Page 21 of The Blood that Binds Us

“Ileana… my friend. We have to get her first.” My words slur, the exhaustion from being near starved and bound in iron turning my brain to sludge. “She’s that way.” I lazily point in the direction of their makeshift shelter, not visible from where we stand, but is about a quarter mile from the tip of my finger. It is where the higher-ranking men sleep, and where Ileana is often forced to be their nighttime guest.

“There isn’t time, Wren. We need to leave now before someone sees us.”

“Ileana,” I call louder, not thinking clearly, hunger making me delirious.

Cosmina clamps a hand down on my mouth and yanks us both forward, faster now. I know she is right. Going anywhere near that shelter is too risky— surely someone has the night watch and would hear us. If we are caught, none of us will leave here alive. Reluctantly, my feet give way and obey, and I let my sister steer me towards the darkened woods.

Goddess, help her. Protect my friend.

* * *

The sound of my own heart thrumming wildly in my ears is overshadowed by rapid tapping on my door, and I realize someone has been knocking.

“Yes?” I call from where I lie in a heap of sweat-drenched sheets.

“I’m coming in.”

I blow out a breath at the sound of his voice.Of course. The energy in the room shifts as soon as Sin throws open the door and closes it behind him. It becomes heavier, thicker, like the molasses I sometimes used for marinating when Eldridge occasionally brought home a bottle of whiskey. I’d mix it with the liquor and use it to glaze our game, and after we indulged in the sweetened meat, we’d polish off the bottle together next to a spitting fire, spinning tales and laughing drunkenly, even if just to forget the horrors facing us for a few blissful hours. Eldridge was great like that. Despite all the shit we were forced to deal with, I could always count on him for a few moments of… something else. Comfort, maybe. Warmth. Security. If I ever leave the cabin, I’m not sure I’ll find another place I’d be comfortable callinghome,but if I did, it would feel a lot like Eldridge.

Sin’s eyes widen slightly as he takes in the sight of me still tangled in the damp sheets. “You look terrible.”

“Bad dream. What do you want?”

“I guess the lady doesn’t look forward to my company—ouch.” He feigns a wince. “You disappeared last night after you left with Bennett.” He dips his head slightly, prodding me to continue.

“You told me to stay close to him.”

“And was our little plan successful?”

“He is a slimy individual. I don’t like him. Maybe even more than I don’t like you.” I kick off the sheets and climb out of the bed, pulling on the silky lilac robe I laid out last night.

“Don’t go replacing me that easily. I rather like being the highest on your hit list.” Sin crosses the room and leans against the wooden armoire, next to the propped-up mirror.

“He thinks Legion is a lost cause and that they’ll burn themselves out soon enough. Oh, and let me not forget to mention, he feels the innocent men and women they are stealing, violating, and raping deserve it because they got caught in the first place. But I guess you don’t care about that, either.”

“You do understand I am workingagainstthem, little witch?”

I grab the brush from the bedside table and yank it through my knotted hair. “I do.”

“Did you detect anything suspicious with your—?” He draws a circle around his head to reference my ability. “Anything that indicates the Langstons may be supplying the rebellion in secret?”

“No. Bennett isn’t betraying you. In fact, if I thought you capable of any semblance of affection, I’d say his admiration runs deep enough to court you.”

“Are you jealous he may like me more than you, love?” he asks, the gleam in his eyes downright sinful.

I pull open the armoire doors and run my hand across the dresses, an assortment of colors and patterns. Some are sewn from airy, pastel fabrics, and others look as though they were made from liquid metal, silvers and blacks shimmering on a satin backdrop. I don’t doubt which side of the closet was stocked according to Sin’s tastes, so I hover my hand over some rosy pink and yellow ones, internally cringing at their hideous design.

“What is on the agenda so I know how to dress? Are we fine dining or murdering kittens today, Your Grace?”

“What else did he say?”

“Nothing else relevant to your interests. Unless you care to know he finds me as scrumptious as the beef tarts at your ball, because my,” I smack my hand to my chest, “did that compliment make a girl’s knees buckle.”

“I see the rumors of bloodwitches and their dramatics are true.”

I fix him with a heavy glare. “You’re welcome. I’ve upheld my end of the deal, and I did it without arousing suspicion. He even asked me to meet him in the market tonight, so he obviously doesn’t know it was a set up.”

He purses his lips. “So you’re going.”

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