Dark Promise (Darkhaven Saga #3) - Danielle Rose Page 0,25

I almost believe I should warn the others about the vampire I met.

I’ve been restless since I woke, a dark, ominous cloud hanging over me, threatening to clench the very life from my chest. The clouds hang low in the sky tonight, making it almost impossible to see clearly.

The air is heavy with mist, and it’s snowing softly. The tiny, crystallized droplets are almost too small to see. They’re more of an annoyance than anything else. The flakes cluster to my eyelashes and cling to my loose hair. I push away strands that have caked around my eyes and try to shake the feeling that I’m being watched.

“It’s all in your head, Ava,” I say aloud. I’m barely talking to myself at this point. I’m wasting time, fighting the inevitable. Going back to the manor means going to bed, and I’m not ready for that. I’m not ready to sleep. When I close my eyes, I see his, and I’m not prepared for another encounter.

Snow blankets the earth, sending a rush of energy through me. I don’t feel the cold, but my mind knows no better. I remember what it was like to be human—to feel the cold, the heat. Strangely, my senses are heightened, but only in certain ways. In other ways, I’m hardened to the elements.

Maybe that’s why I’m struggling to connect with my magic. If it is a culmination of spirit, which is the ultimate elemental control, then I need to harness what it means to be human, to be mortal.

I exhale slowly and then let a quick burst of air fill my lungs. Tapping into the elements seems like an easy task—after all, I’m surrounded by nature. Air is everywhere and in everything. With earth, I can create fire. With fire, I can melt snow into water. With the four elements accounted for, I turn to spirit.

I don’t miss the irony in my most innate element causing me the most trouble. Before my transition, I enjoyed tapping into spirit. I would venture to the astral plane and relish in dreams of the future. Never once did I see my death or what awaits me after it claimed my soul. I didn’t foresee losing my family or turning to the vampires for help.

Now when I think of spirit, I think of visions so terrifyingly real, I can barely close my eyes long enough to blink.

I kick at the ground, sending a spray of fresh snow cascading before me. It’s not easy taking out my frustration on such a yielding subject. Sometimes I wonder if rogues are psychic. They always seem to avoid me during the hunts when I can really use a distraction.

Just as I consider turning back and calling it a night, something catches my attention. It’s brief in time, a quick flash of danger that alerts my senses to his presence. He’s too far to touch, but a sensation in my gut grows. It gnaws at me, warning me that I am not alone.

Something else is stalking these woods tonight.

I take a few steps closer, squinting through my frozen lashes. I need to draw closer, if only to ensure there really is cause to worry. Am I being hunted, or am I so distracted by my predicament that I can’t think clearly?

The wind rustles dead brush, and with it, the howling sound of air scraping against wood permeates around me. It’s distracting, and my gaze darts to the snow-covered mound before me.

Quickly, I leap over it, landing several feet on the other side. The moment my weight slams down, the ground grunts its protest. The crunch of snow radiates through my boots. My knees ache at the impact, and I run my fingertips along the snow as I crouch down.

I can feel him. The snow speaks to me, sending shock waves to my fingers every time he moves. The beauty of the elements is its connection. Everything meets, and with that connection, the world speaks to me as a hunter. It makes being a predator much easier, and on a night when the sun is soon to rise, I’ll take every advantage I can get.

He jostles behind a tree, poking his head out from the shadows to find me. I’ve already spotted him. His crimson irises invite me in, and I smile.

I’m running before I’ve formed a plan, and I reach his side in record speed. I spin around the tree, hoping to catch him off guard, but the moment I loop around, he plants