Maven’s laughter takes all of our attention at once, and my heart picks up its pace when I see the smile curving her beautiful lips. “He asked about your what now?”
Everett’s face pinkens. “It was nothing. Your shifter just doesn’t have a fucking filter.”
“I, for one, still await your answer to Baelfire’s very reasonable question,” Crypt says, patting Everett’s shoulder.
Everett slaps his hand away, growing redder. “Shutup.”
“Boo, tell me once and for all,” Bael begins. “When his popsicle pops off, is it like?—”
Everett freezes Baelfire’s mouth, huffing and adjusting his coat before he faces Maven. “Anyway, back to the topic at hand.”
“Your sperm,” I suggest, unable to resist.
The scarred elemental glares menacingly at me before turning a far softer look on our keeper. “You really want to kill Amadeus?”
Maven is still grinning about our antics, but nods. “Or whatever the closest thing to death is for him at this point. So long as his reign ends and you four are safe from him.”
She’d be safer, too,Crypt reasons through the bond, but only to me, Everett, and Baelfire.
My thoughts exactly,Everett replies.We’re nothing to the Entity. He would only hurt us to get to her. He must know she’s back now, so it’s only a matter of time before he makes a move.
If he dares try to harm her in any way, his fate is signed in blood,I chip in, irritated by the very idea of Maven’s Undead would-be father figure trying to get to her ever again.
Baelfire nods.
Our keeper looks between each of us, obviously aware that we’re communicating without her. She’s always been impressively observant, and none of us is particularly gifted at hiding our emotions the way she is, so I’m not surprised when she looks satisfied, easily deciphering our feelings on the matter.
“Good. Then let’s get another pawn on the board.”
She means the cult leader.
As much as I adore my blood blossom’s brutal practicality, I still don’t like the idea of her leaving this apartment. Whether it’s because of my far stronger newlybound urges, or because we’ve just barely started to recover from a hellish six months, I want to keep Maven spirited away here. Here, we are guarded by wards, and we can adore and tend to her to our heart’s content.
Out there…
“If any of the freaks out theredotry to hurt you, can I light them all on fire?” Baelfire checks.
“They won’t,” she says confidently, leaving the kitchen to go look for more clothes and boots in her room.
When she’s out of earshot, the rest of my quintet and I regard one another.
Baelfire shrugs. “Fuck it. If anyone makes a move toward her that we don’t like?—”
“If they even so much aslookat her in a way we don’t like,” Crypt corrects, glaring out one of the windows as his markings light up repeatedly.
“They’re dead,” Everett agrees.
I nod.
38
MAVEN
As soon aswe step outside our salt-protected apartment, I’m greeted by several dozen ghosts waiting in the hallway. Most look fresh, though some of them are slightly blurry—like the blue-haired young woman ghost who waves at me like we’re good friends as she drifts past.
She doesn’t seem in a hurry to get reaped and move on. I tried telling her my plan to see how long they’ll stick around the other day, when my quintet took off to get my heart without me. I’m not sure how much of my plan was lost in translation, but it seems like she’s been explaining the situation to the other ghosts, because none of them are particularly impatient as they haunt Everbound.
My entire quintet is dressed in regular clothes as we stroll through the hall. Although I appreciate the warmer temperature, I miss Everett’s beautiful frost patterns decorating the windows.
