A Shade of Vampire 80 A Veil of Dark - Bella Forrest Page 0,3
with them knowing anything about it? It wouldn’t have made sense.
I’d talked to my parents about this, too, using the comms system. They worried about me, but Dad had also been quite adamant that I could handle this. That my brother and I would eventually get to the bottom of whatever was disrupting life on Visio. Mom, on the other hand, had suggested that we leave this place as soon as we got the day-walking protein. I wanted to agree to do so, but the more time I spent here, the harder it was to even think about saying goodbye.
Despite its mysteries and dangers, Visio was an extraordinary world. A civilization that thrived on its immortality. A society that found its emotional release in the organized violence of the Blood Arena tournaments. As weird as it was, Visio certainly had a way of growing on me. Even after everything that had happened, I was still fascinated by it and its people.
The door opened, ever so slowly, and Kalon stepped in.
For a moment, my frightened heart stopped altogether, and I wondered how I’d gotten to this point. I was fearless by nature, but Visio had found a way to try and break me. I worried it might even succeed, unless I pulled myself back together. But how could I, when my physical state made me more human than vampire?
“Good day, Esme,” Kalon said, his voice low but soft.
He wore leather pants, tightened over his muscular legs with leather strings. His boots rose up to his knees, and the matching tunic wrapped itself around his torso as though he’d been sculpted by the gods themselves. His short black hair was combed back, silvery streaks glistening whenever he moved, and there was a darkness in his cold, blue eyes. The Visentis sigil was mounted on the left side of his chest, in the form of a brooch. I had seen it before, but it stood out with this outfit.
Peeling my eyes off his athletic and yet elegant physique, I managed to look up and nearly lose myself in his icy gaze. “Good day to you, too,” I replied flatly, wanting to at least suggest that he should’ve come around much sooner, especially after our shared experience with Zoltan and the Darklings. “It’s been a while.”
“I should apologize,” he said, lowering his head for a moment. “I should have come sooner.”
“Mm-hm. You could’ve. Why didn’t you?”
Kalon looked at me again, and my ribcage suddenly became too small. Hell, the entire room seemed tiny, making it difficult for me to even breathe. “I felt useless, Esme. Like I had nothing to offer, nothing to help you recover faster. There is, of course, a smidge of guilt, as well. If only I’d found you sooner down in the dungeons…”
“That was out of your control, Kalon,” I replied. “You can’t possibly take any responsibility for what happened with Zoltan. I’m thankful you came to my rescue when you did, and I’m pretty sure I mentioned that when I first woke up.”
Kalon sighed deeply. “You did, and I appreciate it. But that doesn’t really make me feel any better. It’s not you, it’s me.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle. “That is such a cliché among the breakup lines of this universe.”
“Breakup?”
Ah, the cultural differences were rearing their ugly heads again. “It… It doesn’t matter anymore,” I said, offering a broad smile. “At least you’re here now, right?”
“How are you feeling?”
“Will you people stop asking me that? I’m alive, I’m breathing and healing, and I am more than ready to get out of this damn bed already!” I snapped, and Kalon’s eyes widened for a second, making me laugh. “I’m going stir-crazy, Kalon. Please, tell me you’re here to get me out of this room.”
He closed the distance between us, sitting on the side of my bed. His hand covered mine, lips stretching ever so slowly. “It’s good to see your spunk is back at its usual peak levels,” he said, clearly amused.
“Just don’t avoid me again, Kalon. Not after our shared experiences.”
He nodded slowly. “I won’t. Coming here now, I realize what a fool I have been. I’m sorry, Esme. I’m with you, all the way.”
The double meaning of that last part of his statement was impossible to ignore, but my heart was racing so fast… I had trouble working up a worthy reply. All I could do was bask in the relief of seeing him here, thankful that not much had changed between us.