’t seen much of you this week,” Blade said, drawing his fists up.
“Been busy.”
Blade stepped forward with a right hook that Will bobbed out of the way to avoid.“Who is she?You’ve never ’ad a woman as I can recall.”
“Not got one now.”He ducked a tricky combination and slammed his fist forward, under Blade’s guard.
Blade staggered back, grinding his teeth together.“Fine.Let’s just pretend you’re strung up tighter ’an a lute for no reason.Only thing as leads to that is woman trouble.”
Will ducked another right hook and stepped straight into Blade’s left fist.The punch snapped his head back, but it lacked the force it once had.Years ago, Blade’d been able to take him down to the mats at nearly every session.Now he was lucky if he could do it once a month.
Will shook his head and dodged a foot that Blade snapped toward his face.He barreled forward, his shoulder driving into Blade’s midriff and his arms wrapping around him.Both of them went down hard.
Blade locked his legs around his waist and flipped him.Will took another punch to the face and tasted blood.Kicking Blade off, he rolled to his feet and wiped his mouth.
“You’re gettin’ slower.”
Blade’s eyes narrowed and he drove a fist into Will’s side.The breath expelled from Will’s chest and he grunted, avoiding the next blow by an inch.
“Slow enough?”Blade snarled.
Will looked up, his blood boiling around his ears.“You have to stop drinkin’ her blood.”
The words fell into the suddenly silent room.
“What the ’ell do you mean by that?”Blade asked, his hands lowering.
Cursing the reckless urge that had made him blurt it out, he shook his head.“Naught.”
“Aye, you do.You know exactly what you mean.”Blade stared at the back of his hands, stretching out his fingers.“Me skin’s gettin’ darker.Me hair too.And I’m gettin’ weaker.Weak and slow.”Barking a laugh, he ran his hands through his hair.“Three years ago I’d ’ave killed to be more human.They says you ought be careful what you wish for.”Sucking in a deep breath, he admitted, “I’ve only bin takin’ enough of her blood for her not to be suspicious.The rest I drink cold, out o’ the icebox.Honoria thinks me CV levels have reached a plateau.”He looked down.“If the Echelon finds out, we’re dead.”
Will nodded.The Devil of Whitechapel’s reputation was the only thing keeping them out of the rookery.If they thought he had a weakness, they’d be on him like a pack of dogs.
“How long ’ave you known?”
“A year.Once I started beatin’ you regular-like, I began to wonder,” Will replied.
“Shit.”Blade turned around and stalked off the mats.“I bin thinkin’, maybe I oughta go back to drinkin’ normal blood for a bit, get me CV levels up.But ’ow do I tell ’er that?She’s obsessed with curin’ me.”
Will followed him, his muscles still distended.He wanted more work in the ring before Lena arrived for their lesson—if she arrived—but it was clear Blade was done with it.“The last thing I can offer is advice on women.”
Blade barked a laugh.“God’s truth.”He snatched his shirt up and tugged it over his head.Unlike Will, his skin was dry.A blue blood didn’t sweat.
“But you don’t need to worry ’bout the Echelon.You ain’t the only blue blood we got now.There’s Rip and Charlie.And me.”Will picked up his towel.
“And what’ll the Echelon see?A rogue blue blood with a mech arm, a boy strugglin’ to control his blood urges, and a beast that ought to be caged.”
It was the truth, but it still rankled.Will slung the towel over his shoulders and hung onto both ends.“Might be true.But remember you ain’t alone.They come for you and they’ve got to go through me first.”
“You won’t be here forever.”
Will stiffened.“Didn’t know I were leavin’.”
Blade gave him a knowing look.“You need more than this, Will.I think you’re just startin’ to figure that out yourself.”
