Page 37 of Cruelly Fated
The wet compress kept slipping and gliding over my neck again. The sound of a dog lapping at the water filled my ears. What the hell was happening?
I pried my eyes open and met Rhylan’s cautious gaze. Why was he so close? And was that saliva glistening on the corner of his mouth? I gasped, slapped my hand over my damp neck, and scrambled backward.
“You werelickingme?” I squeaked. I scoured my surroundings—frayed beige couch, thinning curtains, and small living space—at least, they brought me to my house.
The wolf rose to his full towering frame, peering down at me like I was the insane one.
“Wolf’s spit has healing properties,” he said as if that explained everything.
I swung my glare to Valor and bolted into the bathroom, slamming the door behind me. I braced against the counter, mychest heaving. Slowly, I twisted my head in the old, rusty mirror. Two red puncture wounds glared back, and I gagged.
“Son of a bitch!” How was I supposed to show up at work like this? Only junkies or desperate girls wore love bites this obvious. I turned the faucet on full blast and splashed cold water over my face, then scrubbed it off with a towel and reentered the living room.
Two stoic faces observed me in silence.
I stalked past them into the kitchen, ripped open the freezer, and yanked out the ice tray.
“If you let me, my saliva could heal the marks,” Rhylan said, still not reading the room.
I slammed the tray against the sink, cracking the cubes loose, and raised my hands like I was strangling something invisible.
I forced myself to breathe, shoved the cubes into a sandwich bag, and dropped onto a stool. The cold stung as I pressed the makeshift compress to my neck, but at least it numbed the pain.
“I’m very sorry, Allie,” Valor said, his voice quiet as he approached the counter, but wisely stopped a few feet short. “I only meant to break skin, to make it convincing. But your blood…”
I cut him a sharp look, putting an end to his vampsplaining. I wasn’t sure what I’d do if he said more. Right now, I needed space, and I needed to not be the girl who’d been bitten and licked by fae like some damn chew toy.
“Man, she’s hyperventilating. Back off,” Rhylan called from the living room, which, in Grandpa Pete’s house, was only a fewsteps away from the kitchen. The whole place felt too cramped, too full. Two powerful fae and me, stuffed into these sagging walls. I was suffocating.Breathe in and out, in and out…
I clutched the ice bag tighter to my neck and stared at the counter like it might offer some escape.
“I think I know where the camera card is,” I said, desperate to steer my thoughts away from the fact that I’d nearly gotten drained earlier today. I popped open a single drawer in the small island and retrieved a notepad and a pen.
I sketched quickly, jotting down every detail I could recall from the gargoyle’s memory, the layout of the cavern, the twisting tunnels, the position of the vault, and even the code sequence if I remembered it right. The picture was rough, but it was the best I could do.
I slid the page across the counter. Valor appeared in a blink, snatching it up before I even registered his movement. A moment later, he stood shoulder to shoulder with Rhylan, the two of them hunched over the page, murmuring to each other.
Fragments of their conversation reached me.
“Won’t be easy.”
“I can sniff it out.”
“Too many forks; we’ll need backup.”
At some point their voices became a white noise.
I blinked slowly, my gaze lingering on the two tall, powerful men speaking in hushed tones, and my eyelids began to droop. My head dropped into my palm. The ice pack slid off my neck and clattered to the counter, jolting me upright.
I brushed the hair out of my face. Silence stretched inside the house. How much time had passed since I checked out? I unfolded a note resting by my elbow:I’ll be picking you up at three p.m. We need to speak with Kyon. —V
I frowned, staring at his words. I didn’t know what to feel. About the note. Valor. About Kyon. My mind had retreated, shutting down emotions one by one. I hauled myself to the bedroom and stripped the dress, letting it fall into a crumpled heap on the floor. Then I collapsed onto the bed, face first.
KYON
I felt a vein swell behind my eye, oozing with pressure I didn’t bother hiding. I refused to look away from the twin marks on her neck. Valor was a royal vampire. He prided himself on control and superiority. So, how the hell had he let that happen?
A puff of smoke lifted from my nostrils, hitting the glass divider between us in the small visitation room.
