CRAVED: Her Blood, Their War.

Years

hina'

dapest drop covered by Friday, he doe

still scanning the logistic

ng the shipment through the ne

ped the page.

l sil

"Break his silence

t i

, the familiar ache of stress buried between my shoulder blades. The room around me was dim, lit by low-hanging brass fixtures and the flicker of wa

ural stretched across the ceiling, its gold-scaled body coiling around crystal

down here.

the intercom near the door. "Detec

op-ins unless he had someth

lready shutting the fil

suit. Always looked like he was seconds from pulling a warrant h

u're risking walking into the

enough to feel safe, but close enough to show

e here to arg

oward the chair across from me

ined st

r sister.

someone hit a switch. He co

s mis

nked

She's

phone's off. Her apartment's untouched. Her car's still p

buzzed in my ear

ing. She said she was going

. A printed photo. Grainy. Surveillance, probably. Sienna i

ver made it out

. My fingers res

investigation. But I thou

"If someone took her, I'l

dn't

room around me, the weapons, the guards outside, the dragon statue

is targeted?"

answer. Whic

d at th

na brought me breakfast even when she knew I wouldn't eat it

he wa

believe in

rcus as I slid into the back

ing an eyebrow. "You want me to hit sirens or

y b

the bridge of my nose, trying not to think too much.

ded a

ned my face in the mirrored wall as we rose

ying from somewhere down the hall. My mother's guilty pleasure. She onl

ter echoed dow

fr

" I muttered u

om door was slightly ajar, just enough for me to catch a glimpse of red silk sheets..

be kidding me

houlder, completely unbothe

re na

. "Observan

for the sheets like I hadn't already seen e

fully, arms crossed. "He looks like

eaching for her robe with zero

s Chr

ime. Sex without all the

and turned to

his mouth

ow

ast me, shoes in hand. "Nice meeting you," he mut

kground checks on your dates," I mutter

t to all yo

guys who can ba

d herself a glass of wine like we w

is delightful interr

"Sienna didn't com

ebrow. "Maybe sh

he café. Her phone's off

t away. Just lowered the wine glass, stare

ssi

ea

ng in the r

e just

a smirk. "Maybe she finally did so

h...." Before i could finish. My

l seething, but the moment I saw the s

ima

t

n

a p

ng dark, lay beside her favorite purse, half-

in my lungs, a cold dr