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The words had her falling farther back into the crowd, farther into herself, and away from McKenna’s body. She’d left her life as a protector behind for good reason. She’d failed ones she’d loved. Her parents. Her sisters. Her betrothed. And without her flame, she wasn’t good enough.
Three things killed a vampyr: a stake to the heart, beheading, and burning them with fire. Evelyn’s flame, the part of her magic she could no longer wield, was the perfect weapon against them. Evelyn flinched, the teachings of her childhood tutor replaying in her mind. Her flame was a gift from the Goddess, a beacon of hope for witches and werewolves, and ultimately the only way to defeat the vampyr.
Without it, what was she?
Rain began, and the steady drizzle drove the townsfolk away. Droplets traveled down Evelyn’s neck as uncertainty crept through her. It didn’t matter how much time had passed, the impulse to protect never stopped raging within her, but Evelyn reminded herself she’d also left to protect her people.
Her flame wasn’t only a weapon but a beacon of hope. If anyone were to learn she’d lost it . . . Evelyn shuddered, imagining how devastated witches and werewolves would be, how disappointed her sisters would’ve been. Even worse, if the vampyr king ever learned she no longer had her flame, Sorin would be on the cusp of a dangerous possibility.
War.
The vampyr king and his army hadn’t entered Sorin in a calculated attack since she and Kade were born. Other than demons and scáths crossing the Void, war had ceased for twenty-five years. There’d been one union preceding Evelyn and Kade, formed almost a century before. Though unsuccessful in defeating the darkness, they’d created the strongholds at the Void and the Wall around Nua. Some wondered if the efforts had paid off, keeping the king and his armies out. A few feared the vampyr king grew stronger and waited until the right moment to strike. Most believed he feared the prophecy, and the promise of a marriage between Evelyn and Kade protected them.
For that reason alone, Evelyn could not allow any vampyr to learn of her lost flame and risk a war the witches and werewolves could not win.
Maxie meowed and rubbed Evelyn’s lower legs with her cheek, as if asking, what are you going to do?
Evelyn considered.
The blue-tint of McKenna’s skin taunted her, egging her on to do something. Say something. Yet, two years ago, she had tried to do something, save her parents from vampyrs, and had failed in the process. Her power of flame had been extinguished, had left her, and they’d died. Her failure had cost her parents their lives, and she’d never forgiven herself. Despite wanting to help, the weight of her failures was far too heavy, burdening Evelyn’s tired being and spent spirit. If she wasn’t good enough to protect her own people, what good would she be to Callum?
“Best we leave,” Evelyn whispered, scooping Maxie up and heading for the hills surrounding the town.
Chapter Two
Kade
Kade Drengr hated boats.
He’d much prefer the bite of a nathair demon or even a week’s worth of patrolling the Void in his werewolf form than the sway of the sea. Full of darkness and demons, the Void stood as the desolate divide between Drystan, the land of vampyr, and the continent of Sorin. Kade would face that sliver of chaos willingly, but stars above, not a boat.
His sense of unwavering duty had driven him onto the ship, and now, as he made his way down the dock of Callum, the ebb of waves still locked into his knees, Kade sent a small prayer to the Moon God that the four-week voyage had been worth it. Waves crashed against the dock and his stomach heaved at the sound. Worse, the stink of fish and salt hung in the wind, and his werewolf sense of smell couldn’t escape it.
The townsfolk stared as Kade made his way farther from the ships. His traveling leathers and billowing cloak contrasted to the wool everyone wore, down to their hats. Kade’s large stature and towering height didn’t help. Few came up to his breastbone, craning their necks to get a better look.
He had at least wrapped his sword to hide the hilt and pocketed the brooch that usually secured his cloak. Nothing gave away his name, and thanks to Evelyn’s middle sister, Blair, he wore an enchanted necklace to hide his werewolf magic. Kade could still feel his inner wolf, a strong magic that enhanced his senses and allowed him to shift into a beast, but others were none the wiser.
Over the last few months, he’d adapted his disguise. The black color distinguished him as a huntsman, a human traveler and mercenary who slayed demons and beasts for hire. He prayed his disguise would be enough when he and Evelyn finally came face to face.
Bleu, Kade’s war horse and only companion, walked beside him at a steady pace as if he too wanted to put as much distance between him and the Sapphire Sea as he could. Together they towered over the humans working on the docks, Bleu’s hooves clattering against the wood planks. The people of Callum continued to stare with curiosity but not suspicion.
The rolling clouds from the sea cast a gray, ominous hue over the hilly land and colorful town, so different from the lands of his people, full of pines, mountains, and lush with life.
Kade sighed, smoothing his hand over his thick beard. He missed home. He’d been traveling for almost a year and craved fresh pine in the air and the cooing of songbirds, the ability to shift into his wolf form and feel the plush forest floor under his paws, guided by the moonlight bleeding through the canopy above.
Instead, he was on this seemingly endless search for Evelyn Carson, Daughter of the Goddess, and his betrothed. She’d left just before they were to unify their souls as husband and wife, setting in motion a prophecy that had been given four centuries ago.
The truest of unions between the third-borns of the Sun and Moon will defeat the darkness.
Kade believed in the prophecy. Breathed it. He swore by his duty, recalling what his Mother had taught him. She’d been the third-born in her family, too, the only daughter but a protector, nonetheless. When Kade’s life had been threatened during a vampyr attack ten years ago, she’d distracted the beasts, sacrificing herself and giving him the chance to live so he might fulfill the prophecy. Evelyn, on the other hand, had abandoned her duty as Daughter of the Goddess, run not only from their union but their people, and jeopardized the chance to defeat the vampyr.
With each step up the docks, he shook away thoughts of the sea and resentment toward Evelyn. He’d come all this way, searched all this time to find her, convince her to return so they could fulfill their duty once and for all. Festering in his frustration did him no favors.
Kade ducked, and Bleu bristled as a fish flew over them. Another flew from one boat to the other. Crewmen unloaded ships and pushed barrels down ramps. Captains argued with other captains as respective crewmen eyed the opposing group. Merchants traveled down the dock with their carts. Crates of fruit and grain lined the walkway. Currents of people came and went.
He pushed onward, guiding Bleu as he did until, finally, they left the docks and entered what appeared to be a harbor market. He circled through it, passing vendors using tents, tables, and wagons to sell goods of various types: produce, linen, baked items. Compared to the bustling dock, few townsfolk shopped at the vendors.
Sea wind barreled past, and the hairs on the back of Kade’s neck rose. His inner wolf, an animalistic magic that gave him strength, the ability to shift, a tracking specialty, and heightened senses, detected something amiss in the air, a tension bristling beyond the smiles of the townspeople. The clouds from the sea continued to roll in, each darker than the last, as evening approached. Even the waters seemed a darker shade of blue and the air grew brisk. Kade sensed something, but he didn’t assess any further as he weaved through the market, shoulders back and eyes ahead.
