Page 35

Chapter 34

Light Brown

Silvana

I was on the docks of The Black Sea, with no idea how I’d gotten there. Which was strange enough on its own, but it was also daylight and I wasn’t up in flames.

I looked down at the dock, watching the humans around me going about their business. It looked different in the daylight, or maybe it was the clothes or fish merchants. I wasn’t sure. But I knew this wasn’t the normal docks of Darkmoor.

I walked past the stalls of merchants, coming to the conclusion that this must be a dream. But then I saw him.

He was talking to a young girl with long blonde hair and a smile that screamed she picked flowers for fun. He was smaller now, not as broad. His dark hair was cut short, just long enough to tuck behind his ears.

“Raiden?” I asked, but no one looked at me. Odd, but okay.

I walked around to see him full-on. His eyes were a light brown rimmed in a deep gold color. I smiled at the sight. He looked so innocent and carefree here. Part of me wondered if this was real. Bastian and Micah had mentioned dream sharing, so this easily could be a memory of Raiden’s.

Deciding to just ride it out, I followed him back through the streets to his home. It looked exactly the same as it did now. I wondered if he had anything to do with that.

“You know, you seem much more laid-back here, as a human, My Lord,” I said. I smiled sadly, knowing he couldn’t hear me but being happy to talk to any version of him. Any part of him I could see and hold on to.

He paused before the front door and I glanced around him, realizing it was ajar. Was this typical for humans? Leaving their doors open? I had no idea. I watched as he slowly pushed the door open.

“Mother? Father?” He looked around, the nerves clear on his face. “Ophelia?”

My stomach sank when no one answered him back. He was clearly expecting them to be home waiting for him. But I didn’t hear anyone making any noise in the house.

I watched him walk through the small tidy house. It had a homey feel to it, and any other time I’d be snooping around through all of Raiden’s things. But I knew my male, and I had a feeling this was more of a nightmare than a dream.

We walked into the kitchen together, and while I’d seen so much blood and sadness over my lifetime, the anguished cry that erupted from his chest was something I’d carry with me for the rest of my existence.

I watched as he picked his sister up off the floor and cradled her to his chest. Her throat was ripped out, the blood coating the two of them. His father lay not far from her and his mother on the opposite side of the kitchen. All of them clearly murdered by vampires.

I thought about the ink he’d put all over his body. I could still feel some of the scars he’d covered. I knew he was young right now. Maybe eighteen, which meant for ten years, he’d hunted down vampires as a human man. This was the revenge he’d chased. I felt the tears welling up in my eyes as I wished I could squeeze him right now. I wish I could tell this boy that he wouldn’t be alone forever. That he’d get his revenge and make this city a better place.

But I couldn’t do any of that. So, instead, I sat in a chair near his mother’s body, and I just existed while the male I loved with my entire being mourned everything he thought his life would be.

* * *

I may have gone a bit… mad in the gap of time since Raiden had been taken from me. I’d watched the moon become sightless and start to fill back out again since he’d been gone. Roughly six nights now without him.

I was currently in a pair of black leather pants and a matching cropped black top. A silver dagger at my hip, two daggers in the band around my breasts, along with my shadow stone dagger in one of my chunky boots and another silver dagger in the other. I still wasn’t sure where Raiden had put my other shadow stone dagger, and honestly, I wasn’t searching for it. He had to give it back to me himself.

I’d tied my hair into two tight braids that went from the top of my head and down my back and finished it off with a dark red lip stain. I looked like I was here to kill, and that was the exact aura I wanted to give off.

I wasn’t here to seduce or play games first. I was here to slay anyone who looked like they may be involved in the Eternal Outcasts. Anyone who knew who the fuck Viktor was, where he could be, who he was normally with. I’d take anything I could get, and then I’d slit their throats too.

My first instinct was to burn every building to the ground that didn’t render me answers but I didn’t believe Raiden coming home to half of his city burnt down would please him. So, I held off, only burning the bodies instead. I’d been focusing on the local names Joel had rattled off.

The Moonlight Inn was next on the list. It was a sex tavern if the rumors were to be believed. On-call humans and vampires there to quench whatever it was you loved to partake in, in bed. I didn’t care. I’d investigated it before, and it all seemed consensual. But, I’d been told by my last… interviewee that this was the current spot to be at.

Walking through the door into the dimly lit room, I did a quick glance around. There was soft music playing in the corner, plush multicolored couches around the room, and females of all shapes and sizes walking around in tight and revealing outfits—a few males too.

But I wasn’t here for that tonight. I stepped into the crowd, grabbing the arm of a male nearest me and pulling him over to the wall.

He was tall and broad. Dirty blond hair and pretty blue eyes. He was cute in a boyish sort of way, and human. His outfit made it clear he worked here. He was dressed in small gold shorts and that was it. The bite marks along his skin made it clear what he enjoyed.

