Page 28 of Blood Lord

"You don't know they'll survive-"

He waves a hand. "Some will survive it, and Brinda thought it was a good idea. It'll strengthen our powers and our numbers. I doubt the humans will find us more repulsive than the dark elves."

"Yes, well-"

"Have you tasted them, too?" He presses. "I know you were around when we used to have them underground. You are from the beginning of our time down there, so you remember what it was like to have the walking blood bags, but still. Have you tasted them again after all these years? Have you missed having the humans down there?"

The scout keeps creeping closer, and I roll my eyes, starting off toward the portal, and he trails after me. "I have much to do, and if the Council wants arealreport, I need to be left to my own methods."

I'm trying to get him the hell out of here because he was getting too close to the tree where Selene was hidden. After all the talk about draining humans, I can't believe that he wouldn't jump on her before I could stop him.

And he won't stop running his damn mouth. There's so much I've kept from Selene—how the vrakken treat humans, how we drained all the ones underground, what I'm doing up here, even my past a little—and he's revealing it all to her.

I just have to pray to Alkedama that her human hearing can't pick up on any of it. I know I have to explain it all to her sooner or later, but she doesn't need to find out like this.

I dodge his questions as I hurry him away, not wanting to incriminate myself any farther, and I hope that Selene actually listens to me this time and doesn't move even as I walk away. I'm wary of being too close to this scout out of fear of hearing my heart pounding so violently.

We make it up to the top of the hill and I feel the magic exuding from the portal. He starts toward it before turning around and looking at me. "You only have a few days before Brinda comes after you herself. I would hasten your methods if I were you."

I don't dare let any emotion play across my face. I just stare at him until he turns around and with two long strides, he disappears between the trees.

I let out the breath I had been holding, and relief rushes through me. I don't take a second to wait, though, as I turn around and start back toward Selene's hiding spot.

Strategically, I slip out of sight from the portal in case he does come back, and my guard is up again. I will know the second he slips back through, and I highly suspect that, as a scout, he isn't actually gone. If he knows what's good for him, he will be but I'm not sure.

He kind of gave me the impression that he's an idiot, smarting off to an Elder. I know I'm known for not really caring or even noticing when others treat me that way. But that was a little too cocky even for my taste.

I feel confident enough as I approach the beach that I start to jog, slipping around the trees to where I hid Selene. "Selene," I say, and then I stop, my heart stilling in my chest.

Ice shoots through my veins, and I start to tremble. Panic burns at the back of my throat, and I think that for a moment, my terror is so intense that I just might be sick.

Because I am staring at the spot in the tree where I took Selene away. As I turned around the tree trunk, I expected her to still be sitting there, waiting for me just as I had told her.

Maybe she heard the conversation between the scout and I or maybe her scent attracted other creatures when I had practically pushed him through the portal, I don't know. All I know is my mouth is coated with a rich tang that makes me want to scream and dry heave at the same time.

And it only gets worse as I stare at the hollowed out space of the tree.

That is now empty.

16

Selene

I'm running so fast that I don't even know what is tearing at me. It could be the wind or the tree roots or the limbs. All I know is my skin stings, and my vision blurs from the tears streaking down my face.

I try to stifle my heaving breaths. I'm sure there's nothing I can do to cover my scent or footsteps from Raziel, but I won't just be sitting prey for him. He clearly didn't think of where he hid me because I heard every word of that conversation.

A sob rips through my chest. I can't believe all that he hid from me. I understood that he didn't eat, and while it seemed terrifying at first, after experiencing it, I couldn't see any problems with it. But to drain humans? To Change them into what he is knowing it might kill them?

Is that what he was waiting to do with me? Feed off of me until I outgrew my use and then see if I could survive such a Change? How many times had I fallen asleep next to him thinking he was going to keep me safe?

My jaw drops open when I think of Aaron. Did Raziel kill him because he cared about me or because he saw someone about to take his meal? Another sob breaks free of me, and I push myself harder even as my breath saws at my side.

I have to get away from that monster.

I was so stupid for everything. I thought Raziel was my guardian angel with his beautiful wings and the way he protected me. On Protheka, I should have known better. Everything beautiful here is deadly.

The vrakken are no different.

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