My legs are aching, and there’s another problem I didn’t count on. I’m hungry. How am I going to feed while bound to this stupid male? I doubt he’ll let me feed on him—not that I have any desire to drink from a Nightingale. The memory of Lucca drinking that priestess dry is still imprinted in my head.
“How much longer do we have to walk?”
He remains quiet. Jerkface.
“Hey, asshole. You can’t make me walk endlessly.”
Utter silence. Son of a bitch.
“I have to pee.”
“Who’s stopping you?”
“Do you want me to pee on myself?” I shriek.
He shrugs, not slowing his pace.
We’re following a small stream, and even though I’m thirsting for something other than water, I wouldn’t mind washing my face. I know he won’t stop for me, but I’m stubborn, and if he has to drag me when I don’t walk on my own, so be it.
I get near the stream, but when I try to bend over, my body won’t cooperate. Fuck. I totally forgot the jackass removed my ability to do so. I wait, knowing that at any moment, the distance between us will become too great, and I’ll be yanked forward by the spell. I step into the stream and brace for the fall. A second later, it happens, but instead of taking a step forward to prevent myself from falling, I plant my feet.
It’s hard to override my instinct to remain upright. The fall is as jarring as I thought it’d be. My knees hit the rocky bottom of the stream, shooting white-hot pain up my legs. I grind my teeth as I wait for the wave of pain to pass. I’m soaked through now. Worst of all, the magic keeps pulling me, and it hurts.
“What are you doing?” Telar asks, annoyance lacing his words.
“Peeing,” I lie.
“You savages are disgusting.”
I lift my face to glare at him. “If we’re disgusting, you made us so. Vampires are a Nightingale creation after all.”
A muscle in his jaw tics. He’s pissed, but at least he doesn’t offer a retort. I think this time he simply can’t think of one, and that small victory lifts my spirits a little. Since he stopped moving, I take the opportunity to scrub the dried mud off my face. My nails are filthy too, so I focus on them next.
“Are you done?”
“No.”
There’s a splash, and then Telar is pulling me upright. “Wrong answer. Let’s go.”
“Let go of me, you brute!” I try to pull away, but he simply digs his fingers deeper into my arms.
“I’ll let go if you start to behave.”
I narrow my eyes, getting an idea. Instead of continuing to struggle, I lean into him. “I think you just wanted an excuse to come closer to me. Confess, buddy. You’re craving a vampire bite.”
He twists his face into an expression of utter disgust and shoves me back. “You vile creature. Try to bite me and see what happens.”
“Oh, is that a dare?”
He rubs his face, showing clear signs of frustration. It’s the first time my goading has gotten to him. Maybe he does have athing for vampires, and I struck a chord. I didn’t think seduction would work on him, but maybe I ought to try it. The idea of getting close to a Nightingale male in that manner is nauseating, but I’ve done many awful things in my long existence. What’s one more?
Five
CHERYL
ITALY, 1521
The spell Solomon cast did help contain Karl’s murderous intent toward Ronan, but staying in Italy, so close to that vampire bitch and her asshole lover, wouldn’t be smart. Plus, I bet everything reminds Karl of what he lost. He’s a shadow of what he used to be. His eyes are haunted, joyless. I miss the sound of his laughter, of the way he used to be so optimistic. He doesn’t do any of the things that brought him happiness in the past. In the two months since we took up residency at an inn near the ports, waiting for the ship that will take us far away from here, he hasn’t touched his flute. All Karl does is drink to the point that he passes out.
