Moonlight Prince (Vampire Girl #4)(15)

"Who?" I ask through gritted teeth. "Who is it that you want?"

She leans in. Her breath cold and freezing upon my cheek. And then she whispers his name. "Tavian Gray."





Chapter 4


THE CHAIN THAT BINDS ME


Fenris Vane


"Fen is a good man, but he is myopic in his focus."

—Kayla Windhelm



I wake in the snow, gasping for breath, the sunlight blinding my eyes. Baron jumps to my side, licking at the frost on my hair. He appears uninjured. Whatever the Wraith did, he has recovered. For once, I am grateful he is a Spirit and no mortal wolf. Losing him… losing him is not something I can think of, so instead I pet his head, soothing his excitement. "Easy boy, I'm fine. I'm fine."

He puts his paws on my chest, as if to check for wounds, or perhaps just to be closer. For a moment, we just look into each other's eyes, man and animal, grateful we are both alive.

Then the snow next to me stirs, and Dean pushes out from underneath the layers of white. "What the bloody hell happened? What was that thing?"

"The Darkness," I say, memories returning to me. Memories of smoke and bone.

Dean looks around, then pauses, glancing at me. "You've seen it before, haven't you?"

"Once. At the Grey Mountain."

Dean nods. "Your trial. The one you had to pass to gain your own realm. You remember?"

I stand, turning away. "Bits and pieces. They return to me slowly ever since…" I cannot say the words. Not yet. Not even though I made stone move with my bare hands.

Dean finishes for me. "Ever since you learned you're Fae."

I nod. All the acknowledgement I can give. Then I return to the point. "I found her lair deep in the mountain, filled with bones and books. And then…"

"Then what?"

"I… I don't remember." Odd. The memory just ends. "I must have escaped. Then I made my way higher, to slay the Grey Beast."

Dean leans back, smiling. "Oh yes, those were the days. Back when there was still dangerous game to hunt."

I remember the snow-covered peak. The blizzard. The dark beast hidden in the torrent of wind and ice. When I speak, my voice carries no happiness. "Yes… those were the days."

In some ways, I miss them. But it is a somber and wistful kind of missing. Back then, I was free. I had no realm. No great duty. I only had my father and brothers to please. Perhaps I should never have cared to please them. Perhaps then, I would still be free.

I study the sky, determining the time, around noon, and the stones, determining our location, not far from Stonehill. "We should go. The Waystone is nearby."

Dean jumps to his feet. "Think you misspoke, brother. We need to return to Stonehill. We need to find Tavian Gray."

My jaw clenches. "You'd make dealings with the Wraith?"

"I would do anything for Arianna," he says, his voice soft but strong. "Anything."

So would I. But to sacrifice a man I barely know to a fate unknown… "Tavian has caused us no harm."

"But he is no friend either. What do we even know of him?"

I remember back to the days when we first reclaimed Stonehill. "He's friend to Kayla."

Dean scoffs. "So he says."

"So she says. I saw her with him before she passed out."

Dean curls his fingers, his voice laced with venom. "So she says after torture and drinking poisons. For all we know, he could be the reason she suffers in the first place."

"I do not think so," I say, remembering my talk with Tavian outside the tavern. "Why would he stay then? Why would he stay unless to see her recovered?"

Dean rubs his chin. "Hmm, I don't know, maybe so he can kill her if she does wake? Or perhaps he has other motives. Maybe he's a spy for the Fae. Maybe that's why he hangs around Stonehill."

He makes good points. I know so little of Tavian. But it doesn't mean I can't find out.

"We will try the Waystone first," I say.

Dean rolls his eyes. "Even if the Waystone works, we still don't know where to look for her. If what you say is true, Avakiri is as large as Inferna. Where would we even start?"

He is right, but I must try to find another way. I cannot condemn a man before exhausting all other options. Nor can I make a deal with the Darkness unless it's truly my only option. I don't have a good feeling about this. "We try the Waystone first," I say, and then I lead the way, never glancing back at my brother.

His footsteps let me know he follows, but we do not speak. Not for a long time. I know he scorns following my lead. I do not blame him. I would scorn him, if roles were reversed. We are demons of power and influence, with lives longer than any human can imagine. We were not bred to be followers, even of each other.

Eventually, Dean speaks. "I suppose I need the practice, for when you're king and all."

"I won't be king," I say instantly.

He scoffs. "Oh, yes you will. When Arianna gives you an heir."

"Arianna and I, we haven't… we won't…" I stop, looking at Dean. He has guilt all over his face. "What did you do?"

He smacks his lips. "Remember the night of the celebration? Right before we marched? Well… I may have slipped you a love potion."