Page 25 of Sticks and Stones and Broken Bones

Imanaged to find my way back to the kitchen, past the creepy floating flower and ominous West Wing – which I totally scooted past so that I didn’t get distracted by the weird tugging sensation I felt behind my solar plexus when I eyeballed the black door – and up the stairs to where the main reception rooms were. Then it was a case of following my nose until I found Rook and Korbin having an animated discussion while cooking breakfast.

I’d left Corvus perched on his branch, he seemed content to just be there, and I didn’t want to disturb him.

A nervous cough left my lips, feeling awkward as I watched the pair of them.

“Good morning, Raevyn,” Korbin said as he navigated around the kitchen island. “I trust you slept well?”

A flush crept up my face as a memory of my dream flashed in my mind. “Yes. Just fine.”

Korbin frowned slightly, clearly picking up on the uneasiness in my tone.

“I see you found your wardrobe?” Rook said cheerfully as he peered around Korbin. “Great, isn’t it?”

I nodded. I had walked into the closet this morning to find it filled to the brim with my favourite things from the topside as well as all the sorts of things I’d fantasised about owning. I’d thrown on some leggings, a sports bra and a hoodie knowing that today was going to be an active one. I’d left my hair down after I’d washed it, still amazed that it was fucking purple.

“I’m guessing it’s magic?” I said, taking a seat at the island.

“Yep, and intuitive. If you have something you need it’ll figure that out and poof, it’ll appear.” Rook plated up some scrambled eggs and placed it in front of me.

“Are you not joining me?”

Rook shook his head. “We don’t need to eat.”

“Technically you don’t either, but, just like your breathing, it’ll take your mind some time to figure that out.” Korbin wrapped his arms around Rook and kissed his temple. “Why don’t you set the training room up? I’ll bring Raevyn when she’s finished.”

“Sure thing, love.” He kissed Korbin, an open-mouthed dirty kiss that I was pretty sure was for my benefit rather than Korbin’s. Then he left the room with a wink and a smile in my direction as I tried not to drool on the floor.

“Can you not eat anything at all?” I was seriously going to miss a lot of things if I suddenly stopped needing food.

Korbin smirked and came to sit next to me. “We can enjoy food, but we don’t need it for sustenance. It’s purely indulgent.”

“So what do you feed on?”

“Death.”

I choked on a piece of egg. “Excuse me?”

“When a person dies, the release of their souls from their body creates a burst of death magic. We’re tuned to that moment in every being on the planet, and that powers us. We also have other ways of getting energy.”

“Like what?”

He fixed me with a look that had my toes curling.

“Sex. Blood.” He leant closer, making our conversation feel a hell of a lot more intimate. “Memories. Fear.”

I swallowed, my body coming alive with every husky word he uttered. “And what do you feed on besides death?”

“Memories. The darker the better.”

“Oh.” I swallowed, my mouth suddenly dry. “And the others?”

“Casimir feeds on fear, Nox sex, and Rook uses blood.”

“Like Hawk?” I asked, recalling the way he’d licked my blood off his thumb.

“Not exactly,” Korbin replied with a frown. “Hawk requires it to live, like a vampire from a fantasy novel. But Rook…”

His words trailed off and his frown deepened, seemingly struggling to find the right words.

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