A Ride of Peril (A Shade of Vampire #46)(67)

“And you think me giving her a child will solve the problem?” he asked.

I was suddenly taken aback by the fact that he was actually considering the option. My head spun. But I fought with myself for control, keeping my cool in front of a fragile alliance. I had to think of the bigger picture, no matter how furious it made me. A whole galaxy was at stake.

“It will delay the inevitable, at least,” she replied.

Draven looked at me, his eyes flickering black. I stepped forward, closing the distance between us. No matter what happened, I had to support him. This wasn’t about us anymore, and Tamara didn’t seem like the kind of creature to soften at the sight of us suffering over this. She had the survival of her species in mind.

“Draven,” I breathed.

“It’s… It’s not what I had in mind when she said she had a condition,” he said hoarsely.

“I know, and I hate it. I’d love nothing more than to punch her in the face right now.”

“I can hear you,” Tamara smirked.

“I’m well aware, so listen carefully as we decide your fate, then!” I shot back with a hiss, prompting her to take a step back.

“What are you thinking?” Draven whispered.

My heart twisted at the sight of his tortured expression, and I closed my eyes, squeezing them tightly shut and breathing deeply.

“Neither of us is comfortable with this, obviously,” I managed, almost whispering, “but I…I understand what’s at stake here. If we could get the Lamias’ support, then…”

I could barely finish my sentence. It hurt so bad just saying all of this. At the same time, as agonizing as this was, I couldn’t let selfishness dictate the fate of billions of Eritopians. There was a universe far greater than myself out there. And for all we knew, the Lamias’ alliance could make or break its future.

I inhaled. “Her Lamias and inherent magic would help level the playing field against Azazel,” I said. “And that’s what we need the most right now.”

Draven looked at me, his gaze heart-wrenching as he gently brushed my cheek with his fingers.

“We need to talk about it,” he managed, then looked at Tamara, his jaw clenched. “We can discuss this later.”

Tamara nodded, then glanced at Eva, who rolled her eyes at me. The young Lamia continued giving Draven the same raunchy look.

I hated her.

“Well, this is awkward.” Aida watched us with eyes wide and lips stretched into a thin line.

Draven sighed, then stilled, his eyes fixed on Aida’s hand.

“What are those?” His voice was suddenly low and sharp.

“What, these? Fireflies.” She lifted the jar she’d been holding with five green fireflies buzzing around in it.

My blood froze, and my breath hitched as a realization crashed into me. Those weren’t regular fireflies. Draven snatched the jar from Aida’s hand and muttered something under his breath before he smashed it into the ground. It burst into red flames, destroying the little bugs.

“What did you do that for?” Aida was shocked, as was Field. Both looked down at the broken jar.

“Where’d you get it from?” Draven asked through his teeth.

I felt the ground move beneath me. A million possibilities ran through my head, including the one in which Azazel had seen us through his fireflies.

“Th-they were flying around the mansion,” Field said, his voice shaky.

“You shouldn’t have brought them in,” Draven snapped, running his fingers through his hair, then looking at me.

“I don’t understand. What's going on here?” Aida asked, obviously confused.

She couldn’t have known and neither could Field. They had no idea.

We were in so much trouble.





Field





“These green fireflies are part of Azazel’s spying spell! He sees and hears everything through them. They fly wherever he sends them,” Serena explained briefly, her face pale.

My stomach dropped, as I realized the gravity of my mistake. I had unknowingly brought Azazel’s spies beyond the protective shield, revealing not just our location but our identities. My intentions had been pure, but the outcome was devastating.

My knees weakened. I crouched and groaned and hid my face in my palms. Shame and anger crashed into me, and I broke into a sweat. I’d just exposed my family, the people I loved most in the world, to Azazel.

“I’m so sorry,” I managed. “I only wanted to show them to Aida. I thought they looked cool. I’m sorry. I was so stupid.”

Aida and Serena crouched in front of me, and I felt Aida’s hand on my shoulder. It seemed to relieve some of the pressure that had started building up in my muscles. I had never felt so bad. I’d become a liability when I was supposed to be protecting them.

“You couldn’t have known, Field,” Serena said to me, her voice soft. “I didn’t know until Draven told me.”

“Besides, they did look pretty cool,” Aida mumbled.

“The only way Azazel’s spell is able to get through the protective shield is if you were carrying the fireflies. You had some sort of contact,” Draven explained. “It’s like walking through the shield holding Azazel’s hand.”

I groaned again. The comparison knocked the air out of my lungs. The gravity of my mistake continued to sink in like an anvil in water.