A Shade of Vampire 81 A Bringer of Night - Bella Forrest Page 0,55

of the world disappeared, like a distant dream waiting to slip back into our consciousness.

“Yes. It means a lot, considering there’s a whole faction out there that’s trying to get me killed,” Valaine murmured, sadness lowering her gaze.

I pulled on my Vision’s reins and moved closer to hers until I was able to take her hand in mine. The gesture surprised her, but she didn’t pull her hand back. I brought it up to my lips and kissed her knuckles, without much control over myself. Her skin felt cool and soft, like silk stretched over bones and flesh. Breathing her in, I closed my eyes for a second.

I saw her hair dancing in the wind against a perfect moon. A vision of sorts… or a figment of my imagination. Whatever it was, it embedded itself deep inside my mind and refused to leave. Opening my eyes, I found her gaze fixed on my lips.

“You’re not dying, Valaine. Not while I’m alive and breathing,” I said, meaning every damn word. We hadn’t known each other for very long. We didn’t even know what tomorrow might bring, or what significance this bond between us had for the future.

All we knew was that we were stronger together.

“Sometimes I think the universe plans these things,” Valaine replied, peering straight into my soul as I let go of her hand, my horse tempted to trot faster.

“What things?” I asked.

“Our encounter, for one. Your presence here is the result of certain decisions. Certain factors influenced you. Certain factors influenced me. Our roads have led us to this point, and I’m not sure any of it is a coincidence.”

“You think the universe is rooting for us?”

She smiled, and my heart nearly exploded. “I know I certainly am, Tristan.”

The road unfurled ahead of us, wide and straight and flanked by wrought-iron lamps. This was one of the main routes into the city. The closer we got to the capital, the brighter the lights that welcomed strangers and friends alike.

Behind us, gold, silver, and Crimson guards rode together in triple file, with two prisoner cages and Corbin Crimson at the very end. Thankfully, we weren’t alone for what would come next. The Darklings weren’t done trying to kill Valaine. Until we brought them all down, her life would remain in danger.

Whatever fate threw at us, I was certain of one thing only: no one else was dying on my watch. Especially not Valaine.

Nethissis

The beauty of death magic existed in the intricacy of its spells. Once Sidyan had locked onto Veliko and the Darklings who’d fled from Tristan and as long as the fiends stayed within a generous but limited radius, we could follow them while keeping a safe distance. None of us wanted to be discovered or to get trapped again.

Seeley had tried reaching out to Death for further clarification regarding my role in all of this—particularly my ability to wield their magic—but to no avail. Additional seals had to be broken in order for his telepathic connection to Death to strengthen.

In the meantime, we stayed on course with our mission: following Veliko and the Darklings around until they led us to the top of their organizational pyramid. I was willing to bet that the Whip they’d mentioned was not the leader, but rather a higher-ranked lieutenant. Either way, if we got to her, she was more likely to lead us where we needed to go.

The Darklings were headed west, following a less-traveled road, by the look of it. Unpaved, the road was overflowing with weeds and wildflowers in a few places and was pocked with holes that had filled with water from the last rain. It was muddy and difficult for carts and even horses, but the Darklings were able to move quite well with just the boots on their feet. The ghouls had no trouble whatsoever, given their in-between status as neither living nor dead.

“I wonder where they’re going next,” Sidyan muttered, leading our group.

We watched the Darklings as they avoided puddles and the muddier sections of the road. There were no villages nearby, only wilderness and tall shrubs swollen with rainwater. The skies were battling a new surge of clouds, and the air smelled like an impending storm.

“They’re headed back into the continent,” Seeley replied. “My guess is they’ve got some other shelter waiting. Astoria was always going to be temporary for them, anyway.”

“Yes, I do remember Zoltan mentioning something about a north-central hideout,” I said. “I’d give anything to see his miserable mug right about