Page 43 of All Your Bloody Lies

“No updates foryou—no—”

Please… I beg… I don’t deserve this… I don’t…

I feel a warmth around my leg, and I think it’s what drags me from my habitual memory.

“No news to report,” Kairhyse isn’t talking to me, but as I’m coming out of the haze, I can make out what he is saying to someone not in our immediate area.

“Yes, sir,” I’m trying to concentrate on the other voice, but it’s so hard to hear. “No—” Come on, focus damn it. “—killings have stopped—”

I think he is talking to Achille.

I groan and try to open my eyes, but the moment I do, they roll back, and I’m asleep once again.

I gradually become aware that we’re still moving as I regain consciousness. My eyes flutter a few times before I manage to clear the blur from them. Despite the tinted windows, I discern it’s daytime, though it carries the ambiance of twilight.

“Hello.” I watch his hand move to my bare thigh and rest there. “Sleep well?”

“Where are we?” I swallow, my throat burning. “Was I snoring?”

He chuckles. “Yes, but only a little.”

My gaze drifts to him, and I notice he’s looking at me without turning his head toward me. I realize he’s shirtless and just as I’m about to scold him, I see that he’s given me the brown shirt he had been wearing.

“Did you grab my cardigan at least?” I murmur.

“I’ll buy you another one. Along with a new outfit. Did you sleep well?”

Not particularly…

I choose not to answer him, because truthfully, he doesn’t deserve one. A persistent throbbing reverberates inside my skull, likely from the dream, but it equally could have been caused by the amount of venom he gave me.

“Why did you do that?” My fingers find my temples and I rub at them gently. “My head is killing me.”

With an exasperated sigh, he shakes his head. “I slept fine… I slept like shit… It’s not hard to answer my question, Xera.” I don’t retort, just wait for him to respond. “My intention was to get you into my car to take you home, and that’s what I did.”

This car is way too fancy for me, a stark contrast to my life.

Its interior matches the darkness of its exterior, a perfect ambiance for my eyes. The only hues besides black are the vivid red lights illuminating the dash and the monitor behind the steering wheel.

“And?” I press, because while he isn’t lying, there’s a better reason. He’s going to piss me off if he keeps skirting around it.

Also, he hasn’t moved his hand from my leg. I should really move it for him. Or just, remove it from his person, period.

“I don’t think I could have stopped us if we went further, and you said you couldn’t feed.” I’m honestly taken aback by his answer, and I narrow my eyes in skepticism. My Amoro was pressing outward, ready to find a means to devour him. He’s right; I was preparing to allow him to ravage me in that forest.

I clear my throat, ready to ask a question when he moves his hand and leans forward. “Here.” Popping open the glove compartment, he pulls out a mini plastic water bottle and hands it to me. “I’ll need to stop for gas soon, and we can grab something to eat.”

His hand returns to my thigh, squeezing it in his grasp. The difference between our sizes is astonishing.

“Why are you touching me?”

“I’m making sure that your vitals are fine,” he lies, laughing. “Don’t ask such a dumb question, little demon.”

I can’t punch him or we risk crashing. I know I’ll survive, I just don’t want to have to deal with the aftermath of that. So, I refrain and take a drink, consuming it in one gulp. Truthfully, I am hungry and thirsty, so I appreciate the gesture.

Placing the empty bottle back into the glove compartment, I close it and lean back. I don’t care to ask where we are because it doesn’t actually matter. I’ll make it home at some point, and I’m off for the next couple of days on an emergency request.

“Why couldn’t you feed?”