A Shade of Vampire 91: A Gate of Light - Bella Forrest Page 0,2

I’d always been like that. Or was I too impatient? No, maybe just overthinking. He’d already told me that Berserkers and Valkyries weren’t made for love, yet I was yearning for something I wasn’t sure he could even give me. Yep, definitely overthinking, though it was hard not to when the truth was right in front of me. But even so…

Snap out of it, Astra. Be a Daughter, not a chicken!

“Not exactly like yours, no, but hybrids with Hermessi origins. Daughters of other realms, though not precisely pink wonders like you and your mother. Similar creatures with frightening powers, some of whom fell in love with the commoners, the less extraordinary residents of those realms. The fruits of their love were incredible beings with powers that befuddled even their parents,” Brandon said, stopping right in front of me. I craned my head back so I could keep looking him in the eyes. “You, however, are a step above any others I’ve met. There is absolutely nothing common about sentries. Your genetic package is truly out of this world, something I’ve never seen before. But you do share some similarities with your otherworldly equivalents.”

“Oh?” I managed, his gaze hypnotizing me.

“This portal opening talent, I’ve seen it before, albeit in different formats, but the basis remains the same. I’m guessing that the more you try, the better you’ll get at it. However, the secret to succeeding is more about letting go than it is about delving deeper,” Brandon said, then casually sat down beside me. We both stared at the clearing and the washed-out moonlight that filled it, turning most of the leaves from a dirty green to an olive yellow. The colors were wrong. Everything about this place was wrong.

I slowly turned my head to look at him. “So, I should just let go? That’s your suggestion?”

“It’s just an idea, but unless you tell me what it is you feel is missing, it might be the wrong idea,” he replied.

For two days, Brandon had been quietly watching my efforts to prove Hrista right—to demonstrate I could indeed open a shimmering portal. The process of discovery was sloppy and painfully slow, though I didn’t lack encouragement. My mother, my father, my violet-eyed aunts—my entire family had my back in this. But I’d failed to deliver so far, and it made me feel… inadequate. Frustrated. Yes, Brandon was right, I was frustrated.

“I’m not sure what’s missing,” I said. “It’s just… the urgency of it. We’re stuck in this place while Hrista and the clones and some of your brothers are traipsing around on our island, doing who knows what. Every day that we’re here is a day that they’ve won. We know nothing. We’re in literal darkness, and I could be the only one who can do something about it.” Pausing to breathe in, I felt the sting in my eyes and blinked back tears. “It’s all on my shoulders, and my inability to deliver sooner rather than later angers me.”

Brandon didn’t say anything for about a minute, while I tried to adjust to what I’d just expressed. Saying it aloud had made it even more real. “If you focus on the time you have left, you will never open a portal,” he finally replied. “If you channel your energy into the urgency of your situation, only failure awaits at the end of your journey, Astra.”

Every time my name left his lips, it felt serious. Profound. Of great meaning and importance. I couldn’t look away from him, but I fed on his words and his sound reasoning. He was right. The more anxious I got, the worse it would be. No one had accomplished anything with anxiety.

“You think I should just… what, relax?” I asked, my voice quiet.

His lips were closer than I’d thought. I wasn’t sure when the approach had occurred, but mere inches of space were left between us as he’d leaned in, and the proximity sent my blood into a frenzied rush through my body, making me feel lightheaded. For a moment, I wondered what would happen if I just leaned in and kissed him. The white flames of his gaze told me I was on the right track here, but my body… failed me. I’d never had the confidence of a sentry. My aunties, Harper and Serena, were fierce, and they always took what their hearts desired. I, on the other hand, had always been more timid. Like a mouse.

“Deep breaths, in and out,” Brandon said, his breath warming