Page 24 of Bleed the Shadows

He turned out the light and walked to the other side of the bed, then stretched out on top of the covers. “This isn’t the way I planned it.”

I rolled onto my side so I could look at him, reassured by the sound of his voice in the dark, the weight of his body on the other side of the bed. “How you planned what?”

“Our first time actually sleeping together.”

“Disappointed?” I asked.

He reached for my hand. “Not even a little.”

18

MAEVE

I woke with a start,my heart racing. The room was pitch black and it took me a minute to remember I was back in my room at the Butchers’ loft.

I reached for my phone to look at the time: almost 7:30 p.m.

I wasn’t surprised it was already dark. It was late November. The sun rose late and set early on the march toward winter.

My mind was fuzzy with sleep and I tried to orient myself to the time. The Hunt had started at midnight, and it had been morning when I’d exited the Orpheum with the Butchers. It was early afternoon by the time I’d had a shower and talked to Poe, which meant it was 7:30 p.m. the night after the Hunt.

Was there anyone left in the tunnels? A girl who’d been smart enough and lucky enough to escape capture for almost twenty-four hours?

Disappointment washed over me. I’d been so sure I’d make it to the end this time, so sure I’d be exiting as a victor at midnight the following night. Instead I’d lost again, with the added trauma of being manhandled by the Ghosts.

I touched a finger to the gauze on my neck and winced. I was wondering if it would leave a scar when I heard a voice erupt from the other side of the wall I shared with Bram’s room.

I froze, wondering if I’d imagined it, but a few seconds later it came again and I got to my feet and crossed the room to the wall.

“What do you mean you can’t find them?” Poe asked.

“What do you think I mean?” Bram was clearly frustrated, annoyed. “I mean they’re not around. Not at the house, not in town.”

“Probably lying low because they know we’re going to kill them.”

I blinked in surprise at the fury in Remy’s voice. He was just as big as Poe and Bram but he was usually so easygoing.

“I’ll look again tomorrow,” Bram said. “They can’t hide forever.”

Were they talking about the Ghosts? The possibility did weird things to my mind and body. I didn’t need three knights in shining armor.

Well, I’d needed three knights in shining armor in the tunnels. Obviously.

But I didn’t need them going off half-cocked, throwing bodies around to avenge me or whatever. I needed to kill Ethan Todd, make him pay for what he’d done to Chris and what Chris had done to June.

I strained to make out the murmured words coming from the other side of the wall, but the Butchers must have been talking quietly because it was a couple minutes before I could make out anything else.

“That’s not how it’s supposed to work,” Bram said.

“Fuck how it’s supposed to work.” Poe’s voice was tight with restraint, with anger.

“You know it’s a bad idea,” Bram said.

“I don’t know about you, but I’m all out of good ones,” Remy said. “And the good ones didn’t get us anywhere anyway.”

“I agree,” Poe said.

Bram cursed and a thud echoed through the loft.