AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I collapse to all fours, panting. My clothing is cut along my arms and legs, but we’re alive. The thick material saved me from worse injury.
Black riding boots stop in front of me. I sit back on my haunches, balling my trembling hands into fists, and tilt my head up.
“How did you know that would work?” Lawrence asks.
“I wasn’t entirely sure,” I say honestly. “At the camp, they seemed to be blinded or confused by the fire…” I trail off, not sure what else to say.
The corner of his mouth quirks up, and then he laughs—a full belly laugh—holding his stomach as he bends at the waist.
Cassius takes my elbow and helps me rise to my feet. I ignore him as he checks me over for injuries. Della bumps my shoulder and gives me a questioning glance, frowning at her sire. I shrug and shake my head. Eventually, Lawrence’s laughter dies down, and he swipes at his face.
“Care to share what is so amusing with the rest of us?” Cassius asks dryly.
I roll my eyes. Lawrence sweeps me up in an embrace, pinning my arms to my side as spins me around.
“Do you two realize what happened?” He sets me down, eyes sparkling with amusement. “A human just saved our vampire asses because she was the only one who observed those creatures.” He breaks out in more laughter.
Cassius cups the back of my neck, pulling me into his side, and places a kiss on my head. “That she did.”
I duck from between them and move to Della’s far side. She seems to be less likely to embrace me.These demon sent vampires are so touchy.
Feeling uncomfortable, I shrug it off. “I am used to things trying to kill me,” I say waving to indicate the three of them. “The rest of you are used to being the predators, not the prey.”
“What were those things anyway?” Della asks. “I’ve never heard of such a creature.”
Cassius turns to check the horses and says, “In all my years, I have heard of no legends that describe anything like that. My best guess is that it’s a mutation caused by the extra power leaking from the Otherworld, or demons mating with various flying creatures. There are many peculiar things in this area.”
Della shudders.
“It’s getting late,” I say. We have another full day’s ride ahead of us at the very least.
They murmur their agreements, and we all mount up and ride, keeping the pace is slow. But at least we are moving.
An hour after the sun sets, a city of lights glitters on the horizon. I sit up straight and lean forward. Cassius wraps an arm around my middle and pulls me back.
“Don’t fly away just yet, little bird. We still have a long way to go.” He pulls the horse to a stop.
I twist to face him. “We’re almost there.”
“It’s not as close as you think,” he explains, dismounting and helping me down. “We’ll rest here for a few hours.”
Lawrence and Della say nothing as they obey.
Nightwich is on the horizon and I can’t tear my eyes from the city. The pressure of time grows heavier with each passing minute. We are so close I can practically taste it.
Cassius walks up behind me and takes my shoulders, turning me away from Alaric and toward the fire. “We can’t have you exhausted when we return. You need to keep a level head now more than ever.”
Nodding, I let him steer me toward the fire.
Even knowing it’s only my imagination, I can almost feel Alaric’s presence through the mark.
23
Clara
I pace along the edge of camp, unable to tear my gaze from the castle set against the black wall of mountains at its back. The crescent-shaped city rings Nightwich, glittering like the cloudless starry sky above. It’s beautiful from this distance, as if it belongs in a fairytale.
After we made camp and ate, I managed to rest for a few hours before my frantically beating heart woke me. The nightmare of returning to Nightwich only to find Alaric oath bound to Elizabeth kept me from going back to sleep.
