Bonus Chapter
thirty-eight
BONUS – Vade's POV
When Orelia had looked up at him in the washroom, and he had seen that those beautiful jade eyes had gone cold, Vade knew one thing for certain. He was going to kill the fucker that did this to her.
Slowly.
Meticulously.
Diabolically.
So that neither the heavens nor the hells would be able to receive Ivan’s body in the afterlife. Because there would be nothing left of it when he was through.
Vade skulked through the foggy morning streets of Ravere. When he found Ivan, he wouldn’t give him the honor of letting that monster taste his blade. No. His plans were far darker. Far more sinister. So deranged that the images of what he was going to do sent a wicked smile sliding across his face.
But first, he needed to learn the piece of shit’s location, so he headed for the one person who could help him.
The streets were mostly vacant, with the occasional drunkard passed out against a wall, a few beggars asleep in the alleys, and dwarven farmers readying their carts for a day at market. The dwarves didn’t pay the fae any mind as he ate up the distance to Blu’s shop in giant, determined steps.
Orelia had been hurt. Been left for dead.
Seeing her broken body lying in the ditch and hearing her sob as he carried her to the cabin nearly shredded his heart in two.
Before he found her, he’d spent the better part of the night in the sky screaming his frustrations into the celestial void.
He wanted her. Not just because she looked unbelievable in that silky dress, or that a whiff of her strawberry-scented soap always made his heart quicken, but because he wanted her. All of her inner and outer beauty.
Vade had never encountered someone with such persistent optimism in a world so hellsbent on offering the opposite.
Initially, he’d thought it sickening how positive she was, but her light had been seeping into the dark crevices of his soul these past weeks, stoking the flames of his dying heart back to life.
He’d first felt it when he’d seen her being offered up for purchase at The White Pony, and he knew then that he was fucked.
Once he’d finished yelling loud enough to send the stars crashing, Vade had paced for an hour in the cabin, debating whether to go back for her a second time. But she deserved to enjoy herself at the tavern, even if it wasn’t with him.
Only when a gut-twisting pain brought him to the floor did he know something was wrong.
He searched for her for hours, their connection through the binding spell threatening to tear his insides apart as he tried every tavern, every alley, every place he could think of, panicking when he couldn’t find her.
He thought maybe she had made it back to the cabin, so he retraced his steps, and that’s when he found her—a beaten and bloody heap at the bottom of a ditch. The guilt from leaving her at the tavern crippled him with guilt after seeing what Ivan had done.
As he’d looked at the sweet witch sitting on the rim of the tub, staring at the ground, face void of emotion, he knew what heartbreak truly felt like. Orelia had lost that sense of wonder about her. And he’d do anything to give it back to her.
Listening to her say that he didn’t care about her made Vade realize what a fool he’d been.
He would have told Orelia then, but she was drunk and had barely survived the assault.
It wasn’t the time. The only good thing to ever come into his life had almost been taken from him, and he’d be damned if he let the black-hearted coward get away with what he’d done.
When he made it to the shop, Vade climbed the set of stairs two at a time, passing under the sign for Blu’s Bespoke Wear the same kind he’d worn the other three times Vade had visited.
His black boots were polished to a high shine, and he walked straight and poised, a man accurately reflecting the business he ran.
They crossed burnished mahogany floors as the wizard gave a flimsy flick of both wrists, bringing the trulights around the space to life.
Vade quirked a brow. He’d never seen someone activate an orb without touching it. The lights turned a warm, inviting orange, offering a comfort Vade wasn’t interested in.
Blu leaned against one of the counters set in front of rows of men’s doublets. Each row was lit with the tiniest trulights he’d ever seen, highlighting the quality and craftsmanship in the variety of fabrics offered.
“A job?” Blu asked, crossing his arms.
Vade hooked his thumbs in the waistband of his leathers, trying to look relaxed and not like he was anxiously awaiting the glorious punishment he’d be doling out to Ivan soon. “Not this time. Though I will require a room after I get some information from you.”
Blu rubbed a finger down his smooth, square cut jaw that looked like it had never seen facial hair. “What kind of information?”
Vade gave him all the details he had, which weren’t many.
The tailor reached behind the counter and pulled out a green leather tome. “Ivan Cheresh is the second son of the Lord of Ravere. His brother is favored by his father, so Ivan drinks away his sorrows at not being daddy’s favorite at any tavern that hasn’t kicked him out already.”
Blu flipped through the book and landed on a page of orders written in neat, cursive lettering, no doubt by his own practiced hand.
“He came in here a few weeks ago for a new waistcoat and pants for a ball.” He ran a manicured finger along one of the entries.
“Ah, here it is. The Merngal Estate. 103 Fenwill.”
Vade repeated the address, imprinting it to memory.