25. Addie

25

ADDIE

I t wasn't until Drago went limp beneath her that Addie realized what she'd done. By then The Thirst was sated and her orgasm had brought her some clarity. The red curtain that had dropped over her vision the moment she sank her fangs into her Protector's vein lifted and she was able to see clearly again.

She pulled her fangs free of Drago's throat and felt a sharp pain in her mouth.

"Oh!" she gasped and put a hand to her upper row of teeth. The fangs appeared to be gone and her normal canine teeth had come back. What the hell? Maybe the fangs had disappeared because they'd served their purpose?

Addie didn't know but when she looked down at her Protector, the question flew out of her mind.

Drago was just laying there, his head tilted to the side and his eyes rolled up in his head. There was a smear of blood on his exposed throat—next to it, his normally tan skin looked deathly pale.

Oh my God—he looks pale because I drank so much of his blood! How much did I take?

Addie had no idea. Everything that had happened after she sank her fangs into his throat was just a red blur. At least her throat no longer ached with dryness, but there was a salty, metallic taste in her mouth and her stomach felt too full. Again she wondered, how much of Drago's blood had she taken? How much blood could a Kindred warrior lose before he died?

"Drago?" she asked, patting his cheek. "Please, Drago—don't be dead! Please!"

There was no answer—either the big Kindred was out cold or he was dead because she had killed him by draining him. Addie couldn't bear to think that could be true.

"No," she muttered, shaking her head. "No—no, it can't be true! You're alive, Drago—you have to be alive!"

Gripping his jaw, she turned his head so she could look into his face. The big Kindred made no move to stop her. Even worse, there was no resistance in his muscles when she moved him. His head rolled loosely on his neck, like a broken toy.

A toy that I broke! Addie thought, feeling sick. Oh God, this couldn't be happening—it couldn't! She began to panic.

"Drago, please—wake up! Wake up!"

She started to feel for a pulse, but an unwelcome voice interrupted her.

"Ah—so I see you successfully Quenched your Thirst."

"What?" Addie looked around wildly and saw Ls Prissa standing beside the iron chair, smirking at her.

"I said , I see that you Quenched your Thirst—and drained your Protector at the same time. Such a shame…" She shook her head, but the look on her wrinkled face was anything but sorry. "I did try to warn him that once The Thirst takes the Queen of Night, she cannot be Quenched by only one man."

" You did this!" Addie pointed a shaking finger at her. "You ordered your horrible son to bring me here and then you made me kill the man I love! You bitch!"

The smug expression on Ls Prissa's face was exchanged for a stern look of disapproval.

"That's enough of that, young lady!" she snapped. "I had nothing to do with it—it was the will of Sheelash that brought you here. Now come here and let me see if you're pregnant with a Choosing Child!"

She gestured to the two guards accompanying her and they dragged Addie off of Drago's lap and turned her to face the Aged One.

Ls Prissa surveyed the mess all over Addie's mound and inner thighs and scowled.

"Well, I see your Protector certainly tried to impregnate you. Such a pity he didn't succeed. Never mind—it's possible that some of the seed may take once Sheelash drinks your youth." She looked thoughtful. "That's how it happened for me , you know—the seed of my male companion didn't reach the egg inside me until after she sank her fangs into me. It's one reason my son, Sambla, has pure, Sheelash White hair."

"Wait…what?" Addie looked at her uncertainly.

She was having a hard time taking any of this in now that she was sure she'd killed Drago. What did anything matter when the man she loved was dead? But a few of the weird things Ls Prissa was saying eventually sank into her tired and grieving brain.

"Did you say something about Sheelash biting you?" she asked at last.

"Naturally—how else could the Goddess of the Web drink my youth?" Ls Prissa raised her wiry gray eyebrows. "You don't think I've always been this old, do you?" she demanded. "I was young like you—just three years ago! But then I was chosen as the Queen of Night—just like you!" Reaching up, she tore the tiara off of Addie's head, pulling her hair in the process.

"Ouch!" Addie looked at her mistrustfully and rubbed her scalp. "What are you saying—that you let her bite you on purpose?"

"Of course—it was the ultimate act of devotion, giving my youth to her to let her live another year—to continue her immortality!" Ls Prissa jammed the shiny silver tiara down over her own head and glared at Addie. "Our people have been doing it for generations. Every year a new girl is chosen to be the Queen of Night and the next day she sacrifices her youth so that Sheelash may continue."

"How many generations have the Vargans been doing this?" Addie was still trying to understand.

"Too many to count," Ls Prissa snapped. "And this year, you get to take part in our sacred tradition." She gave Addie an angry smile. "I'm sure you feel young and pretty now, but you won't for long!" She cupped a hand to her ear. "Listen, I heard her coming now—once Sheelash sucks you dry the way you drained your Protector, you'll look old and withered like me for the rest of your life!"

To her horror, Addie heard it too—the sound of many light, whispery footsteps creeping across the floor. She looked around, trying to locate the source of the sound but nothing was visible…yet.

"Well, I'll leave you to it, shall I?" Ls Prissa said brightly.

"No, please don't go—don't leave me here!" Addie begged. "I never promised to give up my youth to a giant Spider Goddess. You said as soon as The Quenching was over, I could leave . And besides, I need to get Drago back to the Mother Ship—maybe they can still save him if I go right away!"

Though how she was going to manage to drive the long-range shuttle back herself, she had no idea. She could, however, call for help. Drago had insisted on teaching her how to work the long-range transmitter in case they ever got separated and she needed to call the Mother Ship.

At that moment, as they were both looking at him, Drago stirred and a low groan escaped him.

Addie's heart leaped with excitement.

"There—do you see?" she demanded. "He's alive! He can still be saved if I take him back to the Mother Ship right now!"

"You can go when The Quenching is over—not before," Ls Prissa said coldly and started to leave again.

"No, wait!" Addie grabbed for her thin arm. "The Quenching is over—my thirst is completely quenched!"

" Your thirst might be quenched but hers is not." Ls Prissa nodded to the far side of the room where something was moving in the shadows. "I'll come back for you once Sheelash has had her way with you."

Then she shook Addie's hand off her arm and swept regally out of the Room of Sighs, still wearing the glittering tiara on her head. The doors boomed shut behind her and Addie knew with a sinking heart that they weren't going to open again until something terrible happened.

She and Drago were all alone with the Spider Goddess and there was no way out—they were trapped.