Page 263 of Volik

In stillness.

The girl is holding too much magic in her too fragile shell.

Burnt mint and singed orchids fade into the air.

The vampire pair kneels beside their kin. Their cries sink into the dirt.

The friends stand. Heads lowered.

And the old druid watches.

Sadness grows around the group.

The fates weigh the options.

The outcomes.

The goodness of the bonded souls.

One minute becomes three.

Then the old druid smiles.

A pulse shakes the earth beneath the vampire and his vampire mate.

And for the third time, their hearts beat again.

Chapter 120

Nix

My eyes snap open.

The pressure in my skull crescendos.

Something pulls.

Tugs.

There’s noise.

People moving. Speaking. Crying.

But my eyes roll back as the ache turns into something… good.

Really good.

I feel really good.

Tired.

Drugged?

Just good.

I nuzzle my cheek against my mate’s warm chest. And I inhale his scent of fresh mint.

Chapter 121