Chapter 13

‘She actually took control of his corpse?' Shaw asks, his words distant as they seep into my barely conscious mind.

I'm vaguely aware of something stroking my face. Something soft, warm and wet. When I hear water sloshing, I know he's washing my face, running a cloth delicately around my nose and mouth.

‘She did, yeah,' Archie replies. ‘The guy was headless and stumbling about, but she got him to do what she wanted. Snapped a man's neck. I was impressed. She was completely freaked out, watching it with complete horror and screaming, but it was fucking impressive to watch. I don't think she even intended to make it happen.'

‘And she did more blood boiling?' Dorian asks.

‘Yep.'

‘She's strong,' Dorian says. ‘Stronger than she should be, considering she's only just done the Rite and found that Kindred. Shaw… she should be in the cells.'

‘As soon as she's conscious, she'll need blood,' Shaw says, thankfully ignoring him. ‘Her throat is swollen from where she was strangled. Hopefully, she'll be able to swallow. Without our blood, these injuries will take weeks to heal.'

‘The cells,' Dorian continues. ‘She's too powerful to be left unsupervised. And she tapped into Archie's blood for magic. She could have killed him.'

‘She only did it to save my life, Dorian,' Archie argues. ‘I'd be dead if it weren't for her coming back for me. And she didn't have to. I told her to run.'

‘Then she's manipulative as well as powerful,' Dorian retorts. ‘She knows she can't run away from us, so she wants to win us over. Wouldn't surprise me if she organised for those men to attack in the first place.'

Prick!

‘I don't think so, Dorian,' Archie scoffs. ‘Look at the state of her. An arrow in the side. A broken face. A swollen throat.'

‘She used your blood for magic!' Dorian argues. ‘Now she knows she can, what's to stop her doing it again?'

‘She can only use it in my wolf form. Not human form. And I let her use it because the alternative was extremely irreversible death, Dorian.'

‘She's got a taste for our blood. She'll never be able to resist. They never could, which is fine. It's expected. But I don't…' He grunts in frustration. ‘I don't want you getting attached to her.'

‘She's not like the others were. She's… different.'

‘You let her fuck you. And now you're pussy whipped by yet another blood bitch. Just as you were before, and do you remember how that worked out for you?'

‘I think you'll find I fucked her. Not the other way around,' Archie bites back, anger piercing his words. Unusual for him. ‘And fuck you for bringing up that bitch to me. I'm not the only one with a history of manipulative blood bitches, Dorian. At least I don't have an army of shadows haunting me because of my mistakes.'

Dorian shifts. I hear Archie move too.

‘If you two are going to fight, take it outside,' Shaw states firmly. ‘She saved Archie's life, risking hers in the process. I'm not locking her up for that, Dorian.'

I try to move. I attempt to speak. Gods below, I'm in so much pain. I need their blood. If I could, I would scream for it. As Shaw wipes my face clean, it feels like being slowly punched in the face. I must be bruised to shit. I want him to stop, but I'm locked inside my body.

‘You were supposed to be watching her, Archie,' Dorian argues. ‘Clearly, neither of you can be trusted.'

‘Oh,' Archie chuckles angrily. ‘I watched her. Watched her ride my cock.'

Dorian growls a low and deep grumble that sounds like a dozen beasts stirring from the bottomless pits of hell. Even the air gets colder.

‘Oh. That's the truth, isn't it?' Archie jeers. ‘You're just pissed that I fucked her first.'

‘I don't want some scarred-up little virgin blood cunt.'

I'm shocked as I hear a fist strike flesh.

‘You little shit!' Dorian growls. ‘You hit me to defend that?'

‘Stop it. The pair of you,' Shaw sighs tiredly. ‘We all knew it was a matter of time before one of us had her. It's in our natures to be drawn to each other.' His words are utterly dismissive, as if the fact that I was to be fucked by at least one of them was a certainty.

I guess it was… but still…

‘She healed the fawn we left for her?' Shaw continues. ‘You certain?'

