A Shade of Vampire 46: A Ride of Peril

by Bella Forrest

  I decided to hold on to the pendant for a little while longer until I’d figured it all out. I needed to have a better picture of what lay ahead, of what she truly felt for me, beyond the explosive physical attraction. I needed more.

  Serena

  We landed in the river, the water thankfully deep enough for us not to break our bones on the bottom.

  I quickly swam up to the surface.

  The stream flowed away from the castle. My survival instincts were strong. My eyes darted around.

  I saw Sverik and Hansa swimming ahead. I kept myself afloat, moving my arms for some kind of direction. Draven popped out from beneath, wheezing and spitting out water as he shook his head, regaining his senses.

  “Are you okay?” I asked, and he nodded briefly.

  We looked up. The black castle towered over us. Water poured out from where we’d jumped. Destroyers had slithered to the edge of the opening. They threw spears and shot arrows, but the projectiles failed to hit us. They flailed as they hit nearby trees and rocks on the river bank.

  We weren’t out of danger yet. Soon enough, more Destroyers and incubi soldiers would swarm along the river with no intention of capturing us alive.

  Draven looked up and stilled, his muscles freezing. His eyes went wide and rolled back in his head.

  “Draven!” I called out, but he didn’t respond.

  I followed his line of sight and saw a dark figure atop a terrace a few levels below where we’d jumped. I used my True Sight to get a better look, and my body instantly stiffened. Horror coursed through my veins like thick blocks of ice. Azazel stood there, massive and grinning, his eyes fixed on Draven’s.

  I recognized the serpent medallion that Aida had told us about, gold with ruby eyes, moving endlessly on the chain. I saw Azazel’s lips move, as Draven broke into a seizure, sinking into the water.

  “Serena! Draven! What’s happening? We need to move!” Hansa shouted after us, several yards up the river.

  “Something’s happening! Azazel’s doing something to him!” I yelped.

  I grabbed Draven and pulled him above the water, wrapping my arms around his chest from behind. He was heavy, and I didn’t know how long I’d be able to keep him afloat. My own body caved under the pressure.

  “Draven, please!” I begged him, my eyes stinging with tears, as he trembled against me, choking.

  I had to do something. I was losing him. I syphoned as much energy as I could from him, his golden warmth filling me, sating my inner sentry. I felt a ribbon of deep red pain slither into my chest. He was in so much pain and unable to control himself.

  I channeled everything inside of me into a barrier. I let the power build in me and thrust it all out with a roar, throwing the pulse outward with all the force I could muster.

  I switched on my True Sight again and watched as the barrier hit Azazel with enough strength to knock him off balance.

  My whole body trembled from the insane amount of energy I’d just expelled, combined with the sheer terror of confronting the biggest threat to our lives. My mind went blank for a second, shocked at how I’d managed to find the strength to respond to his attack on Draven.

  Azazel shook his head, blinking as he lost visual contact with Draven. I felt myself capable of doing even more if he tried to hurt Draven or anyone close to me again. I blamed my sudden jolt of courage on the adrenaline, which was beginning to wear off, leaving me in the river with a chilled spine.

  I felt Draven relax in my arms, and I shook him a couple of times, enough for him to regain consciousness. We had to hurry—before Azazel tried to take hold of him again.

  Draven looked at me, his body suddenly filled with tension as he pushed me forward up the river.

  “I’m okay. Swim!” he shouted after me.

  I followed Hansa and Sverik along the stream. Draven followed closely behind me. Fate was on our side, as the river flowed fast and heavy, tumbling into a thick patch of willows.

  More barked orders emerged from the castle we’d left behind.

  They’d soon be on our tails, but we moved with the water and disappeared beneath the trees, thankful for the cover.

  Vita

  I sought shelter beneath the Daughter’s magnolia tree. I wanted peace and quiet, to feel close to nature, as I prepared to dig into my Oracle abilities. I closed my eyes and decided to try Draven’s suggestion to pinpoint a specific topic, but I wasn’t sure what to think of. I figured I’d try to relax into it...

