Page 94 of Vervain

“Is everything okay?” Serun murmurs.

“Yeah,” I grunt, the burn searing as I shuffle forward on the bike and raise my legs. “Can you also stop being mean to Olivia? She is only curious.”

“Then curiosity will kill the cat one day,” he mutters. “I don’t trust her to keep secrets. The last thing I need is for everyone to know what you are. The more who know, the more whispers will reach the slayers, and all they want to do is kill vegodians.”

My hands rest on his shoulders. “You aren’t trusting.”

“No, I’m not. I’ve been around long enough to see friends turn into enemies if it meant they’d gain something.”

“I get it, I suppose. Someone I shared a bed with lied to me to comfort me at the time, only to betray my trust.” My hands glide down his shoulders and wrap around his waist. “I don’t want to go through that again. Can you keep your liar’s tongue and promise me you won’t?”

One moment, Serun is on the bike, and the next he kneels in front of me and bows his head. My hands press against the leather seat to keep my balance. Olivia shrugs her shoulders and gestures with her arms out in a “What the fuck is going on?” way, but I shake my head in response before looking back at Serun.

“I, Serun, Lord of the Undercity, vow to keep every promise you bestow upon me. You are a blessing. My Blessed. I will cull any you wish without batting an eyelash. And if I must kneel like this every time you doubt my promises, I will.”

“Were you a knight in your previous life?”

He lets out a laugh as he rises. I sit back, and he positions himself in front of me, grabbing the handles. “And you were my forbidden fruit.”

I wrap my arms around him once more, wincing at the pain, but I push through and hold him tighter. “Are we off now?”

“Yes. We are fighting daylight, and I’d like to get there so we aren’t wasting time.” He turns his head the slightest bit. “Ready?”

“Yeah,” I nod. I pinch my brows together, hoping that concentrating on them will dull the pain tingling between my thighs.

Serun starts the motorcycle, and we are off once more into the night.

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

ANECDOTE

Saya Claymore

Hunger is an infection. And the more I think about it, the more ravenous I become. My stomach grumbles, echoing emptiness that I try to stifle by crushing my body against Serun on the motorcycle. Tonight’s journey will take us almost all the way to Coven before we need to stop at Sancliff before daybreak.

Grassy terrain and thick woods thin, becoming patches of yellow sand. A vast field of dunes opens out on our right, while on the left is a cliff overlooking the ocean. I lick my dry and cracked lips, trying to push moisture back into them.

Thirst works its way up my throat, alongside the hunger. Sweat accumulates underneath my mask, and heat seeps from my skin.

Serun turns his head enough to look back at me from the corner of his eye. “We will find a place to rest so that you can eat and drink, my kamai.”

“I’m fine,” I say in a flat tone.

He looks ahead, slowing down enough for me to hear his voice more easily over the engine. “Then my ears must be deceiving me. Besides, we’ve been travelling for nine hours tonight—you must be tired. We will stop to rest.”

“I’m fine,” I say, but it doesn’t come out as convincingly as I want it to.

His hand moves over my wrists, holding tight. “Fifteen more minutes, and we will take a break.”

“Sorry…”

Serun’s thumb brushes against my arm, silently telling me it doesn’t bother him. I close my eyes, hoping that if my mind wanders a little, it will distract me.

It doesn’t help that the daylight hours are short, so I sleep much less than I am used to. These past few days, I have had to forcibly peel myself off Serun when he wakes.

The motorcycle slows, and when I open my eyes, I find we have arrived at an abandoned fuel station.

Serun dismounts first, and when I slide off, I seethe at my burning thighs, and my legs start to buckle. Noticing, he swiftly lifts me into his arms. We enter through a blacked-out door, more heat flushing my face as Serun lifts the mask away.