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Which explained why Kase had shown up before Troy.
“How will they find us now, though?” The thought of them chasing nothing and getting lost in hell made me frown. It was true, Hunter and Grant tended to have plenty of fun on their own, but I suspected even they’d get sick of each other eventually.
“Hunter is an exceptional tracker. Don’t worry, he can find you without Grant’s spell. I’d guess they’ll be here in a few hours. You were transported a very long way from where we were, and they can only move as fast as Grant can walk.”
“Please tell me it was at least in the direction we were going. I really don’t want to add any more time to this ordeal.”
“You are always one to find those silver linings, aren’t you? Yes, it was in the direction of Styx. In fact, we are only a few miles away.”
That let me breathe in, until I took another look at him. “You can’t walk a few miles, Kase. You can barely move…”
“There isn’t much of a choice. Don’t worry, Ava, I’m tougher than my current state would suggest.”
I recalled how he’d fought that man, how he’d taken the beast on, how he’d accepted the wounds meant for me. I had no doubts of his toughness…
“There is one choice.” Troy leaned against the doorframe, having approached so quietly that I hadn’t noticed him.
Kase shook his head, his voice hard. “No.”
“What choice?”
Troy lifted an eyebrow as if it were obvious. It took a moment for me to catch up.
“Wait, you can drink from werewolves? I thought they had to be human?”
“Ideally, yes, human is the best source. There are…complications when it comes to feeding from werewolves.”
I shook my head. “You said you needed amortalbecause it is the life force you drink. He isn’t mortal.”
“I’m not mortal, but I’m as close as we can get. Grant gives up his immortality to turn into a mage, and it corrupts all his cells. Werewolves, on the other hand, are largely human when in their human form. My blood will work.”
I sat up, crossing my legs. “You both seem like this is a bad idea…why?”
Neither answered at first, but eventually Kase spoke. “Werewolf blood is forbidden because it can cause addiction for vampires. Should a vampire become reliant enough on werewolf blood, withdrawal could kill it.”
“How much does it take to become addicted?”
Kase shrugged. “There is no exact answer to that. The older the vampire, the stronger the werewolf, the quicker it could happen. It could occur in as little as one feeding.”
Troy had his gaze down, and the tension didn’t break. I doubt he cared much about Kase becoming addicted, so what was it?
Then I remembered my reaction to being fed from…
That all-consuming lust, that need. Troy didn’t even like Kase let alone have any attraction to him.
“And the other thing you don’t want to say is that the reaction to being fed from would be less than ideal…”
Troy huffed, an unhappy sound. “That’s putting it mildly. Werewolves respond even more strongly than humans.”
“Which is yet another reason it is a horrible idea. Believe what you want of me, I’ve done my share of horrible things, but I’m not a rapist who would put someone in that position.” Kase’s voice had dropped, an undercurrent of anger there.
Then I recalled his story about the one who had turned him, about how he’d been used.
I guess I could understand it being a sticking point for him.
“Just because you feed doesn’t mean—”
Kase nailed me with a hard look, one with more edges than I was used to from him. “I bit you for a split second, Ava, and you had a tiny taste of what my saliva could do. Even then, you would have slept with me no matter what you wanted. I could end things because I’m older, because I have control. Werewolf blood is a different matter. It’s like a drug, and it would steal that control of mine as well.” He shivered, as if picturing something wantedsobad. “I can promise you that things neither of us want to happen would happen if I fed from him.”
