He leaned against the bare spot on the wall and sighed. “I should tell you to accept it. I should tell you to go to the king and plead to be with Kace so you can get the life you told me about. The one you wanted before you went through The Rite. There isa chance King Sigurd will allow it if I put in a word for you. He is family to me. But Aesira...”
Whenever he said my name with such reverence it was like he drew on a power that put me under his spell. My nails dug into my palms. I found my feet bringing me close to him. Like he silently beckoned me, those tethers tightening the line between us.
A quiet knock on the doorframe shattered that magic. Kayda stood in the doorway. “Sese, Dad wants to see you downstairs.” Her eyes flicked to Vander and she left in a hurry.
Vander pushed off the wall and gestured for me to go ahead. We found my father at the kitchen table. The chair legs scraped on the floor as he pushed back and stood. “It’s dark. Are you two staying? I can make up a bed for you in the living room, Vander. Aesira would sleep upstairs.”
“Thank you for the offer but we need to get back to Nighthaven,” Vander replied.
Father shifted his weight and ran his hand down his beard. “It’s hard for me to let her walk out that door after dark.”
Somewhere nearby a vampire screamed and goosebumps ran down my body.
Vander nodded. “I understand but I’ll keep her safe. Vampires don’t typically hunt assassins. We hunt them. Aesira is advanced enough that I feel confident taking her out after sunset. If I didn’t, we would stay.”
Father let out a long breath and pursed his lips. “I guess I have to let my little girl go, don’t I?” I hurried forward and hugged him around the middle. He sniffled and kissed the top of my head. “We’ll see you again soon, I hope.”
“As soon as I can.” I missed him already. “Stay safe. If we see that vampire I heard a moment ago, we’ll take care of it.”
He chuckled and let me go. “Just get yourself back to Nighthaven in one piece.”
“I will.” I quickly hugged the rest of my family and didn’t drag out the goodbyes. The tears were already threatening. I didn’t want to start bawling.
With the cool night surrounding me, I heard my father latch the door behind us. I blinked back the moisture in my eyes as I stared at my old home.
We fell into a steady run on the road out of Neverglade. In the distance, I spotted Kace in the night-watch tower. He waved and that guilt started again. I waved goodbye.
“Aesira! I love you!” His voice echoed off the nearby house. “Be careful!”
“Goodbye, Kace! You be careful, too!”
Vander tugged up his mask and picked up our pace. We were just outside Neverglade, passing the last farm, when shadows moved from one grove of trees to another. My skin pebbled in warning. Vampires.
“Pull that blade, Bonecarver,” Vander said.
Chapter 26
Itook a deep shuttering breath, let the thrill of panic whirl through me for a moment, then I shoved it down, down until I could no longer feel it. Until I was numb.
I am not afraid of vampires. They fear me.
I’d trained for this. I was ready. There were more than three. Maybe four. Wildlings didn’t usually travel in groups of more than that.
“Stay beside me,” Vander said.
I gripped my sword tighter, keeping at pace beside Vander. We darted into the grove of pines and the first scream pierced my ears. The whoosh of Vander’s blade silenced the man; his head plopped to the ground. There were stories of decapitated vampires coming back to life, so Vander shoved his blade through the heart.
I put my back to his. A female with matted hair and tattered clothes sprinted at me, screeching until my ears rang. My heart thundered. I slashed at her, cutting off her reaching arm. She reared back with a wail, and I jabbed my sword through her heart. Two down.
“Left side,” Vander called out. Three more hurtled between trees, trying to hide themselves... or their number. I was wrongabout there only being four. By the sounds of their feet, there might be a dozen still.
Vander and I moved as one, and when five vampires jumped out, fangs bared, I let my training take over. I didn’t have to think. My feet moved; I swung my blade, slicing into flesh. Blood arched through the darkness, glinting off the moonlight. Even their screams and hisses didn’t disturb me. My heart beat steadily like a drum. I thought only of striking lethal blows. A slice to the throat, cut the back of the legs, they go down and stick a blade in the heart. It was a dance I’d memorized.
Gray stone bodies lay all around us, nine, ten, eleven. Vander killed faster than me. When it went quiet with only the soft rustling of wind in the trees, I quickly scanned the shadows for more. The tingle down my spine told me there was still at least one more. The crunch of pine needles under feet pulled my attention right.
My breath caught. Two vampires, but not the filthy wildlings I’d always encountered. The male was tall, regal, and handsome, with dark slicked-back hair, in a black suit with a coat tail that brushed the ground, and the woman was in a red top with puffed sleeves that cinched at her petite waist. Her long golden hair was half tied back in a style that tumbled down her like a waterfall. A decorative swirl of rubies climbed up the side of her charcoal, thigh-high boots. She smiled, revealing canines that brushed her full bottom lip.
They were carrying swords. Vander positioned himself partially in front of me. His back brushed against the front of my shoulder. Why weren’t we attacking? They were vampires in our land.
