Free Bloodguilty by K.M. Penemue Page A

enough to kill you, but you're not going to enjoy this." He let go of the chain and walked forward. "You killed my mate. You killed my pet. Anyone else you want to take from me?"
    Casimir spit blood on the floor. "I never wanted this."
    "Neither did I, but you just had to start this, didn't you?"
    He was beginning to slump, broken and bleeding torso too painful to support his rigid posture. Casimir felt something pressing against his back, and he let his head loll back to see the snow maiden with her hands against the glass. It was fragmented, but not broken yet. The snow maiden. Inaho had told him to greet her.
    "I'm going to kill this whore and your little bitch outside," Jared said, yanking Garnet's head back; he hissed in pain. "Then you'll know how I felt. After that, I'll kill you."
    While Jared talked, Casimir's mind worked frantically. If he could get the snow maiden free…. He slammed his elbow into the glass once, twice, and then it broke, shards driving into his back.
    Pushing him aside, the snow maiden stepped out of the cage, icy fog billowing around her feet. Jared fired at her, panicked, but the bullets passed through her as though she was made of air. He quickly brought the barrel of the gun to Garnet's head, but she had reached him then.
    She took Jared's face in her hands, and he yelped, gun dropping from his fingers. Casimir could see his skin frosting over, and as he struggled in the snow maiden's grasp, she pulled him in and kissed him.
    Jared's body went stiff. While Casimir watched, head swimming with pain, Jared turned stark white, ice covering his skin, hanging from the ends of his fingers in spikes. With an audible sigh, she released him, letting him drop.
    The last thing that Casimir saw before he blacked out was Jared's body shattering into thousands of shards against the stone floor.

Chapter Fifteen
    The taste of blood brought Casimir back around. He could feel a warm wrist pressed to his mouth, and he grasped it, sucking greedily before gaining enough control of himself to push it away and open his eyes.
    Mikki was kneeling beside him, letting out a puff of air. "There you are. Good. You gonna make it?"
    "Maybe," he groaned. Speaking made his broken ribs shift and grate together. "Is Garnet—?"
    "I'm okay," Garnet said, kneeling down next to Mikki. Now that they were so close, it was obvious to Casimir that they were brothers; Garnet was paler, probably due to bloodloss, but they had the same face shape and the same nose. Not to mention the same dark hair.
    A nod, and Casimir let himself lie back against the floor. Over the brothers' heads, he could see the snow maiden, standing in the doorway to the house. He couldn't bow like this, so he lifted a hand to acknowledge her.
    " Maido ookini, " she said, her voice as quiet as a winter breeze, and bowed her head.
    Casimir couldn't understand her, but he could guess what she meant, and he sat up just enough to bow his head in return before lying flat again. "There's one more—"
    "I got him," Mikki interrupted. "He ran outside after that fox. And yeah, she's okay too. She told me to tell you thanks for the fun,and to bring her more fish sometime."
    Casimir resisted laughing, knowing how much it would hurt. "Good."
    "All right, let's get your broken ass out of here," Mikki said, and with Garnet taking his other side, Casimir was pulled to his feet, an arm over either of them.
    "He can rest in my room at the Jewel Box," Garnet said.
    "Cool," Mikki replied, glancing over and giving him a cautious look.
    After a long pause, Garnet said, "… So, you came to help me, right? Thanks, Mich—Mikki. I'd be fucked if it wasn't for you two."
    "Yeah," Mikki said, but his tone was softer. "You're my little brother. I'm always gonna protect you if I can."
    Casimir smiled faintly. This wasn't how he thought he might get them to talk, but he would take it.
    "So, what are you gonna do now, Cas?" Mikki asked, clearly changing the subject.
    "After I recover? I don't