“I’ve got her,” he said. “Can you scent her village?”
Vivienne chewed on her lip. “Maybe. I’ll give it a shot.”
Unlike fighting, which had come easily to her since the night of her Making, tracking had never been one of her strong suits.
She would try, though. If this nameless woman died on her watch, she would carry the weight of that death until the end of her days.
The woman had made her choice, and Vivienne would do whatever she could to honor it.
That thought propelled her to her feet. She shut her eyes, inhaling deeply as she focused on her vampiric senses.
The scents of the forest flooded her.
The crisp aroma of freshly fallen snow.
The copper tang of blood, belonging to the woman and Marius.
Pine needles.
Dozens of animals, each with their own distinct fragrance.
Beneath all that were two warring scents. She opened her eyes andlooked to the east. The scent of death that clung to the First was stronger in that direction.
She swiveled her head to the west. There, beyond the forest, were scents that spoke to her very soul.
Fresh blood.Life.
Vivienne’s lips tugged up into a small smile. “There are humans in that direction.” She pointed east. “They can’t be too far away.”
Marius adjusted his grip on the injured mortal and nodded. “Good job.”
Her chest warmed from his praise, which absolutely shouldn’t be happening. She wasn’t allowed to have feelings for him. She knew that, but that knowledge didn’t seem to stop her from being drawn to him, especially now that she’d seen the kind, caring man hiding beneath his adventurous exterior.
Needing to put space between them, Vivienne stepped away. “I’ll grab Azil, and we can leave.”
You’re duty-bound to keep him safe, she reminded herself.You’re essentially his employee.
That was it. Nothing else existed between them.
Nothing.
At.
All.
The storm fellupon them quickly.
The human settlement had just come into view when the wind picked up, seemingly out of nowhere.
Snow-covered, white-washed two-story houses stood around a cobblestone courtyard. The village was built in a valley at the base ofthree mountains. Smoke stretched from chimneys, fingers reaching for the sky. A few lanterns flickered in lampposts, and a laugh rose from deep within the village. The sound was a faint, welcome sign of life.
Clouds covered the few remaining stars, and snow fell in white sheets around them. The wind howled, and Azil snorted and stomped her forelegs. She whinnied in distress, and Marius cursed from atop the horse. He’d ridden with the injured woman cradled in his arms. The human was still alive, barely clinging to the threads of life.
Vivienne exchanged a worried look with the prince.
“Halt!” a baritone voice called out from the forest. “Who goes there?”
The hairs on the back of Vivienne’s neck prickled as she shifted toward the voice. Her wings were out, proclaiming her vampiric nature to whoever was coming. Unlike their earlier encounter with the highwaymen, the element of surprise wasn’t on their side.
