A Tangle of Hearts (A Shade of Vampire #44)(23)

I felt the need to remind him of my usefulness. “I’m right here if you need me.” I was still on a mission to unlock all the mysteries that made Draven who he was. The more I learned from him, the better my friends, my brother, and I could defend ourselves against everything that wanted us dead in Eritopia. I hadn’t forgotten about the last Daughter, either.

Draven walked toward the door, and his hand reached the doorknob without hesitation. Before opening the door, he turned his head to me.

“I’m not sure I should move around by myself. It might take a while for me to adjust to my surroundings. This is all quite new to me. I’ve never experienced the world in such detail without my eyesight.” His honesty disarmed me and jolted me into action.

I moved to walk next to him, and his hand rested on my shoulder again. I was so used to this by now—it felt right. It felt natural.

We walked slowly toward the basement stairs, and I was impressed by his unwavering stance. He didn’t need me for guidance. His steps were firm, and his direction was accurate and determined. Nevertheless, I kept myself at his side as we reached the basement room.

Phoenix was still unconscious, as I’d expected, with Jovi watching over him. Vita lay in a spare bed, as did Aida, while Bijarki stood by Anjani’s bed. His gaze lit up when it found us at the bottom of the stairs. We reached him swiftly to find the succubus still tied to the iron frame, as beautiful as ever.

“We need to talk, Anjani.” Draven addressed the succubus, who shot him an irritated look, not bothered by the bandage on his eyes.

She sighed.

“Bijarki and I found your tribe. We know where they are. We’ve seen some of your other sisters keeping watch over the camp,” he said, and Bijarki nodded in confirmation.

I figured Draven had made Bijarki peer through the same fire I’d seen our families through. A pain of longing shuffled through me, but I tucked it away.

“You said you would ‘verify my claims.’ How’d that go?” Anjani sneered as she quoted Draven. Despite her feral demeanor and unknown intentions, I kind of liked her.

Both Bijarki and Draven paused for a moment.

“Point is, we are safe because nobody knows we are here, particularly Azazel. So, you should be able to understand why we don’t take kindly to strangers,” Draven said.

“It’s not like I planned to be here in the first place. Your friend over there decided to stick his nose where it didn’t belong and bring me here.” Anjani nodded toward Jovi, who instantly straightened his back with indignation.

“Hey, I saved your life!” he shot back.

Anjani took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a brief moment.

“Det’chalani.” She spoke in what I assumed was some ancient tongue. Bijarki shifted his weight from one foot to the other, interest sparked.

“Right!” he concluded, knowing what she’d meant. We, on the other hand, didn’t.

“Care to elaborate?” I asked.

“It means life debt,” Bijarki explained, and Draven nodded. I could almost hear a plan hatching in his head, judging by the look on his face. “We saved her life, so she is in our debt. It’s an ancient custom of our kind, extremely valuable and sacred.”

“I owe you a life debt,” Anjani continued, her voice low. “I owe your friend over there a life debt, to be precise.” She nodded toward Jovi again, who glanced at us from my brother’s bedside.

“Indeed you do,” Draven concluded. “What are you proposing?”

A few moments passed before the succubus spoke again. “Whatever you need and I can do without putting my life at risk, I will do for you,” she answered.

“Can you take us to your tribe, then?” Draven asked quickly. I had a feeling he’d had that question locked and loaded, just in case.

Anjani pondered the idea, then nodded.

“Since your tribe is one of the very few left resisting Azazel, we could forge an alliance and increase all our chances against his expansion,” Draven continued.

“You’ll have to bring something to the table. My sisters will not respond to reckless or suicidal plans against a throng of Destroyers,” Anjani replied.

“Worry not, we have interesting tricks up our sleeves,” Draven said with a satisfied smirk. I guessed he meant my brother, Vita, and Aida. The Oracles were crucial in a successful strategy against a power-hungry monster like Azazel. On top of that, my mind also wandered to the sleeping Daughter. Perhaps she was one of the tricks he’d mentioned.

I frowned at the thought of my brother and friends being considered pawns in a war against an evil warlord. But as more time passed, it was also becoming clear that war might be our only option if we ever wanted to get back home.

“I’ll travel with her tomorrow to arrange a meeting with their tribe chief,” Bijarki said, pulling me back into the present.

“I’m coming as well,” Draven replied.

Wait, what?

“What do you mean you’re coming as well?” I blurted. “You’re severely incapacitated, even with your magical herbs and super-sharp senses, where do you think you’re going?”

Draven shook his head, and his hand left my shoulder, seeking Bijarki’s for support instead.

Irritation flashed through me.

“I’m perfectly capable of anything I set out to accomplish, including a visit to a neighboring tribe,” he said. “Besides, I need to speak to the tribe, since I’m not sure they’ll like Bijarki much on his own.” He grinned.