Chapter 10
Ten
MANU
I ’m staring at the fire in the hearth, trying to think about anything besides the hole in my chest. The flames dance in a soothing rhythm, almost hypnotically, and I wish they’d put me in a trance. Anything that’d make me forget that I’m living without a heart.
It’s been weeks since Karl left the castle, but the ache of missing him is only getting worse. Daveena gave me a potion to help. It didn’t do much. I believe what ails me is beyond her skill. My body is burning up, craving his touch like it’s the only thing that will keep me alive.
It would have been better if Queen Maewe had killed me, but she’s a sadistic cunt, and this is way more fun for her.
Now I wish Lucca had killed not only one but all her precious priestesses alongside her offspring.
I shake my head, trying to banish these dark thoughts, but the hate festers in my mind.
If I thought for one second that killing the prince and the princess of the Aquila Kingdom would bring Queen Maewe any pain, I’d do it.
Only killing her will do.
I curl my hands into fists, digging my long nails into the softness of my palms until they pierce the skin and I draw blood. I barely feel the sting. The pain is weak in comparison to the agony that hammers my chest every time I think about Karl, which is all the time.
I should eat. I haven’t gone to the feeding room in days, and it’s never a smart idea to go too long without nourishment. Starving vampires can enter bloodlust, and that means I won’t have any control over what I do until my hunger is satiated.
My spine becomes rigid, and goose bumps break out on my arms. Then the tug that links me to Karl becomes stronger. I jump from my chair and run to the window. It’s closed, but I don’t need to peer outside to know Karl is getting near.
Pressing my hand against the shutters, I whisper, “No.”
Then I turn around and run out of my quarters in search of Lucca.
Karl can’t be anywhere near the castle. Everyone knows he and Cheryl have been banished.
If he’s caught by any of my uncle’s soldiers, he’ll be killed, but I can’t be the one to send him away.
I’ve been deprived of him for far too long, and the damn concoction Daveena gave me is already weakening.
I’ll succumb to the call of the bond if I lay eyes on Karl, condemning him to death.
I let my nose guide me to my brother. His scent leads me to the feeding room.
Hell. I’d better not catch him in his post-snack entertainment.
Not that vampires suffer from modesty, but I’d rather not have to wait until he’s done fucking his food.
Karl must be moving in his wolf form, which means he’ll get here fast.
I’m lucky that Lucca is in the selection phase of his meal. Four beautiful young women are lined up, waiting for him to decide which one he prefers. There’s a blonde beauty with long, silky hair and bright blue eyes that I know is his preference. He’s already eyeing her with clear intentions.
“Lucca, I need your help.”
He turns to me with an annoyed glance. “I’m about to eat.”
“You’ll have to wait. We must make haste.” I grab his arm and drag him from the room.
“Where are we going?”
Once I’m sure there isn’t anyone in the vicinity who could overhear us, I answer. “I can feel Karl, Luc. He’s coming here.”
His eyes grow larger. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“Is he mad? He can’t be here. He’ll be killed if he’s caught.”
I throw my hands in the air. “Why do you think I said we need to hurry?”
Understanding dawns in his eyes. “You want me to stop him.”
“Yes, you’re the only one I trust.” It’s then that another worry presents itself. “Where’s Ronan?”
“He’s on patrol on the south border.”
I start to pace, pulling my hair back. “Damn it. If he crosses Karl’s path…”
“Someone will definitely die tonight. Don’t worry, Manu. I will find Karl before a tragedy happens.”
He sprints down the hallway, and a feeling of doom spreads across my chest like a disease that has no cure. Too many awful things have happened to our family for me to have any hope Lucca will succeed.
KARL
I knew shifting was a risk. I haven’t done it since Cheryl and I moved to the inn.
In my wolf form, the power of the bond is thrice as potent, and it’s overriding everything in my brain.
My concern for Cheryl’s health has been pushed back.
All my thoughts are homed in on Manu and on consummating the mating bond.
It doesn’t matter that she betrayed me and banished me from her side without an explanation. I need her like the air I breathe.
Any lingering effects of the spell Solomon cast on me are gone.
In the forest, I pick up Ronan’s scent, and my wolf is torn between going after that male and ripping him to shreds or continuing on my path to Manu. In the end, the mating bond wins, and I veer for King Raphael’s castle.
I run as fast as I can, and the forest becomes a blur. Then I sense that I’m no longer alone. It’s Lucca. He’s found me. I don’t want to kill him, but if he gets in my way, I might not have a choice. The mating bond has removed all restraints from my feral side.
“Karl, stop!” Lucca commands.
I snarl but don’t slow down. He’s blocking my path, holding a bow and arrow, ready to let it fly.
The tip must be laced with wolfsbane. I keep going.
Slowing down isn’t an option, but changing my pattern is.
Lucca notices my intention and shoots. The arrow misses my ear by a hair.
I don’t need to fight him; I just need to get past him and disappear into the forest.
