A Shade of Vampire 90: A Ruler of Clones - Bella Forrest Page 0,61
but one Daughter, and those runes still limit her, remember? And there’s only so much teleporting she can do before her batteries are drained. This place is different. It takes a toll on us,” he said to Richard.
“Yeah. You’re right. Okay, I’ll hold back and protect the weaklings, then.”
Dafne shot him a cold grin. “Don’t let Voss hear you say that, or he’ll kick your ass six ways from Sunday when he wakes up.”
We took a few minutes to get our things in order. I left Mom and Richard with Voss, Isabelle, and Chantal. Soph asked to stay with them, as well, arguing that a limited Daughter and a barely recovered wolf-incubus would not be enough to protect our friends. She would’ve liked nothing more than to be part of the offense, but our friends needed to be kept safe, and Soph was a fierce protector. On our side, we had plenty of power even with reduced numbers—we were packing two Valkyries and a Berserker, after all, so there wasn’t any point in taking the entire crew over to probably meet the evil mastermind—that had never turned out well for others, so why would it end any other way for us?
No, we needed a small recon group. That much we’d all agreed on, so Soph staying behind wasn’t a bad idea at all. Thayen and I led the team this time, though we were following Brandon’s guidance. Myst and Regine were with us, along with Dafne and Jericho. The fae dragon’s fire would help with the Valkyries’ weapons, much like my light, but the ice dragon’s fighting skills were required along with her ice shards, in case things got bad fast.
With this plan in place, I allowed myself a few minutes of solitude outside the Black Heights while the others finished getting ready to leave. It took me a while to shake every nasty thought out of my head. My heart was still drumming harder and faster than usual, especially when I was around Brandon. I feared an in-depth examination of the meaning behind that reaction, however, so I set it aside for later.
“You know, your eyes are even darker when you’re brooding,” Brandon’s voice shot through the momentary silence. I turned my head to find him standing barely a foot to my left, his flaming blue gaze drilling into me.
“I’m not brooding,” I replied. “Just thinking.”
“Isn’t that the same thing?”
“It depends on what you’re thinking about. Brooding is more… negative,” I said.
He chuckled. “What were you thinking about, then?”
“Whether we’ll survive this or not.” It hit me then that I was, in fact, brooding. But Brandon didn’t say a word. Not even a hint of “I told you so,” and I appreciated that. We sat on the ridge, black stone pebbles shifting and slipping down the narrow slopes below. They disappeared into the murky green underbrush. This whole place felt wrong. It was a constant reminder of it not being home, yet Brandon’s presence—while weird in itself—made me feel like I could find my way back. “I’m putting my trust in you this time.”
“Regarding this journey to Hrista, you mean.”
“Yes. Your allegiance has been… inconsistent, and I understand why. But it’s still hard for me to have faith in you, realizing that you could turn away from me at any time,” I said.
“You have every reason to hesitate,” Brandon replied. “These are unusual circumstances for all of us. I belong in Purgatory, in the arms of darkness. It’s all I know, and that’s where I must return. In order to do that, however, I must help break this place and everything it represents. I cannot do it alone, which is why I’m assisting you as best as I can.”
The thought of him going back home didn’t sit well with me. It was the obvious and natural thing to do, since Brandon didn’t belong here, but… ugh, it felt wrong. He seemed to pick up on my unspoken discomfort. “Of course, there’s also a chance I will never be allowed back into Purgatory after this,” he said, only half-joking. “I’ve aided Hrista and her minions. I’ve broken so many of Order’s laws…”
“Do you want to go back?” I asked, pushing myself to look into his eyes, where, for a moment, blue turned to white.
“I should.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“It’s complicated,” Brandon replied. “Just know I stand by what I said before. I will do everything I can to get you and your mother and your friends out of here.”