Siah hesitates for a second and then rolls up the sleeve of his navy blue sweater. He walks over to me and crouches down in front of where I’ve wedged myself in the corner. His pale blue eyes soften when they meet mine, and then a red sheen takes over his irises, and his left hand elongates with claws. His right arm is stretched out to me, and he moves to slash at his wrist.
“Wait,” I call out confused. “What the fuck are you doing?”
“Feeding you,” he states casually, and then he opens his wrist with a claw-tipped finger.
Blood pools at the cut, and I stare at it as nerves wake up in my stomach, and everything inside of me feels fluttery.
“I’m just going to drink straight from you?” I ask like a dense idiot. I try to ignore the fact that I can smell his blood as it drips down the side of his wrist, and it’s making my mouth fucking water.I have serious issues.
“I don’t have time to go get another canteen, and since youplayedwith that one, this is the only option.”
I lick my lips as more blood spills out of him, and before I know what I’m doing, I grab his arm and bring it closer. “I just suck on it?” I ask, and Becket snorts. I lean to the side of Siah to glare at him. “I’m not a lamia, asshole, I’ve never done this before,” I defend.
“Could have fooled me. Youdownedthat canteen, and you’re looking at his wrist like it’s fucking chocolate cake. If it quacks like a lamia…” he trails off.
I shimmy into a better position, push up the sleeves of my ratty sweater, and bring Siah’s bleeding wrist to my mouth. I look up at him, unsure. The red is gone from his eyes, and he stares intensely back at me. He gives me an encouraging nod, and I seal my mouth over the bleeding cut. Siah’s blood coats my tongue, and I’m so fucking grateful that his big body is blocking me from view, because I close my eyes and quietly moan at the taste. I swallow a mouthful of blood and suck on the wound for more. He tastes so fucking good, and my grip tightens on his muscular arm as I suck harder on his wrist.
A deep groan rumbles in the cell, and I open my eyes, worried that I’m hurting him. My concerned gaze meets blazing blue eyes, and as soon as our eyes connect, it’s like I can feel the heat in his stare seeping into me. My nipples harden and warmth pools between my thighs. I take another deep pull of his wrist, and his eyes flash with need. He leans into me, his lips slightly parted, and I can just make out a hint of fangs. I want them inside of me, drinking from me like I’m drinking from him. That thought startles me, and yet I’m not at all turned off or terrified by it.
I can feel the cut closing and the flow of blood slowly tapering off. I pull my lips from his wrist when the cut finally seals, and with my eyes still fixed on his, I twist his wrist slightly and lick at the trail of blood there. Siah closes his eyes as my tongue snakes out and connects with his skin, and I like the effect I’m having on him. Purple magic flashes on both of my arms, and I flinch back and let out a surprised squeak at its sudden appearance. I drop Siah’s arm and push back in the corner, internally yelling at my magic to calm the fuck down.
Siah watches the flashes move up and down my exposed skin from wrist to elbow, and he reaches out a finger and strokes a streak of purple magic. It jumps from me to him, and another deep growl I can feel in my clit rumbles out of him. I scramble to get up and break the trance we both seem to be locked in. My eyes land on Sorik, and he’s beaming at me. I give him an awkward half smile, and then my view of him is blocked when Siah, the hulking lamia, also stands up.
Siah steps toward me, the look on his face primal, and I try not to think about his hard body as it presses into mine. I put my hands on his chest and take a deep fortifying breath. Sabin was right; he’s definitely Chosen. I look up into his light blue eyes and pull forward the fading tendrils of unease that taint this knowledge.
“Why the show when you brought me here?” I ask, needing his words to cement my suspicions.
“I’ll explain everything in detail when we have more time, but from the second that Adriel had your uncle, he knew it would only be a matter of time before he could lure you out. He was hunting you harder than ever, and Sorik and I knew if we didn’t get to you first and get you away, you wouldn’t have a chance against him. Adriel instructed that any lamia taken ask to only speak to you, and if they were given the chance, to convince you that they could help you free your uncle. So when I saw the paladin watching a group of hunters, I knew he was my best chance at getting to you before any other lamia could.” Siah shakes his head and his gaze becomes beseeching.
