Page 35 of A Dream Shrouded in Fury
“How do you feel?”I asked.
“Tired.”She flashed her fangs, then tried to cover them.“Hungry.”
Cliff clapped her on the shoulder.“We should get moving so we reach safety before the sun comes up.We’ll find you something to sink your teeth into along the way.”
My blood heated at those words, and I couldn’t tear my attention away from the hint of fang that peeked out from between Kalla’s lips.
I cleared my throat and pushed myself to my feet, then offered my hand to Kalla at the same time Cliff did.She didn’t look at her friend’s outstretched fingers before sliding her palm into mine.I helped her up and drew her closer, staring into her eyes and wishing I could plunge into them.
“You saved me,” she said.
I forced a smile.“Only fair.You saved me first.”
Although I wasn’t sure if that was true.Yes, she’d found me and healed my wounds, but in every other way, I was pretty sure she’d destroyed me.
I licked my lips, unable to look away from her, and when her gaze dropped to my mouth, her pupils dilated and my body responded in turn.
“Look at this fucking mess,” Cliff said, striding down the road and shaking me out of my distraction.He glared at the corpses.“We’ll need to make sure these fae fuckers are cleaned up.”
“We’ll report to Thorn when we get back.”Unease lined Ria’s words.“She can assign a team.”
Her tone suggested she knew she wouldn’t be on it.Instead, they’d be facing the repercussions of saving us.Guilt nudged the remains of my conscience, but I waved it away.What was done was done.They’d made their choice.The only way I could help was to not add to their problems.
Cliff pressed his lips together and nodded.“Let’s move out.More guards might show up, and I’d rather not get into another fight until I’ve had some sleep.”
He stopped by Birch and pulled the other vampire’s arm around his shoulders to help him up.Birch grimaced but didn’t complain as they started through the trees.
Cliff was right, of course, but I cursed him, the guards, and the sun for stealing my opportunity to bask in Kalla’s survival.
Gritting my teeth, I grabbed the blindfold I’d stuffed into my waistband and handed it to her.“Want me to put this back on?”
She reached for it with one hand, her other still resting on mine.“You should.”Her shoulders slumped.“But I might need you.”
I swallowed hard at her words, tucked the blindfold into my pocket with my other supplies, and allowed her to lead the way.I hoped she knew that whatever she needed, I would sacrifice everything to give it to her.
A few steps in, her legs gave out, and I caught her again before she could fall.
“Fucking legs,” she groaned.
“I’ve got you, Kalia.”
Without hesitating, I swung her into my arms and carried her after the others.That she rested her head on my shoulder without arguing gave away her exhaustion.
While we walked, I replayed our night.I couldn’t get the fight out of my mind.The way Kalla had fought with me, using me as a weapon as much as a partner.The graceful way she’d danced through each strike and dodge.I’d been forced to learn how to fight, but she came to it as naturally as breathing.
That thought was swiftly followed by the memory of her screams when the crushed taphis hit her bloodstream.Her pale, sweating face and shallow breaths.After watching her suffer, I wanted nothing more than to protect her from ever being hurt again.
But that wasn’t my future.Life had proved I was made only to destroy.To bring death and ruin to those who crossed my path.Which would inevitably include Kalla if I stayed with her.
Everything was moving ahead as it should.To believe otherwise would invite worlds of regret, and those regrets would make it more likely that I would fail in my mission before I even tried.
I was so lost in my thoughts I barely registered when we left the woods towards yet another cave system.
“We can’t go too far inside because some mage wrecked it trying to set up a trap,” Ria explained, “but we can get far enough to escape the sun.Animals know to steer clear, so it’s safe enough.”
The farther we wound through the tunnel, the darker it got, but I had no time to panic before Ria lit a wall-mounted torch to shed soft light across the rocky path.
When we stopped around a sharp curve, I set Kalla down.She sagged against the wall and lowered herself to the floor with her legs stretched out in front of her.Her face was still ghostly white, while the circles under her eyes looked like swollen bruises.
