Still, I don’t relax. My eyes turn to her face, and the guilt in my chest curls tighter. She shouldn’t be here. She shouldn’t have had to protect me.
When Dimitri returns, he steps through the crumbled door quietly. His cloak is dampwith blood, though none of it is his.
I stand, tensing. “So?”
He wipes his mouth, disgust twisting his expression. “Demon blood is an insult to the palate."
“Did youseeanything?” I say through gritted teeth.
His silver eyes flick to me. “The way is clearer than I expected. Quiet, for now. I killed what I found.” He looks down at Serenya, still resting on a makeshift bed of cloaks. The shadows are wrapped around her, not wanting to let go.
Dimitri crouches beside her, brushing hair from her face before adjusting the cloak over her shoulders. “It’s time.”
I swallow. “You’re taking her now?”
“She won’t survive much longer out here.” His voice is calm, steady, but I can see the hint of panic in his eyes.
I nod slowly, forcing down the rising feeling in my throat. I look down at her again and reach out to brush her fingers gently.
“Just…protect her. Please.”
Dimitri meets my eyes. “Always.”
I nod again. I don’t want to speak. I don’t trust my voice.
Dimitri bends and lifts her into his arms. Her shadows stir, tightening for a moment before reluctantly withdrawing.
He walks away, vanishing into the morning with her in his arms.
I don’t move. I stay standing in the broken doorway until I can’t see them anymore. Something in me cracks open the moment she’s gone. Like a quiet splitting of ice beneath too much weight. I press a hand to my chest. It feels like part of me has gone with her.
Chapter 26
?---- Koen ? ----?
We have been walking silently for hours, only coming across a few weak wraiths. We were able to kill them quickly and keep moving.
The landscape has changed. Trees now loom above us, their twisted branches reaching into a starless sky. Pools of murky water shimmer between the roots, too still to be trusted.
My body screams with every step. My muscles are tight, skin still raw in places. I need rest. Real rest. The kind that I haven’t had since before the nemorak. But I can’t stop. Not until I see her again and can make sure she is okay. She should be awake by the time I make it back. Hopefully healed, if Dimitri has gotten her home in time. The thought of her opening her eyes and only finding the vampire at her side makes me feel a sharp pain in my chest.
“Still with us, sunshine?” Lioran’s voice breaks the silence.
I grunt. A tired, noncommittal sound.
He chuckles. “Even grumpier than usual. Impressive.”
Asbel, walking a few steps ahead of us, doesn’t comment. He hasn’t said much since we left the temple. I wonder what he thinks of all this. The vampire. Serenya.
The quiet returns, broken by only the soft splash of boots through shallow water, the rustle of leaves, and the creak of old trees swaying above us.
By the time night has fully settled, we haven’t found any caves or ruins, just an overgrown patch of dense trees with enough cover to count as shelter. It isn’t much, but it’s something.
I lower myself onto a dry patch of ground beneath a tree, every joint protesting. My breath comes in small bursts, my limbs trembling with the effort of keeping me upright.
Still, I don’t let myself lie back. Not yet.
Just get through this.Just finish the trial.
