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Several Warlocks gasped as she made her sudden appearance seemingly out of thin air. Rehan followed and a moment later Shelby. No one spoke for several long minutes as they examined what could not even be seen.
“Can you feel it?” Ace asked Shelby.
He shook his head. “Only when we walked through it.”
Right, she’d passed through the borders of Glatton holding Shelby’s hand and then returned holding Rehan’s. Was this supposed to be some sick twisted metaphor for her life?
“All we can do is try.”
“Are you looking for volunteers to drain you of blood?” Radrick called from where he lounged against a tree trunk cleaning his nails with the end of a small dagger.
Ace didn’t bother to shoot him a dirty look because Shelby already looked like the wings were about to make a comeback. Maybe he’d pick up the rude warlock and drop him off the edge of a canyon.
“I think we’ve got that under control, but thanks.” White light shot from Rehan’s palms expanding into a sparking sword. Heat radiated from him, washing Ace in a pleasant blanket of warmth. “I’ll be gentle.”
This was the part where she was supposed to let someone cut her. On purpose.
With his feet planted wide and his arms crossed over his torso, Shelby watched wordlessly. His face was a calm mask of indifference.
This was for him. This was for the boy who’d been forced to flee from his home. The boy who’d lost his mother. The boy who’d been taken as a slave. The boy who’d served Fae and then a wicked queen. The boy who’d helped her.
This was how she could give back.
“Only if I get to do you next.” She smiled and extended her arm.
“It’s a deal.”
Sparks faded against her skin as the blade was lowered. Heat burned a trail across her forearm as the tip dug in. She gritted her teeth and looked away, unable to watch the welling of red. Blood dripped off of her, every drop wet and warm.
“Since the blades are holy fire you won’t heal as quickly but you might need to re-open the wound at some point,” he whispered.
“Okay, my turn.” It was awkward to hold her arm out to bleed, more so to do it while she forced her own holy fire to wield into her own fiery weapon, and to slide it across his arm, leaving a long oozing cut behind in his flesh.
Rehan’s blade collapsed, scattering white flecks of holy fire into the dirt. Warlocks murmured amongst themselves as Ace’s own blade disappeared. Radrick paled ever so slightly as he realized what Ace could have done to him.
Blood was running into her palm, gathering there before dripping from her fingers. She ignored the nausea that rolled in her stomach.
“How much blood do we need?”
“Well, pumpkin, you’re making up for the blood of more warlocks than I can count on my fingers and toes. How potent do you think your blood is?” Radrick moved closer to them. “I’m willing to bet we need all of it.”
Her nose crinkled as she walked in front of the log and held her arm out to drip. Shelby gave a short shake of his head as if to reassure her.
“You need to bleed faster.” Radrick stopped only about a foot away.
“He might actually be right. I think we may need to cut a little deeper to hit the right artery.”
“Fine.” She grimaced, her blade resurfacing before she dug it in deeper.
“Oh,” Rehan said softly.
Fresh blood flowed, faster and more thickly. The ground under her feet tipped one way and then the next. She closed her eyes trying to rid herself of the dizziness. Nothing helped; instead, she lowered herself to sit in the dirt.
“How you feeling?” Shelby asked slowly.
She tipped her head back, regretting it the moment the world began to spin. “About as well as a woman bleeding out could.” Carefully, she laid herself flat. Every twig and leaf that poked at her back was a welcomed distraction. “Dizzy.” She sighed, her eyelids drooping to half hooded.
“You’re really bleeding a lot.”
