Page 12 of Given

“Given—”

“Never.”

He fell silent. We stared at each other, the gulf between us as wide as the Rift.

And just as permanent.

I turned and walked to the Pass, numb to the stares of the men. I didn’t care if Rolund followed. He was in my past as surely as he was behind me.

For now, the only way for me was forward.

I stopped at the head of the bridge, my skirts gripped in tight fingers and my heart hammering in my chest. The lords and knights of Sithistra clustered on either side of me. No one spoke.

Lord Varick hadn’t moved. On the other side of the Rift, the line of vampire knights still waited atop their mounts. Vampires were faster and stronger than men. In every battle, they had an edge. But only the highborn could endure the sun. For the ordinary citizens of Nor Doru, the Deepnight was a refuge—and a prison.

Varick watched me with glowing eyes. Perhaps he wondered if he needed to fetch me, or if Rolund’s men would have to drag me kicking and screaming to the other side of the Pass. The tale would be the talk of Sithistra for months.

The Deepnight touched the hem of my gown. Cool air drifted from the purple, twinkling mass. I lifted my chin and stepped out of the sun and into the twilight.

The temperature dropped.

And a riot of color assailed me. Like a dark room suddenly flooded with light, the world burst into full clarity. There was no gloom. No veil of darkness. Just bold, beautiful color. A glance up confirmed the sun was still there. But it was muted somehow. In Sithistra, I could never look at the sky. But now I could stare into the sunlight without pain. The world was awake, and it was like I’d emerged from a dream and was experiencing real life for the first time. It was so disorienting, I was halfway across the Pass before I realized it.

I stopped and gazed around with wonder swelling my chest. Everything was stunning, as if the world had been painted with liquid gems. The chains that held up the bridge sparkled. The crimson cloaks of the knights of Nor Doru stole my breath.

“It’s the Deepnight,” Varick said. He was mere steps away from me now—and even more frustratingly gorgeous up close. His hair and eyes looked touched with gold dust. Vampires are mortal the same as men. It was a popular saying of the Brotherhood. But seeing Varick right now, it was hard to believe anything could harm him.

I pulled my gaze from the burnished waves of his hair. “Is it like this for everyone?”

“No. You see it with a vampire’s eyes, halfling.”

Halfling. But that wasn’t enough to stop me from becoming a vampire’s thrall.

Fresh anger pounded through me. If Rolund told the truth, King Laurent had demanded I enter his service—and then he’d heaped insult upon insult by sending his general in his stead. What kind of welcome could I expect to receive in Nor Doru? And what kind of life could I hope to return to? For as long as I could remember, my vampire blood had rendered me an outsider at court. I was the daughter of the king’s second wife—the vampire he’d wed against the advice of his lords and councilors. The courtiers whispered my mother had seduced him. The Brotherhood claimed she’d bewitched him. I grew up on those slanders, but my title had protected me.

But what good was a title now? I’d never be just princess again. For the rest of my life, thrall would follow in my wake.

Out of nowhere, a murmured voice lifted around me.

Thinking it came from the men at my back, I started to turn—

The voice sounded again. And it wasn’t from the lords I’d left behind. This came from the Rift.

Again, the murmur came, spoken in a deep, rich voice that twisted through the air. I strained to make out the words, but they shifted like smoke. The voice rose and fell, varying from a high-pitched feminine to a masculine growl that was almost feral.

The hair on my nape lifted. I wanted to flee from the sound. At the same time, I was drawn to it.

I stepped toward the edge of the Pass.

Varick appeared in front of me.

My breath caught. He’d moved inhumanly fast.

Because he’s not human.

“You’ll find no help down there.”

My lips parted. Did he think I meant to jump? Or had he heard the voice, too?

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