“I wasn’t going to take you to him,” he tells me, his tone haunted with a hint of pleading. “But I tasted your magic, and all I could think about was how you could finally end this for us,” Siah explains, and he gestures toward Sorik and then to the door, his words and actions seeming to encompass the lamia he mentioned that didn’t want to live under Adriel’s reign anymore. “Your protectors had a plan that I thought would work, and I meant it when I said I would help from the inside, but I couldn’t tell you about everything with Adriel and risk that he’d see when he drank from you. Your shock and betrayal had to read authentic, or Adriel would see the rest of the plan coming.”
I take in the desperation pouring out of Siah’s gaze and countenance. I’m not sure if he’s desperate for me to understand and believe him or for all of this with Adriel to just be over. Maybe it’s all of it. A streak of purple magic flashes on my forearm and then blinks away. I stare at the ghost of my magic and let its presence mingle with Siah’s explanation.
“I didn’t know…” he trails off and gestures between us.
“Okay,” I tell him as I fix my eyes back on his. “Okay,” I repeat, the word filled with acceptance and pardon.
“Vinna, you and I—” he starts, but I cut him off.
“I know,” I confess. “But not here, okay? Just wait until this is over, and we’ll figure it out,” I beg, knowing that this is not the time or place to dive into that discussion.
Siah’s hungry eyes bounce back and forth between mine, and then he steps back with a nod. I move past him, ignoring how my body lights up as it skims his, and roll my eyes when Sorik moves to hug Siah. His smile lights up his whole face, and he pats Siah’s back hard and tells him something I can’t hear. Becket gives me a questioning look, and I shrug, not wanting to have to explain that Siah is mate number seven. I’m not nearly as freaked out by this fact as I was when I accidentally marked the first five or realized what Torrez was to me. Maybe it’s because the guys already saw it coming and seemed to be fine with it. Or maybe Knox is just rubbing off on me, and I’m getting better at rolling with the punches. Whatever the reason, I welcome the sense of peace that runs through me.
“Okay, well now that we’ve recharged the Sentinel’s batteries, can I ask what the plan is?” Becket inquires, and Sorik turns to us.
“Yes, the plan is to get the both of you out of here. Adriel isalmostfinished—”
“Finishedhealing,” a voice announces, and all of our heads snap in the direction of the door. The lamia that I stabbed through the neck with a pool cue takes a step into the dim light of the cell, and I can just make out more lamia behind him. “Our Sire is ready to speak with his pet again. I’m sure he’ll be very interested to hear more about what you two traitors are doing down here.”
I debate for a second if we fight to get out of this but quickly decide against it. We’re cornered and outnumbered. Even if we can ash every lamia standing behind this fucker, there’s no guarantee we could make it out of the nest or get to Adriel to kill him. Better to go quietly, call on my runes when they take us to Adriel, and wait for backup. I can feel the tension radiating off everyone in the cell, and behind my back, I send a hand signal to wait that I hope they catch.
“Lead the way, then,” I tell the lamia I tried to kill, and he sneers at me.
Fast as lightning, he grabs me by the collar and yanks me toward him. I also grab at the collar for purchase and try to get my feet under me as I’m dragged out of the cell and down the hallway. Lachlan is once again being carried in front of me, but he looks even worse. I don’t know if they’re still torturing him or if this is the physical manifestation of his grief over losing his mate, but he looks like he’s going to die at any minute. I can’t turn to see if Becket, Siah, and Sorik are right behind me, but there’s an occasional grunt as one of them gets hit and told to move faster.
The tall black doors I wish I would never see again are opened, and I’m once again brought into the polished, black stone room. It’s like deja vu from fucking hell because Adriel is once again perched on his throne as Lachlan and I are thrown at his feet. Becket stumbles forward after clearly being pushed, and when he gets his feet under him, he reaches down and helps me up. I activate the runes on my ring finger and try not to wince from the pain. Lachlan is staring dead-eyed at nothing, so I just leave him to whatever world he’s found in his head that keeps him far away from what’s happening here.
“What’s going on?” Adriel demands when Sorik and Siah are pushed forward to join Becket and me.
