Little things that were meaningless but somehow had the power to bewitch me.

I hated it.

I hated that only she could soften my fury and turn me dangerously...tender.

“Wake up,” I ordered. “I need to know if you’re okay.”

She didn’t move.

Cupping her cheek, feeling that unexplainable easing from her presence, I resisted the urge to tap her. “If I leave you alone, will you be functioning by tomorrow?”

No reaction.

Whisper snapped his teeth.

My fingers burned from touching her.

“I need you to be strong,” I muttered, my palm falling from her beautiful face. “I’ll have one shot, and you can’t fuck it up.”

Still nothing.

I drew back, anger crawling through me.

She was the key to prying open this cage.

Up until now, I’d had no qualms about using her but...

What if she didn’t survive?

What if she died tomorrow and I lost her?

I glanced at the dagger in my hand.

If I stood any chance of succeeding tomorrow, it all hinged on her.

“This is for your own good...and mine.” Gritting my teeth, I ran the tip of the dagger over my wrist where countless silver scars existed.

Ashfall blood welled, glossy and red, the entire reason for my misery.

Placing the knife beside Rook’s unconscious form, I grabbed her jaw with one hand and pressed my bleeding wrist to her mouth.

“Swallow and I’ll let you go.”

She did nothing.

Crimson trickled down her cheek, wasted.

She was the only one I’d ever bothered to heal. The only one I’d ever willingly given my blood.

Which was why tomorrow was so important.

It had to be now, or it would be too late.

Whisper came close, sniffing both of us.

Rook didn’t move.

“She’s not accepting it.” I glanced at him. “How do I make her?”

The panther licked his lips.

I scowled before wrenching my wrist from her mouth and pressing it against my own. “Good idea.”

Bracing myself, I sucked a mouthful of warm, salty copper. Whatever they’d done to me to make my blood different, didn’t work on me. I’d tried self-medicating when the pain grew too bad. I’d ingested far more of my own life-force than I wanted to admit, hoping, praying that it could do what Marcus had reported it’d shown in the lab, but I wasn’t so lucky.

But for her...it would work.

Holding the thick liquid on my tongue, I grabbed her jaw to hold her still, and bent over her.

I wasn’t prepared for the punch in my heart as our lips connected.

Not even a kiss, yet it scratched and clawed at my restraint.

I shifted over her, parting her lips with mine. My fingers tightened around her chin just in case she moved.

Her lips were cold and sweet and soft as I released the mouthful of blood, transferring it to her.

She moaned quietly.

She struggled weakly.

I didn’t let her go or break the kiss, waiting...

Her throat worked.

She swallowed.

A small sound escaped her, barely audible, but it stabbed my burning chest.

Tilting my head, I brought my wrist to my mouth again. I sucked another mouthful, the cut sore and stinging. Warm liquid pooled, threatening to trickle down my throat.

Lowering myself once more, I sealed my mouth over hers, forcing the second dose onto her tongue.

Her spine arched slightly, trying to fight my imprisonment.

Energy crackled where our lips pressed together. Her pulse fluttered against my fingertips. Heat gathered, heavy and hungry between my legs, burning hotter than the vitalsync core.

The longer I fed her my blood, the harder I clung to self-control.

I wanted more.

Needed more.

With a growl, I tore away.

Her lips were smeared with scarlet, the wasted blood on her cheek marking her as mine. I brushed a thumb across her lower lip. The sight of my essence on her—knowing my life-force was inside her...

I couldn’t stop myself.

My hand slipped from her mouth to her throat, driven by primal instinct. Lust roared through me, tearing through a lifetime of denial.

My fingers shook as they lingered on her pulse before following the path of heat down and down.

I sank my teeth into my bloodstained lip as I cupped the part of her that I’d felt pressed against me whenever we collided.

I wasn’t prepared.

I never expected—

Raw, savage desperation made my fingers squeeze.

I bent over her as a grunt escaped me.

The weight of her breast. The softness of her flesh. The warmth and shape and addiction—

Touching her fucking obliterated me.

I needed her.

Naked and spread and—

I leapt to my feet and staggered away.

My hand curled into a fist just as the vitalsync core flashed red.

A bolt of fire shot through me as I groaned.

What was I doing?

What the fuck was she doing to me?

I needed to leave.

Right now.

Footsteps sounded on the stone bridge outside.

Whisper shot to his paws, turning to face the unwanted visitor.

I caught a flash of mousy brown hair, the girl’s attention on crossing the small river.

I didn’t know her name, but I’d seen her with Rook enough to know they were friendly. She wasn’t like the others trying to bed me or kill me. She was like Rook: another lottery toss, given to me just in case a civilian enticed me more than the trained courtesans.

“We’re leaving.” Snatching my blade, I moved toward the back window.

The panther followed obediently, but his whiskers flared as he looked back at Rook still unconscious.

I still didn’t know what they’d done to me that made my very human blood do something very unhuman. I had no explanation for why it could take away pain or heal but...for the first time, I was grateful.

She’d be fine when she woke.

She’d be strong for what I needed her to do.

“Come,” I ordered, climbing out the window and holding it open for him. The soft thud of his bulk crushed the orchids beneath.

The flames in my blood that’d been sated while I’d stayed close to Rook returned in full force. Sweat broke out, rolling down my spine. “That girl can look after her while I can’t.”

Breaking into a fast walk, the embers in my bones caught fire.

With every breath, the ash in my lungs choked me—

“Ghh.” I doubled over as another shot of molten torture threatened to knock me out.

I shoved a fist into my stomach, fighting the urge to return to Rook. It seemed even unconscious, she had the power to ease my pain.

But I didn’t trust myself not to touch her again.

Didn’t even recognise myself with what she’d fucking done to me.

Gritting my teeth, I tripped toward my quarters.

As long as I kept my pulse calm I could—

PAIN.

White-hot fire tore through my chest, almost sending me to my knees.

Whisper whimpered, low and uneasy, pressing his solid strength against me.

“Don’t,” I rasped. “I’m fine.”

He didn’t believe me, staying plastered to my side—doing what he’d trained himself to do when I got this bad.

“Am I that weak to you?” I tried to laugh—

The next surge buckled me completely.

My vision tunnelled, spots blooming at the edges. I caught myself on his velvety shoulder, digging my fingers into his powerful muscle.

Whisper started walking, his shoulder blades undulating under my hand. I moved with him, putting most of my weight on him, using him as a walking stick.

Pressing my other hand over my smouldering heart, the world tilted—

Whisper hissed again, half-shoving me toward my home.

I wanted to push him away, to keep a scrap of dignity—but the ground lurched again, and I lost the argument.

“Stupid beast,” I muttered.

He sneezed violently, telling me exactly what he thought of my pathetic existence.

My head hung in defeat. “Just get me home. Then you can gloat all you want.”