Chapter 31
CLEMENTINE
“You’re quite the damsel in distress, aren’t you?” Sev smirks at me from his front porch, where he insisted we bring the god object and the hunter if we wanted his help.
I sigh. “Seems so. I’m not exactly happy about needing to be saved. Again. At all.”
“Are you able to use the god object or not?” Griffith asks with an obvious restrained tension.
He’s even less happy than I am about the idea of me potentially being indebted to this morally gray monster.
Sev takes his time examining the blade, running his fingers over every detail.
In my mind, the blade was larger, almost sword length.
But that must have been the fear and pain distorting my memory because the weapon isn’t even the length of my forearm.
Still wicked sharp and capable of doing irreparable damage, but not the saber of my nightmares.
As Luke claimed, when two of the jewels are pressed in and the hilt twisted, it slides open a hidden capsule. Inside lies a gold powder no one has been allowed to touch for safety reasons. The powder is apparently what has the means to heal me if wielded by a powerful enough hand.
“For my help, the payment is this.” Sev holds up the dagger. “It is mine now.”
“Now wait—” Georgiana begins, stepping forward with a frown on her beauty-queen face.
“Done.”
We all turn to face Luke, who spoke like he has any kind of negotiating power in this situation. Currently, his hands are cuffed in front of him, and he stands, flanked by Carl and Levi.
“This isn’t your deal to make,” Juan snarls at him. Like Georgiana, the Of the Claw council member does not seem fully on board with calling in Sev.
Problem is, neither had alternative solutions, and they aren’t the ones actively dying.
Luke ignores Juan, keeping his attention on Sev. “One day, they will realize I’ve never been a danger to this town. When that happens, they will feel obligated to return all that was taken from me. But I won’t reclaim the dagger. If you heal Clementine, then it is yours.”
Sev saunters forward, extending a hand that is suddenly sporting a collection of claws. “Swear it.”
Luke’s wrists are still cuffed, but he extends his arms and doesn’t flinch when Sev slashes a small cut on his forearm. The second wound of his for the night, the first one only starting to clot.
“I swear the dagger is yours once Clementine Divos is healed from her mortal wound.”
The monster grins wide, slicing a small gash in his own skin for the blood exchange. “Deal.”
Georgiana huffs, and Juan growls, but Selena and Levi watch with silent acknowledgment. Moira preemptively gave her approval, but had to head home to relieve their babysitter.
Sev ignores The Council members, instead approaching Griffith.
“You need to feed the powder to her.”
Griffith frowns. “I’m not even an alpha. You expect me to have the juice to fuel a god object? You trying to kill me?”
“Listen closely, children.” Sev speaks in an instructional voice. “Not all objects need power. Many simply require intention. Do any of you know the story of this dagger? No. Of course not. Can’t believe the Shelly witch hasn’t come across it yet.”
Sev holds up the magical artifact, moonlight reflecting off the silver in the hilt.
“This is the lover’s blade. A weapon crafted when an immortal fell in love with a human who was dying from an incurable disease.
The blade was meant to kill them both. The immortal gifted it to their lover, claiming the day that their illness became too painful, they must plunge the blade into the immortal’s heart so that they would leave the world together.
The healing poultice in the handle was a failsafe, in case the blade was used on the wrong immortal.
It only needs to be applied with a loving hand.
” Sev raises a brow at Griffith. “Unless you do not love her.”
“Give it here,” my wolf snarls. “Don’t know why we came to you if you weren’t needed.”
“My power wasn’t needed. My knowledge was.” Sev holds the dagger away from Griffith, a dark shadow in the monster’s eyes. “But don’t fool yourself into thinking that I lack power.”
Griffith grimaces. Then, likely because he’s not an alpha and he doesn’t constantly feel the need to assert his dominance over everyone around him, he dips his head. “I apologize. Thank you for explaining how to heal Clem. Can I please use the cure now?”
Sev waits a breath, then extends the weapon, hilt first. “Only a touch. Apply it to her tongue.”
Griffith presses his thumb into the chamber, the pad of his finger coming out golden. He hurries to my side, only hesitating when he stands in front of me. “Do you trust this?”
Fear is clear in his eyes. If Sev is lying and this is lethal, I’ll die at the hands of the man I love. He’ll have to keep living after the tragedy.
“I don’t trust him to heal me for the sake of goodness. But I think he likes his home and living in this town and knows he’ll be driven from this place if he overtly harms me. So, I trust his self-interest.”
“Good girl,” the monster purrs, a smirk on his face.
Griffith takes a bracing breath, then extends his hand. I open my mouth, and he presses his thumb against my tongue.
The golden dust tastes like sunshine, and the best song, and an orgasm.
None of which are supposed to have a flavor, but somehow do.
I gasp and grasp Griffith’s arm as my knees go weak.
He catches me before I hit the ground, but his arms are insubstantial to me. I’m weightless, my gaze full of stars.
The pain in my side disappears.