“Then I won’t ever bite you again.”
“Bullshit.” Ciprian points at Luca and Celine. “If Riven drags them out of here and you and I are stuck here, you would bite me to survive, and you know it.”
“No, I wouldn’t. It would be wrong.”
“Wrong?” Ciprian tosses his hands up. “What’s wrong is you telling me you’ll starve if you don’t drink from one of us regularly. That’s fucked up, Alistair. I don’t want you to be dependent on my blood.”
“I didn’t want that either.” I avoid his angry black eyes, then force myself to keep speaking through my clenched teeth. “But I’m not upset that it’s you.”
Ciprian sucks in a breath. “What am I supposed to do with that?”
I shrug. “Whatever you want.”
Luca walks over to me and pulls my forehead down to rest against his. “Ali?”
“Yeah?”
“My emotions are activated for you too.” I laugh, even as my shoulders drop, relieved beyond belief when he erases the last of the distance between us and kisses me. “Do us all a favor and stop hiding when you’re thirsty, okay?”
I nod shortly, feeling about fifty pounds lighter than I did when I woke up. Malach and his fucking meddling. I glance at him and shake my head. “You’re a real shit starter, aren’t you?”
He’s leaning against the opposite wall, the picture of oversized comfort. A smirk crosses his lips, gone as quickly as it arrived. “No idea what you mean.”
“Sure, you don’t.”
“Imani hasn’t covered that particular slang yet.”
Celine sighs at the mention of her friend and hops off the bed, grabbing both of my hands in hers. “I don’t know what the future holds, but I promise to never pretend with you, Alistair. I never have, to be honest. Even at the beginning.”
I smile. “That’s enough for me.”
It’s more than enough, and more than I’ve ever had before all at once. Life is dangerous and unpredictable. No one can guarantee the future, but for the first time in my life, I see a path forward that I won’t have to walk alone.
Perhaps blood circles aren’t the curse everyone believes them to be.
TWENTY-TWO
Monster Realm Survival Tip #54:
Imprisonment plays tricks on the mind.
LUCA
We’re trapped in emotional boot camp.
Alistair and Celine are admitting feelings I never thought I’d be able to get them to voice out loud. I want to be thrilled, but I can’t shake the bone-deep suspicion that I won’t make it off this realm to enjoy the benefits.
It’s where I should have been born, right? This reunion between monster and monster realm was delayed by my parents’ escape, yet here I am, trapped with no reasonable option to get away again.
“Riven won’t let us go,” I say. “He’s willing to play games in the arena, but the bed, the shower—they’re treats for chained dogs. He’s keeping us docile. Double-crossing your father would be signing his own death sentence, and he doesn’t strike me as the type.”
Celine scowls. “I know that, but what choice do wehave but to play along? If I refuse to fight, he’ll take you away or worse. We can’t kick the door down and hope for a miracle.”
“He’s not as unaffected as he pretends to be,” Malach says.
Now it’s my turn to frown. “Veydra don’t feel pity or anything else.”
“Maybe not.” Malach focuses his green eyes on my face. “But he’s fascinated by Celine.” Something churns in my gut, twisting my insides until it’s hard to breathe.
