Shaking with an unstoppable desire, I nodded.
“Relax your left arm,” he instructed.
I let him pry it from where I had clamped it around my knees. His touch no longer cooled. Through my haze of pain, I realized he straddled me. Then metal pricked my arm. A mere annoyance compared to the crushing need. Liquid fire raced through my veins, extinguishing the agonizing desire, leaving me limp and gasping.
Galen leaned over me. He held a syringe.
“Whose blood?” I asked.
“More of mine.” He rubbed his thumb over the spot. I hissed in pain.
He moved away. Spent, I flopped to the ground. Now I truly understood how Devlen felt. How the addiction was to blame. Ulrick, too. He didn’t know what he had gotten himself into when he agreed to switch souls with Devlen.
I considered. This “treatment” had been free. What would the next one cost? Would I be able to resist? If I kept using magic, it wouldn’t matter. Galen would force me to do whatever he wanted.
Twenty-six days. The trip from Ognap to the Lion’s Claw Peninsula lasted a total of twenty-six long, horrible, terrible days. Heading west, we crossed the plateau, cut through the narrow tip of Cowan’s lands, bypassing my hometown of Booruby—those days had been my darkest of the trip, envisioning my family and friends gathered for my flag-raising ceremony—and we skimmed above Bloodgood’s southern border. Galen avoided all major towns and cities.
We arrived at the Bloodroses’ outer wall in the afternoon. Located on the tip of the Lion’s Claw Peninsula, the compound was isolated from the rest of the Bloodgood lands. The narrow finger of land jutted out into the Jade Sea. Blue-green water glinted from both sides of the peninsula. The extra beachfront added to their annual pearl harvest.
The eight-foot-high stone wall contained only one gate. The wrought iron was spotted with rust. Galen called to the two guards on the other side. They opened it without hesitation. The gate’s hinges creaked in protest.
The complex hadn’t changed in the year since I had visited. A few stunted trees and scrub bushes grew in the otherwise barren landscape. The tangy scent of the sea filled the area with a moist mist. Even though clan members moved between the buildings, the only sounds to reach us were the constant roll and crash of the waves and the shriek of gulls as they dived and fought over the discarded oyster shells.
Beyond the massive wall, small cottages built from bamboo were arranged in perfect lines. Past them was a smattering of sun-bleached public buildings. The beaches on each side of the peninsula had a long structure built in the sand. On the northern coast, children dived for oysters, carrying buckets of them into the shade of the sorting area. Adolescents pushed wheelbarrows full of sand and hunks of black rocks on the southern coast. Armed guards watched both. The excuse for their presence had been to protect the clan from pirates and thieves.
It was quite the operation. Pearls, diamonds and breeding magic. My stomach felt as if I had eaten too many raw oysters.
After leaving the horses in the stable, Galen led us to Walsh’s office. He ignored Walsh’s assistant. Her protest died on her lips when he frowned at her. Smart girl. But she did hover in the threshold, lacing her hands over her bulging belly. I swallowed. She looked about fifteen years old—way too young to be with child.
Walsh’s skeletal face lit up when he spotted me. He stood from behind his desk and came around with his arm extended.
“Opal, welcome back. It’s so nice to see you,” Walsh said, flashing stained teeth as he smiled. He wore all white. It matched his long white hair.
I clasped his hand and suppressed a cringe at the creepy feel of his bony fingers wrapped around mine. “I wish I could say the same.”
He kept hold of my hand. Power swept over my skin. I fought the urge to block his invasive scan. For the last fifteen days, I hadn’t needed another shot of blood magic. By not using power, I extended the time between bouts of withdrawal. According to Galen, I couldn’t avoid it altogether. I sensed things would change. And not for the better.
Walsh patted my hand with his free one. “Your unique powers have fascinated me. I’m looking forward to exploring them with you. I’m sure you’ll love it here with time. Even during the hot season, there’s a cool breeze from the sea. No one bothers us with their petty political wrangling and back-stabbing. It’s paradise.”
He finally released my hand and addressed Galen as if I wasn’t standing right there. “She’s healthy and strong. A little old. We should breed her right away. But all in all a nice addition to our family.”
Even though I had been warned, I still gaped at him.
“Opal, wait for me in the reception area. I’ll be right out,” Galen ordered.
“Penny, fetch our new sister something to drink,” Walsh said to his assistant.
She gestured for me to precede her, and shut the door behind us.
“What would you like?” she asked me.
“Nothing.”
She gave me a miserable look. Her drab tan skirt dragged on the ground, and she kept smoothing the fabric of her dull off-white tunic over her stomach.
“Water is fine,” I said.
Relieved, she rushed off. I pressed my ear to the door. They talked about the black diamonds and plans to make super messengers. Since I already knew greed was a motivating factor for Galen and Walsh, I wasn’t sure what I had been hoping to overhear. The topic changed to me and I strained.
“How soon until she’s yours?” Walsh asked Galen.
“Not long. She has a soft spot for others.”
“Then finish it. She’s dangerous right now. House her in the brig until we can trust her.”
Footsteps sounded and I backed away from the door.
Galen was amused. “Any questions?”
“What did you mean by I have ‘a soft spot’?” I asked.
“You run to everyone’s rescue. I’m sure you wouldn’t hesitate to save a drowning child. Come on. I’ll give you a tour.”
I wondered when he had been here before as I trailed after him. He headed straight for the south coast. The long wooden building remained the same. Along the side open to the beach, workers wielded boxes with bottoms made from wire-mesh screens. They barely glanced at us. Using handheld spades, they filled the box with sand and then held it in the water flowing through a chute. The water washed away the sand, but left the rocks behind. After inspecting each black stone, a worker placed it in another box or tossed it onto a pile.
Galen answered my unspoken question, “Only the diamonds are kept.”
There weren’t many. “So not all those black rocks are diamonds?”
“Chunks of useless lava,” he said.
He poured the diamonds into his hand and left. The next building perched on the edge of a dune and resembled three of the bamboo cottages stuck together.
In the front room, Quinn worked at a table. He concentrated on the black stone in his hand. When he finished, he glared at Galen through the shaggy hair hanging in his face. Unaffected, Galen smiled and handed the young man the diamonds he carried.
“More for you to charge,” Galen said.
Quinn remained silent, but he turned his attention on me. With a flash of recognition he leaped to his feet. “You!” He rushed me.
I stepped to the side, dodging his attack. He hit the wall and pushed off, coming at me again. Running out of room to maneuver, I blocked and punched him. The hard muscles of his torso did more damage to my fist than to him. He wrapped his hands around my neck and squeezed.
“You bitch! You left us here!”
No air to respond, I slammed my arms down on the crook of his. Nothing. My vision turned to snow. I could be nasty and dig my thumbs into his eyes or strike his neck with a knife-hand, but I didn’t want to hurt him.
“Opal, use your magic,” Galen said. His voice sounded faraway.
No. Darkness claimed the edges of my world. Then with a jerk, the pressure on my neck released. Air burned in my throat. The pain didn’t stop me from sucking in huge lung-filling gulps.