A Meet of Tribes (A Shade of Vampire #45)(4)

She shook her head again.

“I don’t know anything. I don’t…I don’t even know your name,” the Daughter replied, tears glazing her eyes.

“I’m Phoenix,” he smiled softly and pointed at me. “That’s my sister, Serena.”

She looked at me again, and I wanted to disappear before she decided that I wasn’t worthy of life. But she didn’t say anything.

I took it as a positive sign that she didn’t hiss at me again.

I had no idea what she was thinking, and, given how confused she was, she probably didn’t know what power she held or how destructive she could be. How could I trust her not to smite me on a simple whim?

“This is what I meant, Serena.” Draven’s voice shot through me. “She was still in the egg. The process was supposed to end naturally. She was going to hatch in her own time. Because of her premature birth, she’s most likely confused, lacking crucial knowledge.”

Leave it to the Druid to make me feel like the worst person in Eritopia. Besides Azazel, of course. No one could top him.

I took a deep breath and held my chin up.

“I’m sorry, Draven,” I said. “As I told you, I reacted on instinct.”

“And you damaged the last Daughter of Eritopia,” came his reply, biting into my core.

But I was too tired to argue. Too weak to do anything, really. I had no choice but to let him reprimand me. I deserved it, after all.

“What do we do now?” I asked, trying to change the subject and move the focus from my misdemeanor to a solution.

“There isn’t much we can do right now, other than take care of her and hope her knowledge soon rises to the surface,” Draven replied.

I looked at the Daughter again and couldn’t help but notice how fragile she seemed in my brother’s arms.

She had incredible powers, and she could probably be as cruel and as terrifying as her sisters, yet in that moment she seemed so lost. No wonder she held on to Phoenix—he was the only creature she had ever been close to after all that time spent in an egg.





Aida





Time seemed to finally slow down for me. Judging by the dim lights in their eyes, it had slowed for Field and Vita as well. To say that we were exhausted was an understatement. My whole body ached, and my palms were sore from the insane amount of shoveling we’d attempted against an earth that didn’t want us anywhere near Phoenix.

Nevertheless, watching him alive and conscious on the grass and holding the last Daughter of Eritopia in his arms had made the previous horror and grief subside. After the ravaging adrenaline rush, after the crying and struggling to get him out of the ground, after hoping he might still be alive, it was good to see him intact, despite all the confusion.

My attention shifted to the Daughter, who didn’t strike me as the all-powerful creature previously described by Draven. She looked small and scared, not knowing where or who she was. I couldn’t help but feel sorry for her—I could only imagine what it felt like for her to wake up for the first time surrounded by complete strangers and with no knowledge of her purpose in life.

“She is most likely as powerful as her sisters,” Draven said.

Phoenix stood up and brought her up with him. They both staggered but leaned into each other until they could hold their own.

“But without her knowledge, she might lack control and pretty much kill us all,” the Druid continued.

Leave it to the Druid to be the cold shower to my joy of seeing everyone alive and well. I suddenly became aware of exactly how dangerous the pale girl with reddish pink hair and violet eyes could be.

“Oh wow, way to bury the lead there!” I remarked sarcastically.

“I’m merely stating the facts. You can channel your discontent on your friend, Serena, since she’s the cause of this mess,” he replied.

I instantly looked at Serena and was surprised to see her quiet with her gaze on her brother. She didn’t seem to hear Draven, and I figured she was too busy feeling relief at the sight of Phoenix walking and talking.

In other circumstances, I would’ve agreed that she’d acted without thinking, but I couldn’t help but put myself in her shoes. If I’d known Jovi was inside that egg, I would have done the same. Blood was thicker than rational thought sometimes.

“Phoenix, what do you remember?” I asked, hoping to move the conversation along. I was in no mood to hear Serena get reprimanded for being a good sister.

Phoenix scratched the back of his head and looked down at the scar on his chest. The Daughter’s fingers brushed over it gently, tracing the short line up and down.

“I honestly don’t know how to explain it all,” he replied.

“Well, how about you try?” I felt a whiff of irritation tickling my spine. “If not for yourself, maybe for us, since we’ve been digging for hours, trying to get you out after you stabbed yourself. You know us, right? Your friends?”

An awkward silence ensued. Phoenix turned to face me, then looked at Field and Vita and the shovels at our feet. He frowned and bit his lower lip, then gave me his most genuine set of puppy eyes.

“I am so sorry, Aida. I’m sorry, guys,” he said. “I had no control over what I was doing. I felt like I was in a dream. A couple of nights ago, after we met the Daughters, I had a dream about them. They gave me a knife and told me that I was the only one who could awaken their sister. Thing is, when I woke up, I actually had that knife in my hand. It was old and made of stone. It was real. I carried it with me, trying to figure out what it was for and how to do whatever it was I had to do. I wanted to tell you guys, but I didn’t know how to. All I could think of was getting the Daughter out of the egg. I guess I felt some kind of connection to her.”