Of Blood and Honey (Fey and the Fallen) Read Online Free Page B

and was wearing a pale blouse so sheer that it might as well not have been there at all. Lips parted and eyes half-closed, she cupped the underside of each breast with delicate hands. Her nipples showed through the cloth as small knots of dark pink. The blouse was unbuttoned from just below her breasts down to the hem—spread to display an expanse of smooth belly and rounded hips. She wasn’t wearing any pants, and her bare thighs were parted wide enough for him to spot a dark cleft nestled in soft, sparse curls.
    The image felt slick against his fingertips. His breath caught as a memory of an afternoon with Mary Kate popped to mind—the time they’d been snogging, and he’d grown bold enough to slip his hand up under her skirt. His fingertips had brushed warm yielding wetness an instant before she’d slapped his hand away. He hadn’t seen, but—
    “Fuck you, mammy’s boy,” Tom said, laughing and snatching back the photo.
    Liam was grabbed and pulled behind the shed. Turning to see who had accosted him, he was then shoved in the back. Icy gravel bit into his palms as he hit the ground. Rolling over, Liam spotted Hugh looming over him.
    “Me and Tom,” Hugh said. “We got something to tell you.”
    The ground was wet, and Liam tried to get up to prevent soaking his trousers, but Tom put a boot in his chest and pushed him back down.
    “Right,” Liam said. “So, yous don’t like me. I get it.”
    “Wouldn’t say that. You got your uses,” Tom said. “Hugh here gets hungry.”
    “That I do.”
    “Here on out, you’re to give him your bread at dinner,” Tom said. “Don’t worry, you’ll still have the stew or whatever’s on offer. It’s fine if you get hungry enough. And sometimes the screws don’t even piss in it.”
    Hugh laughed.
    Culchie cow fuckers, the pair of them, Liam thought. He wanted to break Hugh’s nose for him but knew he didn’t have the strength. Best he could do was run, but here he was, flat on his back. The wet had soaked through his trousers now and the frigid ground was getting to him. His stinging palms tingled with the cold. He could feel blood oozing from the cuts. The prickling sensation flowed through his veins, up both his arms and legs and nestled in his chest fast as an electric shock. He thought of what happened at dinner and wondered what it might mean.
    Tom said, “Look at me when I’m talking to you, you wee fuck.”
    Left with little choice, Liam glared up at the bastard. When he did, Tom’s confidence faltered. Liam blinked. He sees something. But what? Startled, he didn’t notice Hugh until it was too late and took the kick full in the side. For a moment he forgot all about Tom and the tingling under his skin. Curling around the pain, Liam prepared himself for a beating.
    “Get him up and hold him,” Tom said. “I want to get a few good ones in.”
    When the blows stopped, Liam was left gasping on his knees—one hand on the metal shed to keep from falling face first. His bruised sides throbbed with agony which slowly faded into a dull but constant ache. The pain was bad but would pass soon enough.
    “Tell Kevin we gave you a hiding,” Hugh said, “and we’ll really lay into you next time.”
    The pair of them walked off, laughing.
    There wasn’t much Liam could do about Tom and Hugh, but there was plenty he wanted to do. He decided to bide his time, though. There was bound to be an opportunity eventually, and when it came he’d bloody well take it.

    “Kelly! William Ronan Munroe Kelly!”
    The two guards calling his name stood in the center of the yard. Thinking it might be a message from home, Liam got up from the ground. Everyone seemed to be watching as he crossed the yard.
    “Come with us,” said the first guard, “like a good little taig.”
    Liam kept himself from reacting to the insult, but his jaw tightened nonetheless. “I’ve not done anything.”
    “You will soon enough.” The first guard laughed and there was a nervous edge to