Chapter 93
Nix
Eyes locked on Uncle Frio, I reach my hand out for Volik’s.
He wraps his fingers around mine. “Tell us.”
“After we spoke, we sent Barth out to check for tales. And he found one. In China.”
“Just one?” Volik asks the question I’m thinking.
Uncle nods. “So far. But if there’s one, there are more.
And we’ve only been looking for a few days.
” He lowers his chin to give Volik a look.
“Now, if you’d told us a week prior, when you found your mate…
” Then he waves that thought off. “I get it though. I may have found your aunt four-hundred-and-seventy-seven years ago, but I still remember what it was like.”
My smile is soft, but when I look over and see Volik’s scrunched features, my smile grows. And I can’t help myself. “Does her blood taste… extra good to you?”
“It’s delicious.” Uncle grins. “And if you’re wondering about…” He wiggles his brows.
“We are not.” Volik sounds pained.
“Ask your aunt about it later.” Uncle Frio pats my knee. “Now, where were we?”
“You found a pair in China.” Volik keeps hold of my hand as he leans forward.
“Yes, that’s right. Barth found a village near central China.
They have paintings. A woman with black eyes and horns, standing taller than everyone else.
And a normal-sized man always at her side, also depicted with black eyes.
The paintings didn’t show fangs or fingernails, but the couple was repeated many times. Over centuries.”
My heart thuds with the news. Volik’s too.
If that man, the human mate, lived for centuries… I might too.
Volik rubs his thumb against my wrist as he gets our thudding pulse under control.
Uncle waits for us to look back at him before he continues. “The paintings were the start. But then Barth found someone who had met them.”
“Shut up,” I gasp.
He nods. “They lived together, sticking mostly to small villages, for over six hundred years. The woman who talked to Barth didn’t know many details of their history, but she said she will always remember their kindness.
They helped her rescue some livestock during a mudslide.
So she was sad when she’d learned that the man had been murdered, nearly a century ago now.
” I press my free hand to my chest, hating the idea of this man with the kind reputation meeting a violent end.
“His body was burned, and we have not found anyone who knows how he was killed. So we’re still unsure if vampire rules apply to human mates or if they are more vulnerable.
The woman Barth met didn’t know of any enemies, so it’s unknown if this was a deliberate attack on both of them or personal to him. ”
Volik stares forward, and that heaviness in my chest churns.
I’m missing something.
Something important.
“What about her? The vampire?” I ask. And Uncle Frio snaps his attention to me, then slowly looks back at Volik, who hasn’t moved. “Volik?” My voice is unsteady as I rub my hand over my heart.
He squeezes my fingers.
“You need to tell her.” Uncle’s voice is quiet.
Volik drops his head forward, and I feel my heart start to race.
I press my hand harder to my chest. Whatever I’m about to learn… it’s not good. And it’s causing my mate stress.
Concentrating, I force our heart rate to slow. I force myself to be the one in control.
“Go upstairs. Top floor, last room on the right. And tell her.” Uncle stands. “I will see you in the daytime.”
Before I can make my dry throat form a goodbye, he walks away.
Volik stands next, and I follow.
He still won’t meet my eyes. Still has his head tipped down.
And… I hate it.
I hate this feeling of foreboding.
Lifting my hand, I press it over his heart. “Whatever it is. I am here.”
Volik bends and presses his lips to my forehead. “Always.” Then he lifts me, one arm under my knees, the other behind my back.
Those still in the hall cheer at his actions, but Volik doesn’t turn toward them. He silently walks to the stairs, then up and out of the great room.