Page 4 of Vanquished Gods

“They curl up into a ball or play dead when they’re threatened,” I said.

“He was so cute,” said Leo. “I want to find more today. Maybe we could have a hedgehog pet? Do you think they’d ever relax around us and stop playing dead?”

I arched an eyebrow. “You’re staying here, my darling, where it’s safe. But you can help Hugo and Godric tidy up. And all our socks need darning. I’m going out to look for a new house, if I can find one. Or if not, we’ll have to build one.”

Leo frowned at me. “Why do we need a new cottage? We just planted the vegetable garden here.”

“Because the vampires know where we are, and they’ve already threatened us once. We can plant a new garden.”

He held my gaze. “Or there’s the castle option.”

“When we find a new cottage, you can go outside. We’ll plant a new garden. But just sit tight for now. Godric and Hugo will keep you safe. Keep the door barricaded while I’m out.”

Godric sat by a window, braiding his long hair. “And what if you run into a vampire again while you’re out there?”

“I’ve carved myself a spear to slow him down, and then all it takes is a little necklace theft to end his life for good. Remember that if one comes to the door. Injure him, then rip the necklace off. One of you push him out into the sun, the other one cover Leo’s eyes so he doesn’t see it.”

Leo worried at his tooth with his tongue. “Elowen! I think I’m about to lose this one.”

“Put it under your pillow, and you’ll get a penny.” The words were out of my mouth before I realized I didn’t have a penny. “Or a very special acorn.”

A shudder ran through me, thinking of the way that vampire had stared at the blood drop on my fingertip. All it would take was Leo losing a tooth for a vampire to lose control around him.

Maelor had managed to display remarkable restraint in Ruefield—well, until he’d snapped.

At the door, I cast a long look around the cottage, my stomach tensing. Given the way Hugo was dreamily making a flower crown and Godric was plaiting his hair, those two didn’t look like much of a force. But they were both former soldiers, and we had the advantage of sunlight here.

Thanks, Maelor, for telling me that vampire-killing trick.

As I pushed open the door, I glanced down at my absurd outfit, the mismatched stockings hanging loose beneath the tunic.

Whatever. It wasn’t like I was going to see anyone out here in the depths of the Thornwood.

As I walked through the woods, I inhaled the earthy spring air. Sunlight streamed through the trees, dappling the mossy earth with flecks of gold.

Sion seemed desperate for me to join his kingdom, working all angles at this point. The jovial letters from Lydia extolling the luxury of Gwethel. The threats against Leo, delivered by his messenger just yesterday—as if that would make me better convinced that Leo would be safe there.

My mind roiled with anger as I walked deeper into the forest. First, the Baron used Leo to control me, then the Pater. And now, Sion knew exactly where to strike where I was most vulnerable.

My fingers tightened around the spear, and I scanned the spaces between the trees, looking for any clearings or signs of cabins in the woods.

The war-ravaged years of the Harrowing had left remote houses abandoned after their owners had died on the battlefields.Harrowing Houses,they called them. We just had to find a new one.

I walked closer to the river that carved through the forest, picking up my pace. Tension made my heart race at the thought of moving so far away from Leo.

As I walked, my foot cracked a log hidden beneath a blanket of moss. Immediately, a sharp pain pierced my ankle like a pin piercing my skin—then another, and another. I stumbled backward, my pulse racing as the forest around me erupted with buzzing chaos. I’d stepped on a bloody beehive, and they surged through the air around me, humming around my face.

Bollocks.

I broke into a run, my feet snapping over twigs, branches whipping at my face as the bees swarmed around my head. I sprinted straight for the river.

I felt the stinging welts rise on my skin all around my legs and ankles—until at last, I reached the rushing stream that carved through the forest. I leapt, plunging in, and its chilly waters enveloped me. The cool water soothed my smarting beestings. Somehow, I’d managed to keep my spear with me, and I swam with it under the water.

I kicked my legs, putting some distance between myself and the bees.

Finally, as my lungs started to burn, I came up for air, dragging myself onto the riverbank. I dropped the spear next to me. On my hands and knees, I gasped for breath.

Mercifully, I didn’t hear a single buzzing bee. As I caught my breath, my fingernails dug into the dirt, and I filled my lungs.

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