Page 28 of Heir of Blood and Moonlight

Eyes watering, I held out my glass for more. Gavin obliged, his expression unreadable. The glowing markings on his face and neck had faded until they were barely visible, and I was afraid of what that meant. My hand trembled as I raised the refilled glass to my lips, sipping this time. I carried my glass of Scotch back to the couch and sat, setting my drink on the edge of the coffee table.

“So, what now?” Micah asked.

I rubbed the back of my neck. The ache in my skull was getting worse. I could feel Gavin’s stare on the side of my face as he approached the sofa, and though I barely knew the man, I could easily guess what he was thinking. I was thinking it too.

As impossible as it seemed, I was entering anotherbloodfade, which meant I would need anothercommunion. At this rate, Iwould never stop having sex, which sounded great in theory, but less awesome when one considered that I actually liked to dootherthings. Like wearing clothes andlivingmy life.

A flush crept up my neck to my cheeks. How was acommuniongoing to work with Micah in the loft? He would hear everything, and I would die of mortification.

“Now, you settle in while we wait for our transport to arrive,” Gavin said, but I was so caught up in my anxiety spiral that I had lost track of the conversation. He reclaimed his place beside me on the sofa. “You’ll come with us to the Moon Sanctuary, where you will be safe for the time being.”

“For how long?” Micah asked, but his wary tone told me he suspected the same answer as me.

“Until Sophie is strong enough to usher you into your second life,” Gavin told him.

Micah exploded out of his chair. “But you said that wouldn’t happen foryears!” He paced alongside the coffee table, the reality of this fucked-up situation finally hitting home. “What about my parents and school?” He shook his head. “I can’t justleave.”

“You can,” Gavin countered. “You just don’t want to.”

“Micah,” I said, standing. “I’m sure we can—” I swayed on unsteady legs, the alcohol apparently having gone straight to my head. “We can find a way to—” I held out an arm to steady myself and blinked to dispel the dark spots dancing around the edges of my vision.

I felt Gavin’s firm grip on my elbow before I realized he was standing beside me.

“Sophie?” Micah rushed to me, taking hold of my hand and searching my face. “What’s wrong?” He looked at Gavin. “What’s happening to her?”

“She needs to feed,” Gavin told him.

Micah paled, horror twisting his youthful features. “Like, onblood?”

“Yes,” Gavin hissed. “Now move, so I can attend to her.”

Micah backpedaled out from the gap between the armchair and the coffee table, making room for Gavin to guide me past him.

“Can I do anything to help?” Micah asked.

“No!” I gasped, horrified at the thought.

“You cannot,” Gavin said, ushering me toward the hallway to the bedrooms. “Take this time to consider your options. We can discuss your future further when she’s sated.”

My head swam as I peered back at Micah, standing forlornly in the living room, watching us go. “I’m so sorry,” I mouthed.

16

Gavin led me aroundthe corner of the hallway and headed toward a closed door. He curled one arm around my ribcage to keep me on my feet while he deftly traced a barely visible sigil on the face of the door. He finished by pressing his palm flat against the wood panel, and the lock clicked.

“Why is this happening?” I asked Gavin as he pushed the door open and all but dragged me into a room with midnight blue walls and the same dark hardwood floor as the rest of the loft.

“Sophie?” Bastian said, and suddenly he was there in front of me, his fingers curled around my upper arms and his neck bowed to bring his face down to my level. “What happened?” His nostrils flared. “Is shedrunk?”

“You found clothes,” I mumbled, surprised to see Bastian was wearing sweatpants and a T-shirt.

“She needs to feed,” Gavin said. “She must have used up most of the power she absorbed during ourcommunionwhen she bound me.”

Bastian’s mouth fell open, and his focus shifted past me and higher, to Gavin. “Sheboundyou? Already? Isn’t that something you usually work up to?”

“It justhappened,” Gavin said, his tone defensive. “Perhaps because I had taken a bit of her blood down in the garage, or . . .” He trailed off and shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. I believe that, in her current, depleted state, she now requires more than I can provide alone. I could ask Thane or Ash to assist, but since she already knows you . . .”

I squeezed my eyelids shut, then opened my eyes wide, trying, and failing, to follow their exchange.

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