Chapter 7
CHAPTER 7
VALARIC
F rustration boils through me as I fly over the forest, searching for prey. Curling my hands into fists at my side, I curse the blood witch that entrapped me in her dark spell. If not for her foul magic, I wouldn’t need to drink Juliet’s blood or crave it to the point of madness.
Guilt twists in my gut as I think of how she offered herself to me so sweetly, so trustingly. And the fear in her expression when I snapped at her, on the edge of my control.
She is my fated one—my ashaya—and I hate that I have made her afraid.
The ones before her feared me, but it never affected me in this way. They preferred to remain distant and, even though I knew it meant there was no hope to break my curse, I respected their decision.
But with Juliet, everything is different. I don’t want her to be scared or to push me away. I want her to look upon me as her husband. I don’t want to be a monster in her eyes—a creature to be feared or merely tolerated, like I was with the others.
I’ve been trapped in this state of misery for so long, I mistakenly believed I’d lost the ability to feel.
My heart squeezes painfully in my chest at the memory of Juliet tracing her delicate fingers over the enchanted rosebush. As if somehow drawn to the very thing that will number her days.
Clenching my jaw, I push my dark thoughts aside and force myself to focus as I glide above the tree line, searching for something to slake this infernal thirst that rules my cursed existence.
Lightning fingers through dark clouds and rolling thunder rumbles nearby, echoing my mood. There’s a storm approaching from the north. This region is known for its violent and unpredictable snowstorms. If I don’t hurry, I risk being caught out here when the sun rises.
My nostrils flare as the enticing scent of fresh prey drifts on the wind. I swoop down low to investigate and find freshly churned snow. Dozens of hoofprints carving a path through the woods.
A large herd of elk must have passed through here recently. I follow the tracks until I find a stag grazing in the distance. A layer of white frost blankets his fur—a camouflage that would likely hide him from lesser predators.
Unfortunately for him, I am no such thing.
I’d much prefer a snowcat, but this will have to do. My control is barely hanging by a thread, and it will not be safe for Juliet if I return to the castle without satisfying my dark hunger.
After I’ve slaked my thirst, I carry the stag back to the castle. Eben and the others always appreciate when I bring back a fresh kill.
Flying past Juliet’s balcony, I peer inside her room and notice she is gone. The fire has burned down to mere embers in the hearth. Perhaps she is wandering the castle.
I am anxious to find her, to apologize and explain my actions. I only pray that when she looks upon me, it is not with the same fear she had in her eyes earlier.
Drawing in a deep breath, I head straight for the kitchen and find Eben and the others sitting around the table. The long counter is full of chopped meat and vegetables. The savory smell of venison stew intermingles with the fresh scent of baked bread and butter.
A hint of peppermint touches my nostrils and I narrow my eyes. If Elsie thinks to get back in my good graces, she is sorely mistaken. It will take more than a pot of my favorite tea to make me forgive her for drugging me yesterday.
Standing just outside the doorway, I observe the wolf pack as they partake of their meal. Elsie has her granddaughter—Kaely—sitting beside her. She points at Kaely’s nearly full bowl of broth. “Just a little more, my angel.”
Kaely clamps her mouth shut, shaking her head. She is nearly four years old and adorably stubborn, determined to have her way. She definitely takes after her grandmother in this regard.
Kaely’s mother, Ava, shares a long-suffering look with her mate, Cole. He wraps his arm around his wife and she snuggles into his side as he presses a kiss to her cheek.
Seeing them all gathered like this in the kitchen sharing a meal reminds me so much of my own family. My mother, father, younger brother, and sister. Absently, I rub at my chest as if that will somehow dull the ache that still lingers even after all these many long years.
When the wolves first arrived at the castle, I would have turned them away if not for the winter storm and the fact that they had a child with them. They’d been displaced when the mages invaded their pack lands in Snowhelm.
Normally wary of strangers, I have wards around the castle to deter company. Wolf-Shifters, however, are immune to magic. They were only supposed to stay one night, but after a little over a week, Elsie informed me that I needed them to stay and help me keep up my castle.
Deciding to announce my presence, I walk into the kitchen. Passing the table, I drop my kill just outside the storeroom.
Everyone falls silent, their eyes shifting to Elsie and then back to me. It seems they are all aware that she drugged my tea.
“Did you sleep well, my Lord?” Elsie flashes a bright smile, undoubtedly trying to smooth things over.
Either that, or she truly believes I do not know what she did.
“Yes.” Her smile grows wider, but her expression quickly falters when I narrow my eyes. “But you know that already, don’t you? Because you put something in my tea.” I arch a brow. “Did you think I wouldn’t notice?”
