My stomach cramped,stirring me from my sleep.
Hungry, I thought. So hungry.
But I’d fed from all my mates before falling into bed. Then Zeph and Kols had invited me to play sex gymnastics with them… and they’d fed me again before I passed out.
Yet I was starved, and it wasn't food that I desired, but blood. Ugh, I groaned to myself. Zeph slept soundly beside me, his palm on my hip.
Kols was at my back with his arm wrapped around my waist, holding me to him.
Both of them were sound asleep, content, and well-sated.
Disturbing them felt wrong. I’ll just, uh, shadow to the kitchen, and pop back after I have a bag of blood.
I’d never actually indulged straight from the plastic before because Zeph had been adding it creatively to my meals. But I knew there were bags in the fridge for that purpose.
Twisting my lips to the side, I engaged in Shade’s ability to teleport by shadow and magicked myself a pair of pajama pants with a tank top as I materialized in the kitchen.
Zakkai stood next to the fridge with his shoulder braced against the wall and a bag of blood already in his hand. “It’s warm,” he said softly.
“How did you…?”
“You were dreaming of blood,” Shade murmured from behind me.
I looked over my shoulder to find him sitting at the table with a book and a glass of red juice beside him.
“Made this in case you prefer it over the bag,” he said, gesturing to the drink. “Or in case you need both.”
I swallowed, my mouth watering.
Zakkai handed me the bag, the top uncapped and releasing a metallic aroma.
I wrapped my lips around it and sucked, groaning as the liquid hit my tongue. Zakkai remained against the wall as he watched, his irises flaring with power. He was dressed in a pair of sleep pants and nothing else. Just like Shade.
When I finished the bag—in what had to only be a minute—Shade stood and handed me the juice.
I wrapped my lips around the straw and began to suck while Zakkai disposed of the bag and pulled another from some sort of warming unit next to the refrigerator. It appeared to be uniquely crafted for the purpose of heating blood.
It wasn’t until I finished the juice and the second bag that I finally felt like I could breathe again, the ache in my stomach subsiding.
But somehow I knew it would only be a temporary reprieve.
“Is this normal?” I asked. Because Kols had never needed blood like this. Or, if he did, I hadn’t noticed.
“No,” Zakkai replied, not bothering to sugarcoat it. “We suspect the Dark Source is preparing you for the next trial.”
“Or that perhaps it’s already started.” Shade resumed his seat at the table, sliding his book to the side. “Constantine won’t like that you not only circumvented his trap, but you passed another trial soon after. So it’s likely he’s already initiated the next one in hopes of catching you off guard while you’re exhausted.”
Zakkai dipped his chin in agreement. “Yes, and if that’s the case, then the Dark Source is aware of what’s coming and wants you prepared, which is why you’re craving an abundance of blood.”
“I see.” I shivered, both explanations unnerving. “And you didn’t crave blood like this before any of your trials?”
He shook his head. “No. Just the normal amount.”
“Oh.” I bit my cheek. I’d have to ask Kols about this as well, but I suspected his answer would be the same as Zakkai’s. “Umm...” I trailed off to clear my throat, my mouth suddenly dry despite all the blood I’d just imbibed. “What…? What was your fifth trial?”
“My sacrifice trial?” he clarified.
I nodded. Kols had told me all about his own trials in an effort to prepare me for mine, but he never moved beyond the unity test.