House of Vultures by Maggie Claire (read my book TXT) 📕

backfeels the closeness of another body near the wrappings around mystitches.

“Good morning, Lupe,” Wolfwhispers beside me, sleep making his voice gravelly. “How are youfeeling?”

To be honest, the warmth of his chestsoothes the pain in my back more than the vile drink he’d forceddown my throat ever could. I almost do not answer until a sharppain in my mind jars my skull. I sit up quickly, hissing at thepain of stretching stitches along my spine. “How long have I beensleeping?”

“Two days,” Wolf answersblearily, his hand raising my shirt to inspect my wounds. It is notthe tattered rag I had been wearing when I first entered this lair.“You look good in my clothes, Lupe,” Wolf chuckles as he catches myscowl. “And your stitches do not look infected afterall.”

“Panther,” I rasp asanother pain lances through my head.

Wolf sobers then, his hand on myforehead. “I’ve had spies watching your House. They have not seenthe boy.”

“I commanded that he stayin my room until I return.” I throw my hands to my head with ahowl. “What was in that alcohol? Two days later, and I’m stillstruggling with a terrible hangover.”

Wolf shakes his head grimly. “It’syour bond with the boy. Your mind and his are connected now, andyou’ve neglected your duties. You’ve been away from him too long.That little headache is your body’s first way of making sure youcheck on him. The longer you are apart, the more physical ailmentsyou will have. Stomach aches, loose bowels, leg cramps, and so muchworse, until you both beg for death. I’ve felt those pains beforemyself, Lupe. I do not envy you.”

I had no idea that Wolf had ever knownthe true name of another person. He seems to notice my surprise andmy pause as I wait for his story.

“You are my first equal,Lupe, but you are not my first love.”

“What happened?” Iquestion, trying to cope with my feelings about hisrevelation. Not my firstlove, replays in my head. I’m not sure ifI am flattered or terrified by his words.

“Her name was Lavender.”My shoulders tense as he speaks, knowing that she is dead. That’sthe only reason he would share her true name with me. “She chosethat to be her name because she liked the color of the flowers. Ithought it was because it matched her eyes.”

“How did she die?”Did he really just admit to lovingme? I wonder tomyself, knowing already that my feelings toward him are nowherenear the same. In this hell-hole that welive in, love is a luxury. He may be able to consider such emotionsimportant. I cannot afford to think past my ownsurvival.

Wolf’s throat bobs as the old painresurfaces, and I force myself to focus on his tale. “Lavender wastaken. We had tracked too close to the Devil’s Spine and met upwith a raiding party from Déchets. They tortured her for two weeks.She wasn’t tough like you, Lupe.” Wolf runs a hand across my own,taking comfort in my closeness. “I felt every possible ache andpain this body can give. It was a morbid blessing when theystopped. I was grateful for the end of the physical suffering, evenif it meant that my love had died. The emotional trauma, I soonlearned, was far worse than anything else I had endured. They senther body back over the mountains in pieces. It was a long timeago.”

“Horrible, awful people!How could they do such a thing to another creature?” I exclaim inoutrage. Then it occurs to me how difficult it must have been forWolf to help me save Antero. How on earthcould he find it in his heart to help someone he knew was from thatland?

Wolf seems to know my thoughts,smiling sadly as he brushes my hair. “Lupe, for you, I can doanything. You think this boy’s worth saving, and I will stand byyou through it.”

I wonder if you’d say thatif you knew he was the son of the Déchets’ king.Now is not the time to announce such a thing, soinstead I ask, “Why, Wolf? Why would you do all of this forme?”

“Can you really notguess?” He hints, his voice drifting over my skin as his mouthbrushes my shoulder. I can hear the soft hum of his breathing as heskims a hand over my ear. “You are tough, a fighter. You are cleverand cunning, yet kindhearted too. In another life, I would havebegged your father to let me marry you. I would have asked you thevery first time that I saw you.”

I smirk at the thought. “I would haveprobably kicked you, thinking you were insane.”

“It would have only mademe want you more,” Wolf replies smoothly, a chuckle coloring hiswords. Then a pain in my head seems to slam my brain into my skull,and I wail, clutching my temples as my fingers claw at my mask.“You have to go back to the boy,” Wolf remarks, upset at the ideaof me returning to the House of Vultures. His hands open and clenchas if they are at war. Closing—they want to hold me, protect me,keep me beside him—and opening—they know that the only way to saveme from this torture is to let me go. “I will take you backthere.”

“You cannot! You will beat risk yourself!” I dissuade, panicking at the thought of his packat war with my House.

Wolf winks at me slyly. “You care formy safety. That’s a good sign, Lupe. You are one step closer toloving me too.” Wolf stands by the bed, holding out a hand to helpme up. The soreness in my broken skin nearly knocks me backdown.

I wheeze through the pain, “Wolf, I amserious. If you get caught, Condor will—”

“I am not letting youleave this place alone,” Wolf barks suddenly, all lightness in hisdemeanor gone. “You will not talk me out of this. Do not try.” Asharp tug on that bond between me and Panther makes my decision toquit arguing an easy one.

From the height of thiscavern I can see Wolf’s people going about their daily routines.The younger children laugh and play in the rocks. Parents stayclose by, absorbing the sight with solemn faces.How many of those children will soon be takenfrom their families and given