by G. K. DeRosa
This was a complete nightmare.
I buried my face in my hands and willed the hot tears prickling at my eyes to go away. I couldn’t cry in front of this nocturne. Who knew what he thought of humans? I wouldn’t let him think I was weak.
“I gave you my blood.” He spat out the words like they’d been choking him.
I lifted my head to meet his eyes. “Excuse me?”
“Garridan, my serv—my friend, he’s really old. He told me that vampire blood could heal humans. That’s how you survived. You were almost dead when I found you.” He veered his gaze to the small window. “I guess it doesn’t work as well as it used to now that we don’t drink human blood.”
I gasped. Of all the myths I’d heard about nocturnes, how could I not know the most important one? Nocturne blood healed humans. The implications were huge. “You’re serious?”
He nodded grimly.
I tried to move my ankle and pain shot up my entire leg. I screamed, unable to hold it back this time.
“Maybe I can get you something from the apothecary.” He leaned in as if he were going to touch me, but at the last minute pulled back.
“The apothecary?”
“Yes, you know, where the alchemists create healing potions.”
I arched a skeptical brow. In Imera, each family was allotted a supply of pharmaceuticals for the month. That was all we got. “If it’ll help with the pain, I’m all for it.”
“I’ll go find something.” He moved to the door as gracefully as a ballerina.
“Wait.” The idea of staying by myself in this cabin had my stomach in knots. “Can’t you just give me more of your blood?” Bleh. I couldn’t believe I’d uttered those words.
His nostrils flared and silver swirled in his irises. “No. I can’t.”
“But why not? You already did it once.”
The silver blazed and anger flashed across his eyes. “I said no.” He whipped the door open and sped out of the cabin.
Ugh. Kaige’s mood swings made my head spin. That was something they failed to mention in school about nocturnes. I added it to my mental list of new things I was learning.
My heart sank as I glanced around the empty room. I thought back to our conversation and wondered if I was the first human that had been in contact with a nocturne in a hundred years. Gavin and Isla would never believe me. He seemed pretty normal too, except for the weird eye thing. Kaige was an interesting name—and ironic given my current situation. It occurred to me he had never asked for my name in return. Maybe that was a nocturne thing, or maybe he was still thinking about killing me and didn’t want to get too personal.
I slouched back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. How the heck did I get myself into this mess? I turned my head to the side and came nose-to-nose with the handcuffs. Hmm… I wasn’t restrained anymore. There was nothing stopping me from hauling butt out of there.
Chapter 6
Kaige
My fingers shook as I opened the heavy wooden door to the apothecary on the lower level of Castle De La Divin, my nose crinkling at the thick fragrance of herbs and flowers. An ache still thumped through my jaw, and my fangs pressed against my gums. That little human was insane. She wanted to drink more of my blood? She didn’t know how dangerous it was. She didn’t know, when I did it the first time, how much I struggled not to tear into her veins. She didn’t know the other thoughts and desires that had been whirling through my brain.
During those few moments, she had shattered my control. I wasn’t sure if I’d ever fully recover it.
I licked my lips, the scent of her blood still branded into my memory. Searing thirst lanced down my throat.
Damn it. I should have downed a bottle of synth before coming here. Maybe two. Being shut in that tiny cabin still perfumed by her blood drove me crazy.
My gaze landed on one of the alchemists, his silver robe floating over the marble floor as he turned toward me. He was assisting one of the lower ranking noblemen.
His dark eyes lit up. “Prince Kaige. How can I be of assistance?”
I lifted a hand as he began to approach me, leaving his other customer in the middle of their conversation. “Please finish with him. I can look for myself, Delvin.”
The old nocturne paused in his eager pursuit. “Of course, sir.” He gave a small bow, his gray hair glinting in the soft lanterns above. “Please call me if you need help.”
The wooden shelves were stocked with delicate glass vials, all filled with mysterious liquids in every shade of the rainbow. Others contained herbs, flowers, or creamy salves. The alchemists discovered a way to grow plants even without the sun. Call it magic or call it technology. Without it, Draconis would be a barren wasteland.
