A Meet of Tribes (A Shade of Vampire #45)(34)

“What’s happening to me?!” I cried out.

“Take it easy, Vita.” Bijarki’s voice poured into my right ear, low and raspy, generating millions of tingly sensations in my spine. “They’re fading away.”

I held my breath as the runes gradually faded away. My eyes were glazed with hot tears, but my body relaxed in Bijarki’s embrace. I resorted to counting my breaths to regain control of my senses, while comforting myself with the firm and muscular frame of the incubus enveloping me.

“You’ll be fine,” he said, as if only for me to hear. “The runes don’t seem to be permanent. You’ll be fine, Vita.”

“But I’m turning, aren’t I?” I asked, my voice trembling.

I looked up and found his silver eyes heavily shadowed by long, black eyelashes. His gaze softened as soon as it met mine, and I felt him take a deep breath before he let me go and took a step back. I knew he was being respectful and doing his best to keep his distance, but in this moment, I wished he wasn’t.

“I tried to write down as many of them as I could,” Anjani said, showing me the pieces of paper.

Draven and Serena moved from Phoenix’s bed to mine. Serena took my hand in hers, and I leaned my head against her shoulder. Her presence soothed me while I combed through the memories of my visions in order to give the Druid an accurate account of what I had seen and heard.

I described the first scene to Draven, not skimping on any of the details of our capture. The memory of those glass spheres sent shivers down my spine, and I shuddered. I mentioned Azazel’s words to the Nevertide Oracle, emphasizing his gratitude for her support. As if he would’ve never gotten to us if it hadn’t been for her.

“This brings us back to our initial suspicions,” concluded Draven after listening carefully. “It might not be Azazel manipulating the Nevertide Oracle’s visions. She might be the one surrendering information to him.”

“That’s disheartening.” I frowned and looked at Serena.

She gave me a weak smile, as if trying to reassure me that everything would be okay. But I wasn’t convinced. I felt my mistrust toward the Oracle creeping through the back of my head, taking a firm hold over my judgment and amplifying my desire to protect my friends and my family from that dangerous lunatic.

“You have to take her current conditions into account, Vita,” Draven said. “She’s being held under water, confined to a glass bubble and who knows what else she’s constantly being put through, either by Azazel directly or his Destroyers. He will stop at nothing to get what he wants, and we all know that torturing an Oracle isn’t the first or the worst thing he’s ever done to bring his nefarious plans to fruition.”

I nodded slowly, then replayed the second vision in my mind first, wondering for a moment how Draven and Serena would react once I described it in full. I’d seen the look on her face. I’d heard his emotional confession. She meant more to him than he’d let anyone know. I did believe that she was already harboring feelings for the Druid in our present timeline, so I decided to keep certain details out and speak to her in private about their relationship, both present and future.

“The second vision was far worse,” I said, clearing my throat. “I was in one of Azazel’s chambers, the same black marble and rough limestone everywhere. He was holding Serena hostage, tied above a massive fire pit.”

I watched Draven carefully, noticing the flare in his nostrils and the jump of a muscle in his jawline. If I didn’t know any better, I would have said he was floored by my account. But the bandage over his eyes helped him conceal most of his distress, leaving me to interpret the tension in his facial muscles instead. Serena froze next to me, and I lifted my head from her shoulder. Her bluish green eyes were glassy, her gaze blank and lips thinned into a straight line.

“Serena was used as a bargaining chip by Azazel,” I told the Druid. “You were brought in by Destroyers, Draven. You surrendered yourself in exchange for her life. Azazel even took pride in being a…Druid of his word, holding up his end of the bargain and tossing Serena away from the fire. She was still his prisoner, but at least she wasn’t going to die. You sacrificed yourself for her.”

A moment passed before Serena broke the silence, giving Draven a pained look.

“Why would you ever sacrifice yourself for me?” she asked him.

The Druid shrugged, unable or unwilling to offer an answer.

“From what I can tell, Azazel will find out about me and those whom I may be vulnerable around,” he said instead. His head turned slowly toward Serena.

She looked down in response. Based on what I could see flickering in her eyes, Serena seemed conflicted and softened by the prospect that the Druid would sacrifice himself for her. I was willing to bet that the idea had already changed the dynamic between them.

“We clearly cannot hide from him forever,” Draven continued. “We will have to be extra vigilant going forward. He cannot have any reason to suspect that either one of us can be swayed by using one of our own against us. It’s how wars are lost and how people end up dying.”

A frown drew Serena’s brows together, and I heard her sigh.

But her reaction was feeble compared to the gasps and moans I drew out of the entire group when I described my third vision. As soon as I spoke about Draven dying and Azazel drawing raw power from his body and the many incubi and succubi left in the wasteland of Eritopia, everyone turned their attention on me, including the Daughter.