A Shade of Vampire 53

by Bella Forrest

  I was stunned speechless.

  He reached out abruptly and clasped my chin, causing my breath to hitch in surprise. He then pushed it up, closing my mouth. A flicker of amusement passed over his face. I realized that I’d been literally gawking at him, my mandible dislodged from the rest of my head.

  Say something. Do something. Come on, Fiona…

  I couldn’t. The daemon cocked his head to one side, his gaze searing through me like hot lava, his lips full and tender as they stretched into a most arrogant grin.

  “You should be more worried about yourself right now. Your team is as good as dead,” he spoke up, and I heard his voice for the first time, rumbling through me like thunder.

  It was calm, low, and husky, exuding self-confidence and the kind of determination that made me understand that I had my hands full with this guy.

  I really need to get out of here.

  Scarlett

  (Daughter of Jeramiah & Pippa)

  We geared up and met inside the infirmary half an hour later. I carried my long sword, along with two large knives on my belt and smaller blades tucked in my boots. My backpack was filled with prepped swamp witch spells and fist-sized explosive balls I’d devised from a combination of gunpowder and dragon tears.

  The map of the gorges was laid out on the table, and we all looked over it. The rest of our team was equally loaded with weapons and enough tension to probably blow up the Valley of Screams. The air was thick between us, charged with anger and determination.

  “This is, by far, the best route we can take.” Avril pointed at the map, her finger following a sinuous line along a stream. “The water will come in handy to counter the invisibility aspect of the daemons, and it holds the most caves. The Exiled Maras know about most of those, anyway.”

  “This is where we found Minah, more or less.” Jax’s finger moved to a neighboring gorge, then back to the stream. “And this is where we found Darius after the attack. So, up to this point, we have a pretty good idea as to what’s in that gorge. What lies beyond, however, is foreign to us. I need you to be on your toes at all times. The Correction Officers will have our backs; it’ll be our job to cover our sides and the front.”

  We all nodded, then Caia cleared her throat.

  “Once we get Fiona back,” she said, “one of us will go back to Calliope and rally more agents, like we agreed.”

  “Yes, Caia, but it won’t be you,” Hansa replied. “You’ve got fire, and we need it here.”

  “Understood,” she said, then frowned as she went over the interview notes. “What about Demios, Arrah’s brother?”

  “We’ll have to sneak into the prison and look for him,” Avril replied, crossing her arms over her chest. “I think we can use the invisibility spell supply that we have for this, right, Jax?”

  Jax thought about it for a second, then gave Patrik a sideways glance.

  “What do you think, Druid? You’re the one in charge of our magic supply inventory,” he quipped.

  “Perfectly doable,” Patrik replied. “I can spare enough for one, even two of us, just for prison use.”

  “Good. Now that’s out of the way, back to Fiona.” Jax sighed, then peeked through the window, noticing the fifty Correction Officers gathering outside on their horses. “They’re almost ready.”

  “Let’s get moving, then,” Hansa replied. “Our relationship with the Lords is fragile enough as it is—I don’t want to keep their people waiting, too. It’s bad enough we’ll break into their prison soon. Pack the gorge map, please.”

  Avril rolled the map into a tube and shoved it into a leather satchel hanging from her shoulder as we all moved to the door.

  “Wait,” Harper said, scribbling a few lines on a piece of paper. “I have something for us.”

  She placed nine disc-shaped pendants on the table, and handed the written note to Hansa.

  “What are those?” I asked, but Hansa immediately shushed me as she read Harper’s message. She passed the paper on to Jax, who skimmed it, frowned, and gave it to Heron. The paper made its way from one member of our team to another, until it reached Patrik.

  I craned my neck to get a better look, unaware of how close my face was getting to his until I felt warmth radiating from his cheek and his deep blue eyes quietly studying me. He handed me Harper’s message, and I nodded my thanks, stepping back to read it.