“Seven hells,” she huffs. “It was an accident. I had no idea elyrian root was so potent to Vampires.”
“You could at least have the decency to look chagrined.” I bite back a growl, not wanting to upset the little one.
“Don’t you be looking at me like that.” She wags a stern finger. “Besides, the tea helped to calm you while you were changed into your cursed form.” Her words stop me short as she continues. “At first, you were roaring so loudly the walls were practically shaking around our ears.”
Eben nods. “You were fighting so hard against your chains, I was worried they might come loose at any moment.”
“She heard you,” Elsie adds, speaking of Juliet. “But she thought it was a dream—a nightmare. Fortunately, the tea was still in your system, because after about half an hour you went back to sleep.”
I blink several times. As upset as I am, perhaps this tea is a fortuitous discovery. If elyrian root can calm me during my change, maybe I should take it every new moon.
“All right.” I sigh heavily. “I forgive you.” I decide to circle back to her comment about Juliet. “You’re sure she believes it was a dream? She doesn’t suspect anything?”
Elsie nods.
“Thank the gods,” I murmur under my breath. The last thing I need is for Juliet to discover my curse. I can’t afford for her to be afraid of me. Especially not so early in our relationship.
“Uncle Val, I made you something.” Kaely looks up at me with her bright silver eyes. “I’m glad you’re not sick anymore.”
“Sick?”
“She was off hunting with her mother, like they always do during the new moon, when you are… not quite yourself.” Elsie gives me a pointed look. “So I told her you were ill, and she made you a little gift to lift your spirits.”
Kaely hops off her chair and toddles over to me. I drop to one knee and then lean down until my face is nearly even with hers. She holds out an oddly shaped lump of clay about as big as my hand. A doll of some sort, no doubt, with two twigs for arms, and dark pebbles for the eyes, nose, and a smiling mouth.
“It’s a snowman,” she says proudly. “Like the one we made, but this one won’t melt.”
“She worked hard on that, Val,” Cole says, an indulgent smile on his face as he looks at his daughter. “A good likeness too, if I may say so.”
“It is,” I agree. I look back at Kaely. “It’s lovely. Thank you for the gift.”
A bright smile lights her face, and she wraps her little arms around my neck.
Gently, I return her embrace.
When she pulls back, excitement lights her features. “Uncle Eben said you married a princess. Is it true? Can I see her?”
I arch a brow at Eben, and he flashes a sheepish grin in return.
“I’ll be sure to introduce you,” I tell Kaely. “As soon as I find her.”
I turn back to Elsie. “Juliet wasn’t in her room. Do you know where she is?”
“I made sure to warn her away from the west wing,” Elsies says pointedly. “Perhaps she’s outside in the gardens.”
Everyone but little Kaely knows of my curse, and they help keep my secret. When they saw what I was hiding in the west wing, I’d thought it would be difficult to convince them that I hadn’t murdered my previous wives.
Thankfully, Wolf-Shifters are not only immune to the effects of magic, they can sense it too. They recognized the blood witch’s dark enchantment for what it was immediately. “What did you tell her?”
“I told her that part of the castle was in a state of disrepair.”
I dip my chin in an approving nod. “I flew over the gardens when I returned, but she wasn’t out there. Have any of you seen her?”
They each shake their heads.
“Perhaps she’s wandering the castle, exploring her new home,” Ava offers.
Panic coils tight in my chest, and I pray her curiosity did not lead her back to the west wing to investigate the locked doors. If she were to discover my secret, I doubt any number of words or reassurances would convince her that I’m not a murderer.
As if reading my thoughts, Cole adds, “I was just there less than ten minutes ago, doing my rounds. She was not in the west wing.”
Concerned, I lift my head and scent the air. A hint of her delicate fragrance lingers, but it’s so faint I’m not sure she’s even in the castle.
With the inhuman speed possessed of my people, I rush into the hallway and up the stairs, searching for my bride. When I race back down to the first floor, Elsie is waiting for me.
“I must find her.” Worry gnaws deep within. “She was upset when I left.”
Elsie’s lips form a thin line in disapproval as she crosses her arms over her chest. “And what exactly was it that made her upset?”
“She tried to offer herself to me, to satisfy the blood cravings. I refused because I didn’t trust myself. I hadn’t partaken in three days.” Guilt stabs at my chest. “She tried to insist. And my need was so great.” I shake my head. “I barely managed to leave… I nearly lost myself.”
Elsie gives me a withering look. “That’s why I told you that you needed to rest and to eat before she awakened.”
“I know,” I groan, running a hand roughly through my hair.
