Page 108 of Kiss of Light

Tala froze. Red was gushing down the tube and into a waiting bottle.

She stopped for a better look. The female wasn’t Vetali. From here, Tala could see her pointed ears.

Fae.

In a flash, her blade was in her hand. The soldiers drew theirs in reaction and Tala was suddenly surrounded by a ring of swords.

“What’s going on in there?” she hissed, holding the captain’s gaze. He frowned, genuinely confused.

“What do you mean?”

“That girl’s being bled. I demand you let her go.”

Her eyes were flashing silver and she was poised to fight, adrenaline making her body quiver as she tensed in readiness. The captain shook his head.

“I don’t understand.”

Lemar pushed his way through the ring of soldiers.

“Tala, put your blade away. Nothing wrong is happening here.”

“How can you say that? Look at her. She’s being milked for food.”

“She’s here of her own free will.”

“But she’s fae!”

“And this is an iron exchange shop. She’s being paid.”

“Paid?To give her blood? That’s barbaric.”

“It’s a straight trade. She and thousands like her come to places like these all over Palissandra. They’re well compensated and they get looked after. Bed and board, medical care, strict control over the amount of blood that’s taken. And free to leave anytime.”

Tala stared at him in disbelief, sick to her stomach.

“Thisis how you get your food in Palissandra?”

“Some of it. Some is artificially manufactured. But there’s a still a demand for the real thing. Donors can make a good living from it.”

“You’re saying theychoosethis?”

The revulsion in her voice was audible and Lemar stiffened.

“Does that disgust you?”

The coldness of his tone shocked her out of her self-righteous anger. She replaced her blade, trying to gather her thoughts.

What had she expected? She knew what Vetali were. They survived on iron. Blood. How else would they get their food?

She gave a final glance to the fae inside the shop. A Vetali was removing the tubing, carefully stoppering the bottle which was now brimming with red liquid. The fae said something to him as she pressed a cloth to the needle puncture. She didn’t seem to be distressed.

Tala turned away, battling her feelings.

“Let’s go,” she muttered.

They climbed into the back of the truck, the captain jumping in with them. He banged on the side and they moved off, so smoothly that Tala barely felt the motion.

She shot a glance at Lemar. He was deliberately looking away from her. After a while, he engaged the captain in conversation.

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