A Shade of Vampire 80 A Veil of Dark - Bella Forrest Page 0,5
of our cabins as soon as we find him. At least that way, I know where he is and I know he is safe.”
“If Trev’s gone into hiding, where would we even begin looking for him?” I asked. Newfound energy buzzed through me, making my limbs tingle with excitement. The prospect of leaving this bed and this room was all I needed to feel like I could, in fact, pull this off. A little search-and-rescue mission was the perfect warmup for hunting down Zoltan Shatal and making him pay for everything he’d done.
“I know Trev better than he knows himself. Hopefully, I know more than the Darklings looking for him, at this point,” Kalon replied.
“So, you’d be able to find him.”
“With you by my side? I can do anything,” Kalon replied. We stared at each other for the better part of a minute, the intensity between us making the air crackle with electricity. There was something brewing here, a chemistry like nothing I had ever experienced. We spoke with our eyes and we listened with our hearts, and I wanted to believe that Kalon was the beacon of hope in my life, considering these murky circumstances.
The doubt I’d harbored before had all but fizzled away as I sat here looking at him.
How could I not trust the very Aeternae who had saved me from death by Reaper scythe? Zoltan wouldn’t have let me walk out of those dungeons alive. Had it not been for Kalon, I would’ve been gone. Dead and buried.
I gave him a soft smile. “Well, then… Can you help me get to my room? I’d have to change into something more search-and-rescue-y.”
We both looked down at my pale yellow linen gown, a simple layer of fabric wrapped around my body and tied with satin strings. Kalon helped me get up, slipping an arm around my waist as I stood for the first time in days. My feet touched the cold floor, and I sucked in a breath, wiggling my toes with childlike delight.
My side hurt, and my left thigh was still only partially functional. My arm was healing slightly faster, though I had yet to regain full mobility. It was, however, proof that while the scythe cut affected my overall recovery, parts of me were coming back. I hoped I’d have my arm back by tomorrow. The leg would take longer.
Every step I took sent jolts of pain all the way up to my hip, but I found that, the more I moved, the less it hurt. “This is going to take a while,” I said as Kalon helped me walk toward the door. “Are you sure you want me to come with you? I mean, by the looks of it, I would only be slowing you down.”
“Esme, you’ll be fine. You just need to move,” Kalon replied. “I don’t see you breaking into a cold sweat right now, so you must be better.”
He had a point. There were definitely signs of improvement. “Please, tell me we’ll be riding Visions,” I said as he opened the door and helped me toward my room.
“Of course. I’ve got our friends already saddled and ready to take us wherever we want to go.”
I looked at Kalon and found him smiling. “Good. I kind of missed Midnight’s Dream,” I said, referring to the Vision mare he’d had me ride the first time we went to the Blood Arena together.
“Lightning might be a little miffed with me, seeing as I’ve neglected him over the past few days,” Kalon replied. “I reckon a trip together will make him feel better.”
Remembering the Visions, I could almost see Lightning and Midnight’s Dream before us, tall and muscular, polar opposites of one another. I missed the feel of Midnight’s soft black coat against my fingertips, along with the thrill of riding her. Kalon had said Lightning was the fastest Vision he’d ever ridden, but Midnight had outrun the black-maned stallion before.
The more I thought about them and the wind rushing against me during a Vision ride, the better I felt and the more my walking improved. Part of the recovery required a good psyche, and the chance to go horseback riding on Midnight was just the kind of push I had needed.
Gripping Kalon’s arm for a hot second, I stopped in front of my room. “I’ll see you in a bit,” I said, opening the door.
He stood back, arms crossed, half-smiling as he watched me disappear into my chambers. My heart was racing, but I had