‘Yes,' Archie replies. ‘She was tempted by the blood. I saw her rest her hand over it for a minute, so she felt its power, but she channelled the earth magic instead and healed it. See?' he accuses. ‘What blood witch have you ever met that has been able to resist the blood of a fawn? There hasn't been one. She resisted, Dorian. She chose to heal it. Chose to drain her own energy to help it. I have never seen a blood witch do that, nor have you. But she did. And she used my blood. Mine. She could have killed me and taken that power, but she didn't. She saved me and freed herself from the blood link as soon as possible. She is not your average blood bitch. She's earth witch too. She is different, so quit trying to distance yourself from her because we all know that we're drawn to blood witches like moths to a flame, and if we can actually have one that's not evil incarnate, I'd like to give it a go and see what happens.'

‘You want to date the blood witch?' Dorian scoffs.

‘I want to fucking feel again, Dorian. And I do. I do with her, and so will you.'

‘I will never trust another blood witch. We may be mated to the bitches, but I don't have to be a slave to primal needs placed on me by fate.'

‘Then carry on being a dick to her. You're the one missing out.'

I groan. Compared to the rage inside me at their tricks and words, a groan is a pathetic response. But it's all I'm capable of.

‘You awake, Pixie?' Shaw asks, sweeping my hair from my face.

I reach up and take his hand.

Bringing his wrist to my mouth, I bite. I don't bother to ask or allow myself to feel shame or disgust. I need to heal as quickly as possible.

Shaw doesn't pull away as I start to drink from him. I swallow mouthful after mouthful, pulling my knees up as I get a hit of that euphoric connection.

Heal. I need to heal.

Then, I'll be able to think and form actual words. I hate being even more defenceless than usual around them. I know I couldn't fight them off if I really had to. But anything is better than lying here in agony, unable even to sit as they talk about me.

‘There it is. She's a blood bitch like any other.' Dorian sounds as if he's proven his point. As if he's won the argument.

I don't give a shit. I need strength, and this is how I get it.

I look up at Shaw, his blurred image becoming solid and defined the more I drink. There's a snap as a broken bone in my nose pops back into place. I let go to let out a cry of pain, and he pulls his hand away.

‘Better?' he asks, scanning my face. ‘Cuts are healing. Bruises are fading.' He lifts my shirt. ‘And the wound is closing from the arrow.'

‘You saved Archie. Why?' Dorian demands, stepping towards the bed and glaring at me accusingly. ‘You could have left him for dead. Why didn't you? Doesn't make sense.'

I sit myself up, wiping the blood from my mouth, and look up at him.

‘I'll be sure not to repeat the mistake if I ever find myself in the same position with you,' I reply. ‘Blood bastard.' His eye twitches at my insult. Fuck him. He keeps calling me a blood bitch. See how he likes it.

Archie is standing at the corner of the bed with his arm heavily bandaged.

‘You slashed that fawn?' I accuse. ‘And left it there for me to find?'

Archie picks at the bandage and shrugs. ‘Needed to see if you would be tempted. Don't worry. You passed.'

‘You tortured a baby animal as a test?' I look between them, utterly disgusted. ‘Did you even go to the village, or were you all watching me walk through the woods?'

‘We went to your village.' Shaw lifts my face, inspecting it closely. ‘How's your pain?'

‘Eyes…'

‘What?'

‘The earth witch that attacked. He said I took my coven leader's eyes. That I dug him up and carved them out yesterday, is that true? Did someone do that?'

No one says a word, and the tension is thick in the room.

‘Taking body parts. That's blood magic.' Even uneducated, I know that.

‘Are you confessing?' Dorian asks dryly.

‘Oh yeah. I snuck out and stole some eyes for magic I have no interest in doing.' I look at Shaw, quickly growing tired of Dorian's shitty attitude. ‘Is there someone out there taking eyes? Another blood witch?' The idea fills me with dread. I've grown up being told how dangerous they are. How evil. The idea of one being out there… other than me… is terrifying.

'Why did you heal the fawn?' Shaw asks. ‘Instead of using it for power?'

‘Because I won't be a monster.' I pull the blanket higher around my neck. ‘Like you three, using my blood to make you stronger.' I look out the window and see the sun has long set. ‘How long was I out?'

‘The day,' Archie replies.

