Page 42 of Shadowbound

To my surprise, the peasant who came to get us steps forward.

“Begging your pardon, Sir Knight, but what she needs is blood,” he says to me. “All the High Borns of the Night Court need it.”

I look down at Sylvanna, lying in the crook of my arm, and see that her fangs do look much longer and sharper than usual. It makes me wonder why she’s never taken a drink from me. She calls me her “Blood-servant” yet she’s never had a single drop of my blood.

“Sylvanna—Mistress!” I pat her cheek with my free hand. “Are you thirsty? Do you need blood?”

“Thirsty,” she whispers faintly and she feels so frail in my arms. I hold out my wrist without hesitation and the peasant who came for us does the same.

“Drain me dry if you wish, my Lady,” he says. “You can have every drop with my thanks.”

“Don’t bother—I’ll serve her needs,” I tell him. I bring my wrist to her mouth, offering the blue bracelet of veins just beneath my skin.

But to my surprise, Sylvanna pushes my wrist away and reaches for the peasant instead. She sinks her long fangs into his arm and begins to drink, sucking and swallowing.

He grimaces in pain but doesn’t try to get away—clearly he’s ready to trade his life for his son’s, just as he said when he first came to the tower. But Sylvanna doesn’t drain him. In fact, she only takes a few mouthfuls of blood before color starts to return to her cheeks. She licks his wrist—perhaps to seal the wound—and pushes his hand gently but firmly away.

“Thank you, that’s enough,” she says. Then she looks up at me. “Come, Paladin—we must go.”

Slowly I gather her things, putting the heavy book, which has closed itself again, into the satchel. I’m fucking relieved she’s all right but I’m also stunned by her actions…stunned and angry. She pushed me aside and took blood from another male instead! Why would she do such a thing? Why drink from another right in front of me?

I didn’t know I could feel so betrayed—so enraged. I feel the Holy Fire building and tamp it down grimly. I guess it’s her choice who to drink from—but the blood that saved her life belonged to a stranger. Why would she drink from him when I was there to serve her?

I don’t know and I’m too angry to ask.

20

Sylvanna

I’m still weak, even after I drink. There’s nothing magical at all in the peasant blood I imbibed. Ideally I would quench my thirst from another magic user, but of course I couldn’t drink from Alaric—it would bind him to me too tightly.

I cannot say that, of course and he doesn’t ask. In fact, he barely speaks at all, though I can tell by the set of his jaw he’s upset about something. We leave the cottage together, with me leaning heavily on his arm. I’m still weak from walking so close to the Shadowlands. The boy’s soul had one foot over the boundary and I had to pull him back by sheer will alone.

It wasn’t easy. I feel like I’ve been wandering in the blackest midnight for days, though I know it was only a few minutes I was gone. I don’t remember when I’ve felt so tired and weak.

Well, yes I do—I felt worse than this after Kraven tried to Drain me and I broke our Bond—but not by much. Cheating death is an onerous and tiring business.

As we walk out into the field beyond the cottage, I stumble and nearly fall. Alaric catches me at once.

“Here,” he growls, and swings me up into his arms.

“Alaric! Put me down!” I demand weakly. “I must stand on my own two feet to work the travel gem.”

“We’re not traveling anywhere by magic,” is his gruff reply.

“What? Why not?” I ask.

“Because I saw how it drained you—I nearly lost you in there. You’re not doing any more fucking magic for now,” he growls.

“You have no right to say such things to me!” I tell him. “I am your Mistress—put me down!”

“No.” He starts walking, still holding me in his arms like I’m a baby.

I can’t believe his insolence and disobedience! He’s never been so rebellious before!

“How do you propose we get home if not by magic?” I demand, glaring up at him.

“I’m going to carry you.” His voice is stoic as he strides along, cradling me to his chest with my satchel slung over one broad shoulder.

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