“Good evening, beautiful. I’m down for fun, but please note that biting is not free and costs an extra fee,” he purred, coming in close to me.

I held up my hand, pressing it to his chest and keeping him a step away from me.

“Thank you so much for the offer, but no. I have questions instead and I’ll still pay you. So don’t fret about it,” I said, clearly in a hurry.

He immediately dropped the sexual prowess act.

“Payment first, then answers. My time isn’t free, doll,” he stated with his hand out between us. I quickly dropped a few coins in his waiting palm—more than I knew he normally charged based on his wide eyes. “Okay, what do you need?”

“I’m looking for some vampires. Ones that may have mentioned they’re part of a group looking for willing human women or vampires with magic.”

His eyes narrowed for a bit before he answered me. He pointed in the far back corner where three males sat. “Those three have been here every night for the last moon cycle. Always asking for gals who want to experiment and travel. They took a serious interest in Tansy a few nights ago. She’s a vampire who has a bit of ice magic. Anyway, she went with them, and we haven’t seen her since.” He shrugged.

“Thank you for your help.” I handed him another few coins for actually giving me information I could do something with.

I ran my fingers over the dagger at my hip as I walked over to the far corner where the males were seated. Plastering a smile on my face, I knew I looked anything but sweet and innocent like I normally went for.

“Hello, boys. I heard you were looking for some fun,” I said, using the giggly voice I had perfected years ago for moments like this.

One was olive-skinned like Bastian, his dark eyes staring across at me suspiciously, but the blond next to him grinned. The third was bald and covered in tattoos and scruffy facial hair that made him look unkempt.

“We are. Are you interested?” the blond asked.

I glanced behind me, noting how many people were there. The thing was, since Raiden and I completed the soul bond, my magic truly had become more powerful. More endless. Easier to call on. It was… well, magical. But since he’d been taken? Well, my magic had a mind of its own. It was more volatile, which just made me love it more.

I was pleased they didn’t have any females here at the moment as I turned and conjured up a wall of ice to separate our corner from the rest of the floor. I was finding I had to be more creative in order to interrogate these fools.

All three of them jumped from the couch, blades drawn. But the blond male was clearly the more laid-back of the three. I could tell he was going to attempt to calm me. They looked at each other, clearly shocked by the show of power, but no one made a move toward me.

“Now, now. Just listen. Let’s chat, shall we?” he asked.

I rolled my eyes. “No thanks.” I sent pointed daggers of ice at all three males, pinning them back down to the couch beneath them. The tattooed one and the olive-skinned one grunted when the ice daggers went through their chests and into the couch behind them. Sadly, the blond was just pinned by his shirt. “Now, you’re going to listen carefully. I’m looking for someone. Someone I believe all three of you males know.”

I let my gaze travel between the three of them, wondering if they truly grasped the ending they were looking at right now. More than likely not, but they all remained quiet. Apparently, they were smarter than they seemed.

“I’m looking for a male who calls himself Viktor. Ring any bells?”

Each of their eyes widened slightly—not much, and if I wasn’t watching them so carefully, I probably would’ve missed it. Nevertheless, none of them spoke.

I smiled, partially hoping for this. “That’s fine. I get it. You don’t want to betray him.”

I walked forward to the blond male who spoke to me. Laying my hand on his thigh, I gently squeezed and winked at him, only to turn him into solid ice. He didn’t even have time to scream. I giggled and looked over at the other two males.

“Looks painful. Okay, so who’s ready to chat with me?” I asked.

They both just stared at me for a moment before the tattooed male jumped to his feet, running at the wall of ice I’d constructed. He began banging on the ice as hard as he could, but it didn’t even crack. I pulled a silver dagger from my waist and threw it at him. It landed in his thigh, and he fell to the ground screaming.

“For Fates’ sake,” I grumbled before looking back at the last male standing. “So. Viktor. Where do you think he’d be?” I arched a brow in question.

“Uh, well, I mean, I heard he had a place in the Court of Ravens. I’m not sure where, but I know he was taking some of the recruits that way for some big deal type thing. We were told to stay and keep gathering women… and, uh, well…” He swallowed audibly and stared at me.

“Speak. Now,” I growled.

“We were told to look out for a female vamp with ice magic… To bring her in alive. So you see, yeah,” he muttered in a rush.

I scoffed and then started chuckling. “You think you’re going to bring me in?”

He shrugged and then pulled out a dagger while his friend finally got off the floor, holding mine in his hand. His wound was healing over. I looked between the two of them.

“Bring it on then. By all means,” I goaded.

