Chapter 110
Volik
Rage and sorrow and the most intense feeling of failure battle inside me as I step through the portal, away from wherever Dread’s home is, back to the cabin near the lake.
My heart is still racing.
He is hurting Nix.
Her heart will not stop racing.
He tasted her blood, against her will.
My heart pounds so hard it hurts.
I will kill him.
Even if I have to do it with my final breath.
I will kill him for touching her.
Dread turns to face me. “I’m dropping you in the gardens directly behind the Palace. The hall looks out in that direction, so it’s the best place for you to find her scent.”
We both know Morell will have jumped away already, so I dip my chin, agreeing.
“I’m putting the portal ten feet above the ground, so I don’t open it on someone.
Because people will be there. I can’t go through first to check the path.
” He clenches his jaw, his frustration evident.
“I heard the wolves. But I cannot make the same sacrifice. There are very few of us left. And the repercussions…”
I heard the howls too.
I know what Henry did. What he revealed.
And what that means for the wolves. For shifters.
For the world.
I do not know if I will need the pack’s help. But I am deeply grateful for their willingness.
I could not ask that of the druids.
Humans would stop at nothing to control druid magic if they ever found out it is the key to killing vampires. And many would suffer while they learned they cannot harness the golden magic of the druids.
If a human gripped the dagger currently in my hand, it would kill them. Their frail bodies are not made to withstand such energy.
“I hope you understand.” Dread holds my gaze.
“I do.” I nod. “I will act as though the power that transported me was my own. Humans will not learn of druid magic from me.”
Dread’s eyes start to glow. “I’ll close the portal as soon as you’re through. And I’ll find you after.”
“Thank you.”
The golden glow of his eyes darkens. “You must succeed, or he will not survive after he wakes.”
I flex my fingers around the dagger. “He, who?”
The color of his eyes shifts back, and Dread flicks his wrists.
A portal bursts open before me.
“Go.” He shoves my shoulder.
Fucking druids and their fucking riddles.
I hiss at Dread, letting anger replace my softer emotions.
Then I step into the blackness.
The portal snaps shut behind me with a crackle, and I fall.
I drop eight feet before my gravito pulses, slowing my descent a moment before my feet hit the ground, where afternoon has turned to sunset.
People scream.