A Shade of Vampire 77 A Fate of Time - Bella Forrest Page 0,5

I asked Taeral.

He seemed confused. "Who?"

"Brendel. Death's disappearance. Doesn't it seem a little too convenient for that flaming bitch?" I replied.

Soul smiled. "I had a good reason to call you the brightest among your peers."

"Go suck on a rock," I replied. "I've yet to forgive you for breaking my friggin' legs."

"That aside," Raphael chuckled, "you're on to something." I shot him a cold glare. He'd already forgotten how awful he'd felt, how desperate he'd been to get me out of that puzzle hole. In an instant, however, he remembered, giving me an apologetic smile. "But you're right. Soul is still the prime a-hole of the century."

"Thanks. Now, when you're done blaming me for your own choices in my puzzle, might I suggest a few locations for us to visit?" Soul said.

"Oh, good! Because I was wondering whether we'd die here of old age," Riza retorted, stuffing Devil's Weed in her backpack.

"My brother, despite his abrasiveness, has a point. Death has visited many places over the eons. Mortis is not her only favorite spot in this big universe," Phantom said. "If she left Mortis of her own accord, we might find traces of her in those worlds. She's a creature of habit, in her strange ways."

"It'll at least buy us some time," Seeley added. "At least until we formulate a more coherent plan."

“It doesn’t make sense, though,” I said. “Surely if Death switched places she’d have mentioned it to you, at least? You know, since she’s expecting Thieron back?”

I got a faint nod from Seeley before the entire planet began to hum, the cave walls vibrating around us. Kabbah shook his head, looking up at the small patch of night sky we could still see from below. "I think Brendel is already here. I can't say I blame her. I'd be in a rush, too, if the plan I'd been working on for millions of years was at risk."

"Let's go to Strava," Phantom suggested. "Death used to love hanging out there, long before the Draenir even evolved."

I couldn't help but smile. "You're joking, right? It's where we awakened the Hermessi in the first place."

"I am well aware. But none of the elementals will expect us to go there. Right now, they won't know where we're headed, because we don't have a plan," Phantom said. “And I would like to figure out what happened to my maker, since I have a feeling you’re right in your assessment regarding her departure.”

As much as I hated to admit it, she was right. It was the one silver lining to our general aimlessness. It made us unpredictable, even to Brendel. Looking at Taeral, I felt sorry for him. I could only imagine how he was feeling, after everything we'd been through. He'd worked so hard to get Phyla and to save his father. He'd made the right decision in the end by coming here, though we all would've supported him had he chosen to go help Sherus first. I couldn't let him despair, and staying in one place for too long while we had Thieron and no Death to hand it to was exactly what would make Taeral break down.

"Phantom is right," he said, his voice low. "Let's go to Strava while there is still time. We'll regroup there."

"Lead the way," Varga replied with a faint smile.

We took out our breathing devices, readying ourselves for a deep swim. The last time we'd gone through these waters, we'd had trouble. I could only hope that whatever came next would not be as awful as what we'd dealt with before now.

Raphael took my hand in his, staring me down with his intense blue and green eyes. "No matter what happens, we're together. Got that?"

My cheeks burned, the memory of our dreamy lovemaking still tampering with my senses. How could I not love this creature, when he could still find the strength to encourage me, despite the hot mess we'd gotten ourselves in?

"We're together," I whispered.

"And don't you forget that," he replied, and kissed me briefly, his lips tickling mine and sending billions of electric jolts through my body. What we'd experienced in the dream had felt remarkably real, but I was still dying to make it to the real thing—and that involved surviving this ritual. I didn't lack motivation, that much was obvious.

I put on my breathing device, giving the Reapers one last glance. "I take it we'll see you on the other side? I mean, you guys can bounce between worlds like it's a literal walk