A Meet of Tribes (A Shade of Vampire #45)(23)

“And you’re sure they weren’t just incubi wandering around?” Azazel asked, squinting his eyes at Marchosi.

“N-no, my liege,” said the Druid with a trembling voice. “They were not Eritopian, at least two of them for sure weren’t.”

“Well, that’s an interesting development. What about the other two?”

“From what I understood, one was a succubus, and the other was unidentifiable and blind.”

It hit me then that Marchosi was referring to Serena, Jovi, Draven, and Anjani. They had been spotted during their trip to the Red Tribe. My stomach churned at the thought of them being spied on, but hearing the Druid say they’d lost them in the jungle gave me a minuscule sense of comfort. They hadn’t tracked them all the way.

“We suspect there is a succubi settlement somewhere along those mountains,” Marchosi continued. “But I’ve not been able to find it yet.”

I took a few steps closer, my heart stuck in my throat. I wanted to get a better look at the map before my vision ended. But darkness enveloped me again too soon. I cursed between my teeth, unable to delay my leave.



I was standing between black walls again.

Damn!

I walked forward as the image before me came into focus. I was inside what looked like a dungeon. The ceiling arched above, while iron cages lined the walls on both sides. Creatures hissed and moaned, their crooked arms hanging limp between the bars.

Green flames flickered overhead, and I was able to recognize some of the prisoners. There were several…

Fae?

The fae were bruised and scratched all over, their once sparkling clothes now tattered and dirty. Some of them slept, while others wrestled against their shackles. I figured they were unable to use their ability to thin themselves and disappear due to Azazel’s influence.

I felt so sorry for them, but I had to keep moving. I had to record as much as I could in my mind. I wondered how the fae had made it into Eritopia in the first place, but that was a question for Draven. There were endemic species in the dungeon, including dozens of succubi and a few incubi on the left. One of the incubi seemed dead, his gray eyes open wide and blank, silver blood dripping from his mouth as he lay on one side, motionless.

I instinctively covered my mouth with my hands to suppress a gasp. There were a couple of strange-looking women captive as well. They looked mostly human but had vibrant green and yellow scales covering their chests, legs, and arms. One of them yawned while leaning against the iron bars, and I could see her fangs and thin pink tongue, its tip split in two, reminding me of a snake. Was she a female Druid, perhaps? I’d have to ask Draven.

I jumped to the side, startled by noises behind me. I kept my mouth covered as I watched a Destroyer drag an incubus along the floor. He reached an empty cage and threw the new prisoner in there as if he were a sack of potatoes. The incubus landed inside with a thump and a groan, cursing under his breath.

As soon as the Destroyer locked the cage, the captive grabbed onto the bars and rattled them, startling the others. The Destroyer slammed a hand against the bars and hissed in response, and I took a few steps forward to get a better look.

I was surprised to see Sverik, Kristos’ brother. I hadn’t forgotten his handsome features from my previous vision. He’d been captured and imprisoned, despite what we’d heard about his father joining Azazel.

What is he doing here?

“You can’t do this to me!” Sverik shouted at the Destroyer, prompting hisses and growls from the other prisoners.

“We can do whatever we want, little boy! You are insurance,” the monster replied with a satisfied grin.

“We swore fealty to Azazel, both my father and I! There is no point in locking me up!”

“My lord needs to make sure that your grumpy old man obeys and doesn’t think of turning his sword on us when things get rough. Blood is thicker than water,” said the Destroyer and walked out.

I stood there for a minute, watching as Sverik struggled with the iron bars of his cage. His right eye was swollen and purple, and silver blood oozed from his lip. He must have put up quite the fight before getting dragged into the dungeon.

But what is this dungeon?

What is Azazel doing with all these creatures here?





Serena





A few minutes into the session, I walked over to Aida’s bedside. Draven’s presence so close to me was draining me further, as I fought the urge to syphon off of him. I was so hungry that his delicious energy was breaking my focus.

I stood by Field’s side, watching over Aida. Her eyes moved beneath her lids, and the shadow of a frown passed over her face once in a while. I wondered what she was seeing. I unwittingly leaned into Field’s shoulder. I was feeling weaker and weaker.

Field looked at me, visibly concerned, and touched my forehead with the back of his hand. It felt cold against my skin, and I started to worry about the possibility that I was coming down with a fever. I was more susceptible to illness if I didn’t feed as a sentry.

“You look pale, Serena,” Field said slowly. “When’s the last time you syphoned?”

“When we first got here.” I gave him a weak smile.

“Damnit, girl. You know you can syphon off me and Jovi whenever you need a pick-me-up.” He took hold of my hand.

I nodded slowly and allowed myself to open up and draw his energy in. It felt like a warm summer breeze rushing through my veins. I closed my eyes and watched the bluish green ribbons of energy sizzle from his body to mine. I felt what he felt in that moment—concern and uncertainty over what our future had in store for us and a blossoming warmth in his chest every time he looked at Aida. I felt the tension in his stomach from being close to her. I saw flickers of Aida in the back of my head, projected by Field’s mind.