AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Which one of you lying traitors wants to follow Rool?” I look at the Blood soldiers surrounding us.
With the sort of swiftness only a vampire has, they unsheathe their swords and come at us.
But I’m not hundreds of years old, trained to fight like they are. I’m the first to go down. A sword right through my chest.
Gabrio tries to come to my aid, but the Blood soldier who just stabbed me starts fighting with him. The clanking of metal swords rings in my ears alongside the loud thumping of my beating heart.
As I lie there, drifting out of consciousness, the cries of war and animalistic grunting explode in the air. In my fading peripheral vision, I see vampires flattened like ripe red tomatoes under large, callused feet, while other vampires howl in agony under the hot sun. A War woman traveling with us fends off five vampires who are crawling on her like hungry, rabid rats—biting and clawing at her skin. Horns sound off high above us from the wall. I hope it means the cavalry is coming.
“Lake!” Alwar’s deep voice calls to me among the chaos. I know he’s trying to get to me but can’t.
“You will never be our queen, you weak, pathetic excuse of a Blood woman.” Standing over me is a pale man with a baby faceand hate in his cold eyes. He’s holding a hunting knife covered in blood.
“Is that a promise?” I mutter.
“Yes.”
The words glow red in front of me and drift to my skin. He watches, momentarily distracted.
“I have a promise for you, too,” I mumble. “You’ll never win the wall.”
“Arrgh!” Gabrio comes up behind him and stabs the vampire in the side.
The soldier turns, and I watch as he hits Gabrio in the chest. The two men drop to the dirt, but Gabrio rolls on top of the soldier and stabs him directly in the heart.
Gabrio falls next to me onto his back. “See. I told you, Lake. I was never afraid to…die…for…” His voice fades.
“Gabrio?”
His green eyes drift up to the sky, and then like a switch is flipped, they’re blank. No one’s home.
“Gabrio?” I cry. “No…no…no…” I slide my hand into his. It’s warm. It has to stay that way. “Bard! Where are you?”
I black out, knowing I’m right behind Gabrio. I wonder if there’s a heaven for giants. I hope I’m allowed to visit.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
I’m sitting at a café table next to a busy sidewalk in Paris, a lit cigarette in my hand. I glance at my watch.He’s late. Where the hell is he?
I flick my cigarette on the ground and flag down the server, pointing to my empty cup. “Another espresso. Please.Merci. Whateverthefuck.”
I push the tiny cup next to the other three empty ones while I watch happy fuckers stroll by, talking on their phones, carrying bags, or chatting with their friends.
Bastards. I hate them all.They don’t know how good they have it. They don’t know all the sacrifices we made so they can just carry on like nothing’s happened.
So many lives lost. So many dreams broken. So many families destroyed.
Entitled assholes.I peel my gaze from the blissfully ignorant masses to check my watch again as if it’ll somehow make him show up faster.Where is he?
I’m expecting Bard.Wait. No, it’s Alwar.I shake my head. I can’t remember, even if I’ve had this dream dozens of times.
“Lake?”
I look up to find a stunning set of emerald-green eyes beaming down on me.
“Gabrio? What are you doing here?”
He’s human size, clean shaven, and his golden haircut is short. He looks…beautiful, as always.
