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Lyra
It had been two days since the impromptu blood bonding and I was still avoiding Alek.
“You can’t hide forever,” Natalie said as she rolled over in bed. I had slept in her room again, still not strong enough to face Alek after the high of the bloodlust had worn off.
Bloodlust. Is that what this was called? The memory of that pure, divine liquid replayed in my mind, the sweet temptress visiting my dreams and caressing my nightmares.
I wanted him. I wanted him more than ever, and that terrified me.
“Maybe not,” I answered glumly, “but I can try.”
Natalie sat up and threw the blanket off us, exposing me to the chilled air of the Black mansion. “Up,” she said.
“What? Where are we going?”
“We’re going to take our minds off this. Wrath’s ball is tomorrow, and I don’t need you acting all weird and fidgety.”
I groaned, fighting against Natalie as she tried to haul my body from the bed. “You’re really forcing me to go to that?”
Natalie gasped, staring at me with her mouth hanging open. “You would rather leave me alone with those blood-sucking demons? Your best friend? Your family?” she exclaimed with added dramatic flair.
I rolled my eyes. “You didn’t seem to have a problem with those blood-sucking demons two nights ago.”
Natalie’s face immediately lit up. She had barely spent a minute away from Wrath after the blood bonding. The delicate skin of her neck was still bruised from his fangs, and she wore the mark like a badge of honor.
Like her new greatest accessory.
“All the more reason to have a great time at the celebration tonight. I mean, come on, Lyra! Marcus is no longer the king of demons. You should be happy! Wrath will get sworn in, and we’ll drink and dance, and it will be over before you know it.”
Silence lingered between us. I had always told Natalie the truth about everything, but somehow this felt more… shameful.
More secretive.
Would she understand? She knew I was half-demon, but could I tell her about this darkness that took over me, that bathed me until I had no choice but to give in?
Would she understand how much I liked it?
“Okay,” she said, tossing her hands up and sitting on the bed beside me. “You’ve been weird since the blood bonding. Something happened between you and Alek that night, and you’re going to tell me. Now.”
My eyes widened. “Nothing—”
“Nope,” she cut me off again. “Wrong answer. Try again.”
I took a long, shaking breath. This was the benefit of having Natalie here, right? She could help me through these things.
She was a Night Raven now, after all.
I started slowly, looking anywhere but at Natalie as I pieced together my story. “He wanted me to try it. He wanted me to give into my darkest instincts, to answer the primal pull. The music was so loud, and he was so…”
“Irresistible?”
I shot her a death glare. “Persistent.”
“Okay, so what? He didn’t hurt you, did he?”
“No, he would never hurt me. He didn’t do anything, actually. It was me.”
She watched me warily, waiting for my next words. “Okay…”
