Page 53 of The Arcane God

“How do you know I’m your bloodmatch? When did you drink my blood?” Ty asked, all of this almost overwhelming, and yet, at the same time, relieving, because it explained a lot.

“During the unbinding ritual,” Ena explained. “I accidentally got some of your blood in my mouth and well, that’s what triggered my bloodlust. And it’s only gotten worse since you left. I thought…” Ena collapsed in his arms again then, hanging her head as she spoke into his chest. “I thought I was going insane without you, Ty. I have been going insane without you. The bloodlust…it’s been changing me. And I thought I was…I was getting ready to die.”

Ty didn’t even know where to begin with any of this, but his heart broke at hearing how upset she was. Hearing her even contemplate death made him so unimaginably angry, he knew he’d do whatever was in his power to fix this.

“So you need to drink my blood?” he asked cautiously. “And then you’ll feel better?”

She didn’t say a word, just nodded silently against his chest, and that was enough for him.

“Then let’s go,” he said. “It’s cold out here, but we’ll go back to one of the shelters, whichever one you’ve been using, and you can do it there,” he said.

“Ty—” she began, her voice sounding unsure as she lifted her head to look at him, her eyes filled with guilt, but he grabbed her chin and stopped her, tilting her face up so she could see his fully.

“Ena, you don’t need to say another word. If you need this, it’s yours. My blood, my heart, my life is yours. Always has been, always will be.”

She stared up at him with a love that he didn’t truly deserve, not after everything he’d put her through. But he would take it, nonetheless, because he was a greedy son of a bitch when it came to her.

“Let’s go,” he said, and without another word, he led his wife back towards camp so he could take care of her.

Chapter Nineteen

Ena

Ena followed Ty back through the woods, grasping his hand like a lifeline in the dark.

Part of her still didn’t believe it—that he was real, and he’d returned, after over a month of thinking he was dead. But if this was a hallucination or a dream, then she was more than glad to be lost in it.

There was a lot of activity back at the stryx camp since evening was fully upon them, and everyone was buzzing about their new arrivals—but Ena only had eyes for Ty.

“Which one is yours?” Ty asked as they approached the shelters.

She pointed at the tent she and Turner had been sharing, and he tugged her inside it.

Ty looked around the sparse accommodations as they entered, taking them in for the first time, but he didn’t say a word—just got to work building up the central fire.

Ena took off her cloak as the tent became comfortably warm, and she settled down on her furs, feeling nervous for some reason.

She’d already been drinking blood the last couple days, and even though that still felt strange, there was something even more strange about this. Because she was about to drink Ty’s blood, and the prospect filled her with both anticipation and concern.

What if her cravings still got worse? What if she got out of control and hurt him, or used her visanis on him like she had on Kaya? So much about this was unknown.

Ty took off his outer layers of clothing, too, until he was in only his shirt and pants, then knelt on the sleeping platform next to her and began rolling up his sleeve without preamble. Part of her wanted to tell him to stop—to wait. She wasn’t sure if she was ready. But what was she waiting for? She needed to do this.

Ena watched in silence as he removed his dagger from his belt and held it above his wrist—almost exactly as he had during the unbinding ritual—so ready to sacrifice himself for her, or his people, and her heart warmed at the thought.

Ty looked up at her—meeting her eyes in the firelight. “You ready?” he asked her. He didn’t seem nervous at all, just determined, and that calmed her—his steady presence a balm to her nerves.

“Yes,” she said, with more confidence than she felt.

Then he drew the knife across his wrist. Blood instantly welled up along the cut. It wasn’t too deep, but deep enough that his quick daemonic healing wouldn’t cause it to close right away.

And the sight of it—oh, Gaia. Saliva filled Ena’s mouth as she watched the deep crimson, the sweet smell of it permeating the small space.

Ty lifted his wrist up to her mouth. “Drink, Ena,” he said soothingly. She was sure he could sense her nerves, though she’d tried to hide them. “If this is what you need, then drink from me.”

Ena reached out cautiously and brought his bloodied wrist to her lips. She watched the blood drip, drip, down his thick wrist, and she couldn’t wait any longer—she stuck out her tongue a tiny bit, and gently, slowly, she licked a drop of the blood off of his skin.

It tasted of pine and honey, sunshine and rain, snowmelt and burning embers. It tasted of home and safety and lust and power. It tasted like Ty, and it was the most amazing thing she’d ever had. The feel and taste of it spread throughout her, like it had entered her own bloodstream and was everywhere, everywhere inside her.