She kissed beneath his jaw. “Yes.”
Good. Then timing was irrelevant and it was his job to protect her and not the other way around. “Tomorrow you’re going to rest all day, go to a fancy party at night, and then mate.” He strode toward the opulent master bath to draw her a tub full of warm water and bubbles. It was good to have made a decision.
His body rioted against him, but he could give her one more night.
Plus, she was going to need her rest.
* * * *
After her bath, Dessie climbed into the big bed and curled her body around her ill-gotten gains. She’d never stolen anything before, but she’d palmed a vial of the combined Keys and Lock blood after tests that afternoon in the lab. Could the vial of blood be considered stolen since some of it was hers?
Male voices came from the living area, and they did not sound pleased. She tuned out Garrett, his father, and the king as they argued about the Seven and the upcoming rituals.
This was absolutely insane and she was going to do it anyway.
She loved Garrett, as crazy as it seemed. If she had a chance to protect him, then she’d take it.
Not sure how much time she had, she sat up and looked at the red vial of comingled blood samples. Holding her nose, she opened her mouth and let the liquid slide down her throat. Gagging, she slapped a hand over her mouth and hunched over. Her entire body shuddered.
Don’t think about it, don’t think about it, don’t think about it.
Blood. She’d drunk blood. Her stomach heaved, and she swallowed rapidly, trying to concentrate on anything but the coppery taste in her throat. Dizziness engulfed her, and mini-explosions rocketed through her head, sparking behind her eyes. What the heck?
This was her last chance to do something worthwhile. Emma hadn’t been hopeful that the tumor would stop growing and had even predicted it’d take over Dessie’s entire brain within a week, even if Garrett managed to mark her for a short time. There was no way to acquire enough blood from Ulric to make a difference.
So why not try to end his reign of terror as her last act? She could save Garrett and his family, as well as enhanced females she’d never meet. It wasn’t a bad destiny.
The vial fell from her limp fingers, and she fell sideways, going under.
Sleep came quickly, even though she was frightened. But she didn’t dream. For the longest time, she slept off the exhaustion she’d carried around all day. Finally, just as she relaxed, the dreams started. She was back at school, planting spring flowers with a couple of the other girls. Lyrica and Tyra. Her friends. She smiled and enjoyed the sunshine with them, happy to be remembering them at last.
Then she plunged off the cliff, screaming.
This time she landed on the shore with the orange and blue moons high above. A creature shrieked in the far recesses of the jagged mountains, and the water oozed over the sand as if trying to get to her. She set her stance and tried to breathe the heavy air into her lungs. “Ulric?” she yelled, not knowing how much time the blood had been in her system.
Was it still strong enough to hurt him? Blood could traverse the worlds, when weapons could not. Or was blood the ultimate weapon? The smell of burning lemons mixed with the obnoxious sulfur scent coming from the liquid goo. She tried not to look at the spot where Yvonne had fallen in. Or rather, where she’d pushed Yvonne.
Ulric walked out from an opening cut into the rocky mountain. The orange and blue rays danced over his white hair and his face, highlighting symbols and scars she hadn’t been able to see from a distance. She counted them, trying to set them in her memory.
His smile showed elongated canines sharper than any blade. “Intended. You came to me this time.”
She forced herself to look way up into his face. This close, he was terrifying. “As your Intended, I’d like some answers.”
Something flashed in his eyes. They were an electric purple with red rims around the irises. “Answers?”
“Yes.” Her voice shook, but by the way his chest puffed out, he was enjoying her fear. Good. No reason to hide it, then. “What is your plan? Do you truly want to kill all enhanced females?”
“No.” He moved closer to her and lifted his nose into the air. “Oranges and…what is that?” He stared at her. “You smell sweet.”
Her stomach revolted, and she swallowed rapidly to keep from vomiting on the dark sand. If she was going to get him to bite her, throwing up wasn’t going to help.
“You’re either very brave or very stupid,” he said, his voice echoing off the rocks.
Her chin lifted. “I’m neither.” What was that symbol cut into his neck? She angled to the side for a better look. The form was somewhat familiar, but she couldn’t decipher the meaning. “If you don’t want to kill enhanced women, then what’s your plan?”
He studied her, curiosity tilting his lips. “Nobody has come close to me for a thousand years.”
“Sounds lonely.” She looked up at the glowing moons. “Does a sun ever come out here?”
