Jacky. “I'm not shutting anyone down. But we've established hopper is their crass name for Reflective.”
Gunnar suddenly grips her shoulders and jerks her toward him. Maddie gives a startled yelp, and the two Bloodling guards surge forward, barring the others from interfering.
“We shared blood, Madeline.” Gunnar says her name strangely, like musical notes barely caressed.
“So?” she replies in a shaking voice.
He looks at the Reflectives. “Who understands any Bloodling history?”
Beth sighs. “I guess I should have stopped it.” She looks down at her feet then stubbornly raises her chin. “But the truth is, even though I'm angry with your neglect of me—”
“Ignorance,” Gunnar corrects.
Beth ignores him. “I couldn't let you die. I knew what would happen if Maddie gave you blood, and I wanted you to live worse than I cared about her fate. It was wrong. And selfish.”
Beth turns to Maddie, and Jeb's gut tightens. Whatever she will say is not good.
Maddie swallows hard. “What does me giving him blood have to do with anything?”
Beth inhales deeply. “A blood donation from a kindred is similar to having sex.”
“What?!” Jackie yells, slapping his forehead. “No way!”
Maddie takes a step backward, increasing her distance from Gunnar.
“Yes way,” Beth replies, easily slipping into Three terminology.
Jeb shuts his eyes. Another complication we didn't need.
Perfect.
“How could you?” Maddie whirls, facing Beth. “I mean, I—” She flushes a deep red. “I haven't done that, with anyone.”
“Huh?” Jacky scratches his head. “Not even Chase?”
Jeb groans as Maddie bursts into tears. “I didn't know. I just—I had to help him. It's like my body demanded it!”
Jeb folds his arms.
What a fucking mess.
“I'm sorry, Maddie. I can't take it back. And honestly, I want answers from him.” Beth turns and glares at her father. “And by Principle, I will get them.”
“In time, my hopper daughter, you shall know more than you ever wished to.”
Jeb doesn't like the ominous ring to Gunnar’s words, mainly because they sound like the truth.
And that has been in short supply since they met up with the Bloodlings.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Slade
Slade can feel the nightloper's hate, their lust to taste his blood, but the nightlopers no doubt took their orders from Dimitri.
He knew the escape was too easy, too choreographed. There were far too many nightlopers for the others to have remained unscathed, and for only him and Beth to be left on the ground.
But Slade was unwilling to give Beth up on their terms.
They would be in for a surprise.
Their unerring gazes travel after Beth as she's pulled high above them. Their expressions of just missing the prize would be comical if the situation weren't so grave.
Only when she is safely ensconced inside his home in the trees does he turn his attention to the lion nightloper.
His gold eyes flash in the heavy gloom and slowly spin. Caught as both animal and humanoid, the nightloper is forever between the two forms, destined for a nocturnal existence.
The lion bares his teeth, and a wolf nightloper behind him howls mournfully.
The lion steps forward, tossing a partial mane behind him. Cheekbones like slash marks hover beneath the piercing gaze of captured twin suns. A muffled roar as soft as a whisper slips between his lips, and talons click as he clenches his fist.
“You were to hand the hopper over.”
“Yes.” Slade nods. “I will. In my own way, at my own time.”
The lion circles Slade, and Slade wags a finger in his direction. “Be of a care, before I take your head and feed on the rich blood from your neck.”
A true roar issues forth, sending a raw echo floating above them.
The others will think I am being ripped to shreds. The deception would be fitting to cover his current bit of maneuvering.
“Dimitri tries to gain Beth Jasper before the remaining half of the females of our kind have been returned.”
“What's left of them.” A hyena nightloper snickers behind Slade.
Slade spins, slicing the hyena’s throat with two talons. The hyena's speckled eyes widen; half-animal hands move to circle his throat. A long gash appears like a yawing second mouth.
The surrounding nightlopers observe but do not interfere.
When the wound fills with blood, they attack the hyena.
Slade watches with a detached amusement. In typical nightloper fashion, they consume the weak.
His attention returns to the lion. The yips and yelps of the feeding nightlopers create a terrible din. Again, good cover for subterfuge.
The lion heaves a great exhale. “I cannot kill you, Prince of the Bloodlings. I can only deliver the message. But know this”—he points an amber-colored talon at Slade's chest,