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the moonlight. I tossed my shoes to the side
and plopped down atop the log.
Twirling my necklace about my finger, I
popped the locket open and closed with my
thumb. The more I looked at the images in-
side the more heart broken, angry and lonely
I became. Yes, I was happy in Naos and with
my new family, but Liz, Robin and Dmitry
were all my family too in a way. They were all
as dear to me as Ione and Cathair and even
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Arrick, although I fought those emotions and
lost most of the time.
I stared up at the sliver of moon and
prayed that Nyx would keep them all safe.
The stars twinkled at my words and I smiled.
Maybe Nyx could really hear me. I didn t
know for sure, but it was a comforting
thought.
I dug my toes into the sand and licked my
fangs as I enjoyed the sense of peace, until
the hairs on my neck stood on end. My
nerves vibrated in warning. That familiar
sensation that I was being watched returned.
I bolted upright and scanned my surround-
ings. Nothing was around. I focused my
hearing, past the crashing waves, past my
own breathing. The city came to me, faint by
normal. I spun, searching desperately, heart
racing.
That s when I saw it. A dark figure stand-
ing atop a cliff, high above me. I stood
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frozen, staring at it, trying to push my abilit-
ies to their max. I had to see who it was. My
body instinctively stepped forward, my toes
dragging in the sand. The figure reacted,
crouching down, but still very visible. Even
with a sliver of moon in the sky, I could eas-
ily see the silhouette of a person.
I took another step, the figure becoming
the tiniest bit clearer. They were hooded, a
tall staff grasped in their left hand. I could
feel my instincts growing, the vampire
nature inside fighting to be released. This
was my chance to get answers. This couldn t
be just some onlooker. They were watching
me. They had to have answers and I wanted
to get them.
Crouching, I prepared to unleash my
speed to scale the cliff. Maybe if I captured
this person, he or she could help prevent a
war. Maybe they could help us find the miss-
ing piece we needed to keep The Dark from
stealing the throne from Nicolae.
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I sprang - and the figure threw something
at their feet. A cloud of purple smoke envel-
oped them. I propelled my body faster. My
muscles were warming up to the task, the
rocks providing easy leverage to climb up-
ward to the cliff above. A howling scream cut
through the peaceful night.
Reaching the top, I leapt into the haze of
purple smoke - but the breeze had almost
dissipated it entirely - and the figure had
gone.
I slammed onto the hard earth and a
growl erupted from me. How could they get
away? What was that purple smoke? I was
nearly panting in my rage, tears of anger
streaming down my dirty face. I failed.
Chapter_7
Feeling defeated and ashamed, I slowly
made my way back to the Château. I burned
the few details I had to memory. I needed to
be on guard. I knew they would be back and I
had to be ready for them. Was it Ana watch-
ing me or was it someone else? A member of
the The Dark spying, keeping tabs on me?
I knew I should probably tell someone,
but what could I really say?
I made it back quicker than I had wanted
to, even though I had been dragging my feet.
I needed time alone to think and there were
too many servants, Blood Guard and vam-
pires around. Plus there was Arrick. He had
to have felt my rage when the mystery figure
disappeared. In fact, I was a little surprised
he hadn t run out to check on me. He was my
Blood Guard; wasn t that his job? Maybe
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whatever was going on between us was af-
fecting his duties.
I quickly washed my face and ran a comb
through my hair before heading for the gar-
dens to meet Arrick. Almost as an after-
thought I splashed some of the lavender per-
fume he had bought me and headed out the
door. I knew I was probably late to meet him,
but hopefully he would still be waiting for
me.
I found him sitting on a stone bench,
twirling a freshly picked flower in his fingers.
When he heard me approach he bolted up
and ran a hand through his hair in a nervous
gesture.  I didn t think you were coming.
He handed me the flower as more of a
peace offering than a romantic gesture, but I
took it gratefully.  I wouldn t miss it. I tried
to sound excited in hopes to ease his nerves.
 Where are you taking me?
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His face lit up and I could feel his body re-
laxing through our connection.  The temple.
I took his offered arm and sniffed absently
at the flower as we walked. I didn t want any
of the stress of what had happened on the
beach to ruin our time together.
 Where were you earlier?
I silently cursed myself for thinking about
it, but at the same time I couldn t help but
smile at his sensing the change in my emo-
tions. He was so much more attuned to my
feelings than I was to his. I wonder why that
was.
 I went to the beach.
He glanced at me briefly, wanting a more
detailed explanation, but I didn t know what
to tell him. It would only distract him from
what he had to do if he was constantly wor-
ried about my safety. Besides, what could I
say?
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I saw some creepy person at the beach
and when I chased them down they disap-
peared in a cloud of purple smoke. I would
sound like a nut case.
 I just wanted some time alone to unwind
and clear my head. It wasn t a complete lie,
so I didn t feel totally guilty about it.
Luckily, Arrick nodded his head like he
understood.  I ve felt how stressed you ve
been. And I know part of that is my fault, so
I m sorry.
I kicked at the tiny pebbles along the path
as we exited the western edge of the gardens
and started our ascent up the rocky moun-
tain side that shadowed the back side of the
palace.
 I m sorry too, I admitted. My words
seemed to break through the pounding of
our footfalls and resonate in the night. Their
meaning weighting them down heavily.
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We continued on in silence. Through our
connection I felt what he felt mingling with
my own emotions. He was confused and
frustrated, that much I was sure of, but I
could also sense how much he cared for me.
I wasn t sure if our connection made it
harder or easier for us to talk to each other.
From the way things were currently going, I
would say harder. I had always been the type
of person to keep things bottled up inside.
Now, because of our bond, Arrick was the
stopper to that bottle. He knew everything I
kept from everyone. Even the things I tried
to hide from myself.
That thought made me think I should feel
more sorry for him than I already did. The
poor guy had to deal with my battling emo-
tions constantly. It was hard enough for me
to deal with on my own.
I tore my eyes from their vacant gaze at
my feet and flick them up to Arrick. He was
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intently focused on our path, either to be cer-
tain we were going the same way or perhaps
because something else was on his mind.
His eyes cast downward onto me and
softened. My stomach fluttered and I angled
my body to walk closer to him. It felt com-
forting to be around him - and it felt more
and more right the less I fought it.
 This way. Arrick placed his strong hand
on the small of my back as he pointed with
the other to a fork in our path. It zigzagged
upward on the small mountain-side. I looked [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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