Page 107 of Traitor Witch

Then it sinks in. "She's bleeding?"

Nos's eyes are pure white, but it's still obvious he's rolling his eyes as me. "Of course she's bleeding, you idiot. It's what females do."

Oh.Oh.

I cringe. No matter how many centuries I've lived, I still can't help but feel sorry for females. I'd rather be burned alive than suffer the way my aunt and cousins used to.

Not that I feel sympathetic towards the witch.

Cas climbs over the side and stops dead.

"Is that—?" His voice is strangled.

"Nilsa's time of the month." Nos shrugs.

Cas frowns, visibly trying to breathe through his mouth. "What the fuck are you all doing up here while she's suffering?"

Nos's secret smile confirms that he's already seen this whole situation before he even speaks. "The wine is in our cabin, top left cupboard by the door and Ry's been hiding a stash of chocolates in his cabin, waiting to surprise her."

Cas turns, but I cough, drawing his attention back to me.

A rope dips into the deck, twining all the way down into the heart of the ship. It opens a drawer in a dresser I've not touched in weeks and pulls out a tin.

When that tin reaches my palm, Cas's eyes widen.

"Are those...?"

"Fae dust sweets. Only give her one and don't tell her they're mine." The words are like acid leaving my mouth.

Nos's eyebrows have risen into his hairline, but he stays quiet.

Kier clears his throat behind me, and the feeling of literal ice down my spine makes me pause.

"It's not your dust. I skimmed some off the top of the cargo a while back. They help me sleep."

The admission is rough, but the ice disappears.

I don't look behind me. I can't take Kier's knowing look right now.

Cas takes the tin, smirking. "So we're getting the little witch high on dust?"

"You're only giving her one. That's not enough to get her high. But it will help with the pain and make her sleepy."

He nods and heads for the hatch, Nos following behind him.

"Trouble sleeping?" Kier asks once we're alone.

For fuck's sake. He would be feeling chatty now, wouldn't he?

But Kier knows exactly how deep betrayal can cut. The secret scars it leaves on everyday things.

"They came for me when I was sleeping."

It's why I'm not going to sleep properly until Nilsa and Elsie are gone.

Kier nods once. "Same."

Chapter Twenty-Eight