‘You said they would come,' I sigh. ‘How did my coven know I was here? Did you tell them when you went to the village?'

‘It's possible they were after Archie,' Shaw replies. ‘They probably saw him in his wolf form and tracked him down for revenge against the attack.'

‘This never would have happened if you weren't so distracted getting your dick wet,' Dorian grunts, side-eyeing Archie. ‘Or acting like an idiot and running around as a giant wolf.'

Archie starts mocking Dorian by mimicking his talking and rolling his eyes.

Considering they're immortal warriors, they're incredibly childish.

‘I need you to do something for me,' Shaw says, guiding my face to him and away from the other two.

‘What?'

‘Talk to the man you killed in the woods and ask who sent him.'

'We know who sent him. My coven. They were the ones who attacked.'

'We need to be sure.'

'I'm sure.'

'Well, I'm telling you, that's what I need. So you'll do it. Understood?'

I watch him. His face is unreadable as it meets my gaze.

'You just want to see if I can,' I realise. ‘Test my power.'

He replies with a slow blink.

‘Which man?' I sigh, knowing I have no choice. 'I think I killed a couple.'

‘This one's blood boiled inside his body.'

‘You know the more I use blood magic, the less of me there will be.'

‘We know. But it takes a few years to reach that point. And we need to be sure if they were after Archie or you.'

‘What do I get in return?'

He can't help but smile at my audacity.

‘You get to stay out of our cells,' Dorian interrupts.

‘Three questions,' Shaw replies, cutting him off. ‘At least one answer.'

I get to my feet and sway a little. Shaw reaches for me, but it's Dorian who grabs my elbow to steady me. An action that seems to take him by surprise even more so than me. He swiftly removes it and steps back.

Shaw stands and faces me.

‘Ask away.'

‘What happened at the village today?' This is my first question. ‘What did Dorian mean about "We may be mated to the bitches, but I don't have to be a slave to primal needs placed on me by fate"?' Is my second.

That one gets Dorian an angry stare from Shaw before he refocuses on me.

‘Third question?'

‘Who was the attractive male that saved me in the forest?' I ask

‘Attractive male?' Shaw repeats.

‘My three questions.'

Shaw collects his discarded coat from the bottom of the bed and puts it on me, guiding my arms through the sleeves and smoothing my hair from beneath the collar.

‘The village is rebuilding itself after the attack,' he says. My heart races as he answers, and I find myself desperate for information. ‘They were extremely cagey about our appearance. They were prepared to fight us with hidden weapons. No doubt they thought we were there because word got out about you. They put on a good show for our benefit, making it look like nothing was wrong. That the Rite went off without a hitch. The last thing they will want is us poking around, so they were very polite and helpful.' He fiddles with my collar. ‘Cole is still alive, Pixie,' he adds. My insides boil with hate. Shaw's hands run down my shoulders. ‘He's been made Coven Leader to replace his father, just as expected. He told some bullshit story of a sickness that wiped out some of their numbers. His father included.'

My teeth grind so hard I think they'll break.

I boiled his blood. He should be fucking dead. I wish he were dead. Worse. I wish he were rolling around in agony for all eternity.

‘Do they know I'm alive?'

‘Dorian asked where the little mud witch from the pub was,' Shaw replies, briefly glancing in Dorian's direction. ‘Cole replied that you were unwell and recovering from the same sickness. We reminded him of the laws.' Shaw takes my hand and looks at the scar from the mysterious Rite. He's removed my bracelet. ‘That females are not to be conditioned and given a trigger.'

‘Didn't that make him suspicious? Why would you suddenly ask or care about that?' I reply.

‘He was suspicious.' He laughs. ‘And when I told him I thoroughly enjoyed the sound you make when I sink my teeth into you, how you purr when I tasted what's between your legs, his head looked ready to explode.'

Archie laughs.

‘You… you told him I was alive? You told him I was here?' I stammer, the world spinning around me. ‘I have to sit.'

‘You are sitting.'

‘Why would you tell him that?'

