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Zayn looked up and nodded. “Exactly like the cats. I think we have our answer as to how the intruder got past us. Look.” He pointed to West’s leg, and I saw a nasty red splotch with angry streaks over his skin branching up his leg. In the centre of the mess were two large puncture wounds.
“What the hell?” Jack asked.
“That’s a snake bite,” Zayn replied.
“Is it—” I began, then stopped as West’s body began to jerk wildly. He gasped for breath, and Jack ran to the other side of the bed, helping Zayn hold him down. I pulled the pillows away, giving him a flat surface in case he hurt his neck, but my heart was racing, and I could feel tears streaming down my face. The convulsions only lasted a few seconds.
“Zayn, what can we do? Phone 999?”
He shook his head. “I think he’s too far gone. I need to get some of the poison out, but it might have travelled too far.” He leaned over, fastened his mouth over the snake bite, and began to suck hard, pausing now and again to spit blood and venom onto the floor. After a few minutes, he pulled back and looked up at me. His eyes were full of pain, and I clenched my fists, my nails digging sharply into my palms.
“I think it’s gone too far. The venom is circulating in his bloodstream, and by the time we get him to the hospital, it’ll be too late.”
“Fuck this. Why the hell isn’t Sadiq here?” Jack growled, planting his fist into the wall in frustration. My heart ached for him as I realised how much he cared for West beyond their professional relationship. How many times had they become friends and then lost each other? How many times had I lost them?
“How could Sadiq help?” I questioned, sitting on the edge of the bed next to West’s head and running my fingers over his forehead.
“He’d be able to charm the venom out of his blood,” Wesley answered. “I saw him do it once.”
I froze. “Wait, if the venom’s in his blood, then if we drain him, it should help, right?”
“I...” Zayn looked up at me, his expression changing as he comprehended my meaning. “It wouldn’t work for a human, but... maybe...”
I turned to Wesley. “Wes, grab that vase over there.” It was a god-awful floral blue thing that was probably worth thousands, but fuck it. We didn’t have time to go find a bucket, and the thing was huge.
Wes grabbed it and pulled it over to where I sat. I ran my hands through my hair, twisting it and pulling it over one shoulder. Taking a deep breath, I leaned down and sank my teeth into West’s throat. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jack and Zayn grab each hand and bite into his wrists. We took mouthful after mouthful, taking turns to spit West’s tainted blood into the vase. The sharp bite of the venom numbed my lips and my tongue, and I was careful not to swallow any.
After a while, I felt Zayn’s hand on my arm. “That should be enough. If we take too much, he’ll die before you can replace it.” I nodded and sat up, tearing into my own wrist with my teeth and holding it to West’s mouth. A memory flashed through my mind of doing the same thing to Jack into the tunnels, of the panic I’d felt when he hadn’t responded. It was what had given me the idea. This time, though, West wasn’t completely unconscious. I felt his fangs slip into my skin and the faintest sensation as he sucked on the wound. I looked up at Zayn, and he nodded.
I tried to see the wound on West’s leg, but Zayn had pulled the covers up to West’s waist, and it was only then I realised that all three of them were completely naked. As West’s mouth sucked hard on my skin, the thought of all four of us in the same bedroom floated in my mind, the desire that came with feeding burning hotter and hotter. I closed my eyes, trying to concentrate only on feeding West. My body might want to feed and fuck, but my mind and my heart didn’t need the distraction.
A wave of dizziness swept over me, and I swayed. Two firm hands gripped my shoulders, and I turned my head to see Jack sitting down next to me. He tipped his head to one side.
“Tory, feed. You’ll collapse otherwise.”
I didn’t argue. Hunger ripped through me as West drained me, and I sank my teeth into Jack’s throat, wrapping my arm around his neck to pull him close. His blood eased the flurry of emotions and desires inside me as my body realised it wasn’t being starved. Finally, I drew back, feeling West release my wrist.
Jack leaned back, and Zayn pulled the bedclothes away. I breathed a sigh of relief as I saw West’s wound had faded considerably. I laid my hand on his chest and felt a slow, steadythump-thumpunder my palm. His breathing was still a little shaky, but it had drastically improved from his previous, wheezing gasps. I looked up at Zayn and he smiled at me.
“I think this might work.”
I grinned and looked back down at West, running my hand down his face.
“It’s late. We should sleep. All of us,” Jack said. “We’ve secured the house and the patrols are still out there, but to be honest, I don’t think West was the target of the attack. I think the cats were a warning.”
“I agree,” Zayn murmured.
“But what if the snake is still out there and gets back to the house?” I queried, feeling sick at the thought of something dark and venomous slithering around my home.
“I have a feeling this wasn’t an ordinary snake,” Zayn mused, glancing over at Wesley. Wes looked confused for a moment, and then realisation dawned on his face.
“Another shifter,” he said.
Zayn nodded.
“Wait, what? There are people who can shift into snakes?” I asked in horror.
“There are other gods whose priests can shift into other creatures, yes, and several whose followers can shift into snakes. It doesn’t mean they’re all bad just because this one has attacked us. I think this particular shifter came to send you a message. It targeted your pets to hurt you, to scare you. I think it was leaving when it came across West. Either West saw it and realised it was a shifter, or it was simply taking an opportunity to get rid of your high priest. Either way, I’m pretty sure it’s retreated, but we’ll keep a sharp lookout.”
