Page 58 of Oath of Blood and Joy

With a powerful thrust, I launched skyward, Angelo’s dark form beside me and Dimitri’s slightly smaller bat shape already darting ahead with characteristic impatience. The fort shrank beneath us, its blood-soaked corridors already becoming just another memory in centuries of violence. But unlike those other memories, I now had something to return to—someone waiting whose heartbeat I could almost hear, even across the miles of cypress and water that separated us.

Joy. The thought of her name was enough to propel me faster through the starlit sky, a strange hunger that had nothing to do with blood driving me homeward.

The city lights were like a beacon, leading me back to Joy. The night air rushed past me, carrying the scents of the bayou—cypress, moss, and murky water. My thoughts centered only on her, an obsession I couldn’t shake. She probably would want me to remain with the girls, her compassion extending to others first. But I had searched so long for her only to have her stolen from me once, that all I could think about was being with her and pulling her into my arms, feeling her warmth against my cold skin, her pulse fluttering beneath my fingertips.

A sudden chill cut through the night, different from the usual coolness of altitude. The air thickened, grew heavy with malevolence that even in bat form I could sense. In the dark clouds ahead, a pair of red eyes materialized—not animal, not vampire, but something ancient and malicious. They glowed like twin embers, unblinking and unnaturally still against the shifting vapors of the cloud bank. Was that Ari? The hatred emanating from those eyes was palpable, shooting at me like shards of ice that pierced even my vampiric resistance to cold.

Rage filled me, primal and consuming. My small bat form trembled with it, wings beating harder against the sudden resistance in the air. Was he following us? Had he tracked us from the fort? My thoughts raced to Joy at Crescent Manor. Angelo’s men were capable fighters, but if our enemies knew Angelo and I were gone, would they attempt something bold? Serenity and the others might not be enough.

Angelo veered sharply, his larger bat form cutting through the night like a shadow given purpose. He headed directly toward the cloud where the eyes hovered, fearless as always. The crimson orbs widened momentarily—surprise, perhaps fear—before vanishing as if they had never been there at all. Whatever was hiding thought better than to face the vampire king, even in this realm between earth and sky where we all became creatures of darkness.

The cloud itself seemed to recoil, dispersing unnaturally fast as if fleeing Angelo’s approach. A faint sulfuric scent lingered, confirming my suspicions. Dark Demon. They were watching us, tracking our movements, perhaps planning their next move in whatever game they were playing—a game that somehow involved Joy.

I pushed myself faster, racing toward the only thing that now mattered in my centuries of existence.

Angelo shot through the cloud where the creature had been hiding but came out again, his bat form momentarily illuminated by a shaft of moonlight. Even without words, I could sense his frustration—whatever had been watching us had vanished completely, leaving nothing but that lingering sulfuric scent.

We all three raced toward Crescent Manor, our wings cutting through the night sky with desperate speed. The urgent need to protect Joy raced through me like liquid fire, burning away centuries of careful control. The thought of her in danger again clawed at my insides, a visceral pain that surprised me with its intensity. I couldn’t risk losing her again—not when I’d just found her, not when she’d awakened something in me I thought had died the night I was turned.

Dimitri flew slightly ahead, his smaller form more agile in the air currents. Even he seemed to sense the gravity of the situation, his usual playfulness absent in the determined beat of his wings. Angelo maintained a steady course beside me, his presence a cold comfort. If Dark Demons were truly returning to New Orleans, even the boss would face a challenge that could rock our empire.

The image of Joy’s face floated in my mind—her defiant eyes, the stubborn set of her jaw, the way her pulse jumped at the base of her throat when she was afraid but trying not to show it. The thought that those red eyes might be fixed on her, hunting her, made my vision sharpen with predatory focus. I would tear apart anyone—anything—that threatened her.

Three centuries I had walked this earth, taking what I wanted without hesitation or remorse. This human woman had become something I couldn’t bear to lose. The realization was as terrifying as it was exhilarating, a vulnerability I hadn’t allowed myself to feel since I was turned.

Crescent Manor appeared on the horizon, its old walls gleaming pale against the darkness of the surrounding oaks. Home. Safety. Joy. The three concepts had somehow become entwined in my mind, inseparable and vital in a way nothing had been for longer than I cared to remember.

I soared past Dimitri and landed first on the ground, the transformation back to human form swift and violent in my urgency. The night had taken on an unnatural stillness—no crickets chirped, no night birds called, as if the wildlife sensed the predators among them. Fog crept across the grounds of Crescent Manor, tendrils of mist curling around ancient oaks like ghostly fingers. The air felt charged, heavy with the promise of violence.

Drawing on vampire speed, I burst through the back door, throwing it off its hinges, my teeth bared and fangs fully extended, ready to tear apart anything that dared to threaten Joy. The taste of her name in my mind was sweeter than any blood I’d ever consumed. My vision sharpened, the world taking on the crimson tinge that came with rage and bloodlust combined. She was mine—the realization burning through centuries of carefully constructed indifference—and no one, not Ari, not any Dark Demon that dared walk this earth, would take her from me again.

Chapter Forty

Joy

A loud slam drove me out of my chair, spilling my glass of wine. The crimson liquid splashed across my dress and onto the polished hardwood floor, looking disturbingly like blood in the firelight. My heart climbed into my throat, pulsing so hard it stole the air from my lungs.

Not again. Please don’t let it be Maximo.

The memory of his cold eyes flashed through my mind, the way he’d looked at me like I was merchandise to be sold. My fingers trembled as I set down what remained of my glass. Elena and Gianna had gone rigid, their preternatural stillness somehow more frightening than any sudden movement would have been.

I wouldn’t let him hurt Serenity. The thought burned through my fear, igniting something deeper, more primal. A protective rage exploded within me, scorching and sudden. My focus turned inward, searching for that strange power I’d conjured before—the shadows that had answered my desperate calls.

This time, they responded immediately, as if they’d been waiting just beneath my skin. Tingles rippled over my arms like thousands of tiny electrical currents, dancing across my flesh in intricate patterns. The chill raced down my spine, clashing with a burn that curled around my ribs. I knew this power—but like lightning in my veins, it never let me forget who was really in control.

A misty wall materialized before us, dark and swirling like smoke given purpose. It wasn’t solid, yet somehow I knew it would protect all of us. The shadows bent to my will, stretching from floor to ceiling, their edges rippling with energy that tasted like midnight on my tongue.

But then a blur came down the stairs and a guard appeared, his fangs pulled back, and holding a sword. He skidded to a halt before my shadow wall, his massive frame imposing even through the swirling darkness. His eyes widened in surprise, not at the threat of an intruder, but at the barrier I’d created.

“What the—” he began but was cut off as another figure burst through the door behind us, moving so fast he was just a rush of displaced air.

Enzo.

His eyes were wild, fangs fully extended, his entire body radiating lethal intent. For a heartbeat, he seemed almost feral, dangerous in a way that made my breath catch. Then his gaze found mine through the shadow wall, and something in his expression shifted—the beast recognizing what belonged to him.

“Joy?”

My fear dissipated along with the shadows. He crossed the room with predatory purpose, every movement controlled yet radiating raw power. When he drew me into his arms, it wasn’t a request but a claim.

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