Page 83 of The Shadow Prince's Ruin
Sylvan laughs, and I just love that sound so much. I might not see his cute face right now, but I imagine it with ease. “Where did that idea come from? Yes, vampires exist in the Nightmare Realm, but I have never met one, and I don’t really know where they might reside. Or maybe they’ve gone extinct? Some say they live on the Darkmoon.” He leans over my head and points to the sky. “Others say that they retreated to some far-away land beyond the Grief Ocean.”
I look up so fast Sylvan has to grab my horns to avoid falling off. [They live on the moon? What?]
“We can find out more, if that’s your wish. But first we need to find safety. And I have to admit, I worry how we will survive the journey to the nearest city. We lost close to everything during our journey, even your redpole. In fact, we will need to forage for our meal tomorrow. Elven settlements may be safer than the wilds, but we will be paupers. I was not prepared to have to earn my keep.”
[I could work as a pack animal,] I point out, placing my paw on the mossy steps leading up to the main entrance into the castle. A crest is carved above the door, but vines have obscured it too much for us to spot any details.
Heat flashes through me out of nowhere, making my heart beat faster, but I shake my head, and it passes as abruptly as it overcame me.
Sylvan laughs. “Don’t be ridiculous, Hawk. I just told you we need to lie low. Even the markings on your face might get us unwanted attention.”
[Okay, but I could keep you safe in the forest, you know so much about all the alchemy thingies. You could gather the expensive shit, and then we’d sell it. Easy. And in no time, you’d have a little shop, we could live above it, and… whatever else you’d like to do between fucking and eating crispy delicacies from all over the Nightmare Realm.]
Sylvan strokes my neck. “Actually, that doesn’t sound like such a bad plan. I love to learn, you know? I’d love to have time to read, research, find out more about the creature you’ve become. And maybe find those vampires for you, if you’re so keen.”
I yelp in agreement just as we face the damp-scented doors, and my call resonates through the hall ahead as if it were an oversized megaphone. Several purple shapes emerge from the building, floating through the air in jerky, rash movements. They screech, and I turn my head after them as my stomach growls.
Sylvan sighs and slides off my back, his gaze following the bat-like creatures now perched high in the nearby tree. With long ears and powerful hind legs, they look like winged hares, but their purple fur and beady eyes make it clear they aren’t of my world.
My coat is so long on Sylvan, it drags over the stone floor as he steps forward. “I used to love them. Hot, crispy, salty wings. An absolute delicacy. But since Lord Kyran’s Dark Companion, Luke, has adopted one and treats it like a baby, the court is banned from consuming bats. At least, since I was banished shortly after that ridiculous decree came to life, I didn’t have to bear it for too long. Imagine having to smuggle them in.” Helaughs and stretches his body. I’m glad to see he can make light of the situation.
I don’t get the desire to eat bats out of all things, but he stares at the flying critters with such longing I wish I could catch them all for him. [Then we’ll have to find a place where they’re a cheap, popular snack.] I want to tell him more, but the strange heat dashes through my body again, and I groan, lowering myself to the cool stone.
Is that what the hot flashes my mother told me about feel like? Could it be that my hormones are changing because of the transformation?
“Everything all right?” Sylvan asks and kisses my skull, just above the hole I have instead of a nose. “I have some ideas as to which cities we should consider settling in. I only read about them, but unlike vampires, I’m sure they still exist.”
[Tired,] I say, and as a burning ring closes around my chest, I shed the wolf skin. Moments later, I open my eyes with my forehead pressed to a patch of moss.
Sylvan scoots down to me, and the touch of his cool fingers on my nape is such glorious relief. “Of course you are, you carried me all day. I slept on your back, but you barely got any rest. Let’s see if it’s safe inside. The dungeon used to hold werewolves frenzied with bloodlust, but I doubt any could have survived since this place was abandoned.”