The olive-skinned one stepped forward while the other threw my dagger back at me. Being that I had hit a new level of needing to feel something, I let the dagger hit me. It landed just above my hip, and I laughed at the pain. They both staggered at the sound. Pulling my blade from my flesh, I smiled at them as I licked the blood off from hilt to tip.

“Mmmm. Tastes like spicy revenge,” I purred with a giggle.

The males stared at each other for a moment before the olive-skinned one muttered, “This has to be her. She’s fucking nuts.”

“Ohh, you truly have no idea. This isn’t even the fun part yet,” I replied with a smile. I pulled my shadow stone dagger from my boot, letting the light shine off the onyx stone. I threw it as hard as I could into the tattooed male’s head. It smashed into his forehead, and he flew back, smacking into the wall.

“Hm, dead looks good on him. What do you think?” I asked the last male standing. The sassy one who thought he could talk me out of my fun. Laughable. Truly. “Well. Any preference on how you go out?” I asked.

“I-I-I—” he stuttered, and I sighed.

“Why are males so Fates-damned disappointing?” I walked over and pulled the shadow stone dagger from his friend’s head. He just watched me. I guess realizing his fate, which honestly took the fun out of it for me. I did enjoy it when they screamed. I walked up to him and ran my fingers along his jaw. “Make sure that whatever comes after this, you let those fuckers know I’ll see them again.”

He stared at me wide-eyed as I froze him solid.

I let out a breath and stared around at the remaining carnage. Oh well. Time to light it up. I pulled out a few matches from my boot, struck them against the side, and then tossed them on the three dead males. The ice-covered ones were complicated, of course, water and fire didn’t mesh well. But I was determined to see them all in flames, so I made do.

I leaned against the far corner wall, watching the flames take them all. Letting free periodic bouts of ice to keep the fire from spreading. I wasn’t trying to burn down The Moonlight Inn, just these pieces of shit.

As the flames started to die down and just ash remained, I took down the ice barrier. Everyone was just sitting on the couches glancing at where the wall was, as if trying to decide between fleeing and waiting it out hoping they’d be safe. I waved to them and started to head for the door. I’d leave some coin on the bar for the damage I was leaving behind, of course.

“Hey, Ice Sickle,” a familiar voice sounded from next to the bar, and I glanced over at him.

“Bastian,” I replied.

“Letter was received. It’s time to go.”

I just nodded. Court of Ravens was where I was headed anyway. Looks like the Fates weren’t done interfering just yet.

* * *

S ince Bastian and I couldn’t shift into a damn bird like Cedar could, we had prepared horses for the two of us. Most definitely not my preferred method of travel, but it was better than walking with all our weapons and gear.

We’d gotten up the moment the sun had dipped below the horizon and already crossed into the Court of Ravens.

I was trying my best to focus on the ride and what my plan was, but my mind kept drifting back to our departure.

“Don’t feed him while we’re gone,” I’d told Micah.

He smirked. “Absolutely not, My Queen.”

I shook my head at the title when Allie wrapped her arms around me in a quick but thorough hug.

“You’ll find him, My Queen. Trust the threads,” she’d whispered in my ear.

I nodded. Always about trusting the threads. I knew I’d find him, though. Nothing in me doubted that truth.

“Paine knows everything that’s been happening here, and he’s expecting your arrival, Silvana. Talk to his visionary when you arrive. They’ve foreseen you arriving before we did, so they may know more,” Micah said, once Allie released me.

I nodded. “Got it.”

“What has you so deep in thought there, Silv?” Cedar’s question brought me back to the here and now.

“Just thinking about what Micah and Allie had said before we left.” I looked over at him, nibbling on my bottom lip. “Allie has been telling me since the moment I met her to keep trusting the threads. What do you think that means?”

Cedar looked away, watching the forest floor as we trotted along on our horses. “When I was a kid, my mother used to tell me that the Fates were watching, always watching. That they rewarded the people who deserved it most. My grandmama, though? She didn’t think so. She believed we were all connected, and no matter what, the Fates had already decided your fate—your path. She’d say we were guided by the threads of fate.” He was quiet for a moment. “She was a witch, you know. My grandmama? Powerful too. I always believed what she’d said. Our paths are already planned out, each of us connected in some way.”

“So you think Allie is telling me to trust that fate, what? Has my back and is guiding me to where I need to be?” I asked incredulously.

Cedar shrugged. “It’s just a thought. You don’t have to believe it, but they say visionaries are guides and speakers for the Fates, right?”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“So, Allie telling you to trust the threads that fate has laid out for you and our mighty ruler wouldn’t be that insane. That’s all I’m saying,” Cedar stated with a shrug.

He wasn’t wrong, I knew that. It made sense. But I was just having a problem trusting it right now. But I buried that distrust and anxiety and sent a thorough plea to the Fates. Hoping the three Goddesses would be listening to what I was asking.