My eyes browsed the tiny labels for something to alleviate the human’s pain. Would any of this even work on her? For all I knew, the apothecary’s elixirs and potions were strictly for nocturnes. A small dose of anything would be safest.
I rubbed my temples. Thinking about that little thing was giving me a headache. She wasn’t what I expected. She wasn’t as fragile even with a broken leg. She pointed a gun at me for gods’ sake.
A wry smile laced my lips as I again pictured her disheveled golden hair and those green eyes burning into me as she tried to shoo me away with a broom.
I quickly shook the image away and the odd warmth it came with. She was a human. I had to think of her as nothing more than the answers to my questions. It was the reason I never asked her name.
Giving her a name was making her more than a means to an end.
My hand curled into a tight fist and I cursed. What the hell had I gotten myself into? The human didn’t seem to know anything about the boxes on the plane marked with our symbol. She stole the damn thing.
Was she brave or just plain stupid?
Then again, she could be lying through her pretty teeth. Why didn’t my compulsion work on her? I was one of the strongest nocturnes in Draconis. I could compel the taranoi and most of the nobles. One little human girl should have been cake for me. I needed to ask Garridan.
“What are you looking for?”
My head snapped around at the light voice, a small figure dressed in a flowing blouse and leggings standing behind me. “Zabrina?”
Her sapphire eyes widened. “Oh my gods. I actually snuck up on you.” She covered her mouth as laughter pealed out. “No one will believe me.”
I gritted my teeth against the few choice words that tried to tumble out. The little human had my mind so preoccupied that my eight-year-old sister crept up on me. “I heard you. I was just letting you win this time.” I shook one of her deep auburn braids.
She swatted my hand away. “Yeah right. Maybe you’re just losing your edge, Kaige. You’re too busy being so serious.” She pulled her shoulders back and furrowed her brow. “I’m Prince Kaige. If I crack a smile, people might know I have a fun side.”
A growl crawled up my chest. “You think you’re funny?”
Zabrina nodded.
My eyes narrowed, and I lunged, catching her up before she could move a muscle. Giggles cascaded from her as my fingers ran down her side.
“Kaige,” she squealed, “you cheated!”
I laughed and picked her up. “I didn’t cheat. I’m just fast, little sister.”
Zabrina struggled against me. “Mercy!”
I shook my head. “No way. You seem to think I lost my edge.”
“I was joking.” Her little fingers tried tickling me, but she could never find the sweet spot that would have me pleading for mercy.
I halted and held her tight. “Take it back, and I’ll stop.”
“I take it back. You’re the bestest, strongest, fastest nocturne in all of Draconis.” She smiled up at me. “I promise never to call your awesomeness into question.” Her smile fell, and a line formed between her eyebrows. “What is that?”
“What’s what?” I asked.
Zabrina leaned forward, sniffing me. “That smell.”
; My blood turned to ice, and I felt the color drain from my face. There was no way she could smell the human on me. I hadn’t even touched her today, had I?
I dropped Zabrina, gently placing her back on the floor. “It’s nothing. I’ve just been in here, messing with some herbs.”
Her lips puckered. “I’ve never smelled anything like that before. It’s…” Her gaze turned pensive as she tried to find the right words.
My pulse spiked, and I turned away from my little sister before she could see the emotions roaring beneath the surface. I rummaged through the nearby shelves to find something—anything—that would mask the human’s scent. If I came too close to anyone who had been alive before the prophecy, like the alchemist only a few feet away, I was done for.
A bottle of swirling amber liquid caught my eye, and I choked back a sigh of relief. I poured some on my trembling hands and then rubbed them down my shirt. The sharp tang of lemon stung my nose, quickly evaporating. Nocturnes’ sense of smell was very acute so Abscondam was often used on any strong, irritating odors. Surely it would cover the human’s scent.
I schooled my expression and spun around. “Where’s Kataleona?” I asked, pulling my hands behind my back to hide their quaking. “Aren’t you supposed to be in tutoring?”
