The guys quietly laughed, and I explained what wouldhappen.
“We will do this in theforest—”
“The forest? Are you crazy? The Carpe Noctem is out there!” Michanexclaimed.
“Shh,” Liam and Ethan hushed Michan inunison.
“The Carpe Noctem has their ransom bargaining chip. They have Klyn and will not do anything until the seven days are up. They will give Queen Octavia the chance to deliver their demands,” I reassuredthem.
“That makes reasonable sense,” Ethanagreed.
“Okay, so as you were saying?” Liamdelved.
“We will do this in the forest. I will tie each of you up to a tree. This is for your own safety and for each other. Once my venom moves through you and completely takes over, you will be strong enough to break free from the rope. You are to stay together until each of you has broken the rope. Do not break someone else’s rope to speed the transformation up. You are not helping by doing that. Speeding it up means that you are meddling in the process, which means that you might harm one another. Let each other break free of their rope alone. Do you eachunderstand?”
They all nodded and confirmed that they understood. We stopped in the stable on the way out to the forest and I collected some rope. I explained the process again and reiterated that they were to wait for oneanother.
“How long do you think it will be before we get out of the rope?” Michanasked.
Michan, Sean, and Ethan all watched on as I tied Liam to a tree trunk. I purposely tied Liam first. He was the oldest of the three and somewhat of a leader for them. I anticipated that he would break free first and could help keep the otherscalm.
“I expect that all four of you will be out of the rope by tomorrow late day. But listen, even if you all are out by midday, do not begin making the journey to catch up with us until the start of a freshday.”
“How will we find you?” Ethanasked.
“That is why it is very important for you to not start until sun up the day after tomorrow. Take the bridge over the creek into the woods. Follow the creek north. At sundown, make camp. At sun up, continue north. You will reach Wester Lea by mid-day. There is a pub called Fallask. The Queen and I will wait for you at thislocation.”
“Got it,” Ethanconfirmed.
Each of the others also confirmed the directions. Michan asked if there was anything else they needed to know or be concerned about for the travel. I reminded them to pack canteens and enough food to last them until WesterLea.
“Ready,Liam?”
“Yes, I am ready. Make me immortal,River.”
I nodded and put my hand over his forehead. I explained that I was doing that so he would not hurt himself if he tried to move. The rope would hold each of them securely, but I needed to restrain their heads to protectthem.
I quickly pierced Liam’s skin and sunk my teeth into the vein as fast as possible. After all, I did not want them to feel much pain. Liam didn’t resist or squirm as much as I thought he would. Thankfully, I had never craved blood like the Carpe Noctem did. I do not know if it was because I am a hybrid, or if it is simply because I am not a killer. When I had taken enough to begin the turning process, I looked in hiseyes.
“Alright,Liam?”
“Yeah, I thinkso.”
“I am going to wrap this fabric around your neck to catch any blood that may still seep,” I told him as I wrapped it loosely around his neck and then pressed lightly over the puncturemarks.
I moved onto Michan next; he had not squirmed much either. Then onto Ethan. Ethan resisted a bit more than I had expected. Sean had the potential to be the most combative, I anticipated. I had to readjust my grip on his forehead more than once to keep himstill.
“It is all done, Sean,” I comforted and guided his head to rest against the treetrunk.
Each were resting against the trees, facing one another. I stayed outside with them and removed the fabric from their necks. None of them bled anymore. By the time the sky was starting to lighten, Liam and Michan’s arms were already starting to flex to test the rope and their strength. I knew mid-day would be the earliest that they would be able to break free. By then, my venom will be done converting them, and they will be more relaxed when they get out of therope.
I hurried to the castle to retrieve four bread rolls, a canteen of water, and returned to the guys. I gave each of them water and held the bread roll while they took bites from it andchewed.
“Alright, guys, I need to get going. The Queen will be ready soon. Remember, start at sun up, follow the creek north until sundown. Make camp, then continue following the creek north at sun up. Meet us at the pub in Wester Lea calledFallask.”
“Will do, River,” Liamsaid.
“Take care of the Queen,” Ethan calledout.
I promised them that I would, and we would see them in a few days. The Queen and I would be taking a slightly differentroute.
