Page 126 of Her Blood Revenge

‘True. I might bring back the blood queen and her sisters. Oh, no, wait. You already did that.’

‘Yeah, yeah. I know.’ He groans loudly but takes my face in his hands. ‘Promise me you won’t copy those down anymore.’

‘Fine.’

‘I love you, you massive pain in the arse.’

‘I love you too, fleabag.’ He kisses me on my forehead and smiles.

‘Now go to sleep. Tell Shaw where we are, and let’s get the hell out of here.’

‘I’m not going to sleep when they’re all watching me like that.’ I peer over at the coven leader and her friends.

He pouts out his lower lip. ‘Oh, my love. I wasn’t asking.’ He breaks into a great big smile. ‘Say hi to Shaw for me.’

Thud.

His forehead connects with mine, and everything goes black.

Gone is the hidden coven. Archie is lost to the waking world as the realm of dreams claims me for its own.

I stand on the black sands, watchingthe blood lap at the shore. The deafening cries of those thrashing in the water hurt my ears, and when the ground rumbles, I feel ready to scream.

Shaw takes my hand and pulls me close.

‘Change it,’ I plead.

But he doesn’t. He watches as the water moves and her eyes emerge from the blood.

‘Shaw!’ I yell. ‘PLEASE!’

A blink, and I’m in his endless fields, standing in the long grass.

‘Sorry,’ he says, taking my face in his hands and resting his forehead on mine. ‘She’s gone. She’s long gone.’

I sink into his chest and hold him close. His dreams are always so real. So firm. So safe. Unfortunately, my nightmares are just as vivid.

‘Are you both safe?’ he asks before kissing the top of my head. ‘You and Archie, are you okay?’

I nod.

‘I think so. My familiar tells me I am.’

‘Dorian told me about Hel,’ he says. ‘He’s filled me in on everything since we got separated.’

‘Did any of the coven survive?’ I ask. But I know the answer.

He looks away for a second before swallowing and shaking his head. His gaze fixes back on me. ‘Where are you, Pixie? We will come to you.’

I take his hands in mine and pull him down to sit in the grass with me.

With a shuddering breath, I feel the hot prick of tears sting at my eyes, and I wait for him to scorn me. To remind me that they wanted me dead.That they abandoned me long before they tied me to that tree and started cutting. That I should not mourn a single one of them.

But he doesn’t. He remains silent and lets my tears fall with nothing but his breath on my skin and his patience oozing into my aura.

I shouldn’t care that they are gone. But my gods, I do. My coven. All those witches.

Just gone.

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