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How the fuck had she gotten a whole bag of it?

Nick’s stomach gurgled loudly then, and Nick decided he couldn’t wait long enough to puzzle it out. He knew seer blood had to be drunk immediately. It wouldn’t last long once it hit the open air. Seer blood didn’t have the shelf life of human blood.

Not even close.

He began to drink.

He kept drinking.

He drank hard… and fast… and really without pause.

He never drank Wynter’s blood like this. He’d be afraid he’d kill her if he ever drank from her like this… if he let himself go to this extent and just fed mindlessly.

He drank so intently, from such a mono-focused space, it was difficult to remember Morley was in the car. It was difficult to remember he was in a car at all.

It was even harder not to lose his shit completely at the taste of his wife’s blood. As he quickly slaked the worst of his hunger and thirst, he tried to slow down, but didn’t really succeed. He continued to drink fast, using the straw that attached to the bag, until he’d sucked down the very last drop.

Once he had, Morley glanced over and burst out in a laugh.

“Damn, Midnight. You weren’t kidding. How long has it been since you fed?”

“Too long,” Nick muttered.

He didn’t tell him he’d been drinking blood from his wife.

Anyway, Nick knew now it wasn’tallfrom Wynter.

About halfway through, he could taste the human blood mixed in with the seer.

He knew St. Maarten had mixed Wynter’s blood with the fresh blood of at least two different humans. He knew why she’d done it. She’d given it to him mixed so she could give him more, most likely, and also so he wouldn’t get hungry for at least another day.

He was relieved to know that blood hadn’t all been Wynters.

Even so, he still felt strangely guilty about how much he’d drank.

He’d never drank so much of his wife’s blood, at least all at once like this. What the hell had they done? Drained her with a machine until she passed out from blood loss? Given her some kind of transfusion while they pulled blood from her?

Why the hell would Wynter agree to that?

Why do you think, dummy?a soft voice murmured.

CHAPTER25

THE PAINTING

Nick sucked in a shocked breath.

Fighting to hide his reaction, he wrapped the tube-like straw around the empty blood bag after licking the last few drops of blood off the end. Then he shoved the whole thing back into the metallic shopping bag, and tossed the metal box his headset had come in on top.

After a bare hesitation, he picked up the whole shopping back then, and stuck it in the back seat, maybe just so he wouldn’t be staring at it.

By then, he could feel her.

He could feel her presence all over him.

Jesus… Wynter. Can you hear me?

Of course I can hear you, dummy,she sent, matter of fact.I can hear you and I can feel you and I can almost see you there, sitting in that car next to James. As usual, your mind is loud and clear, Nick. Like a neon sign, really.