Page 90 of Her Blood Revenge

‘You mean, did I see the spirit of the dead queen become a fire-wielding monster? Yeah, Arch. I saw that.’

‘What else was Pix talking about?’

‘Something about her coven,’ I recall. I look to the east. ‘Her valley isn’t too far from here.’

‘She was talking about her coven?’ he asks.

‘She was. Saying that something was happening there tonight.’

He looks up at the sky, squinting against the rain. ‘The stars. The celebration of Athir.’

‘What are you talking about?’ I snap a little harsher than I expected.

‘Pix had a dream. Not just a dream. She said it was more like a premonition. A glimpse into Neve’s head orsomething. In her dream, she saw Neve at a bone arch. It was bleeding. She had markings on her palm, and Pix said that in the sky were constellations marking it as the night of Athir.’

‘And?’

‘Shaw. It’s tonight.’ He points skyward. ‘Tonight is the beginning of the celebration of Athir. The prince lured us there as a trap and to keep us out of the way. We have to get to the coven. If Pix is out there, that’s precisely where she would be going.’

I stand and try to ease the pain from my shoulder.

Archie looks to the east and rests his hands on his hips.

‘How long to get there, do you think?’ he asks.

‘Four hours. Maybe five.Ifwe go on foot.’

He slowly turns to face me with a furrow on his brow.

I know the desire to find our girl and Dorian as quickly as possible may well lead him to let me hitch a ride, preferably without the prospect of anal favours in return.

Archie’s shoulders sag as he faces me.

‘And… if yourideme and I run?’ he asks, the words almost choking him. ‘How long will it take us to reach her then?’

‘Hour. Two, maybe.’ I fold my arms across my chest, enjoying his inner turmoil a little too much. ‘What do you say?’

‘Gahhhh,’ he huffs, taking off my coat and shoving it back into my arms. ‘Do not pull my fur out. Don’t dig your knees into my neck. And if I feel a travel boner, I will drop you on your head and leave you behind.’

‘Noted.’

‘If you tell a soul about this, I will eat you.’ He stops close. ‘I’m doing this for her. No one else.’

He shifts and lowers his head. I climb on.

‘Giddy up.’

He growls a warning before he takes off, following the stream.

The road to her coven remains the same as it always has been. Beaten and untended. Hostile and far from civilisation.

The gates ahead are sealed, and several earth-witch males patrol it. We stop before they see us, and Archie returns to his male form.

‘What if she’s not here?’ he asks.

‘We’ll figure it out,’ I tell him, handing him my long coat again. ‘This is the only lead we have, and we better hope that the prince and his armies have not reached this far yet.’

Neither of us speaks of the painful possibility that she’s dead or, worse, run off.

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