  As I slipped into my vision, my mind wandered to Marchosi, Azazel’s newest disciple. Aida had told me about his struggle, his reluctance to join the dark side, so I wanted to see where his seemingly futile resistance would lead.

  I was taken into what seemed like a near future, a possible outcome of our actions so far. I was inside Azazel’s castle, its walls glistening black with a massive overhead chandelier burning green. Wails and moans echoed through the chamber as three Destroyers stood around a wooden table with a map sprawled on top.

  Two of them were focused on the map, while the third fell over with a thump, his thick black tail flailing. He pulled himself back up, his hands gripping the table as he broke into a sweat. His eyes were yellow, flickering black as scales emerged from beneath his skin, breaking it and drawing blood.

  They spread up his arms and back, making him groan from the pain.

  “Give into it, Marchosi,” one of the two Destroyers mumbled, visibly bored with the sight of Marchosi in agony.

  “Easy for you to say, Goren,” he replied, gritting his teeth. “It was so easy for you to abandon yourself and become this abomination!”

  Goren threw his head backward with a malicious cackle.

  “The more you fight it, the more it hurts,” the other Destroyer said, leaning on his forearms over the map. “Believe me, I tried. We all succumb to it, sooner or later.”

  “I can’t,” Marchosi sobbed, palms covering his face. “I can’t… This isn’t who I am… This isn’t who I’m meant to become, Patrik. If I let it take over, there will be no turning back.”

  Patrik shook his head, sadness in his eyes.

  “You don’t understand, Marchosi,” he said. “He’s already won. The moment you started changing, he won. There’s no way back. No way to fix it. His spells are permanent, the damage impossible to fix.”

  “Give it a rest, you crybabies!” Goren smirked. “Let’s get back to work. Azazel has assigned us new territories on the west coast. I’ve got another raid to undertake tonight, and you’re wasting my time with your incessant weeping. Just let it go already, and the pain will stop!”

  Marchosi gasped, collapsing once more. I noticed Patrik’s expression, a mixture of sadness and grief. He didn’t seem to want to be there either, making me think that Azazel’s effect on his Destroyers ran deeper than we’d originally thought.

  In a second vision, the world seemed different and still. The sky was red, a massive sun setting in the west, heatwaves rising above the horizon. Black clouds gathered above a citadel, an enormous construction made entirely out of obsidian. Its smooth, polished surface reflected the sunset.

  I seemed to be on another planet. I heard roars and swords clashing below. I looked down to find a war unravelling at the base of the citadel, thousands of incubi and Destroyers fighting against a small army of creatures scattered around the black walls. There were no jungles here, just miles and miles of barren red and black stone.

  I caught a glimpse of Hansa and Anjani on horseback, leading a charge against one of the incubi’s flanks. Different species had joined the fight, including Lamias and creatures I’d never seen before, strangely beautiful but vicious. Dearghs had made it as well, ignited and casting massive fireballs that swallowed the Destroyers whole.

  My heart leapt as I saw the power in a handful of our allies decimating Azazel’s armies. Destroyers fell, one by one. There was hope.

  It all came to a halt as a bright pink flash burst at the top of the citadel, splitting the top in half an
d spreading outward like a nuclear bomb, obliterating everything in its path. It swallowed everything with a horrifying, spine-chilling bang. Fire and brimstone rained from above.

  Smoke, ash, and rubble poured over the land.

  The fighting stopped.

  They all looked up, as the entire citadel was engulfed in the same pink light. The ground shook beneath, and the structure crumbled as it caved in. It was all coming down, falling over the dry land, rumbling like summertime thunder.

  I heard Anjani scream Jovi’s name, and I saw her kick her horse to a gallop toward the source of the explosion. She was swiftly pulled off the stallion by her sister, who dragged her away from the unfolding disaster.

  Anjani kept kicking and screaming Jovi’s name, her voice cutting through the sky.

  The realization crashed into me, tearing me apart. Jovi had been up there.

  The potential future of Jovi dying from a Destroyer’s spear had been changed. It now seemed like Jovi would die in a massive explosion. We’d managed to change something in the outcome of things.

