A Shield of Glass (A Shade of Vampire #49)(33)

“I need to be alone, Serena.” He stopped without turning to look at me. “I need to be on my own and find my resolve here. I’m afraid my nerves are too stretched right now, and I don’t want to lash out and say something I’ll come to regret. I don’t wish to hurt you…”

It was then that I felt him slowly closing himself off. I could no longer sense his emotions. It alarmed me—I’d gotten so used to living with his soul so close to mine that I didn’t want it to stop. It was selfish of me, but it was also the best way to read him when there weren’t any words between us. I didn’t want to be left in the dark again.

“I understand that,” I replied gently. “But please consider this one thing: you’re taking these visions as absolute truth, when they can still be prevented. We’ve done it before, though I honestly don’t know how we’ve made it so far, since we’ve been winging it like crazy. But we’ve been through this before. And we’ll get out of this in one piece. I mean, I don’t know about you, but I will stop at nothing to protect you and the people I love.”

Draven didn’t say anything, but he did turn around to give me a weak smile.

“Thank you, Serena,” he said, then left.

The sound of his footsteps echoed from the other hall. I huffed and returned to the second volume of forbidden Druid magic. I was tired, and my eyes were stinging, my heart heavy, and my stomach the size of a pellet, but I decided to spend another hour perusing dark spells, hoping I’d find something to keep my brother and best friends concealed from Azazel.

It felt cold and dark, but it wasn’t the ambience. It was my helplessness to protect the people I loved. Draven was torn by his potentially horrible fate. Vita was a prisoner in Luceria, surrounded by Destroyers. Phoenix was heartbroken, left without the girl he’d become bound to. And I could do nothing, other than push forward until we could see the light again.





Aida





I was shown to my room by a couple of Bajang cubs. Just as I opened the door, one of them snorted as the other whispered something in his ear.

“What’s so funny?” I asked, an eyebrow raised. I had a feeling it had to do with the whole “cats and dogs” thing my brother had told me about.

“We’re just curious what you look like as a wolf. We can smell it all over you,” said the first one with a grin.

“Tough luck, kiddo,” I replied with a smirk. “I’m only half wolf, and can’t turn.”

“That’s too bad.” The other frowned. “We would’ve liked to play with you.”

“I can still scratch, bite, and kick you two around, if you’re up for a game.” I winked, then tickled them both with a playful growl.

They giggled and turned into the small felines they were, both a bright orange and the size of a couple of lion cubs. They were absolutely adorable and started pouncing around, play-fighting, going for my legs.

I dodged them and laughed as they rolled on the floor, one on top of the other, with the clumsiest moves I’d ever seen. A growl echoed from another room, and they both stilled, looking toward the end of the hallway at the source of the sound.

They tumbled apart and trotted away, mewling at what I assumed was their mother calling out to them. I watched them until they disappeared around the corner, then went into my room and closed the door behind me. I’d needed a little laugh after what I’d been through.

I emptied my lungs with one heavy breath, then headed for a shower. After shivering under the cold water for a few minutes, thankful to discover a bar of soap in a cabinet under the sink, I washed my garments and hung them by the bathroom door to dry, then wrapped myself in a towel.

I wondered if the Bajangs kept any clothes in this place. I checked the dresser first, and found a multitude of once-colorful silken clothes, dulled by the passage of time. I picked a red robe that reminded me of a Japanese kimono. I figured it would do for the night, so I put it on and tied its fine, gold-threaded string around my waist. I noticed how the fabric molded itself against my breasts—it was one size too small, given the deep V cleavage, but it was better than sleeping in a towel.

A knock on the door startled me.

I opened it to find Field standing there—he’d found some clothes in his room as well, a pair of black pants and a white dress shirt with a ridiculous number of ruffles. I would’ve laughed at any man who wore this kind of garment, yet it looked gorgeous on him. His gaze darkened as he measured me from head to toe, and I could almost hear his heart thumping in his chest. He let out a stifled groan as he looked up, his eyes half-closed.

“I… I wanted to see you,” he managed to say, his voice barely audible.

I realized then that it was my outfit that had stirred him, and the thought of my effect on him agitated the butterflies in my stomach. I felt my cheeks burn as I stepped aside, inviting him to come in.

He walked through the door and stopped in the middle of the room. With his back to me, he glanced at the bed to his right, then over his shoulder, his eyes burning greenish blue as they found me. My breath hitched as he turned around and came toward me.

I stilled as he reached me, his face inches from mine. He didn’t say a word. Instead, without taking his eyes off me, he reached out and closed the door behind me.

He lifted a finger and gently ran it down the side of my face, his gaze softening as a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.