Silence - By Kailin Gow Page 0,45

asked, but the dragon shifter gestured to be quiet. Taking the hint, Kevin stopped.

The dragon shifter pointed, and Kevin looked, just as a lightning flash lit the sky. It revealed a shape against the skyline that it took Kevin a moment to process. A castle, looming dark and foreboding against the angry sky.

“Don’t tel me, Dracula lives there.” Kevin made a joke of it, but again the dragon shifter silenced him with a look.

“Are you determined to make as much noise as possible?” the shifter demanded. “Do you want them to find us here?”

“Who’s them?” Kevin asked. He looked at the castle again. There real y was only one type of supernatural creature that could live in a place like that. “Vampires?”

The dragon nodded. “Yes. They are holding the Prince and princess inside, along with my brother Archer. I hope we are not too late, but we must try.”

“Try what?” Kevin asked. He didn’t know anything about princes or princesses. About the only part of it he understood was Archer. Perhaps the dragon would know something about what had happened to Briony.

“To save them, of course,” the dragon-shifter said. “If we do not, then King Waltham wil try it himself, and he is not wel enough. So it fal s to us.”

Kevin wasn’t sure why it fel to him. As far as he could see, the whole situation had nothing to do with him. On the other hand, he wasn’t about to leave anyone in the hands of vampires if he could find a way to free them. “If it’s against these vampires aimed at destroying Wicked, then I’l help.”

“Good,” the dragon-shifter said. “We should have the advantage of surprise. The master vampire, Marcus, stil thinks he can see me in the alchemist Malwinn’s bal , which shows that I am stil in Wicked.

But he does not know that I have tricked the bal ’s seeing eye. It wil continue to show me there, even while we sneak up on those who hold the royal family.

They wil not see us coming.”

He started forward towards the castle, and Kevin stopped him.

“Wait.”

“What is it now?”

“We’re about to assault a castle, and I don’t even know your name.”

The dragon-shifter shrugged. “Is that al ?

People who spend so much time in human form are strange. I am cal ed Fletcher. Now, can we go?”

Fletcher didn’t wait for an answer, but set off towards the castle. Kevin fol owed. The dragon-shifter led him to a smal side gate, the lock of which didn’t last long under the dragon’s hands. Sticking to the shadows, they made their way into the main rooms of the castle, keeping a careful eye out for vampires.

Twice, Fletcher had the two of them stop, staying out of sight while footsteps passed nearby.

Kevin had other things to think about beside the closeness of vampires though. There was a scent in the air, part sweet honeysuckle, part warm vanil a, that Kevin recognized. That he would know anywhere.

“Briony. Briony’s here.”

Fletcher rol ed his eyes. “What did I say? The Princess is here. Now hurry up.”

Princess? No, there wasn’t time for that. Kevin had to find her. Had to find Briony. He practical y raced through the castle, the dragon-shifter in tow, fol owing that oh so familiar scent every step of the way.

It led them to a large room furnished opulently.

The kind of place that might have held guests, not prisoners. Kevin had little time to think about that though, because Briony was there. She was dressed in the most elaborate outfit Kevin had ever seen her in, looking every inch the Princess Fletcher said she was.

Wel , except for the bit where she was holding a stake and facing up to a white-haired vampire while being flanked by Archer and a burly young man dressed in armor and wielding a large sword.

There were other vampires there too, and almost as Kevin arrived, they attacked Briony and the others. They were fast. Very fast. So fast that Briony looked utterly out of her depth as the two young men beside her struggled to fight them off while simultaneously keeping Briony safe. The white-haired vampire in particular seemed to be focused solely on her, so that both of the others had to keep breaking off from their own fights to keep her alive.

the Some quirk of the battle turned Briony’s features so that her eyes met Kevin’s, and in that moment, Kevin saw the love and relief in them. Then Fletcher rushed past, blocking