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“Don’t fucking say that.” A tear rolled down his cheek. “Don’t tempt fate. Don’t come back if you’re done. I wouldn’t want to force you into another life you’ll hate.”
“I wouldn’t hate it if I got to spend it with you. We’ve earned an easy one, right?”
He hugged me tighter. “You’ve earned peace, Dominic. However that looks.”
I took a shuddering breath. “I’ve done my best.”
“I think the Gods will see it.”
I pressed my face into his chest. “I hope so.”
“But Dominic.”
“Yes?”
He tugged my hair until I brought my face up. “Promise me you’ll fight to stay here with me. Please.”
“I promise.”
FORTY-TWO
VINKETTIN
The land screamed as we tried to cross the ward. Every cell in my body told me to turn around. I’d never felt a deterrent spell so powerful. Each step was an effort. The ground felt like quicksand, and my chest filled with dread. I had to keep reminding myself all of it was manufactured.
We entered a thick fog, and I couldn’t see even a breath in front of my face.
“Take hands,” Dominic called out in a rough whisper. “We don’t want them to separate us.”
My hand found his, and Az’s found mine.
The ground changed from sand to thick underbrush. Every root tried to catch my feet, fighting forward movement. Like it would pull us under the soil and devour us to feed the trees.
Suddenly, it cleared, and we stood in a moonlit field with a little cottage on a hill. It felt like every fairytale I’d avoided. Little puffs of smoke left the chimney. A well sat off to one side. Flowers littered the grass. It was idyllic, which put me off more than the approach had.
Their smell hit me before they came into view.
Vampires.
They appeared out of thin air, standing between us and the cottage.
“Get off our land.”
“You stole this land,” Dominic replied.
“We got this land in a treaty. It’s rightfully ours,” the female vampire said.
“I recognize no such treaty, as the protector of this land and the throughway.” Dominic let go of my hand and stepped forward to separate himself from our little group.
“Just because you don’t know it happened doesn’t mean it wasn’t with your kind. We have the proof.”
“My kind doesn’t have the authority to give away the treaty land.” Dominic was right.
The vampire laughed, musical and condescending. “I don’t care what you think has happened. The land recognizes our hold.”
“It won’t recognize it when you’re dead.” Dominic snarled, his wolf showing.
“Do you wish to die today?” She eyed him. “You must know what we’ve been doing here. We are more powerful than you have any hope to be, thanks to your brother.” She smiled, and I believed her.
