An Isle of Mirrors (A Shade of Vampire #88) - Bella Forrest Page 0,25

beloved island, but we couldn’t let them win. United we stood. Divided, they would pick us off one by one. While we didn’t know exactly what they were after—aside from their obsession with Isabelle’s copy and me—we could still strengthen our ranks and get ready to face the full brunt of their impending offense.

Soph took a deep breath as she slowly walked toward me, her hands up in a peaceful gesture. My heart was racing. Her willingness to comply could mean that she was one of ours… but it could also be a ruse to get close enough to try and kill me, just like Richard’s clone had done the other night. Only by reaching deep within her soul would I know the truth.

Thayen

“Did Soul show you how to do it?” I asked. Only a few inches remained between Soph and Astra. Voss and Chantal stayed back, and they didn’t seem tense—merely worried.

“Just a vague notion of the process,” Astra mumbled.

Jericho and Dafne took a few steps to get closer to Astra in case she might need help. I had to admit, a good chunk of our training was seriously starting to pay off. We didn’t require being told what to do, like in our early days as recruits. No, we knew exactly where we stood and what our options were, and we were functioning like a well-oiled machine—well, we were functioning as best as we could, considering the circumstances, at least. It gave me hope for the future, especially considering the aptitudes of this newly arisen enemy.

“Where are my clothes?” Dafne asked Voss. His eyes widened, cheeks burning red.

“Crap. We lost them somewhere along the way. I’m so sorry,” he replied, then looked to Jericho. “Yours, too. They were bundled up, we were carrying them around, it got messy, man…”

“Or maybe you’re a clone,” the fae dragon grumbled.

Voss frowned. “I’m not. Feel free to test me. I’ve got nothing to hide. But I also didn’t have any way of reaching you. We had a couple of skirmishes of our own. What I do have is a general idea of where your clothes might be.”

“I think I remember where you dropped Jericho’s,” Chantal added. “Once we’re tested, we could definitely head in that direction and maybe we’ll find Dafne’s, too.”

“I’ll get by with this.” Dafne grumbled and motioned at the jacket. “At least until I find something with more coverage. We’ve got uglier issues to deal with, anyway.”

The lack of communications worried me, but I knew I’d see my parents soon enough. The hospital blast had rocked the entire island. I could already hear the sound of running footsteps across the forest floor and down the nearby stone-paved alleys. People were coming from all over—at least those who could leave their posts. Rose and Caleb had been pretty specific in their orders, and there were crucial positions all over the island that needed guarding now more than ever. Our supply warehouses and the command center—the Great Dome—were particularly vital. As long as the doppelgangers’ plan wasn’t entirely clear to us, we had to be ready for strikes to occur anywhere, not just where Astra and Isabelle’s clone would be.

“I need you to stand still,” Astra told Soph. “I think it will hurt.”

Soph bit her lower lip. “How badly?”

“No idea. I’m sorry.” Astra sighed.

“It’s okay. Do it.”

Taking a deep breath, Astra placed her palm on Soph’s chest, just beneath her throat. She closed her eyes, and the daemon princess braced herself for the worst, hands balled into fists at her sides. Astra’s skin took on a peculiar pink glow, her Daughter energy seeping through. The light intensified and concentrated in her hand, which gradually sank into the leather, then the skin, the flesh, and the bone.

“Oh, this is weird,” Soph managed, beads of sweat appearing on her temples.

“I’m sorry,” Astra repeated.

“Don’t be sorry, just get it over with!”

Anyone with a pair of functioning eyes could see that Soph was in pain, but she was doing a damn good job of keeping it together. Whether it had something to do with Astra’s finesse in digging through her being for a soul or with Soph’s daemonic resilience, I wasn’t sure, but it was clearly less excruciating than the time the Soul Crusher had checked Isabelle’s clone.

Astra pulled her hand back with a gasp. “It’s her. I can feel Soph.”

“How can you tell?” Voss asked, in awe of what he’d just witnessed.

“It’s hard to describe, but to keep it simple… I didn’t feel the