A Tangle of Hearts (A Shade of Vampire #44)(42)

“Probably not, but it will show the rest of Eritopia that there are still considerable powers at play ready to stand up to him. It will draw out the others hiding in the shadows. After all, they can only keep hiding for so long before Azazel’s Destroyers start coming after them. They’re already tying up loose ends by hunting down rogue incubi like Kristos and Bijarki.”

I nodded and tied the bandage tightly behind his head. I heard him inhale sharply and realized that I had drawn myself extremely close to him in order to see what I was doing with that knot. I felt his warm breath as he exhaled against my collarbone. A million shivers ran beneath my skin, and blood rushed to my head.

“You’re being so good to me, Serena. I can’t thank you enough.”

His words took me by surprise. I pulled back and stood up, putting the vials away.

“You’ve done so much for us as well, Draven. This is the least I can do,” I said. I pulled two woolen blankets from the bag.

He leaned against the hard amber casing behind him. I gave him one of the blankets and sat down next to him, wrapping myself in the other. Draven covered his legs and crossed his arms, slowly relaxing into his position.

I felt the tree hard against my back. It was as good as it was going to get under the circumstances. My eyelids felt heavy, and a yawn got the best of me. The trip had sucked the energy out of me almost entirely.

I looked at Draven for a brief moment and felt tempted to mind-meld with him again. It seemed like the least invasive method to find out everything there was to know about him, considering his earlier accounts of Elissa’s death.

I had felt so bad for asking, seeing how it pained him to recall those terrible events. At that point, sneaking into his mind with my sentry powers when he was sleeping would have done less damage than me asking more questions.

I was too tired, though, and it still felt like a horrible invasion of privacy. He’d done too much. He’d sacrificed too much for me to keep thinking about a mind-meld.

I shook the thought away and relaxed into the soft moss beneath me.

“What are you thinking about?” Draven asked.

A heartbeat passed. Should I tell him the truth or make something up? I was wary of annoying him with my mind-melding thoughts.

“I was thinking about mind-melding with you again, once you dozed off, but I’ve decided against it. It’s incredibly intimate, and you don’t deserve me traipsing around in your head after what you’ve been through.” He’d been so open with me about Elissa and the impact of her loss. I at least owed him honesty.

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly over the course of a few seconds. I turned my head to see the side of his face. The torchlight danced on his face, and I was hypnotized by the way it clashed with the sharp lines of his cheeks and the blade of his nose and jaw. The shadows drew my gaze to his lips, and I instinctively licked mine in response.

“It’s not easy for me to open up,” Draven’s voice dropped to a soft murmur, warming me up on the inside. “Give me your patience, and I promise, Serena, I will show you everything.”

My muscles relaxed, and my body slid along the wall until my shoulder leaned into his arm. I was so tired, yet the way he spoke made me want to try and stay awake for a little while longer. I hummed my approval as my eyelids finally gave in and closed.

I let my head rest on his shoulder, and I fell asleep to the sound of his voice telling me something else, something I didn’t quite catch.





Serena





[Hazel and Tejus’s daughter]





I opened my eyes slowly, enveloped in sheer warmth.

I blinked several times until my eyes adjusted to the darkness around me. The torch had died out. A strip of moonlight poured inside the tree, making the moss floor phosphoresce.

This is no ordinary moss. I took a deep breath. My ribcage expanded as I inhaled, and I realized that my back was against something hard and broad but not as solid as the amber casing I’d fallen asleep on.

I was lying on my side, facing the crevice of the tree leading outside. Everything was still and quiet, except for the crinkle of crickets wafting in from the jungle. I moved until something tightened around my waist.

I froze, my eyes wide open, and my breath stuck in my throat. Draven slept behind me, spooning me. I was wrapped in my blanket and his strong arms with his fingers clasped on my abdomen. His body heat seeped into me from head to toe, and I lay there wondering whether I should move away from him or not.

Our bodies were so close that his heartbeat echoed into mine. He sighed in his sleep, and his breath heated the back of my neck, sending both fire and ice through my veins. I relaxed in his arms, and he nuzzled my neck.

His breathing was even, so I assumed he was sleeping. It felt so good, so right to be there, that I decided to enjoy the moment of absolute peace. His frame molded perfectly against mine. I felt a smile tug at the corners of my mouth as I surrendered to the feeling that was growing, ever so slowly, inside my chest—a mixture of pleasure and pain tying my heart in knots.

I didn’t want the moment to end.

Leaves rustled outside, followed by a few thuds and whispers.

Bijarki rushed inside the tree. Jovi and Anjani tumbled in right after him.

My moment was over.

Their frantic movements made me aware that something horrifying was about to begin. Bijarki pulled a bunch of leafy branches over the entrance of our shelter.