Page 83 of Death Raiser

No, I wouldn’t. Though I desperately wanted to know why I got these special features in the veil, I didn’t want to know so badly I’d abandon all caution.

“No,” I said, out loud this time.

“Well, then…you have my answer.”

“What’s the catch?” I asked. “With the blood. You need it, but how much? Does it need to be a full sacrifice? Or do you only need a drop? Why didn’t you just ask for my blood as your favour? Would you see me chained to your dungeon to bring me out every time you want to go on vacation? Why would you want to go to the living realm anyway? It’s full of assholes like Steve and Hudson. Have you been paying attention? Our realm is a mess.”

“Will you help me?” Levi asked while avoiding all my questions. Not a good sign.

“No. Definitely not right now. I need to read all the fine print and there needs to be set boundaries and responsibilities and even then, even then, I’d hesitate.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re the biggest, baddest, scariest boogeyman to necromancers. That’s not based on nothing. I’m not going to help set you loose on the living realm.” And he pretended to like me to get something from me. Just like Hudson.

And just like with Hudson, I’d fallen for it.

Motherfuckers.

I was pissed.

And my ego needed a reality check.

Levi grunted and looked away from my death stare. “One day, Lark. You’ll see things my way.”

Boy, did I hope he was wrong.

Chapter Twenty-Six

I stalked back to my assigned room unsure of whether I wanted to break something or just cry. It always amazed me how closely tied those two emotions were. I considered myself a strong independent woman. But sometimes a good angry cry helped reset my focus.

Crying didn’t make me weak.

And right now, I really needed to focus.

Levi swore I had safe passage and that he’d return me to the living realm when the time came. He wouldn’t kill me, and he wouldn’t harm me, not if he wanted my willing participation.

It was also in his best interest to keep me alive and content. Hence why he tried to seduce me.

A boot scraped the stone tile around the corner.

I froze.

I’d left Levi and Hudson to their plotting in the library behind me. Unless one of them could teleport—something I wouldn’t put past Levi—someone else was in the castle.

The little hairs on the back of my neck stood up. The air turned cold and burned my lungs. One second, I stood poised to bolt and the next, I was slammed against the wall. Pain shot down my back.

A vampire clutched my neck with one hand and held me in place. With one twitch, he could snap my neck like a twig or tear it out.

I didn’t know this vampire. He had reddish brown hair and hazel eyes the colour of melted honey. He might’ve been handsome, but he made it difficult for me to appreciate his stone-like beauty while partially strangling me and snapping his teeth in my face.

“If he didn’t warn us to leave you alone, bone witch, you’d already be dead,” he snarled.

This vampire belonged to Gregor.

Thank god.

Gregor wanted me alive and maybe this guy had an alternate route home that wouldn’t involve dangerous proximity to Steve's Murder Island and favourite hunting rifle.

---