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There was nothing but death behind the deceptive beauty of the deep waters below. Caverns carved from stone held rogue vampiresthose who had left society, neither wanting to brave the aniccipere-ridden towns of the south or be a part of the debauchery of the City of Nightmares.
Stretches of undisturbed scenery continued for miles, bringing a false sense of freedom as I dipped, slowing before I hit a curve at the base of a mountain. Then, drifting down, I landed in a flurry of white.
Clenching my teeth, my gaze climbed the towering peaks. A shiver danced down my spine, but it wasn’t the cold that bothered me. Thoughts of Olivia echoed in my mind, questions relentlessly poking unwantedly into the peace I craved.
She had gone with the king. But, of course, he wanted to show her off now that she was immortal, bestowed a gift from the gods that no one alive had ever seen before. Neither vampire nor sorceress of a god, but a mix between them. I recalled the smell of the cloying elixir—which the goddess had once given her lover to make him immortal—clinging to Olivia when she approached me after awakening. It was in my veins along with every other vampire. Except ours was mixed with a curse—an unending bloodlust, heightened emotions, and the allure to delve into the darkness.
The gods had removed the threat of death, giving her an eternity of life. They allowed her to keep her magic, along with other mortal luxuries. I half-expected to envy her, but I only felt relief. Suddenly, all I cared about was her. Her soul consumed every part of me, feeling unlike anything I’d ever experienced. It was as if I was wearing my heart on the outside of my body.
I sucked in a deep breath, tucking my wings behind my back as ice crunched under my shoes. Finally, I found an edge to sit on, surrounded by nothing, and loosed a sigh.
She was my soulmate. There was no other explanation, no matter how much I tried to find another. She deserved better than that, and yet, I was her soulmate. Destined long before either of us ever came to the world.
Closing my eyes against the stark white, I focused on the threads of uncertainty and shock coursing through me. My shoulders tensed as the flap of wings sounded through the whistles of wind. Jumping to my feet, I looked up, blinking away flakes of snow resting on my eyelashes. A bold silhouette blocked out a ray of sunlight dappled by the clouds. The figure slowed their flight, drifting down to where I stood.
A mess of silver hair flung behind him, and I breathed a sigh of relief as Zach landed in front of me. “I thought I might find you hiding out here.”
I rubbed my forehead, settling myself back onto the iced mountain edge. “I needed a moment…”
“To think?” he finished. “Yes, I figured.”
“Alone,” I said, my tone harsher than I wanted. His silver eyes shone as they reflected the blanket of snow under our feet. “Olivia,” I said breathily. “I think she’s my soulmate.”
“I could have told you that, brother.”
My lips curved a hint. We weren’t siblings by blood, but there was no other word to describe what Zach was to me. “How long did you know?”
“It was obvious. You were both so absorbed with your schemes and brooding you couldn’t see it.” His expression remained stoic, but a glint of humor danced on the edge of his lips.
“I wasn’t brooding.”
He arched a thin eyebrow, a smirk creasing his skin. “Let’s call it self-loathing then.”
I buried my head in my hands, removing my gaze from his incredulous stare. “How did you know Levian was yours?” I asked, recalling the stories of Zach’s former partner before he died.
“As you know, I didn’t before he was turned. Immortality heightens everything, especially a soulmate connection. Looking back, I knew he was special while he was mortal, and had I known more about soulmates, I might have guessed. But after he became a vampire, it was unlike anything I’d experienced before.” His eyebrows pinched together as he looked at the snow, glassy-eyed. “He felt like home. I could no longer deny the pull between us. At first, he consumed me. It wasn’t always easy. He challenged me unlike any other.”
“That’s how I feel,” I admitted, my heart hollowing. “She deserves better.”
He scoffed. “Brother, you think so little of yourself, I can’t stand it. While she may be kind, Olivia isn’t without her many flaws.”
“You’ve never liked her.”
“It’s not that.” He fumbled with his fingers. “She’s just young. Barely twenty. She doesn’t know the world yet, and you know how I feel about dramatics.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but smirked instead.
“She’s growing stronger,” he intoned. “I’ve been watching from the shadows.”
“Of course, you have.” I glanced up at the sky. “And yes, she is. Especially now that she’s an immortal.”
“The gods saw her worthy. That’s good enough for me.”
My eyebrows flicked up. “I’m glad, and she has a good heart.”
“She does, but please don’t discount yourself. You’re fiercely protective, loyal, and you know, sometimes you make people laugh.”
“Ah, so you finally admit I’m funny.”
