Absentmindedly, my hand slips into my pocket, where the envelope Silas gave me to give to Heidi still awaits. I haven't found the right moment to give it to her, but I will.
"You're focused on the wrong thing here," I tell Asher, nodding my chin at the people standing not far off from us. "Ryan's a piece of shit, and he needs to die. That's what we're out here for."
"Actually, we're out here to see if these fae are mindless idiots who've come to attack Heidi on their own, or if they were sent by a fae leader in any capacity. If Marwood sent them, I have some pretty high-up ties within the RLHNA who can take this story and bury that fucker so his allegations can be discredited and people will stop getting riled up against Heidi," Asher muses. "As for Ryan, you're going to hypnotize that fucker."
"To make him jump off the nearest cliff," I agree.
"To make him send a long, heartfelt apology to Heidi first for every single way he wronged her, followed by a reminder that she deserves much better in life. Then you can do whateverthe fuck you want to him, so long as he never comes back.Bon appétit," he adds as he continues to watch the fae work, phone at the ready.
I don't mind that plan.
"All right, guys," one of the fae in front of us finally says, still unaware that we're watching. "It's time to step back. You too, Ryan."
The fae have drawn some kind of symbol in chalk on the asphalt, placing ingredients in certain parts of the drawing. Everyone backs up, including Ryan, who scratches his ass and watches like the clueless idiot he is.
I can't fucking believe he led these guys to Heidi's place. They clearly intend to harm her, and he's deluding himself into believing otherwise.
Blood lust starts to pound in my head, making my fangs ache as I glower at the human who got the chance I would doanythingfor—the chance to adore Heidi in a committed relationship—and used it to treat her like shit instead. He held my girl, kissed her, and slept over on the weekends at her place.
He also lied to her.
Messed with her head.
Once, he texted her that she was "pretty thick"compared to other girls he's been with.
With all the bullshit Daphne put her through as a child, making her stick to strict diets and weighing her all the fucking time, I was always worried Heidi would develop a disordered eating pattern. Luckily, my ray of sunshine caught on quickly to how messed up Daphne's relationship with food was, and she focused instead on taking care of her perfect, healthy body.
Just knowing this jackass was trying to take that confidence away from her…
"I'm going to—" I start to growl, on the verge of seeing red.
Asher motions for me to stay quiet before he hits record on his camera.
"Think this'll do the trick?" one of the other fae asks, unsure. "Crane's done some impressive work here. It's annoying how good he is—I think a train could smash into these wards and not make it through."
"This spell should have enough explosive power to decimate a small town, all channeled directly at these wards. Crane's spells should absorb all of the impact and fracture at some point, and we'll be able to walk right in," the fae who appears to be in charge explains.
"What if the magic explosion is too much and it hits Heidi's house and hurts her?" Ryan frowns, reaching into his pants to scratch his crotch this time.
Nasty.
Why the hell is he itching himself so much in public, anyway? It's like he has fleas.
I'm so revolted by everything about Heidi's ex that I don't even want his blood. I want it to saturate the ground of this forest, as worthless and useless as he is to the very end.
I'm going to take my unwillingness to drink his blood to be a sign that my bloodlust is calming, even if it's ever so slightly.
The leader shrugs at Ryan's question, speaking carefully to avoid lying. "This will probably get us into her property. Do you want to talk to her, or don't you?"
"I do. I'm here to get her back."
Fuckingdelusional.
Asher holds up an arm to stop me when I unconsciously take a step forward, ready to rip Ryan apart.
Wait,he mouths.
"Good. Then step back and let us do what we were sent here to do, okay?"
