A Valley of Darkness (A Shade of Vampire #52)(65)

I exhaled sharply, making sure he heard me. He’d noticed me following him, somehow. This was starting to feel like a game.

I need to get better at tailing people, obviously, but sure, let’s play…

I took a couple of steps back, then turned to reach the stables, pretending to leave. I glanced to my right, and saw his dark figure come closer, hiding behind a tree and holding his chest, his back still at me. I moved forward, then darted to the right and after him.

He didn’t see it coming. I quickly closed the twenty-foot distance between us, went around the thick pine tree he’d been watching me from, and launched a left hook to take him by surprise. My fist crashed into the solid bark. The wood splintered, and I gasped.

I thought he’d be here…

His leg came hard from behind, kicking me in my lower back. It bruised a kidney for sure, and I coughed from the pain, but immediately turned and hit him with a straight arm. I hit his ear, enough to throw him off balance but not enough to overpower him.

He was fast. He blocked a couple more hits before I grabbed him by the back of his neck and brought my knee up. I went for his wounded chest this time, and his grunt confirmed I’d gotten him. But it wasn’t over. He threw out a low kick, his shin crashing into the side of my left knee, then another to knock me off my feet completely.

I fell backward with an uncharacteristic squeal and landed with a thud on the hard ground. He came on top of me, bringing his whole weight down to keep me pinned, his forearm pushing against my throat. I used my arms to push him off me, but he didn’t budge. His jade eyes were fixed on mine. He wasn’t there to hurt me. He would’ve drawn his sword already, had that been the case.

“Nicely done,” I croaked, my air supply nearly cut off.

He didn’t reply, but he didn’t let go either. Which was great, because I finally had him right where I wanted him. I turned my True Sight on.

Now, let’s see...

And I stilled then. I could see it clearly, beneath the layer of black leather. His firm jaw, the blade of his nose, and his soft lips pressed into a thin line. My heart nearly exploded, my eyes wide and my breath gone.

“Caspian,” I whispered.

The shock on his face was almost endearing. He had yet to completely figure out my sentry abilities. He’d probably seen me push some barriers out, but he’d yet to see me use my True Sight. I knew he’d noticed the golden glimmer in my eyes, though. It was so similar to the Maras’ biology that a lightbulb must have gone on in his head.

He was stunned, gaping at me. His whole body tensed. He suddenly felt heavier on top of me.

“You… You saved us. Twice,” I said.

Caspian pushed himself back to his feet, bringing his hand back to his chest wound. His shoulders dropped as he probably struggled with the fact that I’d figured out who he was. A minute went by in heavy, awkward silence, but he didn’t take his eyes off me. He blinked several times.

“How did you know? How can you see me?” he asked, his voice low and gruff. He brought his hand up to his face instinctively, as if to check that the mask was still covering it.

My state of shock dissolved as more questions emerged in my head. Why had he saved me in the first place? Why was he covering his face? He was a prime suspect in our investigation—why was he helping us?

“I can see through almost anything,” I replied, secretly relishing the surprised look on his face. I took a step forward and pulled his mask off. He frowned, but didn’t stop me or push me away.

“How?”

“It’s one of my abilities.” I raised an eyebrow, not liking the fact that I was the one being interrogated. “Why did you save us? Why are you hiding like this? What’s going on here, Caspian?”

“You’re in over your head, Harper,” he said, and came closer.

My bravery melted, and I found myself holding my breath again with just two inches between us. But I didn’t want to let go of my anger. He’d lied to me. He’d kept things from me. He wasn’t answering my questions, and boy, I had lots!

“You know that’s not going to work on me,” I shot back, poking him in the chest. He squirmed, and I froze, remembering he’d been injured. “Sorry. But not that sorry. Answer my questions, damn it!”

He let out a sigh of exasperation and walked past me, back to the stables.

“Oh, no, no, no, you don’t get to walk away from me this time!” I said, and grabbed his arm, forcing him to turn around.

I heard the screech of his sword coming out of its sheath before I felt the blade stop beneath my chin. His nostrils flared as he glowered at me.

“If you can see through things, I’m guessing you’ve seen what those creatures are and what they look like,” he replied, gritting his teeth. “If you don’t think you’re in over your head, then you must be suicidal!”

“I can’t see them—I can’t see beyond whatever it is that makes them invisible!” I replied. “I don’t… I don’t get it! What’s going on, Caspian? Talk to me!”

He pushed the blade a little deeper, enough for it to nick my skin. I held my ground, though. I knew he wasn’t aiming to hurt me. He wanted to intimidate me, and I had to show him I wasn’t so easy to scare. Our eyes were locked on each other, and heat poured through me, but I refused to play his game.