Chapter 32
L ukas
Wyvon approached as if we were going to spend some quality time together, sharing a meal and catching up on old times.
I knew better than to let my guard down, and I watched him warily.
Slowly, I pulled myself up, every movement feeling like I was being dragged through mud.
There was no point in hiding my condition. He already knew.
The birds swarmed him but couldn’t penetrate the shield he’d raised. Several of the crows beat against his ward, knocking themselves out until they spun in circles in the dirt.
“After I kill you, I will deal with your human. I can smell her on you. I can smell her in you.” He lifted his nose in the air. “After I drain and consume you, I will taste her. Maybe she’ll end up in a harem. Maybe I’ll send her back to the Third.”
He chuckled, the sound dark and low. “Can you imagine? Her going back to a simple human life? She’ll get married and birth more food for us.”
There was no way in this Realm or any other I was going to allow that. I wasn’t so unselfish as to let her live anywhere without me. The thought of another man touching her turned my remaining blood into an inferno.
If for no other reason, I had to stay alive to prevent her from being defiled. She was mine and no one else was allowed to touch her.
Cassia was thoughtful, reasonable—mostly, incredibly talented, and caring. She considered other’s feelings and lit up any room she walked into. Her light was mine. I wouldn’t trade the spark she brought to my existence for anything, and I’d be damned if anyone was going to take that away from me.
Wyvon’s nails extended, and his thick fangs reached over his bottom lip, nearly touching his chin. They were strong like a large wolf’s, designed to inflict maximum damage and the most painful of deaths.
The blood I’d consumed from the three demon soldiers would have to be enough.
The man circled me, his eyes gleaming yellow from deep within the golden flecks of his brown irises. His fingernails were mildly discolored, giving away his extensive age. He must have been a few thousand years older than me, but not even he had been able to remember, when anyone ever asked.
It took a moment for the pain to register. I felt liquid trickling down my spine before the sting hit my nerve endings. My spine arched away before I was slammed against rock. I heard the crunch of cartilage and tasted my own blood.
The sharp crack of my skull smashing into stone blurred my vision, and I let my legs bend, dropping me to the ground.
Wyvon’s hands circled my neck, his grip tightening as I struggled for every drag of oxygen I could muster. Black and white dots danced in front of my eyes when I tried and failed to get the upper hand.
I pushed my head against the wall, swaying my shoulders backward. Taking advantage of the small space between us, I lifted my leg, driving my boot into his groin as hard as I could. Wyvon grunted, and bowed, and I sucked air into my lungs when his hold on me failed.
Twisting, I slammed my elbow into the side of his head and jumped on top of him when he fell. He rolled, switching our positions, and I hooked a leg around him, flipping us back over again.
I hammered punches down onto his face, the rings on my fingers splitting his skin open until a red mist filled the air.
His body trembled and his skin felt sticky with static as he reached deep within himself for his magic.
It seemed as if he didn’t expect this response from me, or perhaps he’d hoped I’d prostrate myself at his feet.
He should have used his more powerful magic sooner than he had, or I wouldn’t have been able to do what I did next.
I sank my teeth into his neck, visualizing the white frost that had worked so well for me with the demons. I pictured it spreading throughout his veins, infiltrating his brain and his heart, the way the roots of grass and weeds conquered the dirt under our feet in one long, continuous infection.
The man stilled, his bones jerking before his limbs. “What?” He asked, showering red spittle everywhere.
Using the back of my hand, I wiped my eyes and face and sat back, straddling him.
A sparkling white fog began to cover his skin, turning the flesh below a bright shade of turquoise blue.
The frost slowly crept along his skin, covering more and more of the man once thought unconquerable until his entire body was a chilling shade of ivory.
I slid off him and patted down his body, searching for weapons.
He had a dagger strapped to his ankle, and I took it, having lost most of my own in battle.
My sword was in a corner, and I stretched to reach it, dragging the blade along the ground until it was beside me.
I had no idea what happened to my second sword, but it was likely plunged through someone’s heart.
Rising to my knees, I attempted to lift the sword over my head. Dizziness overtook me, so I let it fall to my side. There was no way I would allow Wyvon to remain in this cave, he didn’t deserve the honor of any type of burial.
I grabbed the dagger I’d just taken from him and raised it over his chest.
Before I could plunge it into his heart, a feminine screech pierced my eardrums. Annalise stood at the mouth of the cave, her diaphanous dress pristine, and her cosmetics perfectly in place. Her mouth was stretched in horror as she glanced between me and her now dead husband.
“Nooooo!” She screeched again.
Finally, she glanced at me, her calculations visible in her vibrant emerald eyes. Whatever verdict she reached, it didn’t matter. I plunged the blade into Wyvon’s chest, and he shattered into a billion flakes of icy powder.
I leaned down, keeping my gaze locked to hers and blew as hard as I could, sending glittering frost into the air. The crows rose into flight from their hiding spaces, scattering the mist in shiny plumes as I got to my feet.
Annalise stared at me in disbelief and I smiled a quick, small smile at her. Her eyes shone with anger and I stepped forward, intent on seizing the woman.
In a blinding flash of light, she disappeared.
A split second later, the dark clouds dissolved into the atmosphere, taking the faint red tint with them. Sunlight sparkled against the tundra, shining off the congealing blood. The air was thick with the scent of copper and ruin, and the crows descended quickly in a massive flurry to feast.
The energy to transition myself back to the castle was nonexistent. Annalise had gotten away and when I searched for her, she couldn’t be found.