Zabrina made a face, the mention of school stealing her attention. “I told her I needed a break.”
I crossed my arms against my chest. “Just because you’re the princess doesn’t mean you can demand a break from your schooling.”
“But I hate it,” she groaned, dramatically throwing her arms out. “It’s so boring. All she keeps talking about recently is that stupid prophecy and how humans are off-limits and blah, blah, blah.”
“Zabrina,” I hissed, bending down to eye level, “you can’t go around saying the prophecy is stupid. You’re the princess and if you have no respect for it, how can you expect others to?”
She traced a silvery line in the marble with the tip of her boot. “I know how serious the prophecy is. I’d never be caught dead with a human.”
My chest tightened, and it was hard to meet her innocent eyes. I was the biggest hypocrite in all of New Isos. “Good.” I kissed the crown of her head. “Now go back to your studies and no more stalling. Kataleona is too gentle with you. You’re such a little terror.”
“Am not,” she scoffed. “I’m a sweet little princess.” She batted her lashes up at me.
I put my hand on her head, turning her around. “Right. You’re as sweet as a salted lemon.”
She waved a hand over her shoulder. “See ya, wouldn’t want to be ya.”
No one would want to be me right now. I was hiding a human in Draconis. I didn’t want to be me right now.
I kept the Abscondam and marched down another aisle. I needed to hurry and get back to my problem at the cabin before she did something stupid and became a bigger problem. I left in such a hurry after she suggested I give her more blood I forgot to secure her to the bed. Surely she had enough sense not to go traipsing around Draconis.
Then again, she did try to attack me, a nocturne, with an unloaded gun and a broom.
I snatched up a bottle of Alinare for her pain and as an afterthought, a bottle of valerian root. She needed something to calm her irrational ass down. Maybe I could benefit from a dose of it too.
“Ah, brother. I’ve been looking for you.”
I nearly bumped into Xander as I turned a corner. A long string of curses exploded through my mind. He was the last person I needed to see. “What do you want?” My jaw clenched as I tried to choke the mixture of trepidation and panic down.
His brow arched at my clipped tone. “You’ve been MIA all day. What have you been up to?”
“Nothing. I’m just busy.” I tried to brush past him, but he caught my arm.
His nose upturned, breathing in the air around me. A shadow crossed his features, probably noticing the Abscondam. Instead of mentioning it, his dark eyes scrutinized the vials in my hand. “Who is this for?” He tapped the bottle of Alinare. “Not you because you’re so perfect you don’t even feel pain.”
“A friend,” I snapped.
A humorless laugh slipped free. “You don’t have friends, Kaige.”
I jerked out of his grasp, my nostrils flaring. “Why are you here? Messing around in dark potions again? Are you still trying to find a way to best me?”
A vein pulsed in Xander’s neck. “Watch it, brother. It looks like an emotion is beginning to show through that icy exterior of yours.”
I stormed by him, my muscles trembling from strain. My twin was right. I was losing it after only a few minutes with the little human. What would happen when I returned to the cabin?
My fangs ached. I knew what my nocturne instincts wanted to happen.
Chapter 7
Solaris
An owl hooted in the distance, and my heart froze. Goose bumps raced across my arms, making the little hairs stand on end. Get it together, Solaris. A tall pine blocked the worn path, forcing me to stop. I let out a long sigh as I leaned against the rough bark, convincing myself I’d move faster once I had a little rest.
Stumbling around in the dark with a broken leg was possibly the stupidest thing I’d ever done. And I’d done a lot of stupid things. Escaping seemed like a good idea when I was in a comfy cabin, but now, in a strange land with nothing but pitch black and towering trees surrounding me, I was questioning my sanity.
I hugged the broom lodged under my armpit and hobbled forward. Red-hot pain shot up my leg. I clapped my hand over my mouth to muffle the scream that tore out of my throat. Just keep going.