Eben and Cole step forward. “We’ll help you look for her.”
I nod, and we split up to search.
As I walk past the entry hall, I catch her scent—a soft hint of jasmine and rose—and follow it to the front doors. When I push them open, a blast of cold wind rushes inside, along with a flurry of snowflakes. Dread twists in my gut when I spot fresh hoof prints on the drive, heading out to the main gate.
“One of the mares is missing from the stables,” Eben calls out behind me, confirming my fears. He moves to my side, lifting his gaze to the dark clouds overhead. “There’s a storm coming.” He gives me a worried look, and I already know what he’s thinking. If we do not find her soon, Juliet will be caught out in this dangerous weather.
Thunder rumbles as lightning fingers across the sky. Cold wind sweeps through the trees as the snowfall grows heavier.
“It will be dawn soon,” Eben says ominously. “You should stay here. Cole and I will find her.”
Despite the dark clouds, a faint hint of light is visible to the east. It would be wiser for me to stay, and allow the wolves to search for my bride, but I would never forgive myself if something happened to her. Still, it means much to me that he offered. “Thank you, my friend.” I clap a hand on his shoulder. “But I’m much faster.”
Eben opens his mouth to protest, but I spread my wings and take to the sky before he can say a word. Gliding above the tree line, I scan the mountain pass below. Hoofprints mark the trail of her path toward Corvania, but they are rapidly disappearing beneath the increasing snowfall.
The village is not far from here, but in this weather, Juliet could easily lose sight of the road and end up lost in the woods.
Worry spirals through me. The snowstorm is not the only thing that can harm her out here. Snowcats, Shadowbeasts , and various other predators make their home in these woods. Corvania is surrounded by a high stone wall to protect the village and its inhabitants against these monsters, but until she reaches it, Juliet is vulnerable to attack from any number of dark creatures.
Guilt and frustration surge through my veins. It’s my fault she’s out here and in danger. If I had listened to Elsie, my thirst would not have nearly overwhelmed me. I would have been more in control of myself, and I wouldn’t have frightened my new bride. I hate that I’m the reason she ran away. That she was so terrified that she took off in the night and—
Terror rips through me, sharp as a knife, stealing the breath from my lungs. It takes me a moment to realize this intense fear is not coming from me. It’s coming from Juliet, through our fated bond.
A sharp feminine cry echoes up the mountain, stopping my heart.
Juliet.
It’s followed quickly by the piercing shriek of a snowcat.
Long tendrils of fear wrap tight around my chest, squeezing the air from my lungs as I beat my wings furiously, desperate to reach her. Terror amplifies my senses. Through the thick curtain of snow, I see Juliet up ahead.
Panic seizes my heart. A snowcat, the size of a horse, circles her. Her only weapon is a large branch that she swings like a sword, trying to keep the monster at bay.
Her horse whinnies in distress. It rears up, kicking out wildly as it tries to break free of its reins, tangled in the thick bramble behind her.
The beast swipes at Juliet, batting away her makeshift weapon as if it were nothing.
She swings again and the snowcat’s paw catches the end of her branch, knocking her off balance, sending her sprawling onto her back.
Horror grips me in an iron vise as the predator stalks toward her. Juliet scrambles backward in the snow, desperate to get away. Her intense fear claws at my chest through our bond.
A thunderous roar rips from my lungs as ice cold fury burns in my veins. I will end this creature for daring to try to harm she who is mine. Folding my wings to my back, I dive toward the snowcat.
The wind whistles in my ears as the ground rushes up to meet me. My wings extend with an audible snap at the last second, slowing my descent to direct my attack. The snowcat releases an ear-splitting cry as I slam into its side, sending us both tumbling across the snow in a tangled mess of limbs.
Sharp claws rake across my chest as it struggles to break free of my grip, but I refuse to let it go. It dared to hunt my ashaya, and now I will make certain that it hunts no more.
Sinking my fangs deep into its throat, the bittersweet taste of iron bursts across my tongue. Even as the pounding of its heart begins to slow, the beast frantically claws at me, desperate to escape my deadly embrace until it finally goes limp in my arms.
Relinquishing my grip, I wipe the blood from my mouth and push its lifeless carcass over an embankment. I grit my teeth as pain shoots through me when I turn back to Juliet. “Are you all right?” I barely manage.
Her eyes widen as they travel over my form. “Valaric, you’re bleeding.”
Black blood trails down my front from the deep claw marks scored across my chest, staining the snow beneath me like spilled ink. Forcing myself to move, I take a stumbling step forward. Agony sears through my veins, and I drop to my knees as the weight of my injuries hits me full force.