Chapter 38

Willow felt guilty that she was happy while many others were sick, hurt, or dying. She didn’t deserve this happiness. Not when there were more important things to worry about. However, as she met Adam’s gaze across the room of the afflicted, she bit her lip to try and stop her smile from appearing, but it was no use. Especially when he returned her look with a sly grin.

He turned to speak to his brother, and she couldn’t tear her gaze away. Although he stood with a rigid posture as if he thought someone might attack him at any moment, there was something different about him that hadn’t been there when they’d first met. A kindness he’d hidden deep within himself, perhaps.

“No, no, no!” Adam cautioned at a vampire who was about to administer an elixir to a patient. “You can’t mix blackwood and emberweed. They will make the inflammation worse. Try sage and honeycomb instead.”

She smiled softly at his passion for herbs. It was an attractive quality about him. Among other things. Her eyes traveled along his strong chest, his defined arms, and—

“Willow!”

She jumped and spun around, her hand flying to her heart. Again, it was her father who managed to sneak up on her. She had no doubt he often startled the daylights out of the younger vampires if he was able to startle the older ones like herself.

“Yes, Papa?”

He gave no indication that the ceremony yesterday had even happened. In fact, he completely ignored Adam altogether. “The werewolf chieftain requests an audience with you.”

“With me?” she asked in surprise, her eyes widening. Her eyes reflexively scanned the large room, taking in the many beds that had been moved in on account of the afflicted. The entire room was a mess from bloodied bandages to whimpering children to used linens. She didn’t know what she was looking for. She had never met the werewolf chieftain. But she thought she would recognize the chieftain if she saw him. No one stood out to her. “Where?”

“The courtyard. And…” Her father twitched uncomfortably as if it was torture to say his next few words. “And take your mate. He has a good silver sword on his back.”

Her father had never trusted the werewolves, nor did the vampires and werewolves have a history of good relations. They were always at each other’s throats, ready to kill. The fact that her father had allowed werewolves to seek refuge within the city was no small deal, and she didn’t doubt he kept a careful eye on them.

“You would send Adam instead?” she asked, discomforted by the idea of meeting with the chieftain. “Why not accompany me yourself?”

“We have an…understanding.” He seemed as discomforted by the idea as she did, but if he was allowing the meeting at all, then he likely believed she’d be in no danger.

She approached Adam and lightly touched his elbow. He looked at her fondly, and she would have reflected on it happily if she hadn’t been nervous about the chieftain.

“Adam, I require your…unique skill set.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Meaning?”

“I’d like you to accompany me to an audience with the werewolf chieftain, should things go south…” Her eyes drifted to the lonesome silver sword on his back. It seemed harmless in its sheath, but in his hand, it was a lethal weapon.

“You don’t want me to kill the werewolf, do you?” he asked uncertainly, dragging her from her thoughts.

She quickly shook her head. “Of course not. I want you there to protect me.” She gave him a flattering smile, but he just rolled his eyes.

“I doubt you need my protection. Where is this chieftain?”

“The courtyard. Come with me.”

She nodded to her fellow vampires as she passed, offering smiles or words of encouragement. Many still didn’t seem to know how to react to the fact that she was mated to a human but talk of an uprising had declined considerably. The vampires needed to see Adam among them.

They made their way out the large double oak doors that led to the courtyard, but as soon as she caught a familiar whiff of musky junipers, she froze. Her heart started beating quickly, and her shoulder started throbbing from the memory alone. The werewolf from the woods outside Adam’s cabin. She would remember the scent anywhere.

Peeking her head around the corner, she froze at what she saw. The werewolf was in its human form, and it was a she, not a he. She was old with short white hair, a sharp, angular face, and she sat on a stone bench with a cane resting on her knees. Even more shocking were her eyes. Stark white. Completely blind.

“You said you killed the werewolf!” she hissed, spinning to face Adam.

He grimaced, but he stood taller, a scowl on his face. “I never said that. I said I took care of the problem.”

“Does that look like a problem taken care of to you?”

“From how it sounds, we would’ve had a bigger problem on our hands should I have killed the werewolf. The chieftain, Willow! As if we don’t have enough problems right now.” He ran a hand down his face. “I blinded the chieftain…”

“And the chieftain bit me!” she cried. “She was going to kill me! Whose side are you on, Adam?” She smacked him in the arm, and he grunted in pain. She grimaced, completely forgetting he was human, and he wasn’t as resilient as she was.

