“And go where?” I ask.
“I’ve heard some human named Columbus discovered a new world. It’s across the ocean. That should do it.”
Karl looks at me again. “Would you consider leaving all we know behind, Cher?”
“Yes. Europe has brought us nothing but pain and sorrow. Maybe we can be happy in this new world.”
My words ring false, but Karl nods nonetheless. It doesn’t matter where we are. Those damn vampires left their marks on our souls, and no time or distance will remove that.
Four
KARL
ELLNESARI, PRESENT DAY
Ifeel like the worst brother in the world for leaving Cheryl behind to fight those monsters. I know Ronan will protect her—hell, he might even give up his life to save her—but I’m her only family. The guilt sits heavily on my chest, but I have to believe they’ll both be okay.
It’s hard to imagine I’m now able to tolerate being in the presence of the male who came between Manu and me. The spell Solomon cast on me to numb the pain of the betrayal helped, but what keeps my wolf from killing him now is gratitude for saving my sister’s life when no one else would.
What’s done is done. I have no choice but to follow Manu’s scent. I’m not sure how long has passed since we left Ellnesari through Rikkon’s portal and came back. Time moves differently here. But her scent is still fresh, and it’s getting stronger, which means I’m going in the right direction. I begin to hope we’ll be able to leave this place before one of us gets seriously hurt or imprisoned, but the optimistic thought comes too soon. I pick up another scent, and my sense of foreboding is impossible to ignore. A Nightingale male found Manu before I could. I slowdown and examine the place where they met, finding markings that indicate she fell. There aren’t any signs of struggle or the scent of blood, though.
She got up, and her footprints signify that she followed him. I can’t tell if she went by choice or not. But now that I know she’s not alone, I have to be careful. I keep running, mindful to avoid stepping on dried branches or anything that will make noise.
My senses are so homed in on her scent and on the tracks that I don’t notice I’m no longer alone until something collapses on top of me, pinning me down. I squirm under the weight, trying to break free and see what’s holding me down. It’s a Nightingale male—a soldier. Fuck me. I snarl, then attempt to bite his skin, but all my teeth find is hard metal.
The male rolls off me, and I spring back on my paws, ready to attack. But I hesitate. The soldier is lying on his back with his eyes closed. He doesn’t look well. Is he injured? I don’t see any visible wounds. After a moment, I do notice the emblem on his armor. He’s a soldier from the Aquila Kingdom army. He could be useful.
Going against my survival instincts, I shift back to my human form. I need to be able to communicate with him. I shake his shoulder. “Hey, are you alive?”
He grunts. “Apparently.”
I don’t sense any aggression coming from him. In fact, he seems more annoyed than anything. “What’s wrong with you?”
“I… hell. I don’t know.” He opens his eyes and turns to me slowly. “It feels like I just woke up from a coma. My head is fuzzy, and I’m so fucking cold.”
I’m wasting precious time. The longer I stay here, the farther away Manu gets. “I need to travel through the Aquila domain undetected. I’ll help you if you help me.”
His eyes widen. “Wait. Are we in Ellnesari, wolf boy?”
His question gives me pause. “Where else would we be?”
He sits up, pressing the heel of his hand against his forehead. “My mind feels like scrambled eggs. I have no recollection of returning to Ellnesari.”
My head is spinning. I think I know who this soldier is. “You were sent to the human lands to spy on Rikkon and Vivi, weren’t you?”
“Yes.” He narrows his eyes. “I know you. You were Vryenn’s friend. How did you cross into Ellnesari? The gates have been sealed for millennia.”
“It’s a long story. I’ll tell you on the way. Do we have a deal?”
He rubs his face, then looks into the distance. “I have the strangest feeling that I’m not supposed to help you, but…” He turns to me. “I don’t see why not. You have a deal.”
MANU
When I made the rash decision to stay behind in Ellnesari, I wasn’t counting on being captured within minutes. I should have foreseen that Queen Maewe would send one of her soldiers to spy on our party. I’ve tried to get Telar, the captain of the Aquila army, to tell me where he’s taking me, but the asshole remains quiet no matter what I say to him. He seems immune to my sharp tongue, which is the only weapon I have at my disposal since he bound my hands with his magical vines, and after I threw a stone at him, he took away my ability to bend over to pick up something else to use against him. Maybe when I get free, I can steal his vines. They’re handy.
I lose track of time, but it seems we’ve been walking for hours. We’re still deep in the forest, but the trees have changed shape. Instead of trunks that spiral upward, this forest has treesthat are as thick as buildings and so tall, I can’t see their tops. Just a few rays of sunlight manage to break through the canopy.
I’m still not used to being outside during broad daylight. I expect to burst into flames at a moment’s notice. I try to stay in the shaded areas as best as I can, but my captor cares little about my fear of the sun. In fact, he seems intent on taking the most illuminated path. If I allow the separation to become too much, I’m yanked forward by the magic he used to tether me to him.
