A Clash of Storms (A Shade of Vampire #50)(86)

I stilled then, recognizing the creature’s glowing violet eyes. It was one of the surviving shape-shifters, now a permanent member of our quirky “household”.

“Draven, what are we doing?” I asked, even more confused.

He squeezed my hand and kept me close as we walked over to the shifter horse.

“I want to show you something,” he said without looking at me.

He mounted the shifter horse, then offered me his hand for support. I took it and climbed up behind him, wrapping my arms around his waist. My palms pressed against his rock-hard abs as the horse neighed and took off, its wings spread out, feverishly flapping as it flew south.

I could feel Draven’s heart beating frantically in his chest. It echoed mine, but I kept my composure and refrained from asking him more questions as the horse carried us over rolling green hills and valleys covered in beautifully scented orchards before the dark jungles and swamps began to unravel below.

My breath hitched as I saw the mansion rising in the middle of an open field. We were going back to where everything had started… and my heart beat faster as we got closer. As soon as we landed in front of it, I could see the changes.

The old plantation house had been redecorated with brick-red masonry and French windows, thick white columns adorning the sumptuous main entrance, and a gorgeous flower garden complete with beautiful magnolia trees in full bloom.

“Oh, wow,” I mumbled as we slid off the shifter horse and moved toward the mansion. “This looks amazing!”

“Do you like it?” Draven asked, his voice lower than usual as he walked behind me.

“Yes! It’s… It’s beautiful! How did you do this?”

“The Daughters had the ancient wards work their magic on it,” he replied. “Just one of the many gifts they said they’d bestow upon us for everything we’ve done. Come on, let me show you around.”

He smiled, then took my hand and led me to the back of the house, where I couldn’t help but gasp at the sight of a manicured lawn, complete with a stone-walled pool and patio furniture. An orchard sprawled beyond it, and a thick fence surrounded the property. I turned around and saw the greenhouse was still there, annexed to the back of the mansion and filled with exotic plants and trees.

Draven watched my reactions quietly, as I marveled at all the beauty that the ancient wards had conjured. It looked like a miniature palace, elegant but not pompous, its gardens respectful of the surrounding wilderness.

“There’s a new protective shield in place,” he said.

I looked up and around at the fence, but I couldn’t see any golden glimmers like with the previous protective spell, and I certainly hadn’t felt anything when we’d come through. I gave him a curious glance, and he smiled.

“You can’t see or feel it,” he explained briefly. “It’s a bit different this time, but still designed to keep all hostiles out. It’s wider by a mile, and it reads into a creature’s very soul. If their intentions are not pure, they can never come in.”

“Well, that’ll come in handy someday, I’m sure!” I quipped.

He showed me the interior as well, and I found myself gawking at the stunningly sumptuous design—the fine-threaded wallpaper, the delicate cast molding, the smooth carpets and cherry-wood furniture, the beautiful art on the walls and the extravagant dining hall. The bedrooms had all been redecorated as well, with different patterns and color palettes of the same late eighteenth-century style, canopy beds, and sculptural vanity tables.

It looked like a perfectly preserved museum of a luxurious plantation villa, complete with a working water pipe system and marble-clad bathrooms. The study rooms had also received a makeover, filled with more books and seating by the large French windows.

We ended up in his study on the ground floor where, funnily enough, everything was more or less the same. The fire was burning in the fireplace, and it was still crazy hot in there, with a cool draft wafting in beneath the basement door. But the walls were clean, and the old furniture had been replaced with sturdier mahogany pieces.

Draven stopped in the middle of the room and pulled me closer to him, his pulse drumming in my ears. He gazed at me for a while, without saying anything, while I tried to understand what was going on with him. His emotions, a mixture of love and anxiousness that I’d never felt from him before, confused me even more.

“The ancient wards had all this done for us, Serena,” he finally said with a slight tremor in his voice. “For you and me.”

“I never thought I’d see this place again,” I gasped, overwhelmed by the idea. “I had the strangest experiences here, and yet, when we left, I genuinely missed it. It looks so beautiful now, like it’s been upgraded to its full potential…”

“It’s all for you, Serena,” Draven replied, his knuckles gently brushing against my cheek and sending heatwaves through my body, igniting my core and reminding me how easily I reacted to the simplest of his touches.

“I never thought I’d be so happy, Draven,” I breathed. My heart brimmed with so much love for him in that moment, it was hard to express in words.

I took a step forward and kissed him, sweetly and deeply enough for him to feel everything I had to give him. He responded with a hum as his tongue touched mine and he took me on a head-spinning journey toward the stars, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me closer.