She glanced around the corner again to see the chieftain sitting in the same position, unmoving, patient. The werewolf’s poise intimidated her. Why would the chieftain ask to see her? To try and finish what she had started? Willow would have Adam shear her head off her shoulders before she came within a foot of her again.

Hesitantly, she approached with Adam trailing behind, rubbing the place where she had smacked his arm. The werewolf didn’t glance their way, not that she would be able to see anything anyway.

“This one smells remarkably like a human,” the chieftain commented with a faint twitch of her nose. “If I recall correctly, he should be a werewolf by now.”

He tensed beside her, and she didn’t miss the way his fingers inched toward his silver sword as if preparing himself to strike. Still, the chieftain didn’t move. She continued to face forward, though seeming to use every one of her working senses to feel them out. It was unnerving.

“You bit me,” Willow accused. “You scratched my mate.”

At long last, the chieftain turned to face them, and although blank white eyes stared back at her, it was uncanny the way it felt like those eyes stared straight through her soul. “The thrill of the kill doesn’t back down for anyone, not even for Rani of Ichor Knell. I am not here to apologize, for I see no fault in my actions, only unfortunate circumstance. I am here for the blood hunter.”

“But you requested an audience with me…” she said slowly, confusedly.

“I knew very well I wouldn’t have gotten an audience with your mate if I asked for it. I may be blind, but I can sense Dracula’s distrust in the man. Asking for you was second best.” She turned toward Adam who never dropped his guard. Rather, he looked ready to draw his sword at any moment. The chieftain studied him, albeit with something beyond her sight. “You have chosen a side after all.”

He paused, a thoughtful look in his eyes, and suddenly, she realized the conversation was already lost on her. “There are no sides for someone willing to do whatever it takes to protect those he cares for.”

“You didn’t kill me,” she mused. “Uncharacteristic of a blood hunter. But what a fight it was.” Her expression sparked excitedly. “I have never been bested in combat. I find it disappointing you didn’t turn. Wolfsbane?”

“Yes,” he nodded before he got right to the point. “Who are you? And why did you want to see me? You can’t turn for another two weeks until the moon is full. I hope you don’t expect to finish the job.”

“I am Aoni, Chieftain of the werewolves, and I wouldn’t dare try to finish the job,” she chuckled. “The last time nearly cost me my life. However, I would pay you handsomely to become a member of my tribe. We could use a warrior like you. Vampires excluded.”

“No,” Willow whispered, panic in her eyes as she clung to him. She was not going to let him go. Not ever. And if he dared to try to disappear, she would hunt him down, throw him over her shoulder, and lock him up to prevent him from escaping. Well, she wouldn’t go that far, but she loved him dearly. It would break her to pieces to ever lose him.

He touched her fingers lightly, reassuringly. “Offer declined. As you are well aware, Willow is my mate. My place is here.”

Relief flooded through her. She had been terrified for a moment that he might accept the offer if only to leave Ichor Knell. But she knew he cared for her, even though he hadn’t quite said as much verbally. Instead, he showed her every day through his actions.

“Pity,” Aoni said, frowning as she turned to face her. “Then I suppose I owe you information, as you are providing refuge for my people. The Dunmere Crusaders are heading toward Ichor Knell. For some outlandish reason, they think they can take the city. But I don’t think they understand what they’re getting themselves into.”

She swallowed hard. The Dunmere Crusaders had already killed and wounded many non-humans. If they reached Ichor Knell, a bloodbath would ensue. Although many strong vampires lived here if the crusaders outnumbered them… Their odds didn’t look good.

“That is all,” Aoni said.

“How many are there?” she asked. “I need to know what we’re up against.”

Aoni raised her head, facing away from them. “I said that is all. I owe you nothing more.”

“But your people are here too! If the crusaders make it this far, your werewolves will get hurt, and many will die.”

The chieftain's mouth twitched eagerly. “Then we will feel the thrill of the fight one more time. Whether or not you keep your city is not our concern. Though, I might consider giving you more information if there was a valuable addition to my tribe…”

Aoni’s offer hung in the air and she wanted to slap it back down. The werewolves would not take him. She would rather die first.