His smile is so bright when I look up at him that despite the fatigue and the damn heat inside, all I feel is love. “Or we could have a small house in the woods close to the city. We could trap those bats and then sell them from a little stall in the market.”
Sylvan grabs my hand and leads the way, unafraid of what might be lurking inside the ruins. “I like that. You would have an easier time sneaking away to roam if the Sunwolf needs to stretch his legs. We will take a boat and leave these shoresbehind. I know of an elf that could take us across the water. She’s usually moored not far from here.”
He turns to kiss me as we enter the cool mansion, and for once, I don’t miss the sun. In fact, I welcome the chill of the abandoned castle.
Chapter 33
Sylvan
The old me would have said I lost everything I’ve risked so much for—my position, my Dark Companion, even any chance for a meaningful future. But as we leave the mossy walls of the werewolf castle, I can’t stop laughing at the stupid prank my man pulled on me when he hid behind a door and gave me a scare. As much as I miss some aspects of my old life, I am not the same man anymore, and Hawk is the reason. He is why I smile so much my cheeks hurt, why I always feel warm, and why the future, difficult and unknown as it might be, does not feel bleak anymore.
Despite spending a whole night at a ruined castle that’s rumored to be cursed, I wake up in high spirits. It might have something to do with the fact that I got to sleep on the best of beds—Hawk’s fur. We settled in a relatively clean and dry room on the first floor, but while the building was overcome by icy, damp air, I felt warm and safe when tucked against my man’s side. We even found an unopened bottle of wine. I refused todrink it due to my new vow of sobriety, but Hawk got to enjoy it while we explored the abandoned structure.
The dungeon where werewolves used to keep their brethren during fits of rage remains locked behind a huge round door. I was curious what hides beyond it, but when Hawk started kissing my ears, my desire for him won out, and we retreated to the room we picked for the night.
In the morning, we stumbled upon raspberry bushes, which supplied us with breakfast. The last stretch of our walk toward the cove where I hope to board a boat that will take us past the straits and out of the lands ruled by my cousin Kyran, Hawk decided to walk in his human form. It’s for the better, since an oversized wolf radiating golden light is difficult to miss, and the last thing I want is for the Nocturne Court to find out about his existence. If Kyran discovered the Sunwolf was on the loose, he’d hunt us down like he had Heartbreak, and I refuse to let anything happen to my husband.
I meant every word I told him during our wedding vows, and if protecting him means foregoing any rights I might have as a royal, then so be it. He is and always will be more precious to me than titles, finery, and comforts.
Despite it being a chilly day, and the wind blowing at us constantly, he’s not only offered me his coat, for additional warmth, but even took off his thin shirt, and has been walking bare-chested for the past two hours.
I do remember reading that werewolves tend to have a much higher body temperature than elves (or humans), so maybe his new body acts in a similar way? Not to mention that my sister Vinia, who had the rare power of Sunlight, tended to run hot too. This issue will require more research. Hopefully, once we settle, I will have access to a library of some kind, or at least to decent book vendors.
That is something to worry about in the future though, as now our priority is to leave the Nocturne Coast and head for the shores of Ravanzia. And since we can’t risk boarding a legitimate vessel, we’re making our way down a path known solely to those who might need alternative routes of travel. Just like with the grimsmith, I do have to begrudgingly admit my mother has equipped me with knowledge of people and places that might come in handy if I ever needed to flee the Nocturne Court. Or return to it for that matter, though my familiarity with secret passages allowing to enter the castle unnoticed will never again be of use.
It’s a clear day, and while the moon only presents us with the larger half of its face, it emits enough light to make the waves ahead glint like quicksilver. The lines of the rocky slopes on either side of our way into the cove look sharp enough to cut into flesh, and the caverns around it might make perfect hiding spots for bandits, but I fear nothing as long as Hawk is holding my hand, so we joke around and tell each other stories. His are less bloody, though I do appreciate the one which features women cutting off chunks of their feet in order to fit a crystal shoe and marry a prince.
