Page 76 of Blood of a Huntsman

The Calm Before Him

Bash drove one of Levi's fancy cars to Edinburgh. He'd booked them a lovely restaurant not even Catherine Stormhale found cause to complain about, and then they walked the ancient city aimlessly.

Old Town was lovely. Catherine wasn't one to be impressed by old buildings, that much was clear, but she indulged him when he asked if she wanted to see the castle. They stopped by a teahouse where she stocked up on supplies for her Sunday party, buying adorable little sets and posh teas that seemed far too expensive.

The point of today wasn't seeing a castle or eating nice food; he wanted to show her that she liked spending time with him. And that he liked her company enough to ignore everything and everyone else.

The tourists around them still smelled like food, but he and the dark, thirsty beast inside him didn't give a damn. He'd finally tuned in to the thing inside him. They agreed on one thing, and that was her.

"How did you like today?"

Catherine grinned at him.

"It was nice. Lovely, actually. Thanks for dragging me out."

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I remember a fair bit of dragging."

He suspected that her actually admitting there was something between them would take months. Years. Centuries.

He didn't mind. He had all the time in the world.

Bash pushed the breaks so hard the car swerved.

They'd arrived near the borders of Oldcrest.

And five lines of vampires stood between them and their home.

Most were old. He could have discerned that even before his change. Now, the age and power of the creatures in front of him was even more obvious.

Each of them was a force to be reckoned with.

And since they couldn't get through the doors, they hadn't been invited.

Shit.

"Drive."

He glanced at Catherine.

"They can stop the car. Hell, they can just stay in the way and let us crash into them."

"Drive," she repeated, more forcefully this time.

He shut his mouth, turned the key in the ignition, and drove forward, ignoring the hostile vampires whose eyes were on them.

As they approached the borders, the two hundred immortals converged on them.

He had to ask.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"They can't get their hands on me. I can invite them in. Drive. Faster."

He nodded, moving his right hand away from the wheel to take hers and give it a gentle squeeze. She seemed lost, frightened, stressed. He had to reassure her however he could. For now, that would have to do.

She held on to him hard. Catherine wasn't one for sweet talk, or displays of affection, but her tight grasp was telling. She was holding on to him like he was a lifeline.

Her other hand reached forward. Bash could feel her call to her powers. A lightning bolt hit the ground, and some of the vamps moved out of the way.

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