Page 43 of A Heart Of Bitter Poison
Naturally, fate has said a giantfuck youto that plan.
I’ve been so lost in my irritation that it’s taken me a minute to notice a steadythud-thud-thudcoming from the living room. I lean back to look past the corner, peering into the darkness.
A set of amber eyes glows back at me. The rhythm of the thudding picks up speed. It’s a tail, wagging against the couch.
Urtur. The giant jackal of House Urbigu. Here, in the Living Realm. On the sofa. Barely.
I lean back into the kitchen. I take a long sip straight out of the bottle. Fuck glasses, I think we’re past that now.
I lean back again.
Thud-thud-thud.
After another long swig of wine, I take the bottle with me and stalk to my room. When I arrive, Ashen is already there, sitting on the edge of my bed.Of course.
“Fan-fucking-tastic. Get the fuck out.”
The hint of a smile pulls at Ashen’s lips. “I can’t.”
“Yes, you can. It’s called a door,” I say, pointing to it. “You get up, walk through it, and do not return.”
“There are no more available accommodations here in the guest house.”
“Then take the couch.”
“Urtur snores.”
“Good. I hope he keeps you up all night. Maybe he’ll even haverealrabies, not angel rabies, and then you can die a slow and painful death barking at your shadow. I will take great delight in witnessing your undignified, embarrassing demise.”
Ashen looks away as he tries to hide the smile that makes a fleeting pass across his lips. “You are so acerbic, vampire.”
I give Ashen a fierce glare that accomplishes nothing, aside from maybe increasing his amusement. “Still so gushing with the compliments I see. I’m touched. Now get the fuck out.”
Ashen stands, and I think for a moment that I might have won this round. Which would be foolish, of course. Because someone clearly hates me.
“There is a second snake. Her name is Zida,” Ashen says as he draws closer until he’s staring down at me.
“So I’ve heard.”
“Zida is hunting you. I cannot leave you alone here, you will be too vulnerable. That’s why Urtur guards the front of the house.”
“I handled Ningish just fine on my own while feeling like shit,thankyouverymuch. And don’t even think about trying to take credit for my kill.”
A breath of a laugh passes through Ashen’s lips, but when he meets my eyes, his expression turns serious. The determination there sparks into flame. “Zida is faster. Smarter. Stealthier. She will be much harder to kill. When she comes, we need to be ready.”
Ashen turns away toward a dresser. He grasps something that leans against it in the shadows and faces me with mykatanain his outstretched hand.
“This is yours,” he says. His voice is quiet and low. I set my wine bottle at my feet and take thesayawith both hands, closing my eyes when the weight settles in my palms where it belongs. “Please try not to kill me with it. I’m growing tired of resurrecting in the Shadow Realm. It is… deeply unpleasant.”
“If you don’t want me to do it, stop selling it to me so hard,” I say as I draw the sword to my chest. Ashen gives a faint smile that I don’t return. I watch him as though challenging it to fade away, but it doesn’t dissolve. It only increases the heat in his eyes as they linger on my lips. I realize his smile might have less to do with my words than the fact I can make them. My gaze falls away to the floor. “Thank you.”
We stand in silence for a long moment. I think about Zida and wonder how close she might be. How far back on our trail...
Fuck.
“Mr. Hassan-“
“I told him already. He is safe from the serpent,” Ashen says. He watches with acute interest as I nod and blow an unsteady breath between tense lips. With what looks like great effort, Ashen turns away, moving toward the bed. He grabs one of the pillows and places it on the floor beneath the closed window, laying his own sword and dagger next to it.