A heartbeat later, I realize we aren’t alone. I sense a group of at least ten men approaching. They’re human, but there are many of them, and they’re coming from all sides. Hell. I don’t need this.
“Fucking hunters,” Lucca curses under his breath.
Then he and I are surrounded.
“Prepare to die, devil’s spawn.” The tallest and meanest looking of the group raises his sword and charges.
The rest follow suit. Lucca moves fast, dodging the deadly arc of the hunter’s blade by jumping high.
When he lands, he’s holding his sword, and it’s already coated with the blood of the second hunter coming for him.
I jump on the back of the hunter nearest me and bite his neck so hard, I tear through most of the flesh.
He drops to his knees, drowning in his own blood.
I don’t waste time and prepare to attack the next one.
Burning pain flares on my flank, bringing me down. I start to shift back to human form immediately. There’s an arrow sticking out of my leg. Wolfsbane. Curse the heavens. I can’t fight like this.
Lucca continues to battle, but without my help, he’s in serious trouble.
I’ve heard about this type of hunter. They prey on what they call monsters, and they are relentless and well trained.
Vampires and wolf shifters are all considered abominations to them, the work of the devil.
It started with Abraham Van Helsing, the famous hunter who discovered vampires were real.
The lore says he went mad after his daughter and son were killed by vampires, and he became obsessed with killing us.
While he was alive, he created a cult of equally demented followers.
Despite being outnumbered, Lucca is giving the hunters hell. He’s already killed five of the bastards, while I’ve managed to kill only one. There are four humans left, and none of them are paying any attention to me now that I’m prone on the snowy ground, bleeding from my wound.
Lucca manages to send one of the hunters’ swords flying away, and the man avoids being cut in half by sheer luck. Lucca would have killed him if he hadn’t had to fend off the next onslaught. I begin to hope he’ll end them all when the one he disarmed earlier circles back holding a small dagger.
“Lucca, watch out!” I yell, but it’s too late.
The hunter stabs Lucca in the back, drawing an enraged roar from the dark prince. He pivots, swinging his sword at an angle, and cuts the head off his attacker. But in doing so, he left his back exposed to the remaining hunters. I try to move to help him, but my body is numb.
A gust of wind sweeps the battleground, raising the small hairs on the back of my neck. This isn’t a natural occurrence. The hunters freeze and look around. They must have realized the same thing I did. A powerful being is approaching.
Lucca shuffles away, pulling the dagger from his back. Then he drops to his knees, releasing his sword. Shit. Has he been poisoned too? I have my answer when he collapses.
“Lucca!”
An ethereal beauty materializes from nowhere. Her skin is alabaster, and her hair so fair, it’s almost the same color as the snow. She’s wearing a blue gossamer dress that seems too flimsy for the weather, and yet she doesn’t seem affected by the cold.
“Stay away, ghost!” One of the hunters lifts his sword, but his bravado is gone.
“You don’t belong in this forest.” The woman lifts her arms, and the wind intensifies.
Heavens. Is that the Nightingale queen who cursed Manu?
She creates a tornado with her powers, and it wraps around the hunters and lifts them off the ground.
They scream inside the vortex, but the noise from the howling wind is loud, and it muffles their pleas for mercy.
With a forward movement of her arm, the vortex lifts off, taking the hunters with it.
They disappear into the night, and soon, their screams fade too.
The female turns to Lucca and kneels next to him. She seems concerned about his condition. She’s not Queen Maewe, then, but she’s definitely a Nightingale.
“Is he alive?” I ask.
“Yes. He’s been poisoned by vampire’s bane.” She touches his back, closing her eyes. Her hands glow briefly, then she pulls back and sighs as if relieved. “He’ll live.”
“Who are you?”
She unfurls from her crouch and walks over. “It’s safer if you don’t know. You’ve been hurt too. I can help.”
“Are you one of Queen Maewe’s priestesses?”
My question seems to take the Nightingale female back. “What do you know of them?”
“Only to never go near them.”
She crouches next to me and grabs the arrow shaft that’s sticking out of my leg. I brace for the pain of extraction, but the arrow dissolves into nothing, and the burn disappears. She does the glow trick with her hand again, and immediately, I sense my strength returning.
“Thank you.”
Our gazes connect, and I’m blown away by how beautiful she is, especially her sapphire-colored eyes. I’ve never met anyone with that striking coloring before.
“No need to thank me.”
Lucca grunts behind the Nightingale female, and she tenses. In the blink of an eye, she disappears as quickly as she came. I guess she doesn’t want Lucca to know she helped him.
He leans on his elbow and looks around. “What happened?”
“Your guardian angel happened,” I joke.
“What?”
“Never mind.” I get up before I freeze to death.
“You can’t be here, Karl.” Lucca gets back on his feet. He seems completely recovered.
My reason for coming here returns to the forefront of my mind. With it come all the emotions that have wreaked havoc on my heart.
“I wouldn’t be here if I had a choice. It’s Cheryl. She’s dying. I need your help.”