Through the Ether (Force of Nature Book 5) - Amber Lynn Natusch Page 0,76

Thrones, and I wondered if she knew something I didn’t, or if she was just taken by its goth majesty.

“Well played, old man,” she said as she slipped it from his hands with reverence.

The witches huddled around Sherry as she began to chant, Bea and their queen flanking her. As they did, I looked to my father, my question apparently plain in my stare.

“It is an ancient warlock relic,” he said softly. “Whatever magic is cast with it cannot be used against anyone with warlock blood.”

“Well played, indeed,” I muttered under my breath as my gaze drifted back to the witches. Their hair billowed around them as though a wind rushed through the room, but there was no such wind. Sherry’s brown eyes glowed from within, warming her gaze as it settled upon me, her voice rising as she did whatever the fuck it was she needed to do before spilling my veins into the warlock version of the Holy Grail.

Moments later, she reached her hand for my arm, and I only hesitated for a second before giving it to her. She pushed up my sleeve and turned up my palm, and I couldn’t help the random thought that popped into my mind about palm cuts being the worst, and movies always making them seem like no big deal when really they hurt like a bitch and never healed well. But she didn’t go for my palm. Instead, she traced the nail of her index finger along my forearm, as if magically seeking where best to strike. When she found the spot, she dug that cherry-red polished nail into my skin and dragged it down to my wrist. Blood welled, then poured over my flesh as she lowered my hand to the chalice.

The second the red liquid hit the cup, it sizzled and smoked, and an acrid stench filled the air. I coughed and sputtered, but Sherry held my flesh to the cold metal and continued her ramblings.

“This will work,” Reinhardt said, though his tone sounded more hopeful than confident, which made me even more nervous.

“Good,” I said, trying to seem unfazed. Then a rush of dizziness nearly dropped me to the floor. Merc grabbed my shoulders and held me upright. “Whoa…is the room spinning or is it just me?”

“It’s just you,” he and Knox replied in unison. Neither one sounded pleased.

“I think you have what you need,” Merc said to Sherry. His not-so-subtle subtext didn’t register with the witch at all. She squeezed my elbow harder, forcing the blood to flow.

She flashed him a look that said ‘I will be done when this is full,’ and kept on going.

“I think what his fanged majesty is politely trying to say is ‘knock it the fuck off before I end you’,” Kat called from somewhere to my left. “Unless I’m mistaken.”

“You are not,” Merc replied.

“With all due respect, Mercenary,” the coven queen said, “if we do not have enough, the magic will not hold.”

“I’m fine,” I said as a cold sweat broke out on my forehead. “Just hurry it up so I can heal and we can get this plan started.”

“Just a little more,” Sherry said to herself as she continued to milk my veins. Blood rushed in my ears, my heart raced, and my hand went cold and numb. Not stellar signs. “Okay…I’m done.”

Merc yanked me away and pressed my forearm to his lips. I felt his tongue drag along the wound to stop the bleeding, but it wouldn’t be enough to hold for long. This was hardly a couple of tiny punctures like his feeding caused. I needed to get outside so that I could heal and replenish, or I wasn’t going to be in any shape to face the fey queen.

“I have to go outside,” I said. I pulled away from Merc and headed for the doorway, staggering a little until Knox looped his arm around me and tucked me into his side.

“Not without me, you’re not.”

Foust, Jagger, and Brunton led the way as we exited the media room with Grizz and Kat pulling up the rear. I could hear Merc discussing the plan with Sherry and my father, but their voices faded as we descended the stairs, headed for the main entrance. I punched in the code as quickly as my fuzzy mind would allow, and Kat swung the door open when the latch clicked.

My entourage and I spilled out into the fading night, sunrise lurking on the horizon, and for a moment, I wondered what time