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I spin to take in the rest of the room and jolt at the sight of Rune still lingering by the door. Fuck, he’s too quiet.
“I no longer need you here.” I give him a tight smile. It’s harder than I expect to force one out.
He just stands there with his arms crossed, red eyes sending waves of fear through me. It feels like Violet herself is staring at me.
Oookay. Is he just going to watch me all day? I roll my eyes.
“Seriously, I don’t need you to—”
He steps in and shuts the door. Alarms raise in my head and I back to the corner of the room as my breathing quickens. All the hairs on my arms raise.
Rune considers me as I freeze up in the corner like a rabid dog, and then he walks to the bed, sitting calmly, and taps his wrist.
“What?” I say defensively.
He taps his wrist once more. He wants me to drink more blood?
I watch him cautiously while I decide if he is safe. Violet specifically picked him for a reason. I can’t trust someone who can’t even speak his own truth.
After an intense stare-down for the better part of twenty minutes, I finally ease from the corner and approach him slowly.
He’s either the most patient person in Tomorrow or has nothing to live for. His will is definitely greater than my own, which is saying something.
His crimson eyes and horns are the exact same shade of red. Now that I’m calm and close enough to see him without Violet’s horrid presence, I can explore his features more carefully. His dark hair looks soft and makes his skin appear incredibly pale. His shoulders are broad and the sweater he wears exposes his collarbones where they meet in the center.
I sit next to him with a good two feet between us.
“So, what got you in this mess?” I know he can’t answer, but I’m sure he enjoys people talking to him nonetheless.
He shifts so he’s facing me, one leg up on the bed and bent in. Obviously he doesn’t answer. He just… watches me, eyes exploring my face and daring to rove to my neck before snapping back up. I notice the thick scar that runs down the length of his neck, straight through his Adam’s apple and down to the tip of his chest.
“Did you kill someone?”
That gets his attention. He raises a brow incredulously. I let a small laugh out and shrug. “Is that a yes?”
He shakes his head and keeps his eyes on the floor now.
“Well, did you act treasonously?” I put my hand out for his. Another shake of his head. He sets his already bitten wrist in my palm. “Then I guess just no one likes you then, huh?”
I’m not expecting him to answer something so cruel, but my cold heart cracks a bit when he nods solemnly. I hesitate and meet his gaze. He shows no sign of hurt, but I’m sure deep down he felt that,right?
“That makes two of us,” I mutter as I lean in to take his blood, but before my lips touch his skin I’m overcome with his scent. It’s so overpowering I nearly gag. He smells like blood.
I know, the irony is not lost on me. I fucking drink the damn stuff. But not once has blood smelled like… blood. It usually has an essence of that person’s being. Wren has his pine sap, Arulius is honey. It never has smelled like iron and the metallic sting of death…
I toss his hand back into his lap and when he looks at me, confused, I stand up and make my way to the door, opening it and motioning for him to leave.
“I’m feeling sick. Please go.”
5
Elodie
It’s still dark out when I hear a loud thumping against my door. I groan and pull my pillow over my head. Fuck early mornings. Violet said I had a few days to recover now that I don’t have Arulius’s blood to heal me, so who’s trying to wake me up?
My answer ishell no.
The thump sounds again, and it’s not a nice knocking either. I clench my teeth.Just fucking go away, for gods’ sakes.
