Page 87 of A Hunt Bound in Blood

Worry wrapped its tendrils around me, and I fought them off. I usually didn’t drink more than a few sips of blood a week. I’d gotten into my head about needing it more often, convincing myself I was verging on bloodlust.

But that didn’t mean I wouldn’t need some soon. To be thorough, I snuck over to Cammon’s bag and rifled through it as well in case my supply had slipped among his belongings somehow, and when Cammon returned, he caught me wrist-deep in his clothes.

“If you want something that smells like me, you just have to ask,” he said as he dropped the wood into the pit he’d dug earlier.

I rolled my eyes. “If I want something that smells like sulphur and dust, I’ll go back to the tunnel.”

He gave himself a sniff. “Much less sulphur now. More silt and fish than anything. Bit of mud. Toad.”

I smiled and pulled the dishes from his pack. “Essence of Princeling. You could market it. Give up treasure hunting and earn even more. With less clutter around the estate.”

“If I gave up treasure hunting, it wouldn’t be because I had too much money.”

“No, it’d be because you were home, seeing to your princeling duties.” I crouched by the crackling fire. Something buzzed by my ear and bit my neck, and I slapped it away. “I’ll tell you, you might be eager to return to your crown, but I can’t wait to get back to my library. This whole wilderness thing is getting a little too messy for me.”

Cammon’s gaze dropped to the fire, and the lines of his smile grew tight. “I can imagine. It’s certainly not as clean and quiet as stacks of books. Just as dusty, though.”

“Are you saying I don’t take care of my books?”

His eyes widened. “I would never besmirch your reputation in such a way. Each tome is immaculate, I have no doubt. But I wasn’t talking about the books.”

He meant it as a joke, I knew he did, but my heart flinched under the barbed attack.

“You’re not wrong,” I said as I stood up, brushing leaves off my backside. “I’m going to see what other food I can rummage up. Might as well make use of my dry, boring, bookish knowledge while I’m out here.”

I told myself I was overreacting, but I didn’t want to acknowledge the cause of my sensitivity. I didn’t want to think about how thirsty I was or how many days we still had to go before I could get home to my regular, consistent, hidden blood supply.

I didn’t want to think about that luscious artery pulsing so close.

I buried the memory of my fangs sinking into Cammon’s warm flesh, the burst of his blood over my tongue, the way my lips formed a perfect seal around the bite so I didn’t lose a drop.

Cammon wasn’t an option. The first bite had been dangerous enough, but the second would bind him to me for the rest of our lives, and neither of us wanted that. He had a title to reclaim, and I… well, I had my research position waiting for me.

I just had to make it through another week.

Without ripping anyone’s head off.

Cammon

XXXIII

I stared after Glory as she walked away, wondering what I’d said to chase her off. The jest had been nothing more than that, and it hadn’t been any worse than anything else I’d said to her on this trip. Yet she’d reacted as though I’d struck a nerve.

Had I been trying to?

Her comment about the messiness of treasure hunting had certainly hit one for me. It had been a stark reminder that she and I might be out here on the same mission, but our lives couldn’t be more different. That simple truth had been all too easy to forget while we’d existed under the mountain, while time had stopped and our problems had no longer plagued us.

Now we were out in the fresh air again, and the sunshine highlighted all the shadows that dogged our heels. Glory wanted her library, and I… I was supposed to want Karhasan. My crown. Revenge.

So why did none of that seem important anymore?

Freezing fucking cold water aside, I enjoyed treasure hunting. Exploring the world and seeing what existed beyond the city limits. Why couldn’t I keep doing that? I could finally put Karhasan and my stolen title behind me and move on with my life as Sy had encouraged me to do for years. I had an entire house I’d barely spent time in. A pool I’d only used a dozen times. Guest rooms I’d never stepped foot in. I could explore all of that. Maybe with Glory.

But even as I thought about it, I knew it wouldn’t work. I loved adventure; she loved serving her country in the royal library. I loved novelty; she needed routine. I’d formed my life around uncovering secrets; she’d buried her life beneath them. We were very different people on very different paths, and while these days together had been earth-shattering, this wasn’t the real world. As soon as we returned to civilization, our priorities would shift and we wouldn’t make sense. It was important I remember that before someone got hurt.

I passed the time until Glory returned strengthening my resolve, yet despite my efforts, I couldn’t help but notice the way she dragged her feet when she lurched to her bedroll. I took in the glassiness of her eyes, the dark circles beneath them, and the droop to her hair. Her pallor was so striking her lips were nearly bloodless.

“Are you okay?”