  But there would be war, and the result would be the same. It would all splinter. Jovi would still die.

  I opened my eyes, feeling myself wrapped in warmth. I looked around and realized I was in a familiar space. One of the rooms in the mansion. The same large windows through which moonlight poured. Bijarki’s body naked next to mine.

  I couldn’t move, but my heart froze. I’d seen this before in a dream. It all unraveled like a carefully crafted nightmare, except that it felt more real than the previous time I’d seen it. I heard Bijarki’s voice whispering sweet words in my ear. His fingers moved lazily up and down my skin. His lips caressed my neck. I would’ve melted. But I knew what was coming next.

  Without any delay, the windows crashed. Destroyers flooded the room, hissing and cackling, dragging me away from Bijarki. I screamed, but I couldn’t hear myself anymore, as if the movie had gone silent. I tried to fight them off, my hands shooting out flames. But I was knocked out.

  That outcome had not changed. They would come.

  Jovi

  We rode back to the mansion, joined by Tamara and Eva, each carried gracefully by a gorgeous white steed with gold plated reins. They certainly knew how to style up their royalty. I had to give them credit.

  The sun was up as we took one of the side roads around the Sarang Marketplace. Our crossbows were loaded and ready to shoot. Anjani and I exchanged glances. She was trying not to smile but couldn’t help it each time our eyes met.

  I had a hard time containing my grin, constantly replaying the memory of her melting in my arms the previous night. The sound she made when I kissed her echoed in my head, stirring me to the point where I had to shift in my saddle, prompting my horse to neigh with irritation. I’d been doing that a lot, it seemed.

  We heard movement through the trees around us as we went deeper into the woods. I looked around, my eyes scanning the shadows and spotting silhouettes running along, keeping up with our horses.

  “We’re not alone,” I said, my fingers clutching the crossbow.

  “Of course, we aren’t,” Tamara replied. “My guards are here, keeping their distance, protecting us from any hostility. These woods are filled with danger.”

  “That wasn’t the deal,” Anjani retorted.

  “There’s nothing wrong with protection, is there?” Tamara’s smile seemed forced, her voice pure ice.

  “That. Wasn’t. The. Deal.” My succubus didn’t let go, boldly pronouncing each word. “We agreed to bring you and your daughter to the mansion and no one else. We’re protected there, unseen by anyone. We are trusting you and you alone with that location. They have to stay back. Nobody else can know where the Druid and the Oracles are. I’m sure you understand the imperative here.”

  I wanted to jump off my horse, take Anjani into my arms, and smother her with kisses. Her authoritarian demeanor sparked a fire inside me. Who would have known I’d be so turned on by a succubus with that much spunk?

  A moment passed in awkward silence, as I willed myself back to a cooler state. I took deep breaths while smothering a smirk of satisfaction at the sight of Tamara’s irritated expression.

  “She has a point,” Bijarki finally replied. “Only you and Eva can know where the mansion is. It’s what you agreed to.”

  Tamara shook her head, pursing her lips, then snapped her fingers.

  I felt the hidden Lamias’ sudden departure. The silhouettes moved back, and the woods went almost silent. Once again, we were on our own, trotting through the jungle with our eyes peeled open, listening for any strange sound.

  A while later, Tamara broke the quietude, her gaze fixed on me.

  “You know, I have never seen a wolf-boy before,” she smiled. “Are there many like you where you come from, Jovi?”

  I shrugged, noncommittally. I didn’t want to talk about my world with this woman.

  “You’re quite a joy to look at,” Tamara said. “Not that you’d make a good mate, given our species’ difficulty to procreate, but I would certainly take you for a spin. You’re far too attractive to waste yourself on an inexperienced succubus.”

  Anjani’s eyes grew wide, watching Tamara in disbelief.

  I was stunned.

  Bijarki and Eva tried hard to contain their smirks.

  “Excuse me?” I managed to ask, feeling strangely insulted.

  I could only imagine what Anjani was going through and the amount of strength it took for her not to rip Tamara’s throat out right then and there.

