A Shield of Glass (A Shade of Vampire #49)(16)

I looked at Aura, who gave me a quick nod and moved toward the orchard. She found an old copper bucket lying on its side in the grass by one of the trees, and took it, starting to pick the ripe fruit.

The Green Tribe succubi settled by the stream, filling their flasks and rinsing the dirt from their faces and arms as the sun rose bright above us, making their silvery skin shimmer again.

Field came next to me, his hand resting on the small of my back for a second as we both stood by the stream and gazed at the farmhouse. I looked over my shoulder to check on Phoenix—he was crouching by the water, quietly washing his face. The muscle in his jaw never stopped twitching, and grief glimmered in his dark eyes.

“Should we talk to him?” I asked Field quietly.

He glanced at Phoenix, then slowly shook his head.

“He’s still processing everything. I’d leave him alone for now,” he replied. “We’re still in survival mode, and he’s doing the best he can, given all that has happened since last night. Let’s get to Stonewall first.”

I nodded. Field made a fair point. We were in the middle of a run for our lives, with barely any supplies besides the weapons we’d snatched on our way out of the mansion, and from the Destroyers we’d taken down. We still had a lot to survive in the remaining full day’s trek to Stonewall.

I froze then, remembering the single most precious item in the mansion. I’d completely overlooked it when the shield came down.

“The swamp witches’ book,” I gasped.

Field mirrored my horrified expression, then groaned with frustration as he rolled his eyes.

“Oh no,” he replied. “The Destroyers probably have it. Azazel’s probably learning new tricks as we speak…”

“You mean this?” Almandine came from behind and pulled the swamp witches’ leather-bound book from the satchel she’d snatched from the house.

Relief washed over me as I grabbed the tome and held it close to my chest. Both Field and I stared at the young succubus in disbelief, while Anjani and Eva wore half-smiles in response.

“That’s my girl!” Anjani cheered with a satisfied grin.

“How? When?” I asked.

“When we went through the house.” Almandine shrugged. “Everything was happening so fast, I suppose none of you saw me run into Draven’s study. I just thought, as soon as the shield came down, that everything in that mansion would be theirs for the taking. The book sprang to mind as the most precious of all items in the house. I didn’t want the snakes to get it. So I grabbed it.”

“You are fantastic, Almandine.” Field placed a hand on her shoulder, and she gave us a shy smile in return.

“I could kiss you!” I gasped with newfound joy, moving toward her.

“Don’t!” She stopped me politely, taking the book back and hiding it in the satchel. “Listen, I’ll go look through the farmhouse and see what we can take from there. We’ll need anything that might come in handy, as long as we can carry it while we run.”

“We’ll help,” Anjani replied.

“I’ll come,” Phoenix added with a determined nod, and they all headed inside the farmhouse, while Eva went into the orchard to help Aura with the fruit picking.

I was impressed by each member of our group. No one complained, they all just pitched in—no questions asked, no looking back. I worried about Phoenix’s state of mind, but, like Field had said, there was no time to properly delve into it. He was heartbroken and angry, and for good reason. But he was strong and able to tough it out until we could look at options, once we’d reached Stonewall.

There was no way I was going to let the Daughters keep Viola away from us, from him. It wasn’t fair.

Field turned to look at me, his turquoise eyes carefully analyzing me.

“How are you holding up?” he asked.

“I’m good,” I replied. “Better than I thought I’d be, given the circumstances. I need to reach out to Vita, though, and make sure she’s okay. I haven’t spoken to her since last night, and she was supposed to get Kyana out of the dungeons.”

My nerves were stretched thin, but Field’s presence had a soothing effect, helping me keep a firm grip on everything. He was, in many ways, my rock. He took a deep breath, then looked out across the meadow, scanning the forest we’d left.

“I’ll keep a lookout, then,” he said. “You do your thing.”

I sat on the grass, crossing my legs, and breathed out. Field took his position a couple of feet away from me, a hatchet in his hand, ready to strike anyone who dared attack us. My heart was filled with love. It felt good to see him there. It gave me the momentary peace of mind I needed to tune everything out and let the universe open up to me.

With my eyes closed and darkness enveloping me, the world’s noises faded away, and I focused on Vita’s heartbeat once more. I found it, dim but steady, and followed it until the chamber in Azazel’s castle revealed itself to me.

I stilled as I realized Vita wasn’t alone in the room. Damion was there with her, standing by the caged window and waiting quietly, watching her and making notes on a piece of paper with a slim piece of charcoal. Vita was lying on the bed, her eyes white and runes flitting across her skin. She was having visions.

My blood chilled, thinking of the many ways in which Azazel was abusing my friend. Unfortunately, I was only a ghost there myself, and there was nothing I could do about it. All I could do was hope Bijarki would hurry.