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Chapter Thirty-Two

RUNA

My eyes flicked open, and my breath caught.

What woke me? The jolt of alarm soon faded when I realized I lay on a pile of itchy straw, my naked limbs intertwined with Victor’s.

I took in his soft features as he slept.

He was almost too pretty to be male. Every line of his patrician face was perfectly balanced.

His nose, cheeks, brows, chin, each angle was strong and proud.

It was as if the gods themselves had sculpted him.

I suppose they had.

His body was similarly made. Sublime in every way.

From his lean muscles, defined abs, angular hipbones to his…

cough … I forced my eyes away from his manhood.

That part of him was also divine. Lucky me.

My lips curled, and I rubbed the base of my throat.

The place where he’d marked me with his handprint warmed.

Despite the cloud hanging over us, I couldn’t remember having so much fun.

Yesterday at the festival, I’d seen a side of the vampire I didn’t think existed.

From the wonder in his eyes, I suspected he hadn’t known of its existence either.

I enjoyed being the one to reveal that aspect of him.

I wished we could have more days like yesterday together.

My chest tightened, and I exhaled a heavy sigh. There was no point in wishing for impossible dreams. We both had a part to play. His was far loftier than mine.

Thunder cracked, and the stable walls rumbled. Dust rained down from the ceiling, screams ringing out.

I shot to my feet, coughing. “What was that?” I stumbled to the loft door and peered out. It was still dark outside.

Victor stood at my back, alert despite the harsh wake-up call.

In the street below, villagers fled to the east, some arming themselves as they went.

I glanced in the opposite direction, and needles prickled my skin.

Soldiers in purple capes flooded the road from the west. Some on horseback, many on foot.

“It’s Idris’s men.” Alarm shot through every nerve in my body.

“Get dressed.” Victor shoved my clothing at me before stabbing his legs into his pants.

“They’ve found us.” I whipped my shift, then my dress over my head. “How the hell did they find us so fast?”

“I don’t know, but we need to leave.”

“I’ll get Yaga.” I stomped into my shoes. “You ready our horses.”

Victor’s firm hand clamped around my upper arm, and I peered into his steely eyes. Face set in stone, he said, “We have to leave her, Runa.”

“What?” Maybe I’d misheard. “I am not leaving Yaga.”

“She will slow us down,” he stated in an emotionless tone.

“So what?” I wrenched my arm from his grip. “If Idris somehow found out we traveled here, he may know Yaga was with us. If he captures her, he’ll harm her to get to us.”

“Yaga knew the risk.” Gone was the male from yesterday. The imaginary male who didn’t exist.

“You son of a bitch,” I spat, my heart withering. “You made me forget. I got so wrapped up in being nobody with you, I almost forgot who you really are.”

“Runa…”

“Good luck with the temple,” I snapped, a piece of me dying inside. “Look me up when you’re ready for that portal. I will gladly send you where you belong.”

With that, I turned my back on the lost king and raced down the rickety steps.

Lost king , I fumed. Lost king, indeed. Kronk was more of a king than Custodis.

“Runa. Dammit. Wait!” I ignored the vampire’s snarls.

I needed a weapon. Carefully, I scanned the stalls. With few options, I grabbed a long-handled shovel and slipped out the door.

The roads outside the stable were utter chaos. Across the alley, a woman screamed, running from a soldier on a horse baring down on her. With one swift slice of his sword, the woman’s scream was silenced.

She was unarmed and little threat. The soldiers were slaughtering everyone who crossed their path.

Images burned in my mind. Images of a similar night.

My father’s lifeless eyes stared up at me.

Bodies lined the streets. My mother called to me and my sister.

Her voice was a horrified whisper, Runa, Raelynn, this way. Hurry.

“Runa.” The sound of my name snapped me out of my memory and into my current nightmare.

Victor stood behind me, pitchfork in hand.

“What are you doing here?”

“Protecting my…investment,” he growled.

I ground my molars. “Right. Just stay out of my way.”

On the road in front of us, a foot soldier headed toward the stables. His dark head swiveled as he searched for fresh prey.

Victor shuffled closer. “What’s your plan?”

