Page 49 of The Arcane God

Kaya, who had been gently tugging on her arm, removed her hands immediately, compelled by the force of her Gift. The woman looked shocked—confused—like she’d touched a scalding-hot pot and had retracted on instinct.

“Ena,” Turner said, his voice cautious. “What are you doing?”

Ena looked over at him, ready for a fight, but instead she found that his brow was furrowed in concern and he looked upset. The look of his worry shocked some sense into her once more.

What was she doing? Had she just used her Gift on Kaya? She hadn’t meant to, it had just come out…

She looked around to find the group staring at her, looks of concern and trepidation on their faces. It brought her back viscerally to her Summoning—the way her own Coven had looked at her with fear when she’d received her Gift.

“Ena,” Kaya said gently next to her, noticing her reaction. “It’s okay. I’m fine.”

“I-I’m sorry, Kaya,” Ena stuttered. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” she choked out.

“I think I might,” Kaya replied. “The animal’s blood is not working, and I think I know why. Come with me, please.”

Ena reluctantly passed the bowl of blood off to the stryx man next to her and allowed Kaya to lead her to another tent.

Inside was Max, deep in discussion with two other older stryx, a man and a woman with grey streaks in their black hair, but they paused when she and Kaya entered.

“My heart’s blood,” Kaya said urgently. “We need to speak with you.”

Max dismissed the man and woman before him, promising that he’d come find them later to finish their discussion, before turning his attention to Ena and Kaya.

“What is it?” he asked once they were alone.

“It’s Ena,” she said, looking over at her and addressing her with her next question. “Am I wrong, or is the blood you’ve been drinking not helping with the bloodlust?”

Ena closed her eyes. There was no use denying it. The blood wasn’t working, and that was painfully obvious by now.

“I don’t think it is,” she admitted. “The cravings, they’ve only been getting worse. And now, when I drink, I feel…out of control, like I need more and more, no matter how much I have,” she said. Part of her felt ashamed to admit it—she had no idea what was happening to her or why she was acting this way, so unlike herself. But she didn’t want to hurt anyone, least of all Kaya or any of the stryx, who had been so welcoming to her.

Kaya took her hands in hers, her grasp motherly and warm. Ena had never had a mother—not truly. She’d had Greya, who had always cared for her, and Heran, a guardian and guide—but not a mother. Something about the care with which Kaya spoke to her made her heart ache a little.

“Ena, I need to know. Is it possible that you ever drank some of Ty’s blood? Even accidentally?” she asked intently.

Ena didn’t even have to think about it—she remembered it viscerally. The way a drop of Ty’s blood had gotten onto her lip after the ritual to break the bond to Iblis. His blood had been all over the amulet, and when she’d taken it off her neck, some had gotten in her mouth. And Gaia, it had tasted…ambrosial.

“Yes, I drank some accidentally after we used his blood in the unbinding ritual,” Ena said. “Why?”

“And is that around the time the cravings started?” Kaya asked.

“Yes, almost exactly. That was the first time I really remember enjoying the taste of blood and started to feel strange around it afterwards. Especially his blood,” Ena explained, swallowing the saliva that pooled in her mouth at the memory.

“Of course,” Max said, looking over at Kaya as whatever she had realized clearly dawned on him too. “He’s your bloodmatch.”

“Bloodmatch?” Turner asked, taking the words right from her mouth. “What’s that?”

“A bloodmatch is a person whose blood, whose magic and being, directly complements yours. They’re the only human a stryx can drink from regularly, because when a stryx finds their bloodmatch, drinking their blood enhances their ability to Change,” Max explained.

“What do you mean enhances?” Ena asked.

“Instead of being able to Change only on the full moon, they can Change whenever they want. And they need significantly less blood to live too. But…there’s a downside.” Max paused, a troubled look passing over his face.

“Well, don’t stop now,” Turner said, sounding slightly annoyed. “Tell us.”

“Once a stryx drinks from their bloodmatch, they become more powerful—that’s the benefit—but they also cannot survive without regular feedings from them. Without their bloodmatch’s blood, they will descend into bloodlust permanently, and eventually…they die.”

Everyone fell silent at that, the weight of what Max had just said settling into their minds.