  “I’m just saying, and don’t take this the wrong way,” Tamara kept a friendly tone, “you are far too young and green to be with such a fierce wolf, darling. You can barely control your succubus nature, and, by the looks of you, you’ve barely got a couple of centuries in this world. You’re simply too inexperienced to handle him, whereas I or Eva, on the other hand, would know exactly how to make Jovi tick. Over. And. Over. Again.”

  The tension was rising as Tamara had seen fit to retaliate for Anjani’s earlier statements. She’d spotted her weak point—her age—and had gone straight for the kill. On the one hand, I resented her and was eager to tell her that I wouldn’t touch her or her daughter with a ten-foot pole but, at the same time, I couldn’t help but applaud internally at how swiftly she’d managed to rattle Anjani.

  Tamara was wrong, though. I wasn’t all that fierce. I couldn’t even turn. But that was not for Tamara to know.

  “Perhaps you should mind your own business,” Anjani shot back. “Which includes killing and eating innocent incubi and succubi. Let’s not forget that. I can assure you that your diet alone cancels any interest a wolf-man like Jovi would ever show toward your species.”

  The fact that she’d acknowledged me as a wolf-man and not a wolf-boy like Tamara had called me earned Anjani some massive brownie points with me. I instantly made it my mission to take this succubus into my arms the first chance I got and thank her for that.

  But, yet again, I was also amused by the exchange, watching it like a heated tennis match. So far, it was one to one between two very strong and intelligent creatures. I waited for round three.

  Tamara laughed lightly, an undertone of mockery oozing forth.

  “You’re still fixated on that, aren’t you?” she replied. “Lamias have come a long way from stealing incubi from their mothers’ arms to feed. Those were cruel and ancient times. We only resort to eating a little bit of incubus and succubus flesh when we are young and still growing, and our mothers fetch this for us from the recently deceased only. We do not kill them ourselves. It’s the same when we are pregnant. Our babies need the nutrients. Otherwise they cannot survive outside the womb. We don’t snatch incubi, darling. Those are old folk tales.”

  Anjani scoffed, kicking her heels enough to give her horse a few yards’ advance on our group.

  “Besides, succubus flesh is far too stringy for our tastes. We’d rather chew the bark off a tree,” Tamara added with a smirk.

&
nbsp; And so, the score settled at an unpleasant 1 to 2 in the Lamia’s favor. I’d have to do something to lift Anjani’s spirits later. My mind tingled with ideas. I looked forward to being alone with her again.

  At the same time, I’d completely lost any interest in Lamias. As gorgeous as they were, I just couldn’t wrap my head around their diet tendencies. Eating incubus flesh simply didn’t sound okay, no matter the context.

  I moved forward, bringing my horse closer to Anjani and giving her a gentle sideways glance. She smiled and looked ahead. Despite Tamara’s burns, Anjani seemed focused on other, more positive things. Like me.

  Serena

  We made it out of the river and ran the rest of the distance to Mount Zur on foot. We kept a low profile, sprinting through the jungle and jumping over thick roots, occasionally looking over our shoulders.

  We ran fast, as the shouts of Destroyers and their horses neighing was never too far behind. We reached the ridge of Mount Zur in record time, stopping for a minute to catch our breath.

  My lungs burned. My hair and clothes still dripped. My whole body hurt, but we weren’t done yet. Draven and I looked at each other, our eyes doing the talking. He nodded briefly with a half-smile and looked up at the mountain.

  “Come on, we’re almost there,” he said.

  “I’ll need a hot bath after all this is over,” Sverik said. “I can’t live with this much filth on me.” He smirked, looking at himself. His uniform was tattered, wet, dirty, and riddled with smudges of silver blood. A wail pierced through the sky above us as ten Destroyers flew in from behind.

  “Run!” Draven shouted.

  We climbed up the ridge with surprising strength and speed. The prospect of death energized us. Only one thought crowded our minds: survival. We ran up, jumping from boulder to boulder like mountain goats as the Destroyers descended upon us, shooting their poisonous spears.