Chapter 20

Willow’s jaw dropped.

His wife?

She hadn’t been able to help herself as she stayed behind despite Adam telling her to return to the inn, hiding behind the corner and listening in on their conversation in case he ran into trouble. She got more than she bargained for.

“Your wife?” she heard Wyler ask. “Since when do blood hunters marry?”

“Since now. And if you touch a hair on her head, I will not rest until I see your corpse hanging by a noose.”

A sound behind Willow startled her and she had to keep herself from yelping in surprise. She spun around to find Nayden, bowing and apologizing profusely for startling her.

“I thought you heard me approach,” Nayden said with a grimace. “I may be getting too stealthy for my own good.”

“Any news?” she asked, though what she really wanted to do was continue listening in on the conversation. Nayden chose a bad time to pop in unannounced.

“We’ve sent the call to return to the Homeland. All we can do is wait and hope the nearest vampires will leave in time.”

She nodded. “Thank you.” She was extremely worried for her people, but she wasn’t sure what more she could do. If all went well, the evacuation could save a lot of lives. In the meantime, she needed to figure out how to deal with Dedric, because ultimately, she was the head he wanted. Nothing she did would erase the past, but perhaps they could come to some sort of agreement. This crusade was madness.

Nayden shrunk into a dog and padded out of the alleyway, giving her the opportunity to turn her attention back to the blood hunters. Her blood iced over when she didn’t see either of them there. She took a few steps backward as fear crept into her heart. Where were they? Where was Adam?

A thud sounded behind her and she whirled around to see that the second blood hunter, Wyler, had dropped from the roof above, his wicked smile glinting in the darkness. The sight of him gave her the chills, especially from the way he looked at her as if she was a possession to be owned.

“Disobeying your partner?” he grinned. “Shouldn’t you be safe back at the inn tucked in bed?”

Fear rose inside of her, tenfold the fear Adam ever made her feel. There was something different about this man. Adam was dangerous. But Wyler… He was deadly. And she was terrified.

Step by step, she backed up until her back bumped against the alley wall. She was trapped. Why hadn’t she gone to the inn like Adam told her to? She’d made a mistake. A horrible, rotten mistake. She could fight him, but she wasn’t sure she could escape alive. Besides, if Wyler learned she was a vampire, what would it do to Adam, who had lied about her being his wife?

“I think you have me mistaken with someone else,” Willow said in a small voice.

Wyler stepped in her path when she tried to dodge past him. “I think I don’t. Where did he snatch you up, I wonder?”

“In Lakefalls,” she answered, trying not to show her discomfort. “I worked under the jarl. Now please let me through.”

He stepped in her way again, his smirk widening. “Now, you see, Degore has a habit of taking things that belong to me. I ought to return the favor. But don’t worry. You’ll still be alive when I’m done with you.”

Wyler grabbed her arm and she reacted on instinct as she spun out of his grasp and kicked him hard in the chest, hard enough to send him flying backward into the wall, several bricks crumbling at the impact. The blood hunter looked surprised at first as he wiped the blood from his ear, but then he chuckled in amusement.

“It seems the favored blood hunter has been keeping secrets. This should be interesting.”

This time, when she rushed past him, he didn’t stop her. He watched with the same smirk until she had disappeared from his sight. She didn’t stop moving. She ran until she reached the inn and took a few moments to catch her breath. Adam stood outside, still unable to see her, a worried crease between his eyes as he scanned the perimeter. If she didn’t appear soon, he might go searching for her.

She rounded the corner and when she met Adam’s gaze, his rigid posture evaporated. After the fright she had, seeing him brought an onslaught of relief. She couldn’t tell him she had met Wyler. His last statement made her feel like Adam was in trouble, and she didn’t dare break the news that she’d betrayed him, though she felt like she hadn’t had a choice. Wyler knew she was a vampire. What would it do to Adam?

“I thought I told you to return to the inn,” he said accusingly.

“And I did,” she shrugged, trying to look more relaxed than she felt. What she really wanted to do was fly into his arms and seek comfort, but she doubted he was open to the idea. “I went the long way. Is that a problem?”

