A Meet of Tribes (A Shade of Vampire #45)(61)

“You’re having trouble staying in Druid form, huh?” one of them asked, his voice oozing contempt.

“That’s what you get when you stand too close to Azazel,” another one cackled.

“He corrupts, he soils, he breaks our very nature until we turn into this,” a third one added, gesturing at his own body, the lower half a full serpent tail, thick and scaly.

Marchosi heaved as he stood up, leaning against the wall, fury marring his once handsome features. He pulled a piece of parchment from his belt and threw it on the floor. It unraveled, revealing a map with a specific area circled in blood.

“Lead a purge on that location,” he barked at them. “Azazel wants whatever is in it dead.”

I stepped toward the map, but before I could see it in full detail, the vision dissolved, and I woke up lying on the floor, breathing heavily. A tortuous sigh left my chest. I rolled over to the side, where a sheet of paper and a piece of charcoal waited. I made a few notes of the runes fluttering across my arms before they faded away.

They were never a pretty sight, but I’d gotten relatively used to them, enough to no longer break into a sweat when I saw them.

I sat up and nearly jumped out of my skin at the sight of Field sitting on a crate, a few feet away from me, watching. He’d been so quiet. Concern drew a frown on his face.

“How long have you been sitting there?” I asked.

“I should ask you the same question. You look so pale.”

“I’m okay, Field. Just a little annoyed because I can’t hold on to these visions for as long as I’d like,” I replied.

A moment passed. His gaze didn’t leave my face. His expression was firm and unreadable.

“You need some fresh air,” he said.

I nodded my agreement. It was getting pretty stuffy in there, despite the open windows. Just having him close to me was sending my body heat soaring again.

“I definitely do,” I mumbled mostly to myself.

He stood up and reached me in a few wide steps. Before I could say or do anything, Field picked me up in his arms and carried me out to the ledge of the roof through the middle window. I held on for dear life, my arms coiled around his neck, and my body soft against his.

I yelped when I looked down and saw the garden beneath. If we fell…

“What are you doing?” I asked.

He gave me one of his signature smirks and jumped. I gasped and tightened my grip, hiding my face in his chest as I heard his wings fan out and flap a couple of times. I opened my eyes as the air brushed against my face.

We flew high above the jungle surrounding the mansion, beneath a gorgeous pink and orange sunset. We circled the area for a while before Field gently placed me on top of a purple tree. I straddled the thick branch with my legs and took a deep breath, enjoying the view and the humming in the lower half of my body. He had that effect on me.

He settled in front of me, placing the weight of his torso onto his arms.

“Thank you,” I said. “Didn’t know I needed that.”

His lips stretched into a satisfied grin, his eyes flickering with something akin to fire. His black hair fell in lazy strands, framing his beautiful face and contrasting with his sharp cheekbones.

“What have you been seeing?” he asked, watching me carefully.

I told him about my most recent vision of Marchosi, and he looked out to the west. The setting sun reflected its amber glow in his irises.

“Who knows where the Destroyers are going? With how hell-bent Azazel is on conquering this entire world, I’m pretty sure anyone is fair game,” Field said, his voice low.

He then turned his attention back on me. “Why didn’t you tell me how you felt?”

I blanked completely. My eyes went wide, and my mouth dropped open. I didn’t see that question coming, and I had no idea how to respond. Did he know? How did he know? Did someone tell him? The girls, maybe?

A million thoughts ran through my head.

He tilted his head and looked at me with an expression that made every thought in my brain scatter.

“I—I don’t know what you’re talking about. What…what do you mean? I don’t—I don’t feel anything…I…uh…”

I was stunned by his proximity and the two pools of blue-green splendor that seemed to see right into my soul. He drew his face closer to mine, a smile slowly revealing his perfect teeth.

I was unable to think anymore as his lips almost touched mine.

My whole body shook with emotion. My breath stuck in my throat, and my heart exploded in my chest. I was so nervous and out of control that I shifted my weight a little, hopefully enough to make myself look less rattled.

But I jerked my hip a little too much. I lost my balance and fell off the branch.

I shrieked.

Field caught me before I hit the branches beneath and held me tight as he flew us back to the mansion.

I trembled in his arms, infuriated by my own knee-jerk reaction, convinced that I had ruined what could have been our first kiss. I cursed under my breath as Field landed us on the grass outside the plantation house.

I avoided looking at him out of pure embarrassment and moved to stand on my own. But my legs were jelly and undermined my dignity. I nearly fell again. Field wrapped me in an embrace, his firm grip holding me against his hard body.

My eyes met his, and I melted. A strange pressure built up in my throat.