Missing, as well, was her insistent perusal of my mind. There was nothing to block or misguide, no intrusive thoughts or impressions. The woman had vanished. Most likely, she’d transported herself to a faraway Realm, outside the reach of myself or anyone I might have sent after her.
I would know if she returned. The woman couldn’t resist assaulting me and crossing my boundaries.
The suspicion that she would never return was strong, and I doubted me or Cassia would ever have to worry about her again.
She’d witnessed what I was newly capable of, and she’d never been a fool.
She knew she would be dead before she got here.
The only thing I had to worry about now was not succumbing to my injuries on the journey back to Cassia.
If any Kakians had survived, they’d likely head to the castle. I had to trust that Elijah would keep her safe, but I knew his priority would fall to Selena. My own would be the same—Cassia over Selena.
The trip down the mountains and back to the forest took far longer than it should have, and if I’d been anything other than an ancient pureblood vampire, my corpse would fall to rot in the brush.
Blood was flowing from my wounds, leaving a path with every step I took.
If anyone had been searching for me, it wouldn’t take them long to zero in on my location.
When I reached the tree line, I breathed a little easier, thankful for the additional shade and shelter. Cassia would have heavily disapproved of the copious amounts of squirrels I devoured, for lack of any wandering, careless humans.
When night fell, I heard a heavier stirring in the bushes and discovered a chupacabra foraging rabbits and mice.
I laid in wait, letting its thirst for blood beckon it my way.
My skin and hair were saturated, and I didn’t have the strength or wherewithal to do anything about my scent and appearance.
Daybreak came within two hours, and I continued without stopping until I came upon the stream. I didn’t bother to remove any clothing and stumbled to the edge of the water, landing on my knees.
Shiny silver fish the size of nickels swarmed my fingers when I dipped them in the liquid, greedily feeding on the particles of blood and waste.
“What happened to you?”
The woman’s voice startled me, and she jumped backwards before my nails could disembowel her.
“Kate,” I said.
She eyed me warily. “What happened to you? Door Delivery gone wrong?”
She referenced a food service I’d heard of in the Third. “Not exactly,” I replied. Her fresh, clean blood instigated a deep and voracious hunger within me, and my mouth watered as my teeth strained to break through my gums.
“I... want to help you. You know, you saved my life, it’d only be right.”
I rose to my feet. “Is that your cart?” She nodded. “Bring me to Elijah.”
She started to protest and changed her mind. “Okay, I can do that.”
I walked around her and lowered myself on the back of the cart as she positioned herself on the seat in front. The horse began pulling the wagon, jostling me about and causing more bleeding.
“Stop in the village,” I ordered her.
“Why?”
“I need to eat.”
She tugged the reins, bringing our transportation to a stop. “I can give you some blood, I’ve done it before. It's been a while, but I have.”
She started to step down but I raised my hand, stopping her. “Men only. No women.”
The only female blood I would drink—unless it came from a bottle, was Cassia’s.
Kate licked her lips and settled back on the bench. She made a clicking sound with her tongue and we started moving again.
Before I could stop myself, my eyes shut and I fell backward, my head cushioned by a bag of grain. Whether I slept or was fully unconscious, I would never know though I leaned toward the latter.
When I woke, it was to Kate shaking me. “Here,” she said.
I opened my eyes to see Kate holding a rope.
She had a man with a burlap sack over his head and his hands tied behind his back.
“He’s a vagrant, a thief. Vampires around here try not to feed on citizens that contribute fully to our society, not if they can help it.
This guy robbed a bake shop last week.” She pushed him toward me and shrugged. “Or so they say.”
Ripping the material off his head, I sank my fangs into his neck while he twisted and turned. His scream sent the birds in the surrounding trees alight. The blood rushed into my system, feeding my cells, and twisting through my veins.
It wasn’t enough.
“Get me more.” Now that the flood gates had opened, I wasn’t sure how many would be enough.
Her shoulders slumped but she took off again. When she left, I plunged my hand into the man’s chest and tore out his heart, where the richest sustenance was.
Kate wasn’t wrong, the man had robbed a bake shop, of all things. The knowledge should have been foreign, but the demon blood inside me spoke, divulging his secrets.
She returned with two more men that I hastily made quick work of. At this point, I needed their hearts as well and devoured them.
Kate cringed, but it was clear she had seen such things before. Not that it mattered. All that mattered to me was that I healed.
“You still look pretty rough, but you have a tiny bit of color back. The creek isn’t far, do you want to clean up?”
“Just bring me to the castle.”
She sounded like I was inconveniencing her when she said, “Okay...”
The strength to put her in her place just wasn’t there.
I needed more blood and I needed to make sure my Cassia was okay.
The blood bond was present but in my current state, I couldn’t read her very well.
I hadn’t been able to for far too long. Not knowing where she was or what had happened was unacceptable.
“Shut up and drive,” was all I could manage. Kate’s shoulders rose stiffly before she slowly relaxed.
Finally, we reached the road that crossed in front of the building I’d been waiting to see. “We’re here,” Kate pointlessly announced.
I slid off the back of her wagon and nodded to her. “Thank you for your service.”
She gave me a mock salute and hurried away, her cart banging over rocks and gravel.
Before I crossed the bridge, I paused. I may have been in a highly weakened state, but I could recognize the scent of Kakian demons anywhere. Something had happened here, though not a trace of what that was remained.
I ran to the doors and flung them open.
“Cassia!”