He paused before finally shaking his head. “No. Come on.”

They walked beside one another in silence while he brooded. Wyler’s appearance had unnerved him. But then again, it had unnerved her too.

“What do you need my help with?” she asked when she finally pushed her worried thoughts away. “It must be important.”

“It is,” he replied gruffly, which startled her, but his expression softened immediately when he glanced at her. She couldn’t focus on anything else but Adam.

She gazed into his eyes, warmth spreading through her. Perhaps there was something more there than just fondness for her mate. “Trust me?”

“That’s not a good idea,” she breathed, yet she still let him lead her toward the Dohr Mountains. “It’s never safe to trust you.”

“I could have done away with you many times already. The fact that you’re still here means something.”

That it did. And she kicked herself for trusting him. As her mate, it couldn’t be helped. She had a tender spot in her heart for him. She wanted to be near him. She didn’t want to ever have to say goodbye.

They continued forward until he stopped short of a path guarded by two of the emperor’s guards wearing imperial uniforms. Torches illuminated their faces, revealing the complete look of boredom in their expressions.

“I don’t understand why we have to guard this trail,” the guard groaned. “So what if people die in these mountains? That’s their own blasted fault. The emperor shouldn’t be concerned.”

“Be thankful we don’t have latrine duty,” the other one answered. “This job could get a lot worse.”

Without warning, Adam threw a rock and it soared in the air before crashing into the bushes away from the guards. Both men jumped, drawing their swords.

“Are you going to go check it out?”

“I don’t want to check it out. You should go.”

The first guard sighed. “Fine. But someone has to guard the trail.”

She took the hint and found a rock of her own, hurling it in an arc to the opposite side, much further than Adam’s throw. The second guard jumped and hesitantly started toward the sound. With both guards distracted, Adam pulled her onto the unguarded trail, and they didn’t slow until they were well out of sight and earshot. She laughed.

“That was fun. Where is the next round of guards we need to get past?”

“Those were the only ones,” he replied, his expression serious as they trekked upward. Her brow furrowed at the sound of a trickling stream. Where did it lead? And what did he need in these mountains? She had heard rumors that these mountains were dangerous, but she didn’t really understand why.

“Only two guards?”

He explained, “Superstition keeps people away, making more than two guards unnecessary.”

“Do you believe in the superstitions? I mean, I do. I have heard of vampires roaming these parts and never coming back.”

He frowned and quickly changed the subject. “Those vampires back there—the muscular one and the informant… Why did they do that…thing?”

She smirked, stepping over a large log and climbed atop a boulder leading higher up the mountain. No danger lurked nearby. No bears. No griffins. Nothing but a breeze on her skin and orange and yellow clouds circling overhead. The clouds melted into gray, threatening a coming shower. Fortunately, nothing could ruin tonight. She was alone with Adam. She was unbound. She couldn’t deny the happiness she felt inside.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said as she stopped walking, and he had to backtrack a few steps. The ledge they stood on was narrow, but large enough to hold both of them. He pressed closer to her as if to keep himself from venturing too close to the edge.

“You do too know what I’m talking about,” Adam rolled his eyes. “The thing with the arms. And the nose.”

“Show me.”

He looked flustered for a moment before shaking his head. “No.”

She shrugged. “Then I suppose we have nothing to discuss.”

He visibly clenched his jaw and stepped in her way as she tried to shuffle past. “Fine,” he growled. Quickly, he grasped her forearm and leaned in close, nuzzling his nose against hers before letting go and putting distance between them.

She couldn’t stop smiling, her heart giddy with excitement. She had thought an eternity would stretch by before he ever did it to her. Happiness radiated from her entire being. Of course, he didn’t mean it. He was only curious, but it still meant something to her.

“Oh, that!” she moved past him in an attempt to hide the gleeful smile she didn’t try to suppress. “They only do it for each other. It means they are mates.”

“Mates?” he asked, shocked. He tripped on a rock and barely managed to catch himself. When she turned to see if he was all right, she could see a faint trace of a flush had crept into his ears. “Then they’re…they’re married.”

She paused before nodding slowly. “I suppose marriage is the human equivalent. But something deeper that humans are unable to understand.”

