But then, so are blood balls. They are what they sound like. Vampires bring their dates, dress up, do courtly vampire things, and feed while they do it. I believe they have blood addicts cavorting about in the place of thebitten, but that could be a rumor.
What’s always been clear is that it’s a sex thing.
I deliberately do not look at Winter.
“What about you?” Savi demands, her gaze shifting to Ty—to get the attention off her, I have to think. “Do werewolves also have a blood ball?”
“We party and we fuck a lot,” Ty drawls. “If that’s what you mean.”
“I want to clarify this for my own understanding,” Savi belts out, and she’s actually getting louder. Blood balls or no blood balls, she’s not doing okay. I feel like we should all be paying closer attention to this. “All this time, Vinca’s minions have clearly been assembling up there. Yet no one thought that it was worth paying attention to, even in the face of our theories about the potential Three Sisters sacrifice. About the potential for exactly something like this to happen?”
“I guess the entire world is on your shoulders, babe,” Ty tells her in a drawl that sounds friendly but is not. “What a burden. If only you had magical powers at your fingertips and the ability to do whatever the fuck you want so you could watch the goddamn lake yourself.”
Savi looks pale. And furious. “I apologize that I thought my efforts to comb through treacherous archives from forgotten civilizations was where I should focus my attention. I assumed we were all playing to our strengths.”
That’s skating perilously close to her suggesting that she’s the brains and Ty’s the brawn, and nothing about that can end well.
“Ty was also involved in a small revolution on solstice night,” I tell her before everyone loses their shit. “Just to put things into perspective.” When they all look at me—including Ty, who scowls—I smile. “You’relooking at the king of the werewolves. Notaking.Theking. The high king, if you will.”
Ariel studies Ty for a moment, and I feel like I canseestrategies whirl around him like a vampire’s cloud of smoke. Then he inclines his head. “I will confess that I have always considered youtheking. The others ceased to matter too long ago.”
Ty might not like hearing that, I can see, but it also confirms his decision.
“I’m happy for your promotion,” Savi bites out. She does not look happy, but I’m sure she will be once she has time to reflect. That time is clearly not now. “I think we have to assume that the minions did a little more than simply blow things up at Crater Lake. We should operate as if Winter’s visions are inviolable facts until proven otherwise.”
Winter nods her head. “It’s what we talked about before. There’s clearly a vessel. But who?”
“Thewhowill be very important,” Ariel says then. “Generally speaking, vessels are meant to be temporary. If Vinca is clever, and I am afraid she is, she will have found one who cannot be broken. Or found until it is too late.”
“We have to watch the lake closely,” Savi says in a rush, almost as if she’s having a different conversation in her head. “Everything will depend on what we find when the temple is revealed.”
“I just want to point out that we still haven’t figured out the leaving of sacrifices,” I say. “Were there any last night?”
Savi and Ariel exchange a look then. The good news is that Savi looks more like herself. “They’re getting more elaborate,” she tells me. “And therefore significantly more revolting.”
Ariel nods. “Whatever happened on the night of the solstice, it did not end the sacrifices. If anything, it has emboldened whoever’s leaving them.”
“I think we should assume that we’re talking about Vinca’s acolytes until we can prove otherwise,” Winter says. “After all, what we know about Vinca is that she really likes dead things. It tracks.”
I would very much prefer not to be one of Vinca’s dead things. I think better of saying that.
The meeting breaks up, and Ty and I walk outside. As expected, his bike is right where he left it. Without a fingerprint on it.
For a moment we stand there, on Main Street, with the river moving below the bridge. I can scent the Kind in the air all around us, friend and foe alike. I’m aware of the dark clouds and the cold.
My head, though, is stuck on that vision of Winter’s that I can’t seem to shake. I’m pretty sure I dreamed it all last night. Or maybe I’ve been running a greatest hits reel. The vision Savi put in all our heads mixed with Winter’s other dire predictions. The wolf who wants me dead and is stalking me. That plus the gristly rib-cage situation equals ... nothing I want to have stuck in my head.
Oh well.
“I don’t want to believe she’s really back,” I say quietly.
“Not really looking forward to it myself,” Ty agrees. He looks down at me. “But we’ll deal. Won’t be the first bitch that needs to be slapped down twice. Probably won’t be the last.”
I know he means the gender-nonspecific bitch there, and I move closer to him. I reach over to put my hands on the wall of his abdomen. I want his heat. His strength.
“I keep thinking it would help if we were stronger. And it’s my fault we’re not.” That hurts a little to say, but I say it anyway. “I should have mated you already. Years ago.”
“I would normally agree with you,” he tells me, and it looks like there’s something tender there in that dark gaze of his. Something that’s only mine. “But, turns out, the move was to not be mated for the solstice. It wouldn’t have had the same effect if I’d claimed you years ago, and I don’t like saying that any more than you liked saying what you just did.” I flush, and he reaches over to smooth his thumb over my cheekbone. “Don’t lose sight of the endgame now, baby. You can’t rule the world if you’re not ready for the bullshit that comes with it. And I can promise you, there’s always going to be bullshit. Might as well startwith a death goddess who can’t seem to die already. Not to mention the traitor in our pack we haven’t found yet.”
