AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He nods and runs his tongue under the tip of his fang. “Follow me.” He sets off and the army of vampires stares at me. They don’t even have weapons. If the myths are anywhere close to true, they won’t need them. The monsters might be strong, but I don’t know who would win in a fight to the death. Good thing I won’t be finding out today.
“Come on,” I say, scooping up the trulls and setting them on Prometheus’ back. “We have a war to stop.”
FORTY-FIVE
The final decision
ORCUS
We crest the hill that swoops into a low valley where the border between our land and the vampire territory lies. The air holds an unnatural shimmer where our realms split. They’re already here. Glamor is a tricky thing, but once you know what to look for, it’s easier to spot. My father marches down the hill but I halt, holding a hand to command everyone behind me to stop.
“Father.”
He turns back and scowls. “What?”
“They’re here.”
Laughing, he turns and gestures to the clear horizon. “There’s nothing but open air.”
At his words, the glamor is ripped away. Rows upon rows of vampires wait for us, lined up and ready to defend their land. My father takes a quick step back before he can stop himself, but my eyes zero in on Daisy. There are bloodied scratches on her arms and she’s wearing a shirt, but she smiles and waves at me. I narrow my eyes, searching for the glamor.
I don’t trust the vampires, but there’s no shimmer around her form. Her auburn hair is swept up in the breeze, and I swear I can smell her scent even over the unmistakable copper tang of blood filling the air. The bond squeezes with relief and a flood of happiness surges through my system. I send my own relief back and narrow my eyes.
She’s not a prisoner. My eyes fall to the dragon and the trulls beside her. Prometheus?
“I see you came prepared to die!” my father shouts.
Daisy steps forward and not a single vampire moves to stop her. She’s not a prisoner. “Your father did this, Orcus! Not the vampires. He used Zyla’s spell to send me away.”
“They are using your mate to cast lies,” my father calls over his shoulder. “They’re controlling her mind.”
It’s possible. Like glamor, the vampires can compel someone.
Daisy shakes his head. “He’s lying!” The truth of her words speaks to me through the bond.
“She’s been compromised. Command your men now before it’s too late,” my father demands.
“Tell them the truth, Orcus! I met the furies and I told them what happened. They only want your father.”
My father huffs and steps toward her. “Is your mate threatening me?”
A vampire pulls out of line and stands beside Daisy, eyes set on my father. “Any harm to her is an insult to all of us.”
I frown and glance at Maddox. “Did I hear that right? The vampires are defending my mate?”
He nods. “I guess her charm knows no bounds.”
Grunting, I turn back to my ranting father who is starting to rally some of the troops. Orlena steps up beside me and studies the blood suckers with interest.
“I thought they’d be taller,” she murmurs.
Maddox coughs to cover his laugh.
I side-eye both of them. “If you want to start a war, insulting them is the way to do it.”
My father appears at my side and whispers, “Orcus, I’ve trained you for this very moment. Deep down, you know this is what we have to do. So do I. That’s why we’re here; you and I are warriors.”
“Is what she said true?” I study his face and it hardens, telling me all I need to know. “Unbelievable. You didn’t get your way so you found a lie to help get what you want?”
