A Shade of Vampire 91: A Gate of Light - Bella Forrest Page 0,12

of the Valkyrie having an unexpected effect on me. It mattered, but not enough to pull me away from her. I welcomed the light and the warmth suddenly coursing through my veins. “Thank you,” I whispered in her ear. “Thank you for this incredible opportunity. I will never forget it, Myst. Thank you.”

She didn’t say a word. She didn’t move. I would’ve liked a reaction, but the silence was fine too. Being pushed away would’ve been infinitely worse. At least this told me the Valkyrie was okay with a hug. I didn’t feel a heartbeat, but every atom of her beamed through me for a short while as I clung to this incredible moment. It only lasted a few seconds, but it felt like ages glowing with the promise of bliss.

“My apologies,” I said as I stepped back, cold without her in my arms. “I didn’t mean to step out of line.”

“No, no, it’s fine,” Myst replied, her eyes burning white. She couldn’t even look at me, and I knew I’d rattled her somehow. My heart was still thumping, proof that something was going on between us, but I didn’t know where it was going or how to pursue it further. “I’m glad I was able to give you some form of closure with regards to your father, Thayen. I imagine it was important for you to say those things.”

“What a power you have,” I said, seeing Myst in a different light. I’d already been in awe of her, but this ability raised her to a whole new level. “Bringing souls from the beyond like that…”

She gave me a shy smile. “For a long time, I thought it was a useless thing. My sisters are capable of extraordinary feats. By comparison, I have felt weak. But seeing you and Acheron just now, I realize how wrong I was. You are right to marvel—it is a great power I hold, and you have helped me learn to appreciate it.”

I would’ve liked to do something for her in return. Maybe I didn’t have the abilities nor the resources for something as incredible as what she’d accomplished with my father, but there had to be something I could offer. Myst deserved that much as a token of my gratitude—only it wasn’t just gratitude I was feeling. There was something else brewing in my chest. Something strong and bright that packed quite a punch.

In the middle of this insanity, I was falling in love, and I wouldn’t have had it any other way. No, I rather liked this sensation as it grew inside me. Myst was changing absolutely everything about my existence, almost effortlessly and utterly unwittingly.

Sofia

Three days had flown past since the Flip, and we were nowhere closer to a way out of this place. As far as progress went, it didn’t feel like we’d made much since we’d found ourselves plopped in the middle of a fake Shade. The one good thing that had come out of this insanity was that we’d gotten our loved ones back—my son included. But beyond that, every second that passed was just another second Hrista and her underlings spent on our island, in our home, defiling it with their mere presence.

We knew almost nothing about her ultimate goal, only that everything to this point had been planned. It had gone swimmingly, too—we’d been completely unable to stop it, as we lacked the information and complex knowledge that had kept her ten steps ahead in this sick game.

Settling in the fake island’s version of the Great Dome, Derek and I waited for a few of GASP’s senior officers to join us for a brief meeting. Each of us had been trying different things—magic, technology, a combination of both—but to no avail. We’d been researching this place and drawing our conclusions, though we were nowhere near done with fully understanding every secret in the fake island. There was still work to be done.

“Thayen is still resting,” Derek said as we took our seats at the head of the table. There was a monitor mounted on the glass pane behind us, which was rather ironic as I tried to imagine our clones gathering in this room and discussing their plot to overthrow us. I wondered what kind of use they were making of the real Great Dome now that we were away. “Last night was pretty intense.”

“No surprise there. I’m so happy he had that chance, though,” I told my husband, and I meant it. Thayen had come to