Page 148 of Blood Lovers

“If you stay, I will share him with you.”

“Fuck you, Paul.” This might be the first time I’ve used his name in a conversation and it feels… well, a lot more personal than it should.

“I will share Ryet with you because you were right. It is a transaction. Even Ryet is a transaction. He’s very pretty. And he’s going to be positively angelic by the time he’s done transforming. So much like Josep.”

I frown here at the name.

“The one who made him for me. Josep. You’ll meet him eventually. But that’s a long way off. My promise is that you and Ryet can be together. And the two of you can have a baby, Syrsee. I’ll show you how it can be done.”

I guffaw before I can stop myself. I pause, let that sink in a little further, than guffaw again.

“What’s wrong? Do you hate children?”

“This is your promise? A child? Let me guess, will it be a girl? Will I have to kill it? Or hand it over to you to feed on?”

He just stares at me, expressionless, his eyes searching mine, darting from one to the other as he thinks. And this stare seems to go on for lifetimes before he finally speaks. “You could do either of those things. Or”—he side-eyes me—“you could take it to the Guild.”

“What? Why the fuck would I do that?”

He pushes his way past me and walks over to the tree trunk where Ryet is sitting. Then he picks up the fur and drapes it over Ryet’s shoulders. Ryet doesn’t move. I don’t think that’s him, just some ghost of him in our shared dreamwalk. Some kind of vampire magic, maybe. Paul sits down next to him and points to the trunk of the tree on the other side of Ryet. “Sit, Syrsee.”

I study this scene for a moment, trying to make sense of things. Because this is, what, the third time I’ve been in this winter forest? The third time I’ve seen this tree trunk?

The first time it was empty.

The second time it was Paul gazing down at a baby.

And now it’s the three of us. But the baby was here first, so there’s something to that. I’m just not sure what. Of course, the obvious answer is that it was the baby I will have if I stay with these bloodsuckers. Some abomination. A witch, or a vampire, or something even worse.

But I don’t think that’s it.

I’m missing a piece of this story.

“Syrsee.”

“What?”

“Sit down so we can chat.”

I blow out a long breath of air and then walk over to them and take my seat.

Paul is pleased with my compliance because he chuckles. “You have questions about the child. I can hear these questions in your head. And you are right. It’s not as simple as… well, us creating a little family together.”

“Gross.”

“I’m going to ignore that because you’re confused. Let me explain. This baby would be the new breed of Black witch, Syrsee. And trust me when I tell you this, the Guild will want her.”

I peek around Ryet so I can see Paul’s face, my hands slipping under the furs to feel Ryet’s cold, cold shoulder. “Her? So it will be a girl?”

Paul’s smile is soft, and charming, beautiful Paul is back. The one my grandma met when she was a little girl. “They will be girls. And there is a good reason to take them to the Guild. Because the Guild will do everything in their power to protect them from the Obscurati.” I make a face of confusion, so he adds, “My bosses. They will want you, as well. And once they realize that I have succeeded—that my punishment is now over and the Darkness and I have reconciled—oh, they will want us all, Syrsee. But if you take these girls to the Guild, they will be safe and so will you. And not only that, Syrsee, they will reward you for coming home to them and let you read the books.”

For a moment I’m stunned. Then I just want to laugh. Because it’s laughable, right?

Magic books? A baby witch? The Guild? Some vampire Illuminati?

What the actual fuck have I gotten myself tangled up in?

“No.” I shake my head. “No. That’s not how this ends.”