Page 36 of Blood

“You son of a—”

“I’ll make you cry out in agony until you’re begging to help us. But I’ll be too mad to allow you to die. So, I’ll just keep slicing at your brain...until, of course, I get bored with that organ and move to one a little more intimate.” Very purposefully, Hux’s gaze drops down to Balor’s crotch. “Have you ever seen an inverted penis? Do you know what one looks like without any skin?” Abruptly, Hux leans forward, placing his hands on either side of Balor’s head. “No one keeps me from my precious treasure. No one!”

I resist the urge to give Hux a slow, sardonic clap. I suppose I now see why Violet chooses to keep him around. He’s fierce when he’s protecting those he loves.

Just like Violet.

The memory of my girl stings with the keenness of a wasp.

According to Vin and Barret, she’s okay and concocting a plan to stop Zeus, but I know firsthand how vapid and unbearable the monster council can be. They’re more likely to stab her in the back than gift her a sword in the battle to come. Violet Dracula is too trusting, too naïve, too innocent.

But that’s okay.

I’ll be her pessimism, if that’s what it takes.

God, how could I have fallen in love with someone so intrinsically different from me? She’s fire—burning with life and unbridled joy—and I’m a statue of ice. Our stories have been written in the stars since long before either of us stepped foot on this earth. On paper, we would be destined to clash, constantly colliding and fighting until one of us was destroyed. Either I would freeze her, or she would burn me with her flames.

But if my death is supposed to end in a blazing inferno, then so be it. I can think of worse ways to go.

I shake my head yet again to clear my thoughts and catch the tail end of Balor’s nonchalant statement.

“...I truly don’t know anything.”

An idea occurs to me then, and I nearly grin at the ingenuity of it. Outwardly, I keep my expression blank, a carefully neutral mask.

Stepping forward until I garner the room’s attention, I nod toward Balor.

“Let him go,” I instruct Vin and Hux in a bored tone. “It’s apparent he won’t be able to help us.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Vin snaps.

“Do you want to murder him yourself?” Hux questions quizzically, tilting his head to the side.

“You heard what Violet told Barret and Vin,” Cal insists, pushing away from the wall and stepping closer to us. “This fuck face knows—”

“Knew,” I correct, a small grin slanting up my lips. It’s a cold, malevolent smile, one I wore whenever I handed my students an F-graded paper. Or when I tortured one of my many victims in the basement of my house. “He knew the rune. But it’s been hundreds of years since he was a Fomorian. I doubt he remembers any of their traditions or even has the capabilities anymore to do their magic.”

Rage bursts to life in Balor’s normally inexpressive eyes, but I keep my attention off him.

“I don’t like this,” Barret cuts in tentatively from where he stands beside Cal. “Cheese Curd told us—”

“Balor is barely a Fomorian anymore.” I wave a hand toward the man in question, noting the way red splotches erupt on his cheeks. “He hasn’t been one in centuries.”

“You fucking shit—” Balor begins, taking a threatening step forward.

I cut him off. “It’s the truth. So, stop wasting our time and allow us to think of a solution.”

Balor’s hands curl into fists. I can see his fingernails digging into the fleshy portion of his palms. “Let me try. I’ll see if I can use my powers to remove the damn rune.”

I scoff. “You don’t know how.”

“I can figure it out!” he rages angrily. He grabs Hux by the shoulder and all but tosses him into the nearest seat. Fortunately, it’s not the one that our guard friend got intimately familiar with.

Those two are currently cuddled together in the closet behind Cal, unconscious and buck-ass naked.

Hux scowls, the movement tugging at the scar slicing through his cheek.

“If this doesn’t work—”

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