24. Dust
DUST
Irene
Perhaps deep down, I didn’t want to develop my power because I kept failing.
After hours of training, I hadn’t learnt anything, and my morale was low. Those burnt leaves were the only accomplishment I’d achieved.
Had I thought that being an immortal spirit of vengeance meant not feeling pain? Yes, I had, although in all fairness, no one had told me that.
My health had improved. No more seizures. But my energy was slipping away.
In a quiet corner of the garden, Darius was teaching me how to handle a knife since I would likely kill my first victim in an old-fashioned way.
I hadn’t seen much of Alex, which saddened me because I feared he was avoiding me.
Perhaps he believed I didn’t want to be close to him, but that wasn’t true.
I relied on my soul-searching power to understand people more than I’d realised, and he had no glow, no visible emotions.
It was the first time I’d met someone without an aura.
Our bond offered me insight into his feelings, but it wasn’t as accurate as my power.
“You won’t need a lot of strength.” Darius closed my fingers around the hilt. “Alex will do the stabbing for you.”
He gripped the handle with me and stabbed a bag of sand.
It was only sand, but a sickening lump swelled in my throat. “It’s frightening.”
Compassion filled his aura with a tea-rose pink light. “I hate stabbing, too. A spell is faster, cleaner, and more effective.”
“I mean killing in general.” I flexed my fingers before stabbing the bag on my own.
“It depends on the target.” He patted my shoulder. “Are you still upset when people touch you?”
“Not anymore.”
Trusting Darius was easy. His spectacular aura and deep calm affected me, and I didn’t mind him hugging me since he always asked first.
Alex was another matter. He’d said he couldn’t touch me, and without understanding his feelings, I had no idea how I should behave.
That was why I found it difficult to tell him about my insecurities after Sean had almost killed me. My only suitor had been a criminal who had beaten me brutally. Trusting men, especially those as potentially dangerous as Alex, was hard. Darius had understood.
My stabs were weak, and my low energy had nothing to do with it. I didn’t even want to jab a bag.
“Sorry, Darius.” I rubbed my shoulder. “I’m tired.”
The sun was setting below the horizon, stretching my shadow over the grass.
“We’ll try again tomorrow.”
“Is that how you wield a dagger?” Logan sneaked up on us and scowled so fiercely I dropped the blade. “And you’re supposed to be an assassin, the duke’s favourite at that.”
“Leave, Logan.” Darius radiated so much energy it pressed against my skin.
“That’s exactly what I’m trying to do.” Logan pointed to the front gate. “Something prevents me from leaving the mansion. One of your spells is my guess.”
“You aren’t allowed to exit the mansion. The duke’s orders.” Darius folded his arms across his chest.
Logan’s eyes turned obsidian. “Am I a prisoner?”
I recoiled on instinct as his voice turned cavernous.
“Yes, until we’re sure you aren’t going to suck people dry.” Darius didn’t flinch. “When you’re calm, you’ll be free to go.”
The tips of his white fangs appeared. “Let me go. Now.”
“I don’t take orders from you.”
Logan’s muscles swelled. Darius stayed unruffled. The world stilled, apart from my pulse that spiked.
Logan moved at an impossible speed and attacked Darius. I struggled to understand what was happening because, between Logan’s speed and Darius’s light, their moves weren’t clear.
They swished past me, so close that a gust of air ruffled my hair.
Trying to keep my distance from the fight, I tripped and fell to the ground. I winced as the blade cut my arm. Blood trickled down to my wrist. At first, bruises and cuts had healed quickly, but now it took longer than when I’d been alive because I hadn’t killed anyone yet.
Logan slowed down his moves and whipped around towards me, his facial muscles distorted. His nostrils flared. He bared his sharp teeth and lunged at me before I drew my next breath.
I showed him the cross. He hissed and staggered back, glaring at me.
Deep purple fear shot through Darius’s aura. He waved his hand, and Logan was dragged backwards by golden ropes. He tried to pounce, but the shimmering ropes held him back.
“Is the cut serious?” Darius crouched next to me as Logan was being pushed back yards away by the ropes.
I grimaced. “A scratch.”
“Irene.” Alex seemingly materialised out of thin air. He sucked in a long breath as he looked at my arm. The tug in my chest strained. Anger? “What happened?”
“Logan.” Darius twirled his finger, and a clean strip of fabric ripped from his shirt and wrapped itself around my arm.
The air vibrated as Alex’s eyes became obsidian. He rushed towards Logan in a flutter of black fabric, but he didn’t go far. Logan ripped the ropes apart and lunged at Alex.
There was nothing human in Logan’s features. They were all sharp angles and taut skin. His ears became pointed, and claws grew from the tips of his fingers. Even Alex had become less human with sharp cheeks and swollen muscles.
Gritting my teeth, I pulled myself up with Darius’s help. The occupants of the mansion were gathering in the yard as Alex and Logan clashed with a mighty thud.
I rubbed my temples. “He wouldn’t kill Logan, would he?”
“He certainly would.”
“Shouldn’t you intervene?”
Darius’s aura glowed burgundy with shock. “I wouldn’t intervene in a fight between two cats, never mind two vampires. And I’m afraid Logan has become a rogue.” He shifted his weight, glancing nervously at me. “Stay close to me. If something happens to you, Alex is going to cut my head off.”
I gladly did as told. Instead, Cara seemed to enjoy the fight, getting closer to the two vampires.
She circled them. “Kick him, Ravenhill. You’re the Duke of the Dark Court!”
There was a quick blur, and Cara screamed. Blood oozed from a cut on her neck.
“What happened?” I gripped Darius’s arm.
“I think Cara was standing too close to them, and a sharp claw must have cut her skin. That’s what I was talking about.”
Logan shot towards her and latched his mouth around her neck, blood trickling from underneath his lips.
Myrtha shouted. The butler recoiled. Shocked yells spread through the garden.
Alex grabbed Logan by the shoulders and tossed him away. Cara gasped, a hand on her bleeding neck.
There was another black blur, and then everything went still.
Alex was standing with one foot on Logan’s chest. His cold wrath lowered the temperature.
He unsheathed a silver dagger strapped to his belt and stabbed Logan’s chest without warning.
There was a collective gasp.
The cry I meant to produce remained trapped in my throat. Fiona, Lavonia, and Rosella flinched. The servants leapt back.
Logan’s body crumbled to dust and rose in a grey whirlwind that vanished without a trace.
Alex swept his gaze around the crowd, challenging anyone to come forth. “Irene is under my protection.” He sheathed the dagger. “Anyone who wishes to protest can talk to me. I’m eager to hear your complaints.”
A few cuts on his neck and face bled, but otherwise, he looked strong and lethal.
Pressing a hand to her neck, Cara ran inside. Her aura changed so quickly I didn’t understand what she was feeling.
“Cara, do you want help?” Myrtha asked.
Cara ignored her.
Alex strode towards the door without glancing back, beckoning me to follow him.
But I was rooted to the spot, staring at the point where Logan’s body had been.
“Go.” Darius elbowed me. “Don’t make him wait. He’s unbearable when he’s happy. Now he’s absolutely feral. Let’s not provoke him further.”