Page 124 of Seared Fates

“How is he after bringing Kai back?”

Golden shrugs. “Quiet. Kinda like he wants to ask about Rurik but doesn’t know how.”

The day after we returned to Vampire Manor, Rurik came to me and Vidar, a broken version of himself and said he needed time away to clear his head.

All Vidar asked was for him to look after himself, and all I asked was that he keep in touch.

After Rurik left, and late into that evening, I was more than a little surprised when I got a text from him.

‘You’re the second head of the Haraldsson Vampire family now, Kai.’ Vidar told me when I pointed it out. ‘You gave him an order, and he’s following it.’

A sudden weight of responsibility lay across my shoulders at Vidar’s statement, but I didn’t hate it. I’ve always wanted a big family, after all.

“Any updates on the whole half-demon thing?” Golden asks.

“I don’t wanna think about the demon shit,” I groan.

“Lucky—or unlucky—for you, the demons shut their magical gates when they got word that Summer is after their King and prince,” Ramy pipes up. “So no one can get in or out of their realm.”

“Would’ve been so cool to see them…” Golden muses. “They’ve got horns, right?”

“All I really care about is my magic, anyway.”

Since the demon Script Apollo carved into my chest, I can channel my magic through myself, like I’ve grown a new set of lungs and can hold my breath for longer. But like hell I’m getting rid of my jacket.

Holding up my hand, magic flows easily through the mark on my chest to create a fat, flickering purple flame sitting comfortably on the end of my fingernail. Bright, but not harsh enough to hurt my sensitive new vision.

The door pushes open, and Vidar’s muscular shoulders fill the frame. My heart slows as our gazes meet, locking together with no plans of parting. I give a little tug to my magic, like pulling out a cord, and the fire stutters out of existence. Then reach for the connection between our souls, smiling at its strength.

So many things are still a mess, but my soulmate and I?

Yeah, we’re good.

“I was on the phone with Grey.” Vidar’s deep voice hits my vampire hearing in a way that has me shuddering all the way down to my toes. “Astra’s pissed.”

“And you care about that?” I ask, instinctively leaning closer to him.

He stalks forward until he’s right in front of me, taking hold of my chin in his thick, tattooed fingers. “I don’t give a fuck about what that Blood Mage Sovereign thinks, but she’s sending her foul mages to track Summer, and her death is mine.”

I swallow at the intensity of my mate. My feelings for Summer are fragile and complicated, softened by years of friendship. But damaged by the thin edge of a dagger.

I want to tell him no, let me speak with Summer first and heal this rift. But from the way Vidar’s eyes hold me captive, he’llsooner let the whole world bleed before I’m allowed near her again.

“Enough of that for now.” Vidar inclines his head out of the room. “Come with me.”

Saying my goodbyes to Golden and Ramy, I slip off the sofa and follow him as we leave the living room. We take our time strolling through the dark hallway until we’re inside the library. A large space lined with old and new books. Smelling of leather, dust, ink and paper.

The lights remain off, yet I can make out all the fine details of the desk Vidar leads me to. The rosewood might appear smooth, but tiny cracks mar its surface.

“Looking at art is going to be a really trippy experience,” I say.

Vidar pulls out the chair tucked into the desk and sits on it, legs spread wide, and hooks an arm around my middle, pulling me onto his lap.

“Waiting for you to come back to me, Kai, was the worst moment of my life,” Vidar says, his eyes dropping to the demon Script carved into my chest. “I promised once you were back, our life would truly begin. So, I was wondering if you’d help me with something.”

I peer into his silver eyes and hope when I say, “Of course,” he hears what I really mean. My soulmate might do whatever’s necessary to keep me safe, but to keep him happy, and out of apathy’s clutches, I’ll also do the same.

Vidar fishes his phone from his pocket and lays it face up on the desk. “I have an old number.”