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I walked around her and lowered myself on the back of the cart as she positioned herself on the seat in front. The horse began pulling the wagon, jostling me about and causing more bleeding.
“Stop in the village,” I ordered her.
“Why?”
“I need to eat.”
She tugged the reins, bringing our transportation to a stop. “I can give you some blood, I’ve done it before. It's been a while, but I have.”
She started to step down but I raised my hand, stopping her. “Men only. No women.”
The only female blood I would drink—unless it came from a bottle, was Cassia’s.
Kate licked her lips and settled back on the bench. She made a clicking sound with her tongue and we started moving again.
Before I could stop myself, my eyes shut and I fell backward, my head cushioned by a bag of grain. Whether I slept or was fully unconscious, I would never know though I leaned toward the latter.
When I woke, it was to Kate shaking me. “Here,” she said.
I opened my eyes to see Kate holding a rope. She had a man with a burlap sack over his head and his hands tied behind his back. “He’s a vagrant, a thief. Vampires around here try not to feed on citizens that contribute fully to our society, not if they can help it. This guy robbed a bake shop last week.” She pushed him toward me and shrugged. “Or so they say.”
Ripping the material off his head, I sank my fangs into his neck while he twisted and turned. His scream sent the birds in the surrounding trees alight. The blood rushed into my system, feeding my cells, and twisting through my veins.
It wasn’t enough.
“Get me more.” Now that the flood gates had opened, I wasn’t sure how many would be enough.
Her shoulders slumped but she took off again. When she left, I plunged my hand into the man’s chest and tore out his heart, where the richest sustenance was.
Kate wasn’t wrong, the man had robbed a bake shop, of all things. The knowledge should have been foreign, but the demon blood inside me spoke, divulging his secrets.
She returned with two more men that I hastily made quick work of. At this point, I needed their hearts as well and devoured them.
Kate cringed, but it was clear she had seen such things before. Not that it mattered. All that mattered to me was that I healed.
“You still look pretty rough, but you have a tiny bit of color back. The creek isn’t far, do you want to clean up?”
“Just bring me to the castle.”
She sounded like I was inconveniencing her when she said, “Okay...”
The strength to put her in her place just wasn’t there. I needed more blood and I needed to make sure my Cassia was okay. The blood bond was present but in my current state, I couldn’t read her very well. I hadn’t been able to for far too long. Not knowing where she was or what had happened was unacceptable.
“Shut up and drive,” was all I could manage. Kate’s shoulders rose stiffly before she slowly relaxed.
Finally, we reached the road that crossed in front of the building I’d been waiting to see. “We’re here,” Kate pointlessly announced.
I slid off the back of her wagon and nodded to her. “Thank you for your service.”
She gave me a mock salute and hurried away, her cart banging over rocks and gravel.
Before I crossed the bridge, I paused. I may have been in a highly weakened state, but I could recognize the scent of Kakian demons anywhere. Something had happened here, though not a trace of what that was remained.
I ran to the doors and flung them open.
“Cassia!”
CHAPTER 33
