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“You should have come to me sooner,” he said in a hushed whisper.
I scoffed. “How? This is insane, Wrath. Have you ever heard of this happening? Because I sure haven’t. This is uncharted territory, and there couldn’t be a worse fucking time to be having a crisis. Lyra’s already carrying too much with the veil.”
“You have to tell her, brother. She’s worried sick about you. How do you expect her to think straight and focus on the veil when the man she loves is disappearing in the middle of the night and acting like a complete stranger when he’s around? She needed you the first time she tried to close the veil, and she needs you now.”
I ran a hand down my face, surely smearing the blood that was beginning to dry. “She won’t look at me the same,” I breathed.
“She’s not some human girl from the streets, Alek. She’s the daughter of Theia. She’s tough as all hell, and she won’t turn away from whatever is happening in your head right now. Shit, brother, I’ve only been around for a few weeks and even I can see that.”
I paced back and forth, trying not to think of the hunger. “Fine. I’ll tell her. Just not now, okay? I have to get rid of this craving first.”
Wrath sighed, pulling up his sleeve. “You’re going to pay me back for this shit one day.” He gave me a knowing look.
“No,” I argued. “I can’t bite you, Wrath, that’s—”
“Better it’s my blood than someone else’s. Unless you plan on walking up to that house and telling Lyra?”
Fuck.
He was right.
Either way, I was running out of willpower with every single second that passed.
When Wrath held his wrist out to me, I took it.
And I hated myself more and more with every drop of blood I swallowed.
CHAPTER 24
Lyra
Istumbled back into the house, using all of my strength not to vomit after overhearing Alek’s conversation with Wrath.
Alek craved my blood. He craved it more than anything. He could barely control himself when he was around me. Puzzle pieces in my mind slid together, illuminating the sick truth over everything that had been happening the last few weeks.
“Lyra!” Natalie yelled. “Lyra, are you okay? I was looking for you!”
No. No, I’m not okay. Nothing is okay.
“I’m fine,” I said. “I just… I just need a drink.”
Natalie quickly rummaged through the kitchen before sliding a red cup into my hand. “Drink this,” she ordered. “You look like shit, Lyra. What the hell just happened?”
I put the cup to my lips and swallowed. The burn felt nice. It felt much better than the creeping panic that now flooded my body. “I just overheard them in the back,” I admitted, doing my best to keep my voice steady. I failed.
“Who? What are you talking about?” Natalie’s eyes searched mine.
“Wrath and Alek. He was telling Wrath he craves my blood.” I downed the rest of the cup before slapping it onto the cold granite countertop.
The sound of the plastic cut through the silence.
Nat’s eyes widened. “What did you just say?”
“Like a—like a vampire, Natalie. He craves my blood like an animal. He wanted to drink it then, he wanted to drink it the whole time we were running through the forest. God, I just feel like an idiot! I should have seen it, Nat! I should have seen him acting like this and—”
“Stop,” she interrupted. “Slow down. Alek wants to drink your blood, okay. That’s not totally bizarre, right? I mean, you have the same cravings?”
I shrugged. “I guess, I don’t know. I had the urge to bite him, and don’t get me wrong, it scared the shit out of me. But a craving that strong?” I paused, shaking my head. “I have no idea.”
