A Shield of Glass (A Shade of Vampire #49)(30)

“Nevertheless, please be careful going forward,” I told Patrik. “Azazel is extremely cunning and might already know about your plans.”

“He doesn’t, I can assure you of that.” He winked. “I’ve been at his side, one of his most powerful lieutenants, for a very long time. I’ve done and I continue doing horrible things for him, just to keep him under the illusion of total control.”

His gaze darkened as he looked away.

“I will never forgive myself for all the lives I’ve taken, but I take comfort in the fact that one day soon, I will get to watch his head roll on the floor,” he said, his voice low.

He then shook that gloomy state off and stood up, nodding at the food tray.

“Please eat. You need your strength,” he said. “And try not to do anything else to anger Azazel. He seemed cranky enough today.”

“Ah, that was definitely me,” I replied dryly, feeling the corner of my mouth pull into a satisfied smirk. “I told him the truth from my visions of the future. I told him he will die, and he flipped out, pointing at the snake pendant and telling me that’s impossible. But I saw it. So it can happen. He’s probably spinning around like a loose wheel right now, desperate to stop it from coming true.”

Patrik listened with interest, his brows furrowed, drawing a deep, dark vertical line above his nose.

“I’m becoming more convinced that the pendant may be the key to his undoing,” he mused.

“Think you can dig into it a little bit more?”

“I can try,” Patrik said. “In the meantime, I’m serious, Vita—stay out of trouble.”

I clicked my teeth with a wink as I took the food tray from the side table. My stomach was growling, and he was right: I would need my strength when Bijarki came to get me out of this hellhole.

Patrik left, locking the double doors behind him.

I felt like I could breathe easier after my conversation with Patrik. We were on the right track, and we were dealing a great blow to Azazel from the inside. I plowed through my food with surprising relish, swatting the negative thoughts away.

Whether it was because I was hopeful or just satisfied by a warm meal, I looked defiantly into the future, with the promise to find a way to keep my loved ones safe, and remove Azazel from this world.





Jovi





By the time the sun came down and the sky went dark, we were all caught up—Aida and the others were introduced to Zeriel, newly anointed King of the Tritones and loudmouth extraordinaire, as well as Thorn and Rebel, Bajang twins and rulers (albeit in secret) of Stonewall.

We spent the rest of the day in the archive hall, talking about forbidden Druid magic and ways to deprive Azazel of his primary energy sources. Anjani had left my side to sit with Hansa, and they spent several hours talking. Judging by the fleeting expressions on their faces, it didn’t go smoothly. On more than one occasion, Anjani moved to stand but Hansa held her down, her hand wrapped around her younger sister’s wrist.

There was a general feeling of gloom and dread floating through the hall, and it weighed heavy on our shoulders, whether we were willing to admit it or not. Draven had isolated himself in a corner by one of the windows, reading through a tome of forbidden Druid magic. He seemed more comfortable keeping his distance while he processed everything he’d been told regarding Asherak’s curse and his downfall. He and Serena exchanged glances once in a while, but it never led to anything, just sighs and unspoken thoughts. She seemed to have trouble focusing when he was in that state, but there wasn’t much she could do about it.

I felt sorry for him, but at the same time, my instinct to protect the ones I loved simmered beneath the surface. I found myself wondering whether I’d have the strength to kill him if it meant saving my sister, if it ever came to that. I didn’t have a clear answer, just an overall weariness that I hoped would pass.

Aida had just spoken with Vita again, through their unique Oracle connection. She looked at me warily, letting a long and torturous sigh deflate her. I was still scrambling through one of the Druid registries when I decided to drill her for news of Vita as a more interesting way of passing the time and keeping my mind off Anjani for the time being.

“What’s up?” I asked her.

“I got the full picture of Vita’s visions,” she muttered, unable to look me in the eyes.

Despite her attempt to downplay it, everyone turned their attention to her, including Draven from the far end of the hall. Serena straightened her back, her bluish green eyes twinkling with interest.

Aida looked around and saw everyone waiting for her to speak. She rolled her eyes and sighed, clearly displeased with having to share what I guessed would be more bad news.

She gave us the full account of all three of Vita’s visions, from Viola dying when Phoenix was killed, to Bijarki and Anjani agreeing to an arranged marriage after the world had basically ended. Vita and I had also died, and it all ended with Draven in Destroyer form presenting himself as the failed champion who had killed Azazel but ended up being overtaken by Asherak’s curse.

A claw tightened around my heart. I’d heard about my own death before, but I’d never considered that my demise would push Anjani into someone else’s arms, for whatever purpose. It just didn’t feel right. I didn’t want to leave her.

I glanced around the hall and found Anjani staring at me, grief glazing her eyes with tears, and she pressed her lips together to stop them from pouring down her cheeks. She blinked several times, then looked away.