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“Drink,” he whispered just as a drop of his coppery, magical blood met my lips. I pressed them together, then my tongue snaked out, unable to resist. Before I knew it I was sucking Vas’ finger deeper into my mouth. His potent magical blood buzzed through my system. I moaned at the taste and felt his other hand spread out across my ribcage.
“Captivating,” he breathed and the syllables vibrated through me, the mark shimmering with glee. I sucked down another few drops, then licked at the small wound he’d inflicted on himself. With a shuddering breath, I withdrew. “You shouldn’t have done that.”
“It wasn’t a hardship,” he replied huskily, his hand still on my stomach.
I lowered my gaze, feeling like I might drown in my own embarrassment. “I shouldn’t be drinking from you. You need your strength down here.”
“So do you.”
“I’m fine for blood right now. It was greediness more than anything else that made me want to bite you when I woke up. My instincts just took over.”
“Be greedy if you like. I don’t mind,” he murmured, finally removing his hand from my stomach.
I shook my head, drawing further away from him. I scooted to the edge of the pod and slid out, needing some breathing space.
“Darya,” he called. “Wait a minute.”
“I’m going to get some water and wash. I’ll meet you at the stalls for breakfast,” I said and went, climbing down the ladder. The ground floor of the sleeping area was busy with people waking up and getting ready for their shifts. I marvelled at how quickly I’d adapted to this place, falling into the routine of it all without too much effort. Nobody bothered me when I got in line for water, my head still spinning from what happened between me and Vas back there. It was becoming more and more difficult to control myself around him and I couldn’t understand why.
Was it because he was my future? Were we meant to be together?
Was the mark influencing my actions?
Or was I just latching onto someone because my heart longed for Peter?
I hated the idea of using Vas as a rebound and resolved to be more contained around him going forward. Just because we had to share a pod and sleep together didn’t mean I should turn into some bloodthirsty sex fiend whenever I was sleepy and less inhibited.
When I reached the water fountain I quickly washed my face, neck and arms, then drank my fill before moving out of the way for the next person. What I really longed for was a hot, steaming shower full of all my favourite products, but that wasn’t in the cards. I had to make do with what was on offer. Hell, I didn’t even have a change of clothes. The ones I wore were rank but there was nothing to be done about it.
I made my way to the food stalls and spotted Maya up ahead. I frowned, seeing she’d stopped and was speaking with someone. I frowned even harder when I saw it was the drug dealer lady with the vacant stare who’d asked me if I wanted to buy some lava dust when I first arrived.
As I drew closer I saw Maya exchange a coin for a small bag and I increased my pace. I reached her just as she walked away from the woman, tucking the bag of drugs into her pocket.
“Maya,” I said and her shoulders tensed. She turned around, her features etched with shame.
“Darya, I—”
“You don’t need to explain yourself, just…you know those drugs won’t make things any better, right? Not in the long term. Whatever you’re struggling with, they’ll only make it worse.”
She broke down then, tears flooding her eyes. My heart ached for her. She’d been working in the mines for less than a year but I could see how badly it had affected her. How she carried so much pain, both for herself and for her sister. “I just wanted to forget for a while. I just wanted to…not be here.”
I pulled her into my arms. “You won’t be here for much longer. We have a plan to get out. It’s going to work.”
“But what if it doesn’t? What if Red Armand survives?” she whispered. “He’ll come looking for us. He’s ruthless, will stop at nothing to get us back. The thought of being on the run from him is too terrifying to contemplate.”
“He won’t survive,” I told her, my voice full of steel and determination. “I won’t let him.”
Her eyes met mine, but I couldn’t tell if I’d gotten through to her. Then, to my relief, she reached inside her pocket and withdrew the small bag before handing it to me. “Here. You take this. Get rid of it for me.” She cast her gaze back in the direction of the woman she’d bought the lava dust from. “I doubt she’ll give me a refund.”
