Page 103 of Crossing Between
Varon went very still at the stove, his back to us.The only sign of his reaction was a sudden, sharp crack that split the marble countertop down the middle.
When he turned, his eyes had bled to solid black, and the veins around them had darkened to near-purple. His monster, the ancient vampire lord, had emerged.
"I need to pay them a visit," he set down the spatula on the broken counter.
"Varon..." Kenji began.
"I'll be back," Varon cut him off, already moving toward the door.
Kenji and I stood together to grab him, but Zoey was faster. She sprang from her chair and placed herself directly in his path, her small frame blocking the doorway.
"Don't," her eyes wide but determined. "Please, don't do anything. Not yet."
Varon's jaw clenched, the muscles working beneath his skin. "They threatened you."
"And I'm standing right here, perfectly fine," she stepped closer to him. "I need you here, not out there picking fights with the council."
When he didn't respond, she reached up and placed her hands on either side of his face, pulling him down to her level. "Look at me, Varon. I'm okay."
She pressed her lips to his, a gentle kiss that seemed to startle him. For a moment, he remained rigid, but then his arms came around her, and he returned the kiss with restrained passion.
I felt Kenji's shoulder relax against mine as we watched the darkness recede from Varon's eyes, returning them to their normal steel gray. His monster retreated, tamed by Zoey's touch in a way that left me both awed and a little envious.
"The risotto's burning," I pointed out, and the tension in the room dissolved as Varon cursed and rushedback to the stove.
Kenji caught my eye and mouthed "thank you" as Zoey returned to the table, her cheeks flushed but her expression relieved. I nodded, feeling the same relief. We had enough to worry about with the Essencefeaster without adding the supernatural council to our list of immediate problems.
For now, we were safe. Together.
Chapter 56: Zoey
I woke to the insistent buzzing of Varon's phone on the nightstand. Sunlight streamed through the windows, casting warm patterns across the tangled sheets. Elias was curled against my back, his arm draped protectively around my waist, while Kenji sprawled on my other side, one leg thrown over mine.
Varon answered the call with a gruff "What?" as he sat up, his dark hair mussed from sleep. The voice on the other end was so loud that even I could hear it.
"You need to get down here immediately!" Bradley's voice crackled with excitement. "We've found it! We've found where the Essencefeaster is hiding!"
My stomach dropped. Ryan.
Varon's eyes met mine, and I knew he could see the fear and determination warring in my expression.
"Slow down, Bradley," Varon's voice controlled despite the tension I could feel radiating from him. "What exactly have you found?"
"My detectives have been tracking unusual energysignatures. They've pinpointed a location. An abandoned town about forty miles north. It was evacuated decades ago because of an underground coal fire. The fire's still burning, making it uninhabitable, but there's been activity there. Strange lights, energy spikes that match what we recorded during the station attack."
Elias stirred behind me, instantly alert. Kenji was already sitting up, his blue eyes focused and intense.
"Text me the coordinates," Varon ordered. "We'll meet you there in two hours."
As Varon hung up, I swallowed hard. "It's Ryan, isn't it? We're going to find my brother."
Kenji squeezed my hand. "We're going to save your brother."
"We don't know for certain it's him," Elias' healing energy brushed against me in a comforting wave. "But if it is, we'll find a way to separate him from the Essencefeaster."
Varon's expression was grim. "I'll contact Quilith."
"They're not here," I reminded him. "They went back to their realm to seek help from other dragons."