  No better way to say it, but I will explain later when we’re all alone, I promise. Caspian is the masked guy who helped us in the gorges and on the second level. He knows more about the daemons than the others, but no one knows he helped us. He gave me these pendants for us to wear. They’re made of meranium, a local metal, which stops the daemons from eating our souls. Won’t completely protect us from them but will help. Put them on, keep it to yourselves, destroy this note. Walls might have ears.

  “Well, then,” Hansa said as she put one of the pendants around her neck, while we grabbed ours. “We clearly have a lot to talk over later.”

  “I need everyone out now,” Patrik replied, while I borrowed one of Caia’s lighters and burned the note.

  He drew several chalk symbols on the walls and around the door and windows, while we left the infirmary and waited outside. He muttered a spell, then locked the door and joined us on the terrace, where the Correction Officers waited.

  “I sealed the infirmary,” he said, looking around. “It won’t allow anyone in other than myself.”

  The Correction Officers were lined up on the main road leading to the plains below, patiently waiting for us. Patrik moved closer to my side, and his arm bumped my shoulder, prompting me to look at him. He gave me a reassuring nod. He’d probably noticed the frown I’d been wearing since Fiona had been taken, and was trying to make me feel better. He succeeded, if only by a degree or two, which was enough for me to give him a weak smile in return.

  “We’ll comb those gorges until we get her back, Scarlett,” he said slowly. “I promise.”

  Imen servants came down with ten beautiful indigo horses, one of which was for Fiona. They were strong specimens with long black manes, leather saddles, and metallic plates molded onto their broad, muscular chests, for protection.

  “We’re using the tracking spell again, right?” Caia asked. I nodded and fumbled through my pockets until I found Fiona’s bracelets, holding them up for her to see.

  “I’ll cast it soon,” Patrik replied softly, sensing her anxiousness to get to Fiona.

  We were all strained and eager to get our “iron fist” back, which was why we didn’t even notice an eleventh indigo horse approaching, ridden by Vincent, of House Roho. I was surprised to see him wearing a combat uniform similar to the Correction Officers’—all black leather and metal plates, with plenty of bladed weapons and large, round shields. In place of their usual attire, the Maras had opted for a more military style, fit for the darkness and hostility that awaited in the Valley of Screams.

  Their Nerakian horses huffed and neighed, clicking their hooves against the cobblestones and occasionally shaking their heads. I had a feeling the creatures were as nervous as we were.

  Harper

  (Daughter of Hazel & Tejus)

  Seeing Vincent all dressed up to go to war came as a surprise to all of us, but I was the first to point it out, while the Imen servants brought the indigo horses closer.

  “Lord Roho, what are you doing here?” I asked as I was handed the reins to a gorgeous mare with deep midnight-blue eyes.

  “I’m coming with you,” he said, his chin high. A curved sword hung from his belt, tucked into a carved scabbard made of white bone and adorned with a variety of colored gems.

  “I’m sorry, I thought I heard you say you were coming with us?” Hansa’s sarcasm didn’t escape any of us. Not even Vincent, who smirked and firmly gripped the handle of his sword.

  “You heard right. I am coming with you,” he replied.

  “What makes you think we’ll allow that?” Jax interjected as he climbed onto his horse, h
is tone dry and lacking patience.

  “It’s not like you can stop me.” Vincent raised an eyebrow. “As soon as my mother told me about Fiona, I knew I had to be involved. I’m coming with you because I need to be a part of this. Fiona is important to me.”

  “Milord, you’re clearly underestimating the dangers of this mission.” Hansa scoffed, settling on her indigo mare. The creature seemed at ease with her new rider, her muscles twitching with anticipation.

  “Maybe, but that won’t stop me from going,” Vincent replied. “I may not be a warrior such as yourselves, but I can surely hold my own in a fight. I did learn how to use a sword as a child.”

  “Yeah, that’s not very reassuring,” I said with a cringe. “We’re not going into a bar fight armed with pig stickers. We’re venturing into extremely hostile territory inhabited by bloodthirsty daemons with claws, horns, and fangs eager to rip you to shreds. Oh, and they’re invisible, too.”

