my mind. I hate that I couldn’t respect her by giving her a funeral. I couldn’t give Aala a good way to say goodbye.
“Her aunt died to save me. Riley killed her...but he was really trying to kill me,” I whisper. “I never thought Riley would do that, but he isn’t good. He isn’t what I thought he was.”
“When I get my hands on him, he will die,” Myles growls, and Henry huffs in agreement. I clear my throat and stand up, looking at Ren one more time.
“Can you stay with him? I won’t be too long,” I say, knowing I need to go and see Thallon and Aala. I also want to check in on Vesnia, make sure she is okay with Bryne, though I have a feeling she is as happy as she can be now that she is with him once more. Myles nods once, moving to stand by the door while Henry kisses the side of my head.
“I’m your mate and sworn to protect his life with my own. You never need to ask,” he explains to me as I touch the tip of my fingers on Ren’s hand.
“I never told him—”
“He will wake, and you can tell him everything,” Henry softly says, picking up my hand in his. With tears in my eyes, I give him a shaky smile before leaving the room. The cabin has a corridor of rooms leading to a big open plan room where Thallon is near a couch with Aala lying on it. She is sleeping on a small pillow, and Thallon is covering her with a thick purple blanket as he looks up to see me. Quietly he tucks her in before walking over to me, linking our fingers as we head outside the cabin to the decking where we rest against the bannister.
“Poor kid cried herself to sleep. I’m clueless what to do with kids, but she seemed to calm down when I said I was going to stay here until she wakes up,” Thallon explains, looking worried. “She is so young to have lost all her family.”
“We can be her family...I know it’s not the same, but I want to care for her. Her aunt died to save me, and that is a debt I can only pay back by caring for Aala. Plus, I like her,” I say, feeling a resolve in my chest. There is no way I’m leaving her when this is all over. If it’s all over. Somehow I will find a way to make sure Aala is safe from the angels, from anyone that could mean her harm. Thallon runs his finger down my cheek to under my chin, tilting my gaze up to his until our eyes lock. Our lips meet at the same time, both of us calling to each other in a way only our souls could understand.
A throat clearing jolts us apart, and I glance over Thallon’s shoulder to see Madi standing with one of her mates...Oisin, I believe his name is.
“There is trouble with the vampires. One of them has called a meeting, and they want to fight,” Madi warns, stepping closer as Thallon moves to my side. “They need a leader, but Ren isn’t awake.”
My hands shake as I realise the only person that could tell them anything is...well...me. Dammit. Shakily, I hold my head high and glance at Thallon. He seems to understand without a single word that I need him to come with me.
“Can you watch Aala? If she wakes, come for me please,” I ask.
With understanding shining in her eyes, she smiles at me. “Of course.”
I link my hand with Thallon’s, drawing whatever strength I can from his touch as we head through the clearing and into the woods where the vampires’ cabins are. I hear the noise of a big group, followed by shouts of one man as we get closer to the cabins. Coming out of the tree line, we step into the back of a big group of vampires who all pause and turn to us. With their heavy eyes weighing every single one of my footsteps down, I walk through them with Thallon following behind me. On a raised platform, a man I recognise as one of Ren’s council stands in the middle, and his green eyes flash with anger as I climb onto the platform.
“We were just—” the man starts to say, but Thallon grabs the collar of his shirt and throws him off the stage. Unexpectedly, that