Page 66 of Vervain

In the corner of my eye, Serun’s eyes narrow, and the shadows cloaking him quiver.

Am I just a babymaker? A womb to carry hybrid children?

“We are here,” Serun declares, and I raise the lantern to the sign above but find I don’t need it. Neon white flickers into a firm silver. The human food store, I see. “I will wait outside. Get whatever you want and tell them I will pay with blood.”

His eyes narrow, and his shadows become more agitated, an echo of a mess I’m not used to seeing. My hand tightens on his, and like a lure, he faces me.

“Are you okay?” I ask.

He cocks his head, as if confused by the question.

I close the gap between us, my hand moving to his face, the silky taste of his skin across my fingertips as I slide them up and pinch at his ear to bring his attention to me. “What are you thinking about?”

“Killing them,” he admits in a flat tone.

“Because of what they said?”

His claws curl around the fabric of my shirt, pulling me into the shadows until I am consumed. Bitten by the darkness, Serun’s eyes are the only source of light as he leans closer. Soulless. Detached.

Fury bound.

“Because of the way they’re looking at you.” His voice is low and acidic—a painful bite. “Exotic. They undress you with their eyes.”

Bubbled laughter escapes me, and while he slow-blinks and tips his head, I try to collect myself enough so that no one else can hear. It’s outlandish how human a nightwalker can be sometimes.

I swipe my thumb across his cheek. “Serun, Lord of the Undercity, is jealous?”

He slow-blinks again. Perhaps it is a word long forgotten in his vocabulary.

“Jax would get jealous whenever a new man entered Darkovish, and they were interested in me. He picked fights, and I used to enjoy the thrill of it all.” I sigh sharply. “But Ma—my friends taught me that was toxic. He fought them because he wanted control over me. Eliminate the threat.”

His crimson eyes dart between mine, unable to focus as he listens.

“You can kill them if you want but know this: it won’t get you any closer to us sharing a bed.”

His eyes crinkle. “And what would, exactly?”

“Insufferable,” I mumble, stepping away and into the fluorescent light. “You want me in your coffin, you figure out a way to lure me there, nightwalker.”

“I will think long and hard while you get something to eat. Your stomach is distracting.” Intense red eyes settle on Olivia. “Stay by her side.”

Like magik pulling her to me, Olivia is quickly beside me, her back straight and ears pricked. We enter the store, and the glass doors close behind us.

Will he kill them? I’m not sure.

Will I care? I’m not sure either.

Does that make me more monster than human?

Perhaps I always was.

“Okay! What are you interested in eating?” Olivia asks.

“I’m not sure,” I admit as I look to the shelves stocked with packaged food. “Do you remember your favourite foods?”

Olivia nods. “Yes, I just can’t really remember what they taste like. After drinking blood for nearly a year, it’s all I can imagine now.”

“Then let’s get what you liked.”