When the Moon Hatched (Moonfall, #1)

by Sarah A. Parker

“You coped just fine without me before you snatched me from the gutter.” “I gave you the option,” she volleys, quick as a blink. A deep belly laugh wrestles up my throat, spilling out in a mirthless tune. “And what an option it was,” I muse. “Die or drip my blood into your runed vial and be a forever slave to your whim, able to be yanked to heel at any given opportunity. Except it wasn’t voiced that way, was it? You offered me revenge. Painted such a pretty picture I was salivating to give you my blood, falling into your web like a plump bug, immediately put to work.” So many empty promises. “Ironically, had you simply asked me to join the cause, I may have agreed, given the drowning amount of injustice I soon discovered in this kingdom. But you just had to slap a collar around my neck.” She sighs, long and deep—the breezy confidence of someone who lives in a bubble of safety I can’t penetrate. “Always so dramatic, Raeve. Truly, I’ve never met someone with so much battle in their blood.” Her elegant hand grips the vial hanging between her breasts. “Perhaps you wouldn’t be so bitter were you not constantly testing me, forcing me to take advantage of the blood bind.” Yeah, okay. It’s my fault. “Can’t you see you’re made for this?” “Sure,” I deadpan. “Nothing quite like the constant threat of a casual torture session to make you feel right at home.” “It’s nothing personal. Everybody puts their blood in the vial—” “Except you.” “—benefiting from its many advantages. Remember h...