I stepped from the shadows. “Hey, bula-hole! ”

The soldier spun in my direction as I swung my weapon. The shovel clanged, smashing his face. He fell back, then rolled, hitting his knees. Again, I swung, this time cracking the base of his skull. The soldier collapsed with a soft groan.

Victor claimed the fallen man’s sword, snarling, “It’s foolish to charge into a fray without a plan.”

I bared my teeth at him. “I already told you my plan. Save Yaga. What are you still doing here, anyway?”

He heaved an exasperated sigh. “I honestly don’t know.”

Over our heads, a blazing ball whistled. I followed its path, and my heart jolted to a stop.

“No,” I moaned before it slammed into the lodge where Yaga was staying. The ground trembled with the impact. Fiery sparks exploded into the sky.

Panic charged through my veins. The flood of fear soaked into my bones. Tunnel vision blinded me to everything but the woman who’d raised me. Eyes locked on the burning lodge, I raced into the street.

“Idris, you bastard,” I screamed. “You will not take her from me, too.”

“Runa, wait. Your glamour,” a voice shouted.

From out of nowhere, a sword slashed. Metal glinted, slicing toward my neck. For some reason, it failed to connect. Grunting and curses rang out behind me. I stalked forward, blind to anything but the burning building.

I ditched my shovel, reaching for my preferred weapon.

Power flared in my palms, and a terrifying creature I was far too familiar with flashed through my mind.

I launched my duskcat illusion into the world.

Around me, half a dozen monster kitties took shape.

Screams rang out. Soldiers scrambled for higher ground.

One of the braver souls swiped his sword through the chest of one of my illusions.

“They’re not real!” he yelled. “The sorceress is here. Find her! ”

That I’d been outed so quickly didn’t matter since I’d reached the lodge. Heat from fire seared my flesh.

“Dammit, Runa. Don’t go in there!” a familiar voice shouted as I threw open the door.

Inside, a hellish scene greeted me. The thought that Yaga was here, suffering, forced me to thrust one foot in front of the other. Smoke clung to the ceiling, flames licking the walls. My lungs burned, and I grabbed the hem of my skirt, pushing it up over my face.

“Yaga!” I shouted, heading for the second floor.

“It’s too late. You’re going to get yourself killed,” that annoying voice bellowed.

Behind me, timbers groaned, then crashed. A pained shout rang out, and I glanced back to find that part of a wall had fallen in, blocking the door. No matter, Yaga and I would find another way out.

Up the steps, I raced. At the top, thick smoke drove me to my hands and knees. Tears streamed from my stinging eyes.

“Yaga!” Fear threatened to overwhelm me, and I choked out a sob. I’d never find her in this. Except I didn’t have to see her to find her. Yaga said as much about locating the temple guardian. Yaga herself was a powerful entity.

Forcing the panic aside, I closed my eyes, throwing out my senses. At first, there was nothing. Then, a small glimmer of life sparked in my psyche.

“Yaga?” I coughed, crawling to a closed door, turning the knob.

An iron vice gripped my ankle, dragging me away. My outstretched hand popped off the door.

“Got her!” a gruff male shouted. “Here. I found the sorceress!”

What? No. Not when I was so close. I kicked out with my free leg, and another hand grabbed that one as well. There wasn’t time for this .

Terror squeezed me in its sickening grasp. I clawed at the door frame as I was dragged backward.

“Let me go!” I screamed.

My chest expanded, power swelling.

An illusion of fire erupted over my body.

My captor screeched, releasing the image of my burning flesh.

I lunged for the door, turned the knob, flung it open.

A very real inferno exploded from the opening, throwing me back.

Hungry flames consumed the oxygen around us.

There was no possible way Yaga could have survived.

I pushed my senses out. Nothing answered. Yaga’s spirit was a black hole of nothingness.

“No. Not her. Not her!” I shoved my elbows beneath me, crawling. My head swam. Smoke filled my lungs. The acrid scent of burned flesh permeated my nose, scraped down the back of my tongue, and lodged in my throat.

The edges of the burning room drew closer. Black dots spattered my vision, and my will to go further washed away on a thin exhale.