“What do you mean by deeper?”

She felt uncomfortable discussing this. With her own mate, no less! Which was exactly the reason why it made her nervous. He was her mate. And he didn’t know it. What would he say if—when—he found out? Unfortunately, she couldn’t imagine the conversation playing out any better than the one they had right before leaving for Ironfell. It broke her heart just thinking of it.

“I do not wish to speak of it.” She turned her attention forward, forcing herself to turn away from his reaction. “It is between vampires and you are anything but.”

He sighed. “You like to keep secrets, don’t you? First Dunmere, now vampire courtship? Why can’t you just talk to me?”

Her mouth dropped open. “Now you want to talk? You have some nerve, Adam Degore.”

The comment silenced him, and immediately, she regretted it. Over the days, she had craved conversation, connection, with the blood hunter, and the moment it became too personal, she had shut off. But she didn’t want to tell him. Not yet. She wasn’t ready. Another rejection from her own mate would break her heart. She wasn’t ready.

Silently, she followed him over their next rocky obstacle. She continued to kick herself for snapping at him. But she didn’t want to talk about Dedric Dunmere because it included having to admit to him that she was ashamed of herself. After all, she had lived a long life. Some days were darker than others.

The sounds of a trickling stream turned into a raging waterfall, silver like the moonlight that waited to shine as dusk fell into something darker. The thunderous water was almost too much for her overly sensitive ears, but she would bear it. At least for a time.

The waterfall drew her nearer until she stood on the edge of the cliff, looking down. White spray shot downward into a pool far below. There was something…mystical about these waters. It looked too clear. Untouched. And she couldn’t tell where the water originated from. Higher on the mountaintop, perhaps? It almost appeared from thin air.

She took another step forward and hissed as the spray hit her skin, stinging her like a sharp needle. At first, she assumed a stabbing rock hit her, but learned the truth when the water left glaring red marks on her skin.

Her eyes widened as she realized where they were—the Throat of Druxix. The clearest, purest water in all the kingdom, uncontaminated by human hands. She had heard many stories about priests traveling days, weeks, even years to acquire the smallest vial of the water, assuming they knew the location of the falls. The water was coveted next to coin.

Holy water.

She snapped her head in Adam’s direction, only to find an iron sword pointed right at her breast. He betrayed her. He lied to her. He used her! And he played her for a fool. Somehow, she had allowed herself to hope that given enough time, something beautiful might blossom between them. She now understood it had been a vain hope, and she had been a fool.

She took a step back, away from him, putting as much distance between them as she was able.

“How could you?” she gasped, taking another step backward, but to back up much further would result in falling over the edge of the cliff and into the holy waters below. However, he was blocking her escape, a menacing sword close to penetrating her skin. Any false move would result in an iron sword through her heart. “How could you take me here?”

“I couldn’t tell you,” he answered, his voice thick with emotion. “It’s the only way. It’s the last thing I could do. For Zachariah.”

She felt numb. After everything that had happened between them, he still meant to kill her? But he was her mate. Mates were supposed to look after one another.

“Don’t do this,” she whispered, taking yet another step backward but stopping in her tracks when the roaring of the falls crashed into her ears like the loud toll of a bell signaling a vampire getting burned at the stake.

She would meet the same fate, except the only audience she would have was Adam and it was holy water instead of fire. She didn’t know which was worse. “I care for you, Adam. I want you to give me a chance.”

“I don’t have a choice. I need my brother back. He’s the only family I have left.”

Her heart ached badly, and she almost wished he would run her through with the weapon, finishing the deed. It might hurt less.

“I could be something to you,” she whispered in earnest.

His only response was to press the tip of his sword closer to her heart. “You’re a vampire, Willow. I’m a blood hunter. Why can’t you understand? This is the way things have to be.”

“No, it’s not! Past mistakes can be forgiven.”

He shook his head, his expression hard. “It’s time for me to end this.”

A tear escaped her eye and trailed down her cheek. “You want me to die?” If he asked it of her, she would do it. He was her mate. Mates looked after one another. They had the other’s best interests at heart. But he wasn’t a vampire, which was why choosing him had been a gamble.

