A Ride of Peril (A Shade of Vampire #46)(64)

I stilled, realizing what the Deargh had just said—something that Draven hadn’t mentioned when he’d told me about Genevieve. I knew she’d been in charge of one of these planets in Eritopia, but it didn’t occur to me that it was precisely the one we’d been brought to.

I couldn’t help but wonder what it must have been like with Genevieve ruling over this land. Based on what I knew from Draven, there must have been good times here with peace and progress.

“There is little time to comb through memories, I’m afraid,” Inon added, standing up.

“Trouble coming this way?” Hansa asked.

I kept a close eye on Sverik for no particular reason, watching as he ate in silence, his gaze occasionally darting up to the Deargh. I felt sorry for him, for the loss of his brother and the treachery of his father.

“Swarms of green fireflies have been buzzing around the mountain,” Inon replied. “You must ride back to the safety of your mansion before Destroyers come looking for you.”

Draven stood up, taking a deep breath.

“Azazel has seen me, so it’s only a matter of time before he sends out his troops to find me. My existence is a threat to his expansion, and he will stop at nothing to eliminate me sooner rather than later,” he said.

Inon took us outside, where we jumped on our horses and bid him farewell. We were to see each other again soon enough. The Dearghs were ready to fight by our side.

“I am sorry,” the Deargh said before we took off.

“Sorry about what?” Draven frowned.

“We should have risen sooner. We were comfortable in our mountains, confident that our brothers dying was Eritopia’s will. For that, I am sorry.” Inon sighed.

I was touched by his candor and felt a tremendous amount of affection for the gentle stone giant. I smiled at him, and his eyes lit up.

“Better late than never, we say where I come from,” I replied.

We rode out, thundering through the dark jungle, eager to return to the mansion.





Aida





I sat on the front steps of the mansion, waiting for either of our groups to return. A couple of days had passed, and I’d woken with a very peculiar feeling that morning, as if something was about to go horribly wrong.

I watched the outer layer of grass before the swamps. Shadows darted through the jungle here and there. My mind wandered, worried about Jovi and Serena. It inadvertently slipped back to Field and our mind-numbing kiss.

Wings flapped above, and I looked up. My heart skipped a beat. Field descended from the sky, bare chested and as handsome as ever. But this time, as opposed to the many other times back in The Shade, his eyes were on me and nothing else. It felt good.

He landed in front of me, wings lowering and something glimmering in his hands. I didn’t get a better look as he instantly bent forward and kissed me, jolting my heart into a quick race around the sun. He tasted like heaven, if heaven was a midsummer night with blooming jasmine and night-queen flowers beneath the window.

“Hey, you.” He gave me a beaming smile, further demolishing my cool girl defenses.

“Anything out there?” I asked, wondering what he’d seen beyond the shield.

“Destroyers are still flying around, but they’re not that close. Besides, we’re underneath the protective shield. Even if they pass over the mansion they won’t see us.”

I nodded, losing myself in his turquoise gaze.

“I also found these little buggers and thought you might like them.” He smiled, lifting a glass jar in front of me.

Five green fireflies buzzed around inside the glass receptacle, glimmering like emeralds. They were beautiful, making me wonder what the bedroom would look like with their gentle green light cast inside.

He’d caught them for me, and the thought made me giddy and giggly. I sprang to my feet and hugged him, giving him short kisses on both his cheeks, then his lips, thanking him repeatedly.

“Something tells me I should do this more often,” he grinned.

I nodded. “You definitely should!”

He laughed lightly and caught my mouth in a long, gentle kiss, his lips soft against mine, his tongue searching as my temperature spiked. The effect he had on me was undeniably powerful.

But the sound of horses galloping in the distance tore us apart. We looked toward the source. To my relief, we saw Jovi, Bijarki, and Anjani accompanied by two other females on horseback.

My heart seemed to relax, and I could breathe again. A smile drew itself on my face.

“They’re back!” I exclaimed.

“I knew they would be. I just can’t believe they managed to bring Jovi back as well. I would’ve lost him somewhere on the way,” Field said jokingly, prompting me to poke him with my elbow.

His hand slipped up my back. He laughed lightly.

Their horses trotted through the protective shield. The two females with them looked around, visibly confused, unable to see the mansion. Once they followed Jovi through the spell, however, it all became clear, and their eyebrows lifted with surprise.

I recognized the scales and yellow eyes identifying them as Lamias. Bijarki, Anjani, and my brother had been successful in reaching out to the Lamias. My vision of them being followed by the rogue incubi had kept me on edge for a while, until Field had managed to assure me that they were no match for my wolf-brother, a seasoned soldier, and a succubus warrior. Deep down, I knew he’d been right and was thankful once more to have him close in this world.