A Valley of Darkness (A Shade of Vampire #52)(33)

I continued on my way and stopped by the Broken Bow Inn, where I picked up the map and the notes we’d gathered from interviews and the library. Then I resumed my descent toward the infirmary, having a hard time shaking off that image of Akila. She looked weakened and pale, and her friends were acting too weird toward someone who only wanted to help.

Nevertheless, those thoughts subsided as I reached the infirmary. The lights were on inside, and I could see the Mara nurses moving through the room. I stopped in front of the door and took a deep breath. The idea of seeing Patrik again made me nervous.

I went in, just as two nurses were finishing changing Minah’s bandages. Patrik was quietly watching over her, as she was still in a state of deep sleep. The sound of the door opening made him turn his head, and he seemed to freeze, his steely blue eyes wide, his lips slowly parting.

One of the nurses gave me an appreciative smile and a polite nod.

“We’ll give you some privacy,” she said slowly, then left with the other nurse and a basket of used bandages.

I closed the door behind me and walked toward Patrik’s bed. He looked stunned, and I figured it had something to do with my dress. I brushed the hopeful thought away and placed the map and notes on a table nearby, then looked at Minah.

“Have you tried waking her up?” I asked, my voice barely audible.

A moment passed before Patrik finally blinked.

“I tried. She’s not waking up,” he said hoarsely. “Holding out hope for the morning. It’s a bit odd that she’s still sleeping and unresponsive—her wounds are healing up nicely and her vitals are good, but… I don’t know…”

I nodded, then stepped closer to his bedside, unable to hide my concern.

“How are you feeling, Patrik?”

“I’m fine. Fit as a fiddle. No need to worry about me.”

“Okay. Well, the others are on their way. They should be here shortly,” I said, then pointed at the map and notes. “I went ahead and brought these over.”

“You look ravishing tonight,” Patrik said, prompting my pulse to go on a marathon through my body. I even felt my cheeks catch fire under his darkened blue gaze.

“Thank you,” I murmured, suddenly feeling self-conscious.

He cleared his throat, then pulled himself into an upright position, his back resting against the headboard.

“How was the Spring Ball?” he asked, refusing to take his eyes off me. Instead, he allowed his gaze to wander up and down my body, to settle on my bodice and bare shoulders before finding my face again.

“It… It was nice. An interesting affair, to say the least.” I smiled, my nerves buzzing. “Everyone was so well dressed. The music was good. They had a variety of delightful blood cocktails at the bar… I caught up with Avril and Heron before I left. They returned from the Roho mansion and kept dancing around, pretending nothing happened. They got some information from Arrah, which they’ll share with us in a bit… It was a good night. A fun night, too… I even danced with a couple of Maras.”

I noticed the subtle change in his expression as I mentioned my dance partners. He looked away for a second, then gave me a weak, almost sad smile.

“I’m not surprised,” he said. “What person in their right mind wouldn’t want to dance with a beautiful creature like you?”

My skin simmered under his softening gaze. My heart picked up its pace, but I didn’t get to say anything. The door opened and in walked the rest of our team, all still glamorous in their ball outfits, causing Patrik to roar with laughter.

“Wow, don’t you all look dashing and fabulous?” he chuckled.

“You’re lucky you got to stay here,” Jax muttered as he walked over to the table and pulled it closer to the bed. “Let’s get to work.”

“Someone’s in a mood,” Heron quipped from behind.

We all gathered around the table. Jax ignored him and spread the map out, pinning its corners into the wooden surface. I ended up standing next to Patrik’s bedside, his natural scent tickling my senses. I stole a glance at him and saw he was watching me intently. I shifted my focus back to the table, where Caia opened one of her notebooks and helped Jax place pieces of torn paper on precise spots in and around the city, where the victims had last been seen.

“Minah is still under, huh?” Hansa frowned, looking at the Iman girl.

“Yeah, I think we’ll try to wake her up in the morning,” I replied.

“By force, if you have to,” Hansa said. “Cold water, the works.” She then scanned the map, her gaze following Jax’s hands as he marked more disappearance points with pieces of paper.

“Most of the abductions took place in the Valley of Screams,” Harper said, reading the map, while holding her journal and flipping through the notes. “However, six months ago, people started disappearing from the plains. Mostly moon-bison herders.”

She pointed at a designated area on the map. Fiona joined her side, her gaze darting between Harper’s notes and the pieces of paper.

“Then, three months ago, they started vanishing from the base of the mountain,” Fiona added, pointing at specific locations. “Here, here, then here, here, and here.”

“The most recent disappearance was Sienna,” Hansa said, her finger on the top of the mountain, where House Obara was marked.