Someone outside screams. My ears ring, and I groan as the cries multiply. Shrill, piercing, and sad, they’re coming from every direction.
The monster makes a pained sound, and the cabin shudders. Wings flap, massive ones, from the sound of it. Then the flapping fades until I can’t hear it over the screaming.
The screams cut off next—at least, I think they do. My ears are ringing, so it’s hard to be sure. I touch them with shaky fingers, and they come away wet with blood. My blood. Gods, I didn’t notice the smell because of the smoke.
“What thefuckwas that?” Luca moans, leaning his head against mine.
“An alarm, maybe,” Malach guesses. “To scare that thing away.”
“They could have turned it on sooner,” I grumble, glancing around at the mess.
Malach’s cot is missing a leg. Water is spilled everywhere, and the fire is nothing but embers. “We’re going to freeze to death,” I say grimly.
It’ll be me first; we all know that. The other two barely seem to notice the cold.
“We’ll figure something—” The door swings open, cutting Luca off and revealing the insufferable veydra.
“Still alive?” he asks. “Good. It would be tricky to explain why you returned to the arena with pieces missing.”
“What was that?” Luca demands.
Riven scoffs. “The basilisk doesn’t know his own neighbors? I would have thought you’d be familiar with the sounds of a hungry skarnyx.” His eyes gleam beneath their amber coating. “I looked into you, Luca Saratelli. There’s no record of your birth in the logs. It seems your parents didn’t want anyone to know about their bouncing baby snakeling.”
“Leave them out of this.” Luca shoves to his feet.
“I have no interest in them,” Riven says. “And my interest in you only extends to your impact on my ability to do my job. Since you’re linked to Celine, here we are. Tell me, have you had enough yet? Do you want to return to the Fringes? Her trouble doesn’t have to involve any of you.”
We charge him as one.
Luca is closest, but I’m fast, even with my abilities dampened. My fangs lengthen, poised to tear out the asshole’s throat. Then I bounce off an invisible barrier.
Riven grins. “I reset your security. The magic is back up and running.”
Behind us, the fire resets too, sparks coming off the logs.
I clear my throat and hold his stare. “I would rather die by Celine’s side than live without her.”
The smile melts from his face. “Death isn’t romantic, vampire. And blind loyalty rarely ages well. It’s a bit like milk in that way.”
Malach scoffs.
“Ah, the silent giant has thoughts too. Please, share them,” Riven says.
“Old milk is one of the useful products on Earth. Cheese, sour cream, butter?—”
“I get it, good gods.” Riven holds up his hand. “Let me know if you change your mind.”
“Thanks for the offer,” I purr. “If you cross that barrier you’re cowering behind, I’ll be happy to decline it more intimately.”
He tsks. “You’re as uncivilized as the skarnyx. I can’t imagine what she sees in you all.”
Luca leans against the curved wall and raises one eyebrow. “Alistair is fast and I’m pierced. I haven’t seen what Malach’s packing, but from the size of the rest of him, I doubt Celine will have any complaints there either.”
I hide my frown. We’re more than sexually compatible, and I don’t like the insinuation that we aren’t. I won’t contradict Luca, though. The cold fury in his voice and the crude comments. There’s something going on here that I don’t fully understand. He’s goading Riven to prove a point; I just don’t know what it is.
“Crass,” Riven hisses. “Typical for a basilisk.”
“Funny, because you’re boring. Even for a shuck.”
