CHAPTER 42: SILVERBLOOM WINE

The look Sylas was giving her stole her breath. The look he was giving her was freezing her to the bones, at the same time igniting a fire in her heart.

She finally tore her gaze off him, refusing to reply.

Sylas only had to think about it for a moment and the answer appeared right there in his mind, "Eric Pendragon,"

She snapped her eyes back at him, shocked at first, then remembered she had made it so obvious that she liked him anywhere they went.

"It doesn’t matter," She said again, "He doesn’t want me. Zeke doesn’t seem to have any interest in me either, but who am I to blame anyone?" She let out a humourless, sad laughter, "I’m the one pretending to be a guy. I’m the one who has to get over my attraction issues,"

She pursed her lips, quiet for some time, then looked at him, "I want it all to stop hurting. Can you help me?"

Sylas blinked, watching her, "What do you mean?"

"You said...," She took a step forward, and then smiled, "You said you can make me feel it... everywhere,"

"I didn’t mean that," He lied.

She swayed, losing her balance but he caught her. The effects of the wine were only getting more and more potent by the second, "Yes, you did," She slurred, "You’re the only one who...I think...wants me," She frowned after saying that, "Do I sound desperate?"

"Yes,"

"Yeah? Well, all this would disappear as soon as I find my mate. But I’m already twenty-one, and there’s hardly any sign...,"

"It’s because of your pendant," He replied, "It keeps you from recognising your mate,"

"Interesting," She slurred again, "And I can’t take it off. Guess I’ll remain mateless for the rest of my life,"

"It doesn’t mean that... Your mate won’t be able to recognise you,"

She paused at his words, her brain trying to process them and the piercing looks he was giving her, then she giggled again, "You’re joking,"

He didn’t say anything.

"I should get going. It’s almost curfew,"

"You can’t go back like this. You’ll get caught," He said.

"I have to," She drawled, trying to push back to her feet but he had his hands on her waist to keep her steady, "I need to go back,"

"No," He gripped her even tighter, "You’re coming with me,"

She frowned, "I’m not going anywhere with you,"

"Yes, you are," He swept her off her feet, cradling her against his frame.

The coat fell open even more, and his throat bobbed as he tried his hardest not to look down.

Theo began kicking against his hold, "Let go of me, I have to go back," She groaned.

"Stop being so goddamn stubborn!"

"You don’t understand," She said tightly, "If I don’t go, he’s gonna get nightmares,"

"Who?" Sylas asked.

"Zeke. I have to touch him while we sleep,"

His jaw tightened again, "Touch him?"

"Yeah, we usually cuddle," She giggled this time, then added in a whisper like she’s about to tell him a secret, "You wanna know the best part? He has no idea that I turn back to a girl whenever he’s sleeping and I change back before he awakens,"

Sylas began walking out of the alleyway, a hardened expression on his face, "And why exactly do you have to cuddle?"

"It’s my pendant," She said, "It somehow stops him from getting those haunting nightmares," She shivered as she said so, fear clouding her eyes, "Zeke might act tough on the outside, but he’s actually gone through a lot. He won’t sleep well... unless, I’m there,"

"So what do you want to do now? Are you ready to let Zeke know that you’re a girl?"

"No!" She exclaimed, "He’s gonna use it against me,"

"Then you know that you can’t return to your dorm tonight," Sylas walked out of the alleyway, sticking to the shadows where he won’t be seen, "Zeke would have to...find a way out for himself tonight,"

"No...," She kicked again, "That means he won’t get any sleep tonight. And if Celeste is right about the effects of this wine then..., he won’t sleep for the next five days or more,"

Five days or more? Sylas paused and leaned down to her face. He thought she had gotten drunk from drinking crates of whiskey, but he was just realising that the scent he was picking up, was a small amount of whiskey, and something faint.

Something he recognised.

Silverbloom Wine.

A special kind of wine made from the Silver flower, only found in the south, along the Silvermaw Crest Pack, which is the Devereux Family’s territory. A few drops of this wine were potent enough to get a wolf drunk for hours.

"How much of this wine did you drink?"

"A lot,"

"Then let me handle this,"

"How?"

He didn’t reply, and they moved so quickly that everything blurred. Everything was swaying really fast now, and she closed her eyes and leaned against him.

After what felt like a long time to her, her back pressed against something soft. It was also warm, and there were no water drops on her skin anymore.

She was indoors.

Her eyes fluttered open a bit and caught sight of what looked like a dark room. She was lying on a bed, a large blanket covering her. There was a fireplace in the corner, and she caught the figure of Sylas taking off his shirt.

He looked even more appealing than she had imagined in her head, but what really caught her eye was a small mark by his left shoulder.

It looked like...a spiralling symbol that began as a perfect circle of black ink, but within it was a serpent swallowing its own tail, except the snake’s head was shaped as a wolf’s. There was a sword descending through the serpent’s body, and where the sword met the serpent’s head, there was a single drop of blood red.

Weird.

She’s never seen anything like it before.

She opened her mouth to say something, but he felt her watching and said, "Go to sleep, Venom,"

Her mouth fell close, and her eyes began to close again. He threw on another shirt, turned and walked to the edge of the bed where he stood, staring at her.

"Why...," She forced out weakly, "do you call me Venom?"

She would have sworn she saw the corners of his mouth twitch, right before she finally succumbed to the darkness.