Read Out for Blood for Free Online

he was at your house. Did he leave without telling you?”
    Chrysabelle sighed. “I may have thrown him out.”
    Fi’s face was blank for a moment, then she laughed. The laughter faded fast. “Men suck.”
    Chrysabelle’s brows lifted. “Something going on with you and Doc?”
    “I take it Mal hasn’t filled you in on what’s been going on?”
    “No.” Not that she’d given him a chance.
    “Walk with me to the galley.” Fi’s feet hit the floor a second after she became corporeal. She turned down the closest corridor. “Long story, but the short version is he’s the new Paradise City pride leader, and that job comes with a wife.”
    Chrysabelle easily matched the shorter girl’s stride. “And you don’t want to fill the position?” She’d thought the varcolai and Fi were crazy about each other, but maybe she’d been wrong.
    Fi shook her head. “The position’s already been filled by the previous leader’s wife. When Doc killed Sinjin—who was the one killing off Dominic’s comarrés, in case you hadn’t heard…”
    “I hadn’t. Go on.”
    “Anyway, when Doc killed him, he inherited everything that had been Sinjin’s. Including the guy’s wife.”
    “What?” Chrysabelle stared in disbelief. “That’s rather archaic.”
    “That’s pride law. The same set of rules that kicked Doc out of the pride have now put him in charge of it.”
    “Wow.” Chrysabelle took a moment to process. What else had happened in the last few days that she didn’t know about?
    “Wow is right. Freaking sucks is more like it.” Emotion thickened Fi’s voice. “Where does that leave me?”
    “Well, you still love him, right?”
    “Yes.”
    “And he still loves you, right?”
    “I suppose.”
    “Fi, come on.”
    She blew out a long, hard breath. “Yes, he still loves me.”
    “So why can’t you and Doc just explain things to this woman? I’m sure she’ll understand. She probably doesn’t want to be married to Doc any more than you want her to be.”
    “Hmph. I wouldn’t count on that. Pride marriages among the ruling class are pretty old school from what Doc’s explained to me. Sinjin didn’t marry for love. He married for alliance. This woman’s father is the leader of one of the biggest prides in existence. Riling her up would be a very bad thing.”
    Chrysabelle looped her arm around Fi’s shoulders. “There has to be a way to work this out.”
    Fi shrugged, conveying about as much positive energy as a burned out match. “Whatever.” She glanced up at Chrysabelle. “So what’s going on with you? Doc and I came by to see you, but you were out cold and Mal didn’t want to hear about anything. All he could do was focus on you. He’s into you pretty hard. Like you don’t know that.” Suddenly her face brightened. “Did he tell you how he feels? Is that why you kicked him out?”
    “No, that’s not why. I kicked him out because he wanted to talk about something I didn’t. But now I know he was probably right, even if his timing sucked.”
    Fi nodded as she stopped and opened a door. “You want a cup of tea?” She stepped over the threshold and flipped on the solars, illuminating the galley.
    “Sure. Might as well hang out and wait for Mal.” The last time she’d been in this kitchen, she hadn’t even really known who Mal was. That felt like years ago.
    “You can always go relieve Damian for a bit if you want. I’m sure he’d appreciate the break.”
    “Mal told me he was here. Relieve him from what?”
    Fi filled the teakettle. “He’s guarding that vampiress who defected from Tatiana. Darciana or Dulciana or something.”
    A chill settled in Chrysabelle’s gut as she took a seat. “Daciana?”
    “Yeah, I think that’s her name. We’ve got her locked up in one of the storage containers in the far hold.” Fi lit a Sterno pot and set the kettle over it. “You know her?”
    “Yes, but her husband is the one you have to watch out for. He’s very ambitious. Like a male