A Tangle of Hearts (A Shade of Vampire #44)(18)

His eyebrows rose in surprise. “What? What do you mean?”

“You’re basically glued to a succubus. What’s up with that?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he replied, brushing me off.

But I didn’t want to let it go just yet. If he was attracted to Anjani, it made him vulnerable and open to attacks, at least until her claims could be verified.

Jovi gazed at her, and his jaw tensed. Then he smirked at me.

“Don’t be stupid,” he said. “I’m just keeping an eye on her, making sure we’re all safe.”

“She’s injured and tied to the bed, and you’re hovering over her like a concerned nurse,” I shot back. As if I’d ever buy his lame excuse.

“Nah, I’m literally keeping an eye on her,” he insisted, then shrugged. “Besides, I’m the one who brought her here. She’s kind of my responsibility.”

I eyed him suspiciously, but decided to give it a rest. A headache snuck between my temples, and my knees felt weak. It had been a long day. I needed to sit down and process everything. I had to calculate my next steps carefully regarding Draven, and I had no energy left to focus on Jovi and his damsel in distress.

I nodded and took my leave. Time to read a few pages from Elissa’s diary after all.





Serena





[Hazel and Tejus’s daughter]





There wasn’t much left in Elissa’s diary. The last entry was short and rushed, written in broken cursive and riddled with ink blots.

“Almus has yet to return, and I have lost the ability to sleep in his absence.

Draven asks me about him every day, and I am running out of excuses to ease his concerns. Poor little thing, so young yet so troubled with responsibilities.

I love him with all my heart. If it weren’t for him, I would have lost my mind by now…

Another day has gone, and I’m once again here, on my own. The boy is fast asleep now, and I’m trying to keep myself busy with chores around the mansion.

I don’t know what tomorrow will bring, but I hope it brings back the man I owe my life to—the man who has my heart.”

I sighed as I put the diary away and headed for Draven’s study. The reading session had been brief and unsatisfying and, at the same time, painfully revealing. There were no more entries by Elissa, which made me assume that something happened to her, that she was gone the next day.

I pushed open the door to Draven’s study slowly, not wanting to barge in and startle him. I figured a blind man needed to be eased out of his solitude, contrary to my usual bull-in-a-china-shop demeanor.

The fire burned hot, and I instantly regretted my decision to seek him out. It was a sauna in there. But that wasn’t the worst part. I found Draven furiously fumbling through the shelves on one of the walls. Books and various knick knacks kept falling on the floor while he cursed under his breath.

I watched him for a minute. What was he trying to do? Then I realized he was trying to find something. Judging by his muttered curses and grunts, he was failing miserably.

“Can I help you?” I asked.

Draven stilled, his hands on a shelf in front of him, and turned his head toward me.

“I’m downright useless right now. I can’t take it anymore,” he said.

“Well… I’m here to help. What do you need, Draven?”

He exhaled and allowed a moment to pass before he spoke again.

“I keep herbs in this room. Extremely rare specimens that I can ingest and that can help increase my other senses in the absence of sight,” he said. “I have to make myself more useful. Time moves fast, and I can’t keep up in this condition.”

“Okay,” I replied, my voice calm while my mind processed the information. This man was full of interesting secrets. I had to learn everything I could from him for as long as I was with him. “What am I looking for? Where do you want me to look?”

“There are three vials made of colored glass. I had them especially made for these herbs. One is a golden yellow, one is a dark pink, and the other is green. They’re shaped like tears and are sealed with black corks.”

“Do you remember where you put them?”

“They must be behind some books, somewhere on these shelves. I’m not sure which shelf, though. I’ve not seen them since I put them away a very long time ago.” He leaned back against his desk.

I had to give him credit; for a blind man he was pretty quick at spacial recognition. He’d learned some of the key distances in his study already. It kind of made sense, since this was where he spent most of his time.

I went over to the shelves and started looking for the glass vials. As I fumbled between books, boxes, and various other items on the top side of the rack, I figured it was as good a time as any to resume my intel mission. I looked over my shoulder and watched him sink into the chair, quiet and still.

“Tell me more about Druids,” I said. “I barely know anything about you.”

“There’s not that much to tell, really,” he replied.

I sighed. I had a feeling he was in no mood to talk.

But then he continued. “We’ve been around for eons, ruling over the galaxy with a solid sense of democracy, like I’ve told you before. We’re very close to nature.” He paused, as if waiting for me to respond.