Page 22 of A Vow of Shadow and Blood

I told you she’s growing on me.

I’m starting to see why.

“You’re not afraid?” I ask, and I’m surprised at how scared I sound.

She walks toward me. “Are you kidding? Do you have any idea how badass that was? You just killed a freaking vampire with yourblood.”

She claps a hand over her mouth and starts giggling.

“I don’t know how in the lost gods you did that, but you’re a gods-damned superhero. I knew you were hiding something, but this is so much cooler than anything I imagined.”

“Superhero?”

“Yeah, apparently they used to save the world and shit in the books our ancestors read before they were banished,” she says.

“I’m not even going to ask how you know that.” I raise a brow at her.

“That’s probably for the best.”

I shake my head, but a strange sense of relief washes over me at her words. I’m not sure why I didn’t expect this response from her. Aside from Willow and Cora, there’s no one else who has had my back as much as she has.

“I’m not a hero.”

“Yes, you are.”

I move back over to the dead vampire and throw a glance over my shoulder.

“You may not think that after what I’m about to do.”

I slip the dagger from the hiding place beneath my dress and use the tip of the blade to push open the creature’s mouth. The black stain of my blood is everywhere like a stamp that will forever taint him. I remind myself that he probably killed hundreds of humans when a knot twists my stomach just like it always does.

You did nothing wrong,Athriel tells me.

I usually kill the ones that hurt someone…this one was just…

My words trail off as uncertainty swallows my thoughts.

He was indulging in more blood than he needed. This wasn’t about survival; it was about greed. You likely saved many lives by ending his.

Athriel’s words sink in as I set to work on one of the fangs, loosening it with quick, precise motions. I repeat the movement until at last it gives way, and I pull it free from his mouth. It took me a while to get the technique right. The first time was so bad I ended up leaving the vampire's fangs behind and running back to the bloodhouse, too afraid everyone would know what I’d done. These days, I never leave without their fangs.

“What are you doing?” I jump at the sound of Tori’s voice. “Sorry.”

“I need the fangs, it’s where the venom is stored.”

It’s all I offer as I pull out the second fang and place them both into the hidden pocket Cora sewed into the inside of my dress. I remember the first time I realized she’d done it. It was a silent sign that she was on my side.

“And what exactly do you need vampire venom for?”

I rise to my feet, moving a couple of feet from the vampire’s body before turning to face her.

“Look, I want to answer all of your questions, but right now, I need help hiding this body to give us enough time to get the hell out of here before anybody realizes what I’ve done or who I am.”

Realization of what is happening and where we are finally sinks in as her eyes widen.

“Shit, I completely forgot. Ok, what do you need me to do?”

“Grab his legs.”