‘I'm not scared of some little mud witches,' he dismisses. ‘And Cole's misery brings me endless joy. Little prick. He's at home right now thinking of all the things I'm putting you through, knowing there's nothing he can do to stop me. It will be driving him mad.'

‘You told him I'm alive and that I'm here… to piss him off?'

‘You took his Grimoire for the same reasons. Besides. He deserves to be afraid. To know you still live and that we have you. He didn't know if he should beg for mercy or run for the hills.' He can't stop laughing.

‘Are you stupid?' His eye twitches at my insult, but my rage is too powerful. ‘He doesn't care that you have me. He only cares that I'm still alive. That I have his fucking Grimoire. He'll come for us both. The whole coven will come for us!'

‘They wouldn't dare.'

‘They already did dare, you fucking idiot!'

His eyes narrow, and I know I've over stepped. But I can't believe he would go out of his way to put me in danger like this, and for what reason? Some petty grievance he has with Cole? I could die for that pathetic reason?

‘Tone, Pixie.'

‘They may have been looking for the wolf, but they dared come here to look for it. They dared to attack. They'll come back for me. I never should have taken the Grimoire.' My throat feels like it's closing. ‘Do you have any idea what they do to witches who refuse the Rite? What they do to runaways? To blood witches?' I clutch my chest as the room spins. His hand rests on my shoulder, but I shrug it off. ‘They cut us until we bleed out, Shaw. Over and over. Slice after slice. Then, when we're on the brink of death, they put us in the coven's fire, and we burn. We burn forever, the fire consuming our magic, body and soul as fuel for magic. Magic they syphon for themselves. It's a death that lasts for decades. Agony beyond measure.' I shove him away and gasp in panic, my chest unbearably tight. ‘They thought me dead. Why didn't you let them carry on thinking I was dead?'

‘You were the one who asked to stand at my side when he gets sworn in,' Shaw reminds me. ‘You wanted to show him how amazing you were doing and-'

‘That was when I thought he was dead!' I panic. ‘I didn't actually mean it!'

My wheezing echoes around the room, and when the edges of my vision blur, I fall to my knees.

‘What's wrong with her?' Dorian asks, grabbing my arm as I go down. ‘Is she not healing or something?' He looks between Archie and Shaw, panic in his eyes. ‘What's wrong with her?!'

‘She's having a panic attack, Dorian,' Shaw replies. ‘Help me get her under the bed.'

I'm guided underneath, gently manoeuvred into position by all three as I hyperventilate.

To where it's calm. Where it's quiet.

Where it's safe.

I sink into the many blankets and pillows left under here for me, clutching them tightly as I curl up small.

A hand settles on my head. When I look up, Shaw is lying under the bed on his stomach.

‘You will not end up in the fire.'

No words come out. I can hardly breathe, let alone speak.

He slides closer, his gaze boring into mine.

‘You will not end up in the fire, Pixie,' he repeats firmly. His words are a solid promise. A guarantee. ‘Do you hear me? I vow to you we will not allow it.' He raises his brow, waiting for me to acknowledge and accept his promise.

I nod, unsure if I do, or if I just want him to think I do.

‘Where's… where's my snake?' I ask, past the panicked breathing.

I'd feel so much better if she was here.

‘We haven't seen her,' he replies. ‘But she's a familiar. She'll come back to you soon.'

‘What Dorian said about-'

‘Those are your questions answered for today,' he cuts in. ‘You're safe. That's all that matters. Focus on your breathing.'

He slides back out of the bed, but my hand grabs his wrist. He looks from that to me.

‘You want me to stay under here with you?'

I nod. I do. I don't want to be alone.

He slides in beside me. I bury my face in his side and close my eyes.

‘You're perfectly safe, Pixie,' he says. ‘Just breathe.'

‘Look me in the eye and tell me that seeing her like this doesn't bother you,' Archie says quietly to Dorian. ‘Because it bothers me.'

‘It fucking bothers me, okay!' he snaps back. ‘Happy?!'

‘A little.'

Archie shuffles in behind me. His arm hooks around my middle, and he settles into my back. I hold him tight, keeping him close.

Dorian sits on the bed with a heavy sigh.

‘This would be a lot easier if she were an evil little cunt,' he grunts.