  “I thought you had the invisibility issue solved.” Vincent grinned.

  “Milord, that’s not the issue here.” Hansa pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to find the right words to explain Vincent’s inadequacy as part of our detail. “You head the art department of the city. You deal with… design and beauty on a daily basis. You’re not cut out for this. You don’t have any training that would make you fit to come with us. If anything, we’d have to worry about your safety down there, along with our prime objective, and getting Fiona back alive and in one piece is all that matters. We cannot spare any resources to keep you safe just because you want some action. This isn’t a game, milord.”

  “We’ve already seen Maras die during our first incursion into the Valley of Screams,” Jax added, moving his horse closer to Hansa’s. “And I doubt you’ll make it out of there alive.”

  But Vincent wouldn’t budge. He shook his head and clicked his teeth, prompting his horse to come forward.

  “I’m not asking for your protection, nor am I holding you responsible for my safety and wellbeing,” he replied. “Trust me, I can take care of myself, and I sincerely wish to help. I need to be there with you to find Fiona.”

  A couple of moments flew by as we all looked at each other. I didn’t bother to hide my skepticism, keeping an eyebrow raised and my lips pursed, until Jax’s shoulders dropped and he let out a frustrated groan.

  “Fine, you can come with us,” he muttered, and Vincent lit up like a Christmas tree. “I just hope you don’t regret it.”

  “I won’t,” Vincent replied, nodding briefly. “And I promise I will not be a burden.”

  “In that case, Vincent,” Caspian chimed in, emerging from behind a corner of the infirmary with his hands behind his back, “I’ll let the Lords know that you’ve relinquished any need for protection from GASP or my Correction Officers.”

  “The Correction Officers shouldn’t be excluded from this agreement,” Vincent sneered. “I’m certainly not consenting to not at least have them nearby. Not that I’ll need them, but still, just in case.”

  “Then you might want to get on my officers’ good sides, Vincent, and do your best not to be the demanding little jerk you usually are,” Caspian shot back, stifling a grin.

  Vincent opened his mouth to respond, but was abruptly interrupted by Patrik, who cleared his throat loudly and brought out the round crystal pendant for Fiona’s tracking spell.

  “Time to get moving,” Patrik announced as Scarlett handed him one of Fiona’s bracelets.

  He placed the pendant on top of the bracelet and chanted the spell, launching the bright luminescent sphere into the air. It didn’t shoot out, but gently hovered above the Correction Officers before it moved slowly down the road.

  “Isn’t it supposed to go faster?” Caia asked.

  “Not at this point,” Patrik replied. “Its speed depends on proximity to its target. The farther Fiona is, the slower the tracking spell moves, as it registers the small traces that her body leaves behind.”

  “It’s like a magical hound dog,” I said, impressed by the glowing light. “The stronger the scent, the faster the tracker, I suppose.”

  “Indeed. Based on what we know about the tunnels below, Caia and Blaze were much closer to Fiona earlier than we are now. The closer we get to her, the faster we’ll have to go to keep up with the spell. In the meantime, however, we need to follow the light.”

  The analogy suddenly hit me, and I needed to let it out, noticing the gloomy expressions on Caia and Blaze’s faces.

  “Ugh, cheer up, guys,” I quipped. “Think about it this way: you both followed that light to the end of a tunnel and came out alive. That’s something!”

  They both gave me their best versions of a smile, given the circumstances, and I knew I’d done the best I could to help improve their morale. We couldn’t afford to go into those gorges with our heads down or doubt in our hearts.

  We took our indigo horses down the main road, followed by Vincent and the fifty Correction Officers, as the tracking spell guided us toward the open field. I briefly glanced over my shoulder and saw Caspian watching us—me, in particular—as we descended the mountain. He stayed behind, his shoulder casually resting against a street lamp while our group moved forward, and I felt a spike of irritation at his laid-back demeanor.