Tree branches reached out and scraped at my arms as I limped through the dense forest. The red laser marking the boundary between Draconis and the Shadow Lands was my only guiding light. If it weren’t for the bright red beacon, I would’ve been hopelessly lost. I just had to keep moving west. Kaige had said I’d landed near the border. My plane had to be nearby. If I could only find it, maybe I could get it to fly again if the foam had quelled the fire before it reached the engine. Or worst-case scenario, I could radio for help. I’d rather be grounded by Malcolm or at the mercy of Turstan than murdered by a nocturne.
I moved desperately slow. Every step sent stabs of pain shooting up my leg. I looked over my shoulder and grunted. I could still make out the small cabin in the distance. The red line in the sky tauntingly called to me but was still hundreds of yards away. Maybe I should have waited for Kaige. I needed those painkillers bad. No. I shook my head, chasing away the thoughts of the mysterious nocturne.
His piercing navy eyes were emblazoned in my brain. Every time I blinked, they danced across my vision. The way the molten silver swirled in his irises was completely mesmerizing.
Leaves crackled to my left. I froze. More crackling and it was getting closer. Oh crap, oh crap! I crouched down behind a tree, gritting my teeth as I bent the knee on my bad leg. I held my breath.
A pair of deer crossed a few feet in front of me. Dark beady eyes scrutinized me as if even they knew I didn’t belong there. I exhaled sharply and leaned my head back against the rough bark of the pine. I stretched out my legs and waited for my racing heart to return to normal.
The two deer nibbled on some dry twigs, their ears flicking from side to side. Poor things must have been starving. There was nothing green in sight, the approaching winter ravaging all the vegetation. I wrapped my jacket more tightly around myself to keep the icy chill out. I had to keep moving unless I wanted to become a human popsicle. I pushed myself up using the tree as support, and the deer scampered away. I was sad to see them go; it had been nice to have some company for a bit.
I limped along the path, leaves crunching as I went. There was no way to be stealthy when you were dragging a broken leg. As dark as the woods were, I found them eerily beautiful. The towering pines shot up to the sky, creating a stunning silhouette against the backdrop of twinkling stars. The rustling of small creatures scurrying in the underbrush brought the fo
rest to life.
We didn’t have anything like this in Imera. Nearly all the woodlands had been cleared to create space for housing developments. Everything in Imera was gray and drab. Even in spring the grass was a dull, brownish-yellow. I had a feeling that if it weren’t the dead of winter, this forest would be a vivid wonderland of colors.
A high-pitched cry rang out ahead of me. My heart lodged in my throat. I slid down behind a thick pine, ignoring the ache in my leg. I peered into the darkness and tried to make out the direction of the sound. Another cry—this one more of a whimper—echoed through the trees. It didn’t sound human.
Voices. The blood turned icy in my veins. I crouched down as low as I could get and pressed my body against the tree. Approaching footsteps had my heart pounding against my ribs. It was so loud I was sure everyone in a hundred-mile radius could hear it.
“I told you we’d have better luck hunting on the royal grounds, Malery,” said a gravelly male voice.
“Aye, you were right but I’m not sure that a deer is worth the penalty of death,” answered the woman.
Two slim shadows appeared a few yards away. There was nothing between us but a few pine trees. I held my breath as they crept closer, peeking out from behind the massive trunk protecting me. They moved with the same fluidity as Kaige, only not quite so gracefully. Their clothes were in tatters, nothing like the crisp shirt and jeans he wore.
The nocturnes were only a few feet away from me now. I cursed myself for leaving the relative safety of the cabin. Kaige may have wanted to kill me, but somehow I was certain these two would do much worse.
The man turned toward me and crinkled his nose. Blood splattered his lips and dribbled down his chin. Deep red splotches stained his filthy shirt. His chalky skin was stretched tight across his hollow cheekbones. “Do you smell that, Malery?”
The woman sniffed the air. “What is it?” She groaned as a wicked smile stretched across her face showcasing a mouthful of missing teeth. Two teeth, however, were not missing. Twin fangs protruded from her upper lip, glistening in the dim moonlight.