A Shade of Vampire 81 A Bringer of Night - Bella Forrest Page 0,53

judgment. I don’t know. I just don’t want you to get hurt, okay?”

“I… Yeah.”

What was the point in denying it? Tristan knew me better than anyone. Yes, I had feelings for Kalon, and the prospect of his deception hurt me deeply. How would I get myself out of this black hole I’d tripped into?

“I should talk to him. I’ve been working up the courage,” I mumbled.

“Then do it, Esme. If Kalon has your best interests at heart, at least he’ll feel compelled to tell you the truth. I trust your judgment, sis. You just have to trust it, as well.”

Kalon’s voice cut through my consciousness like a red-hot blade. “If you have questions for me, Esme, you should just ask.”

I spun around, my head as light as a feather at the sight of him standing in the doorway. How much of my side of the conversation with Tristan had he heard? And why was I the one feeling terrible, as if he’d just caught me in the act, somehow? In the act of what, exactly?

“Kalon,” I whispered, his name heavy on my lips.

He didn’t move. With his hands behind his back, he just stared at me. His expression was firm, impossible to read. His eyes were dark, so dark that the blue was barely noticeable. My throat burned. This was it. The moment I’d been trying to get to, finally sneaking up on me. The moment of truth, no matter how painful or uncomfortable it might get.

I couldn’t avoid it any longer.

Tristan

“Esme?” I called out, but my sister had already departed. I could no longer feel her close to me, but I had sensed her emotions as soon as she’d heard Kalon’s voice. Telluris sometimes had a peculiar effect on us as siblings, though I didn’t mind it, since it gave me more from Esme than she would’ve wanted.

I understood her confusion and the heartache that had been troubling her. I wanted her out of that house, and not being able to reach her anymore made me anxious.

“Tristan, what is it?” Valaine asked, bringing her Vision horse closer to mine. I’d gone ahead in order to speak with Esme, in an attempt to keep the conversation private. “What’s wrong?”

Looking at Valaine, I wondered whether I should be more distrusting of her. But why? She’d been nothing but kind and welcoming, honest and open, all the way. More importantly, she was a victim of the Darklings—unlike Nethissis, she was still breathing, but even that was subject to change.

“I was talking to Esme, but she got cut off,” I said. “I’m worried about her.”

“Why? Where is she? Can I help?”

I glanced down at Zoltan, who was still in the cage with the other prisoners. They were being pulled by a couple of Vision horses just a few yards behind us. There was no point in keeping any more secrets, especially from Valaine. We’d been in this together from day one, and given how well she knew Kalon and the Visentis dynasty, I hoped she might even shed some light on their nature and allegiance. There was clearly something dark beneath the surface—I just had to figure out whether it was a threat to my sister or not.

“She’s with Kalon, at his house,” I said, then proceeded to tell her the details of my discussion with Esme, up to the point where Kalon’s voice had come through, rendering my sister silent. “She’s not answering anymore.”

Valaine looked at me for a while, without saying anything. After an earlier gallop, our horses were now trotting at an even pace, the imperial city rising over the distant hills. The sky was clearing, though more clouds were coming in from the north. It would rain again, soon enough.

“Tristan, it sounds like Esme needs to have an honest conversation with Kalon about all this,” Valaine concluded.

“You’re not worried he might harm her?”

“He’d never,” she replied firmly. “Kalon would rather die than let Esme get hurt in any way. You shouldn’t fear for her safety while he’s around. Even she sounds like she knows this.”

“He lied to her. To us.”

Valaine nodded, a frown briefly settling on her brows. “That he did… and we’ll talk to him about it when we meet. I’ve known the Visentis dynasty for a long time. They’re complicated. They keep a lot of secrets—that comes with the territory, since they’ve been high priests of mazir for generations. Kalon, however, is different. He’s a good man.”

“A good man doesn’t lie. And he certainly doesn’t kill a