  For some reason, my blood always seemed to simmer when he was around. It felt like I’d become so much more intense as a person since our arrival on Neraka, and I realized it was largely because of him. He had a powerful effect on me, and I didn’t like that, mainly because it felt like he was stealing away control of my otherwise cool temper. My friends called me the Cucumber back home for a reason, and I was slowly drifting away from that as the days went by and I remained on Neraka, remained so close to Caspian. I had a hard time recognizing myself, and I knew I had to get things under control.

  I needed my head clear, my heart empty, and my stomach calm. But whenever my eyes met Caspian’s, my insides were instantly ravaged by a category five storm. I missed the old me from a few days ago—calm and reserved, with scary-sharp reflexes, as opposed to the powder keg I’d become in just a few days of being on the same planet as Lord Kifo.

  Thanks to the horses’ speed, we reached the plain shortly after two in the morning. The field was pitch black around us, while the three moons lingered above, casting their warm light over us. The tracking spell glimmered and moved at a constant, slow speed.

  Our search for Fiona had begun.

  Fiona

  (Daughter of Benedict & Yelena)

  I’d lost all notion of time passing since the moment the daemon had emerged from the pool and I had beheld him, in all his deadly glory, for the first time. Every one of my senses felt stunned. That red powder he’d blown in my face had relaxed my body a little too much, and the sight of him, so tall, dark, and dangerous, was permanently seared into my retinas. I took deep breaths, trying to get hold of myself. He walked over to the fire, settling on one of the stones and proceeding to sharpen his blades with a solid gray crystal.

  I watched the sparks fly out as the crystal screeched down the sharp metal edge, while his red gaze occasionally darted my way. His long black hair was damp and pulled over one shoulder, getting wavy as it gradually dried.

  “So you’re a daemon,” I managed finally, stating the obvious. “I’m guessing you’re one of the many behind the abduction of Exiled Maras and Imen. You’re a killer.”

  He didn’t react, and kept his eyes fixed in front of him.

  “What’s your name? Where do you come from? Why did you start taking innocent people? What’s your issue with Azure Heights?”

  I didn’t get any answers. Some minutes went by as I tried to figure out a better way to approach this, to get him to talk to me. I knew he understood me, and he was perfectly capable of coherent speech, as he’d so casually proven earlier.

  I figured I’d try a less accusatory approach. “My name’s Fiona. What’s yours?”

  It worked. He finally looked my way, his gaze find
ing mine. Then he stood and sauntered across the cave, closing the distance between us. He sheathed the dagger he’d been sharpening, letting it hang loosely on his belt. I froze, breathlessly waiting until he reached my cage.

  He stopped in front of the iron bars, staring at me for a while. He said nothing, but I could see genuine curiosity in his red eyes, while his overall expression gave nothing else away. I dared to inch closer, my movement so slow and smooth, I hoped it would barely be noticeable. I didn’t have any of my usual strength, my muscles and tendons weak thanks to his red powder trick. I realized I couldn’t even extend my claws to use them as weapons against him. The only thing I could think to do was at least try to use my hands to grasp at the dagger.

  I held his gaze while my right hand slowly reached for the blade on his belt, sneaking between the cage bars. I felt my temperature rise, then the rough fabric strip covering the dagger’s handle as it brushed against my fingertips.

  Another inch and it’s mine.

  He smirked, then gripped my left wrist and jerked me forward with a sudden pull. My face hit the iron bars, my cheek and temple pressed against the cold metal. His lips were just inches away from mine, stretched into a lazy grin that revealed his white teeth. My skin was broiling under his gaze, his fingers digging into my flesh as he held me in place. I didn’t regret my attempt to grab that weapon off him, but I knew I’d gotten myself into serious trouble with that move.

  I waited with bated breath, but he said nothing for about half a minute. He kept looking at me with a flicker of amusement in his eyes, while I pondered the many ways in which he could kill me in that moment. My stomach twisted into knots.

  “I’m Zane,” he announced, his voice once again making my nerves shudder.

  Okay… so maybe he won’t kill me just yet.