Page 47 of Vows of Sacrifice

Hadn’t Elendur said “Dovah” when he removed the stone? Deep down, I knew instantly that the two were linked. How could it be otherwise?

Heavy footsteps echoed nearby, the distinct sound of a man in armour walking. I looked up for a moment, a very brief moment, and saw a shadow cast on the exterior wall of the castle. My eyes widened in fright. The shadow was . . . gigantic. Fierce. Abominable. It was that of a dragon spreading its wings, its titanic jaw seeming to turn in my direction. In the blink of an eye, what I thought I had seen no longer existed. I mechanically raised a trembling hand to my throat.

What was happening to me? What was that? An illusion of the mind?

Then another shadow emerged from the void, but this one was very much human. A man, to be precise, with glowing eyes and reeking of cigars. Around me sounded a growl I could only describe as animalistic, but couldn’t quite compare to anything I knew. Dovah. For it was him, no doubt about it.

“Ashana, what are you doing here?”

He wasn’t happy. For my part, I did not move from my pillar, as if it were supporting me through some sort of magic.

“I was looking for you,” I croaked.

I needed water. A lot of water. The heat, my coat, I was completely dehydrated. Dovah smiled. It wasn’t a tender smile, oh no. It was a carnivorous, carnal, wild smile . . .

“Were you looking for me? Really?”

I swallowed hard. What situation have I put myself in again?!

I simply nodded, vigorously, momentarily unable to string two words together. He wasn’t himself, that was obvious. What’s more, far from reassuring me, the detail of his black armour marbled with a sticky liquid that I guessed to be blood—because he had some on his cheek—did not help me regain my composure.

He moved a little closer into the torchlight. The features of his face remained breathtakingly beautiful, but what was in his now black eyes was terrible. I watched, hypnotized, as he took a long puff on his cigar.

“Was this coat necessary?” he inquired in a nonchalant voice, without taking his eyes off me.

The way he stared at me was strange. As if it wasn’t really Dovah who was lurking behind those obsidian reflections. In a deft movement, he undid the knot on my coat and pulled it off. Without any consideration, he threw it to the ground. I was literally sweating, and the dress Elendur had given me clung to me like a second skin, revealing more of me than I would have liked. I was acutely aware of this, as Dovah was letting his eyes wander over me with significant slowness. I blushed.

“What state have you gotten yourself into?” he whispered.

His tone was intended to be peaceful, as if he were trying to keep control of himself. He held out a hand as an invitation to follow him.

“Come on, I know what you need.”

I hesitated.

“Dovah . . .”

“Yes?”

“You have blood. Everywhere,” I added, after a brief moment.

His gaze crossed mine; a cold blade devoid of humanity.

“And?”

“Why? Who?”

He didn’t answer me right away, but I had the impression, truly incredible, that the hue of his irises had darkened dramatically.

“At night, I kill monsters, my lady. Monsters with teeth so sharp they’d make mincemeat of your delicious, milky skin. I watch and protect. I atone. I release one terror to annihilate other, nastier ones. That’s how it is. Sleep flees me. Darkness torments me. I am a cursed being.”

With a snap of his fingers, Dovah was right up against me, his warm breath gently caressing my ear. I shivered.

“You risk nothing with me. Be proud of this fact, you may be the only one in this chaotic world of ours. The day when our bodies, but also our souls, are definitively linked through sacred love, you will become invincible . . . immortal,” he finished in an almost inaudible tone.

My whole being tensed, but it wasn’t an unpleasant tension. He remained like that until my body absorbed the warmth of his. Suddenly, he stood up abruptly and offered me his hand again.

“It is not the blood of the innocent that stains the ground beneath your feet. So come.”

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