Vengeance (The Captive #6)(4)

William shrugged off his coat as he made his way over to them. He was almost to the table when the front door swung open. A swirl of cold air and snowflakes swept through the room, blowing out some of the candles on the tables closest to the door. Braith and Jack wiped their feet on the mat before they stepped inside. Aria’s face lit up; she rose to her feet when Braith started walking toward her.

Turning away, William slid into his chair and tipped it back to lean against the wall. He stretched his legs out before him and ordered an ale from Millie when she arrived at his side. Jack settled into the chair across from him. His black, brown and gold hair was damp from the snow and curled about his face. The candlelight lit his gray eyes and caused orange flames to flicker within them.

“Wedding plans all done?” William inquired of him as Millie placed his tankard of ale down.

“I think so,” Jack mumbled. “But every time I think they are, something new arises.”

“It could be worse,” Aria said. Braith sat in the chair beside Jack; he pulled Aria into his lap and held her against his chest. “You could be getting married in the palace, with everyone watching you.”

“You’re right, that would be much worse,” Jack agreed. He ran a hand through his hair and took hold of the mug placed beside him.

The weather had kept many of the regular patrons at home; few felt up to braving the elements to come into the tavern for a warm meal. William barely heard what the others said as they talked until the moon was high in the sky. Long after the tavern had closed for the night, and everyone else had gone to bed, William remained sitting at the table in the quiet dining room.

The alcohol seeping into his system did little to ease the fury festering inside him ever since Kane had ended his natural life. He could still feel the warmth of his own blood pooling around him and seeping into the ground. He could vividly recall the feeling of helplessness that filled him as he lay dying.

His hand wrapped around the wooden tankard of ale while he watched the dying flames within the fireplace. As soon as this wedding was over, he’d set out to find Kane. The first place he planned to look for him was the mountains.

Somewhere out there was the vampire who had killed him, and he was going to do everything he could to find him and destroy him.





CHAPTER 2


The shouts resounding down the street pierced the night and pulled her from her sleep. Blinking in confusion, Tempest stared at the wall across from her as she tried to figure out what was going on. More shouts filled the street outside of her window. The last remnants of sleep slid away from her, leaving her troubled as she stared at the shadows the candle cast on the wall.

She’d lived in the town of Badwin her entire life, never once had she been roused from sleep in the middle of the night by yelling. Not even when the new king’s war had been going on had there been such commotion on the road.

Light, from what she assumed were torches, bounced across the wall, drowning out the candle’s flame and chasing away some of the shadows. Rolling over, she tossed aside her blankets and rose to her feet. The worn floor rug muffled her steps, her nightgown brushed against her ankles as she walked.

She didn’t bother to grab the half-burned candle on her nightstand; she didn’t want anyone to know she approached the window. Chilly air had found its way through the multiple cracks around the window; it flowed over her skin as she cautiously approached the old, warped frame. Goosebumps broke out on her flesh, but she ignored them as she peered out.

Beneath her, on the snow-covered street a dozen horses and men had gathered. All of them wore white cloaks and had their hoods pulled up against the wintry air. The animals pranced back and forth restlessly. The breath pluming from their nostrils coiled in thick waves toward the sky. Their hooves kicked up snow around them as the group of riders tried to keep the animals steady.

She frowned at them before glancing around her sleepy town. She hadn’t been the only one awakened by the commotion; candles and lanterns flickered to life in the houses lining the roads. One of the horses spun around completely to face the road leading into town, drawing her attention back to the group gathered in the road.

She watched as a woman rode a horse down the road toward the group. The woman sat in the saddle with more men closely flanking her on both sides. She couldn’t make out any details about the woman; the hood pulled over her head obscured her face and hair. The only reason she knew it was a woman was because of the indigo dress she wore and the sidesaddle she used.

The new arrivals rode beneath her window and continued toward the hotel at the end. They dismounted, then tied their lines to the hitching post outside the building. Before they could enter the hotel, another group of riders, nearly double the original number, pounded down the street toward them.

“What is going on, Tempest?”

“Shh,” she whispered still facing the window with her back to Abbott.

The sound made by the soft pad of his feet walking toward her preceded his arrival at her side. At fifteen, he was already taller than her five-foot-eight frame. He had started to broaden out this year, his shoulders far larger and wider than her slender frame. In the glass of the window, his green eyes sparkled in the light. His black hair tumbled around his face as he rubbed at his sleep filled eyes. His coloring was a stark contrast to her silvery blonde hair and brown eyes.

His shoulder brushed against hers as more horses emerged from the snowy night to race down the street. “Who are they?” Abbott whispered.