This is where the hate fucking comes in, isn’t it? Talis asked in excitement.
Shut. It.
I don’t have a mouth to shut. But I’ll leave you to your thoughts. Sticky thoughts. Their amusement raced through my mind before they withdrew. Samara and Kieran were a bad influence on Talis.
Roth collected both axes and pulled up a chair in front of me. Then they balanced the axes across their lap before flipping the book open and setting it on my lap so it faced them. “Hold that.”
As anxious as I was to leave, I was also really curious about what Roth was doing. My eyes skimmed the page, trying to make sense of the words. It was challenging, because not only was I reading it upside down, but it was also written in Unseelie, and I’d always been better with Seelie.
Something about hiding things and recall.
A tangy scent filled the air, and I realized Roth had made a cut on their arm. They moved their bloody fingers to my chest, painting something over my heart.
I tried to hold still but couldn’t stop myself from laughing.
Roth paused and looked up at me, arching a single eyebrow in question.
“I’m just imagining what the Alphas would say if they saw this.” The laughter poured out of me a little more. “Me topless and you smearing your blood over my tits while Draven and Kieran watch.”
Roth rolled their eyes. “It’s not all over your tits, and those two probably haven’t even registered that you’re half naked.”
“True.” Kieran pulled up a chair next to Roth, reversed it, and sat down so his arms rested over the back of it. “What I want to know is how often the Alphas have seen you naked?”
I scowled at him, and Roth resumed painting their blood over my heart in careful strokes. “You do remember I’m doing all this to get away from the Alphas, right? Because they’re assholes and I hate them?”
Kieran grinned. “Doesn’t mean you can’t get some solid hate fucks in before you go. I’m sure Bastian would be willing.”
My brain stopped functioning as the memory of getting off to Bastian fucking those other travelers in the tavern collided with remembering how it felt to have Ryker pinned beneath me.
“What are you thinking about?” Draven purred in my ear, causing me to jump.
Roth swore and glared at Draven. “Knock it off, you two.” They studied what they’d done on my chest before grabbing my right hand and drawing a glyph on my palm.
Desperate to change the subject before Kieran and Draven could weasel some uncomfortable truths out of me, I asked, “So what is Samara currently up to?”
Roth gave me a look that said they knew exactly what I was doing before reaching for my left hand. “She took Alaric and Vail with her to deal with Ary and Aniela’s bullshit. They’re at House Tepes.”
Ary was the Heir of House Tepes and Aniela was the Heir of Salvatore. They were about as opposite as you could get in terms of personality. Ary was gorgeous in a rogue sort of way, but I was also pretty sure he was crazy. Out of all the Heirs, he was the least interested in politics and preferred to spend as much time as possible out in the wilds with his rangers, hunting down monsters.
Aniela, on the other hand, always looked like she was on her way to a party. She was all fancy gowns and perfectly put together makeup and hair. That wasn’t to say she wasn’t dangerous. I’d seen her training a few times with her rangers while visiting House Salvatore with Samara. Aniela was incredibly skilled with daggers, preferring up-close fighting, where she could use her speed to her advantage.
Even for a Moroi, Aniela was impressively fast.
“Those two still can’t decide to fight or fuck, huh?” I chuckled.
Recently, it had been rumored that Ary’s father would be stepping down as the Head of his House, which meant Ary would be claiming the title. I had no doubt he wasn’t happy about that. Ary loved being the rogue Heir, but Aniela likely didn’t have to worry about becoming the Head of House Salvatore anytime soon because her cousin, who was only a few years older than her, currently ruled.
I knew enough about the Moroi to spot a political marriage brewing. The difference between this and what Samara had been forced into with House Laurent was that Aniela and Ary liked each other. They just refused to admit it.
According to Samara, when everything had been going down with her aunt, Aniela had raced off to warn Ary. She’d fought her way through the wilds entirely on her own just to get to him. Whatever had happened between them after that, no one knew, because they both refused to talk about it.
Even Kieran didn’t know.
“They’re definitely fucking.” Kieran scoffed. “But they’re also still fighting.”
“So a typical Moroi relationship then?” I smirked.
Kieran squinted at me. “I’m starting to think it’s a typical Velesian relationship too.”
