A Valley of Darkness (A Shade of Vampire #52)(39)

Patrik





I had been fast asleep. Whatever I’d been dreaming scattered so fast, I only caught glimpses of hazelnut-brown hair before my eyes popped open. I’d heard something. A noise that didn’t belong in my subconscious. Footsteps.

The ceiling above me was pristine white. I was still in the infirmary, in my bed. I glanced over to Minah and froze at the sight of two large, dark figures standing by her bedside. I couldn’t make out what they were, but they were tall, towering over her.

My defensive instincts kicked in, and I moved to get them away from the Iman girl, but a pair of bright, golden eyes popped into my field of vision and everything went black. Reality dissipated, and I was instantly embraced by soft dreams, Kyana’s voice soothing my soul.

“Come closer,” she said, her voice soft and seductive.

I did just that, and I found myself in our first bed in a small cabin on the outskirts of Luceria. I’d been stationed there by Almus, Draven’s father and then Master Druid of Persea.

This was one of my most beautiful memories, the morning after the first night I’d spent with Kyana. I’d caught her sneaking fire orchids out of Luceria—purely by accident. The flowers were rare and expensive at the time. I knew, judging by her modest clothing, that she couldn’t afford fire orchids herself. I’d confronted her about it, and she’d flung blue flames at me. I’d realized then that I was dealing with a Lamia. She was stunning and bold. My heart went berserk. My senses betrayed me.

We ended up drinking sweet plum cider in a nearby inn, before it was leveled by Azazel’s Destroyers. I let her go with her fire orchids, and I went to my cabin. I found her standing there, leaning against the wooden doorframe.

She was mine, and I was hers.

“Come closer,” she said once more. I wrapped my arms around her narrow waist and let my hands explore the daring curves of her hips, my fingers digging into her soft flesh. She was sweet and addictive. I kissed her deeply, tasting the fruity notes of her lips, then pulled my head back and stilled. This wasn’t Kyana anymore.

I was holding Scarlett, her warm brown hair cascading over the pillows, her body bare beneath mine. I could see the sky in her eyes, and my every muscle resonated with desire. I cupped her cheek with one hand, while the other was busy tracing invisible lines down her thigh. She smiled, and I burned for her.

I kissed her, losing myself in her, allowing myself to consume her in my dream.

That was all I could do when it came to Scarlett, at least until my guilt over mourning Kyana came back to haunt me. I could dream.





Harper





(Daughter of Hazel & Tejus)





I woke up in a foul mood after last night’s encounter with Caspian. It was enough to animate me out of bed. I washed some of the nerves away with a hot bath, then geared up and met the rest of my team downstairs.

The Iman bartender was kind enough to serve us blood shots.

“On the house.” He winked at me, then poured me a cup of hot coffee, which I gulped down before Hansa motioned for us to go. It burned so good, given the chilled state I’d grown accustomed to as a vampire.

I gave the guy a thankful nod, then headed down to the infirmary, close behind Hansa and the team. I wasn’t the only one with a grumpy face on, either. There was enough tension between Hansa and Jax to chop with an axe. I didn’t have enough time to study the others’ expressions much, as we soon reached the infirmary level.

Hansa opened the door and froze, while the rest of us huddled behind her.

“Patrik!” she shouted, and rushed inside.

I followed, then stilled at the sight of a very pale and very dead Minah, and Patrik, who was passed out in his bed. I heard gasps behind me as Caia, Scarlett, Fiona, and Avril came in, followed by Jax, Heron, and Blaze.

“Patrik!” Scarlett yelped and ran to his bedside.

I rushed over to Minah, staring at her. There was no pulse. The heart had stilled many hours earlier. I used my True Sight to scan her body, and Jax came up next to me.

“What the hell happened here?” He was livid.

“I don’t know, but there’s no clear cause of death. I’m looking,” I said, my teeth gritting.

“Patrik, wake up!” Scarlett cried out, grabbing him by the shoulders and shaking him.

He moaned but wasn’t much more responsive than that.

“Snap out of it, Druid!” Hansa barked, and slapped him hard, enough for Patrik’s eyes to open wide. He sat up, breathing heavily. He blinked several times, trying to get a hold of himself, his cheek reddening.

Scarlett placed her hand on his shoulder, her gaze darting between him and Minah.

“Patrik, what happened?” she asked, her voice trembling.

He stared at her for a second, visibly confused.

“What do you mean, what happened?” he croaked, then glanced over to me, then Minah, and his face was instantly drained of color. “No… No, no, no!”

He jumped out of bed and reached Minah. Jax and I stood on the other side of the Iman girl, and the rest of the team was gathered around the foot of her bed. The looks on their faces said it all. This was a grim predicament, to say the least.

Our only decent witness was dead.

“No… What… What happened?” Patrik gasped with a pained expression as he touched the girl’s cold face.