“Your death will benefit no one at the moment,” he said. “I need to find a cure. Before the crusaders find Zachariah and kill him.”

“That’s what this is about? But Adam—”

Her words were cut off as the ledge crumbled beneath her feet. She screamed as she fell. But when she expected to be consumed by fiery water, he grabbed her hand and she found herself dangling precariously over the edge, silver spray soaking her hair and stinging her skin. The world stopped for a moment. Her legs dangled, and the only thing keeping her from death was the hand of a misled blood hunter.

“Just do it!” she screamed. “End it!”

He hesitated. Why did he hesitate?

She shrieked as the water burned her. Pins and needles.

“Isn’t this what you wanted?” she shouted to him. “Let me go and end it!”

“It was what I wanted! Is.” He emphasized the last word. “If you are cleansed, maybe my brother can be too! Willow, you can be cured.”

She shook her head as she desperately clung to his hand, her feet trying and failing to find a hold in the cliff face. Tears streamed down her face, their reddish tint staining her cheeks. “The only cure is death! Adam, if you do this, I will die.”

He fell silent, a war raging in his eyes as he gazed back at her. He took such a long time to think it over that she felt convinced his grip on her hand would fail him and she would plummet into the holy waters below, consumed by their fiery vengeance. However, his grip never loosened. He never let go, although it sure did look like he was contemplating dropping her.

At long last, he clenched his jaw and heaved her over the lip of the cliff until they were both sprawled on the spiky grass, breathing heavily—him from exertion, her recovering from the fear that her three-hundred-and-forty-one-year life almost ended. She had been at his mercy.

As he lay sprawled on the cliff, he covered his face in the crook of his elbow and his shoulders began shaking. She froze. Something was wrong! He was showing emotion, something he never did in front of her. She didn’t know what to do.

Which was why her hands flailed uselessly before she forced them to her sides. There was nothing she could do, nothing she could say, to ease his pain. It broke her heart to see him like this. But he had to face the truth. If he didn’t, he would live in stubborn defiance all of his years.

“You can’t cure Zachariah,” she said huskily. “Many of my kind have tried the same thing you are and failed, resulting in their own deaths. The Throat of Druxix… It kills our kind. The water is deadly.”

“Then…Then he is doomed to live as a vampire the rest of his days.”

She certainly wouldn’t call it doomed… In fact, she enjoyed being a vampire far too much, other than the constant fear she would be discovered and killed in her sleep—or other more horrific ways.

“The only thing you can do is accept him for what he is,” she said softly. “Adam, I am three hundred and forty-one years old. I have lived a long time—long enough to know that if there was a way to turn a vampire into a human, or to find a cure for humans that were turned, someone would have figured it out by now.”

He lay still for another minute, breathing deeply as if fighting off his emotions. It was hard seeing the stoic blood hunter this way.

Finally, he spoke. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I tried to tell you before, but you wouldn’t listen to me. Though, I’m not sure if you would have believed me even then.” Under her breath, she muttered, “Plus, you probably would have killed me had you known.”

He continued to lie still, but his shoulders stopped shaking. She would have done anything to take away his heartache. But things were tense between them. He had almost killed her just now.

When he got to his feet, his eyes were rimmed red. He stooped to retrieve his sword and sheathed it at his back. He turned away from her and without another word, started back down the mountain. He didn’t get far when she stopped him by grabbing his hand.

“Wait! Where are you going?”

He wrenched his hand from her grip. “Zachariah will die if I stand idle.”

“What I am supposed to do?”

“I don’t care.”

The words stung. He couldn’t truly mean it, could he? Deep down, she believed he cared. He had to. “How are you planning on taming Zachariah’s feralness?”

He paused. “I don’t know…but I have to try.”

Without another word, he left her standing on the cliff as he made his way down faster than anyone ought to and disappeared from sight. Her heart hurt. Incredibly. She cared for him more than he would ever understand. She…loved him. And she didn’t know how she could go on without him. This vampire bond she felt… It was strong. And it was awful. Because it hurt to watch him leave.

She sank to her knees.

And started to cry.