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“Been a while since I’ve taken on a job,” I grunted. Not that that mattered. Even if I didn’t work another day for the rest of my life, I had enough saved to live the most decadent of lifestyles.
“We’ll leave you two to talk,” Toby said, nodding to Dagon. “Leo, make sure he drinks that blood.”
I glared at the closed door. “He’s always been a bossy fucker.”
Leo wasn’t listening, frowning at the blood. “How long’s it been since you fed?”
“A while.”
“About three months?”
I glared at him. “Why does it matter?”
“And how long since you’ve taken a job?”
“Definitely none of your fucking business.”
Leo’s jaw twitched. “You know, I don’t think I hit you hard enough last night.”
I sagged backwards, gesturing at my face. “Take as many shots as you like. Don’t worry, I won’t fight back.”
Leo’s hand shot out, not to punch my face, but to grab the blood. He tore the corner off, holding it upright to stop it dripping. The scent hit me like a bus, my fangs descending as the fierce thirst I’d been ignoring made itself known.
“Drink this. Now.”
“I can’t,” I whispered, scrambling backwards away from temptation.
“Because it’s not Matty’s?”
Was that pity in his eyes? “I…”
He sighed, extending the arm not holding the bag. In the crook of his elbow was a piece of cotton wool covered by a plaster. “Would it help you to know it’s mine? I know it’s not the same, but we do share DNA.”
“Think that makes it weirder,” I said, eyeing the bag suspiciously. “Plus, Ferry might kill me.”
“Nah, Ferry’s much nicer than I am. Probably should’ve sent him here instead of me, but I wanted to talk to you myself.”
“Why isn’t he here with you?”
“He’s watching over Matty,” he said. “He wanted to come, but I persuaded him to let one of the other demons come with me instead. I don’t trust anyone else to watch over Matty as well as he can.”
I tried to pretend that someone else watching over Matty didn’t hurt. That him being someone else’s responsibility, even temporarily, wasn’t making me want to scream at the top of my lungs.
I took the bag from Leo, begrudgingly taking a sip. It wasn’t Matty’s blood, unfamiliar notes of cinnamon tinging the taste. But it was close enough. I could drink it and know it wasn’t washing away the memory of him.
After I finished the first bag, Leo silently handed me the second. They must’ve been collecting blood from Leo over a couple of days to have this much.
Which meant Toby had suspected he’d find me in this state. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that.
I used the time to organise my thoughts. To try and figure out why Leo was here. Was it to kill me? I mean, as a human, he wouldn’t be able to do it alone. Maybe that was why Dagon had accompanied him.
Not that I’d stop them. That didn’t make sense given the fact that he was feeding me though. I suspected Toby wouldn’t have left us alone if that were the case.
“Thanks,” I rasped when they were both empty. My body was practically weeping with relief. I’d starved it for far longer than was healthy. To be honest, I hadn’t really noticed. The thirst was nothing compared to the soul-rending agony I was living with.
My brain was so much sharper than before, my thoughts snapping into place with a horrific realisation. One so terrible it had me bolting to my feet.
“What?” Leo jumped up in surprise, whirling around like he was expecting someone to burst in. “What’s wrong?”
