Chapter 25 #2
Dimitri's footsteps echo behind me as he enters with Serenya still cradled against his chest. The shadows follow them in and circle the broken altar, curling protectively, as though this place is sacred to them.
I step deeper into the gloom, my heart uneasy.
The shadows wind ahead of Dimitri and me , slipping through rubble toward a short, narrow staircase near the back of the temple that leads us down into a low-ceilinged chamber.
The scent of damp stone and long-forgotten incense clings to the air.
Whatever this place had once been—a prayer room, maybe—has become something else now.
A fire crackles in the hearth to the left, and two figures stand at the back of the room, blades drawn before they even turn.
“Asbel,” I breathe, recognizing the taller of the two. And next to him—
“Lioran.”
They are alive. Together. Relief blooms in my chest, even through the exhaustion and the tight coil of dread that hasn’t loosened since Serenya collapsed.
Lioran blinks, a grin forming. “Koen? You look like shit. What are you—?”
Before he can finish, footsteps echo down the stairs behind me.
Dimitri steps into the firelight, his dark cloak billowing behind him like a shadow. In his arms, Serenya lies unconscious, wrapped in my cloak.
Asbel’s sword comes up. “Why do you have the princess? Put her down.”
Lioran moves with him, smile replaced by something tense and protective. “What the hells is this? What happened to her? Why is she here? What is he —?”
“She’s hurt,” I interrupt, my voice hoarse. “We were ambushed. A summoner. She—she saved me.” The words burn in my throat.
“She nearly died saving him,” Dimitri says coldly, ignoring their swords. “ I’m the one who has kept her alive since.”
“You expect us to believe that?” Lioran growls, eyes flashing as he steps closer. “That a vampire just happened to come along and protect her? What are you even doing out here in these cursed lands?”
I step between them before things can escalate. “It doesn’t matter why he’s here. He’s telling the truth. She wouldn’t have made it without him. Neither of us would have. ”
Asbel doesn’t lower his sword, but his eyes drop to Serenya. Pale. Too still. Arms wrapped in fresh linen—her breathing shallow.
“Is she going to be alright?” he asks.
Dimitri finally turns away from them and kneels beside the fire. He lays her down gently and begins to unpack the supplies from her bag.
“I think she will be. But she needs a healer.”
“And what, you plan to just carry her out of here in the middle of the night?” Lioran demands.
“No,” Dimitri says. “We will stay here till morning. Rest. Then I will take her home.”
Something in my chest twists. I knew this was coming. Dimitri had made it clear. But the thought of her leaving now, of being taken out of my reach...
I say nothing. Just nod.
Dimitri glances at me, noting the silence. “You should sleep. You will be of no use to her half dead.”
I don’t respond. I’ll rest, but I won’t sleep. Not when there is a chance she will be gone when I wake. I just sit down beside her, closer than before, and fold my arms over my knees.
None of us sleeps. The fire dwindles to a low flicker, casting long shadows across the cracked stone floor. I sit with my back to the wall, watching the slow rise and fall of Serenya’s chest. Every breath gives me permission to keep breathing.
Lioran and Asbel take turns watching the doorway. Neither speaks unless necessary. Even Dimitri, ever calm and sharp-eyed, remains silent, checking Serenya’s bandages with an eerie gentleness. When he isn’t tending to her, he sits motionless—more statue than man. It’s unsettling.
When the soft light of morning creeps through the broken temple windows, Dimitri rises to his feet.
“I’ll be back,” he says quietly. “I need to scout the area. Do some hunting.”
I tense, looking up. “Hunting?”
He meets my eyes. “Yes, I need blood if I’m going to have the strength to get her out of here safely. Unless one of you wants to volunteer to give me some?” He arches a brow.
My jaw clenches. “Just...don’t take too long.”
Dimitri gives the faintest smirk. Then he’s gone, his cloak brushing the floor as he lifts his hood, disappearing up the stairs and into the gray light.
The silence he leaves behind is immediate and heavy.
Lioran breaks it first. “You want to explain what’s going on? Why she,” he says as he nods toward Serenya, “is unconscious and wrapped in bandages...and being carried around by a fucking vampire ?”
Asbel crosses his arms. “And why you’re letting him touch her like that?”
I don’t move from my place beside her. My voice is low and steady when I say, “Because, like he said, he saved her life.”
Lioran blinks, incredulous. “Right, and we are supposed to believe that some bloodsucker just happened to have a change of heart and risk his life for a fae girl?”
I don’t rise to the bait. “She knows him.”
“Knows him?” Asbel asks. “How?”
I shake my head. “I don’t know.” Now that I think about it, I know nothing of their relationship. The only thing I actually know is that he is Noctheron’s king. But I don’t tell them that. I’m not sure how they’d react to that information.
Lioran just eyes me, like he knows there is more I’m not saying. Does he know who Dimitri is? No. There’s no way he would have seen him before. But he’s looking at me like he does know and is daring me to say it. I stay quiet.
Finally, I turn toward them fully with quiet fire in my eyes. “You can’t tell anyone about her being here. Or him.”
They exchange a look.
“You want us to lie?” Asbel asks. “To the council? To the queen?”
“I want you to protect her,” I snap. “If word gets out that she left the palace during the trials and they find out a vampire was involved, we don’t know what they will do.”
Lioran frowns. “ But why was she here? ”
I hesitate. Then look down at Serenya’s still form.
“She came to help us. She said she didn’t want any of us to die. That’s all I can say.”
There was silence for a moment. Lioran sighs, rubbing the back of his neck. “Damn it.”
Asbel nods. “Fine. We won’t say anything. For her.”
“Thank you.”
Still, I don’t relax. My eyes turn to her face, and the guilt in my chest curls tighter. She shouldn’t be here. She shouldn’t have had to protect me.
When Dimitri returns, he steps through the crumbled door quietly. His cloak is damp with blood, though none of it is his.
I stand, tensing. “So?”
He wipes his mouth, disgust twisting his expression. “Demon blood is an insult to the palate."
“Did you see anything?” I say through gritted teeth.
His silver eyes flick to me. “The way is clearer than I expected. Quiet, for now. I killed what I found.” He looks down at Serenya, still resting on a makeshift bed of cloaks. The shadows are wrapped around her, not wanting to let go.
Dimitri crouches beside her, brushing hair from her face before adjusting the cloak over her shoulders. “It’s time.”
I swallow. “You’re taking her now?”
“She won’t survive much longer out here.” His voice is calm, steady, but I can see the hint of panic in his eyes.
I nod slowly, forcing down the rising feeling in my throat. I look down at her again and reach out to brush her fingers gently.
“Just…protect her. Please.”
Dimitri meets my eyes. “Always.”
I nod again. I don’t want to speak. I don’t trust my voice.
Dimitri bends and lifts her into his arms. Her shadows stir, tightening for a moment before reluctantly withdrawing.
He walks away, vanishing into the morning with her in his arms.
I don’t move. I stay standing in the broken doorway until I can’t see them anymore. Something in me cracks open the moment she’s gone. Like a quiet splitting of ice beneath too much weight. I press a hand to my chest. It feels like part of me has gone with her.