A Tangle of Hearts (A Shade of Vampire #44)(19)

“Hence your penchant for herbs and mystic fires,” I replied, my eyes focused on finding the vials.

“Indeed. We have a natural communion with the elements, with Eritopia itself. We respect life and everything it gives us. Druids are also dual creatures. We can morph into snakes.”

I froze, then turned to gape at him. He’d been waiting for my reaction, his jaw firm and throbbing.

“You can turn into a snake?” Had I heard him correctly?

He nodded.

“Not much to tell my ass,” I said in wonderment.

Everything started falling into place in my head. The blackness that had flickered over his eyes before the Daughters took his sight was the haw I’d seen on snakes, a membrane typical of reptiles. The heat in his study, his need to stay warm even with the scorching heat outside. The fact that I’d never seen him eat. It all made sense.

Wow.

It took me a minute to process it all. Part of me was curious to see him transform. But then another thought crossed my mind. I stilled.

“The Destroyers have snake tails,” I said.

“Indeed, they do. They were all Druids once, just like Azazel,” Draven explained. “Druid magic is deeply tied to Eritopia, to nature itself. But it can be as dual as our bodies are. It can be a natural art or a black art.”

“What’s the difference between the two?” I asked. I resumed looking for the vials. My fingers brushed over a leather bound copy of Delirium: A Guide to Incubi Seduction. I shivered a little, despite the heat, remembering Bijarki.

“We use plants and herbs and other natural ingredients to practice natural arts, and it’s a clean process, mostly performed for healing, research, scrying, or even defense but never to attack or hurt anyone or anything. We draw energy from other creatures for the black arts, and it’s a side of us I’m not willing to further elaborate on right now,” Draven explained.

“And the Destroyers?”

“I’m getting there. In short, Azazel took the black art to a new, much darker, level skewing the process until he began corrupting Druids. Something festered inside of them, and they all began turning into snakes, unable to control the shift. By the time Azazel managed to get it under some kind of control, they were so irreparably damaged on the inside that they found themselves stuck halfway between Druid and snake.”

The paintings made sense. The giant snake tails, the feral looks, their evil appearance—the Destroyers were the result of pure evil and greed corrupting the very soul of a Druid.

I returned to the million dollar question. “Tell me about the sleeping Daughter.”

He immediately shifted in his chair and closed up on me.

I almost regretted asking, but he’d been dodging me on this for so long.

“Now isn’t the time to talk about that.” He tried to end the conversation there, but I wasn’t ready to quit.

“Why are you so secretive about her? What are you afraid of?”

“Listen, Serena. I will answer any other question, except about her. She’s the reason why we’re protected here, and I will not do anything to endanger her just to satisfy your childish curiosity. I will protect her from us all, if that’s what it takes to keep you safe. To keep the Oracles, your brother, your friends safe.”

My breath hitched. “I appreciate that, Draven, but I think we’re way past the stage of you not trusting me, or us for that matter. We’ve been through enough for you to give me a little credit here.”

“Haven’t you seen how cruel the Daughters can be? Do you think the sleeping one is any better? I don’t want you anywhere near her.” His tone was firm.

But I wasn’t ready to give up just yet.

“I’m a big girl. I can handle myself. If she’s our key to defeating Azazel, and since you’re using my brother and my friends against him, I’m pretty sure I’m entitled to know a little bit more about the sleeping Daughter so I can be better prepared!”

Draven took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair, a gesture I’d noticed he made whenever he was getting frustrated.

“You’re not ready to understand more about her. This isn’t about me not trusting you. This is about me trying to protect all of you and her at the same time. Me protecting her is what keeps you, all of you, safe. You don’t fully understand what you’re dealing with when it comes to the Daughters of Eritopia. Please, just let it go for tonight.”

And there it was, a minor concession—for tonight. I scowled and allowed silence to fall between us.

“Please,” he murmured, “just keep looking for the vials and help me get myself into better shape, so I can better protect you all.” His voice was soft, his tone reserved.

I’d have to try and fight this fight again tomorrow, since he clearly wasn’t going to reveal more now.

I reluctantly returned my focus to the task at hand. I rummaged through items I normally wouldn’t have been allowed to touch, given how protective Draven was of everything in this room, but I eventually found them nestled behind a few herbology encyclopedias dressed in red leather.

“I found them,” I said, clinking them in order to give him an audible glimpse of his cherished vials.

A smile bloomed on his face so radiant that I felt myself, and my annoyance with him, melt a little. Although maybe it was the fireplace melting me.