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He only growled angrily in reply, shooting her a threatening glare.
"Of course he cares about her," Lucy said with a snort. "My brother may be an ass, but he's not heartless. We all care about her. She's our friend."
It's true. It seemed that without meaning to, the girl made a mark on each of us. In her own quiet way, she carved out her place in my home and in my pack, and now, the house felt too large and empty without her. Even the garden seemed duller in her absence, with a few of the plants withering and the flowers only smelling half as sweet.
"Then why did she abandon us?" Mark asked angrily. "Why did she abandon her own mate?"
Lucy glanced at me and then lowered her gaze to her hands.
"We don't know the whole story," Nico protested cautiously. "She attacked the Night King to protect the two of us. Why would she do that if she was one of them and not one of us?"
"Perhaps she is both," Amara replied, and all eyes turned to her. "Things are rarely black and white, and we know better than most that appearances can be deceiving. Perhaps her allegiances are torn. Or perhaps she was turned into a vampire against her will."
"She also said the ball being thrown was in her honor. She told us she wanted to stay," Mark huffed, sinking back into his seat.
It didn't add up. None of this made any sense. All I knew was that I ached for her.
I still do.
Even now, as I stand on the edge of a precipice, watching the vampire's fortress in the distance, I can sense her. I feel the space between us and the absence of her by my side, and it's driving me mad.
Maybe coming here was a mistake. If Mark's fears prove to be true, it's likely we're walking into a bloodbath. But from the moment Mark and Nico returned without the girl, I knew I would go back for her. There hadn't been any doubt in my mind, not for a single second.
I brought an army to the doorstep of the vampire's kingdom, and I will not leave until I see her. If the vampires hurt her, then I will kill every last one of them. If she is truly one of them and this is the home that she chose for herself... then I will see to it that she is safe in it. I will fight for her until my dying breath.
It's strange to think that I'd been so afraid she would betray me, just as my Elaine betrayed Ector. I'd stayed away for countless nights, imagining all the ways in which such a small, sweet girl could destroy me. But I think I finally understand my father. At long last, I forgive him.
I used to think he gave up in the end. I believed he was weak for loving my mother until it killed him, and I blamed him for letting go. But I realize now that there are things a man cannot walk away from. Whether it is because of the mating bond, some greater destiny, or just because of her... I don't care. I chose her. Whatever that means, and whatever it takes, I chose her.
This nameless girl with her violet eyes and kind smile has consumed me. I can't shake away the softness of her touch, the curious awe in her gaze, the gentle caress of her lips on mine.
There was such silent strength in her. I saw it the first time I met her when she fought back against her cousin. I saw it again when she took my hand and accepted an unknown future by my side. When she woke screaming from the nightmares of her past, she held me with such tenderness, such care. When she tended to the garden, she did it with pure joy, finding bliss in something so simple. Just when I thought she could not surprise me any more, she bared herself to me, challenging me and drawing me in all at once.
Her courage is written on the scars on her skin and in the hope in her eyes. Such hope... even after everything she'd suffered. She'd survived. Just as Sophie had said, not only had the girl endured, she'd thrived. She'd blossomed.
Like a haunting tide, every time something pushed her away from me, she pulled me back in. Now I cannot let her go. I see her eyes every time I close my own and hear her voice in the depths of my dreams.
"Tristan." My Beta's voice pierces through my thoughts, and I turn to find Mark approaching me with a grave look on her face. "Our forces are ready to move on your command, but we just received word from the vampires."
Is it from her? Did the girl receive my message?
"What did they say?"
"The Night King wishes to meet with you directly. He will wait for you at nightfall on the bridge that leads into the fortress."
"Any word from the girl? Will the king meet me alone?"
A meeting between two kings before the battle. It could mean anything. The vampire lord might try to discuss an alliance or a treaty, or he could just as easily challenge me to single combat.
"Doesn't say. It could be a trap," Mark grunts, but he knows just as well as I do that it won't stop me.
"You know your orders. Stand your ground and don't engage. If things go sideways, protect the pack and find the girl. Keep them safe," I tell him, and for once, he doesn't talk back or argue.
"Please don't go... You're not my enemy, Tristan Lyall... I want to be here, and I don't want to be scared anymore... Don't hold back... I will never run away from you, my King.'
Even if she broke her promise to me, I will not break mine to her. I will protect her from whatever comes next. Or I will die trying.
Chapter Seventeen