She didn’t bother dismissing herself as she stalked inside, Adam trailing close behind as she made her way to their rooms. It was finally time to stop ignoring the problem. The problem was that she had wronged Dedric. But she had raised that boy!

He had diverted far from the path she had taught him to walk. Although she did something unforgivable by killing his parents when he was but a babe, she had been his guardian. Dedric had loved her as she had him. Because fate forced them separate ways didn’t mean all was lost. She was going to slap some sense into him. He had to listen. He just had to.

“What are you doing?” he asked, but she didn’t answer.

She angrily produced a traveling dress for the short journey ahead and slipped it on, tying the cinched corset forcefully at the front. She pulled her hair back and tugged on her boots. How could Dedric do this? How could he? This was not the man she raised him to be.

“Willow, stop,” he said, grabbing her hands. Anger pulsed through her, but it wasn’t directed at him. Finally, she looked at him and saw the confusion in his eyes. “Where are you going?”

“To put an end to this. I plan to confront Dedric. I know he’ll listen to me at least long enough to hear me out. He can’t do this. I won’t allow him to do this. To me. To my people. This ends today.”

“No,” he growled, forcefully enough to take her aback. “There is no way I’m letting you venture into a crusader camp with the faint hope that their leader will listen to you. These crusaders… They are not fools. They know what they are doing, and they are bloody good at it. I’m drawing the line.”

She stood, defiantly crossing her arms. “I will go! I might be the only hope my people have.”

“I am your husband, and you will listen to me!”

“And I am your mate, and you must support my decisions!”

They stood face to face, anger seething between them as they glared into each other’s eyes. He stood much taller than her, towering above her, but she wouldn’t back down. She had to do this. It was something she truly had to do.

He broke the glare first as he stomped into his room and slammed the door behind him, all while her mouth fell open in shock. Had the news of her soon departure rattled him that much? She would never want to purposefully upset him. But didn’t he understand she had to confront Dedric? She couldn’t ignore the problem.

However, not a minute passed before he thundered back into her room with his sword strapped to his back.

“Let’s get going,” he ordered. “If we can get there before first light, we have a better chance at sneaking in without attracting the guards’ attention. I’d rather you have this conversation with Dedric in private than with an audience all pointing iron swords in your direction.”

He turned to leave, but she grabbed onto his arm. “Adam, you can’t come. It’s dangerous.”

“Which is precisely why I’m coming. I won’t let you go in there alone.”

She contemplated the idea for far too long. She knew he was fully capable of taking care of himself. If anything, he could be the one to protect her. But he still had a bounty on his head. What if the bounty put him in danger? Remaining in Ichor Knell would be the safest option for him. But from the look in his eyes, he wouldn’t back down on his decision to accompany her.

“I can’t transport other people,” she said. “I can’t carry you.”

“Then we will go on foot. If they are headed in this direction, they can’t be far. Besides, that little thing you and Dracula do… It’s cold. Humans could probably feel you coming from a mile away.”

Her eyebrows rose in surprise. It was cold? Why had she never noticed before? Vampires already ran colder than humans. Could that be why?

“Let’s get going.”

They only made it outside the castle before her father materialized before them, a cloud of shadow becoming a vampire clad in black. Adam stepped backward, but she stepped defiantly forward. Her father would try to keep her from going. She had to go. This was something she had to do.

“Move, Papa,” she said, her head held high. “You can’t keep us here.”

Her father frowned, glowering in Adam’s direction. “I would gladly let that one leave. But Willow…” His expression softened as he regarded her fondly. “It’s dangerous out there, cel mic. This is the safest place you can be. I know you want to fix things with Dedric, but what’s done is done. Let it go.”

She created a noise in the back of her throat that reflected what she felt inside. Sadness. Determination. Guilt. Love. “It’s what I must do, Papa. What happened with Dedric is my fault. It starts and ends with me.”

He sighed and didn’t say anything for the longest moment. Finally, he kissed the top of her head. “You are mine no longer, cel mic. I have given you away.”

“I will never be far,” she replied, giving her father a smile. “I promise to be careful. Dedric will listen to me. I know he will.”

Her father regarded Adam coldly. “If anything happens to her, I will kill you.”

“I don’t doubt it,” Adam muttered.

A commotion started in the courtyard and her father sighed before patting her cheek warmly and leaving to check on the disturbance. With no obstacles in their way, they set off in the direction of Dedric’s camp. It wasn’t too difficult to find, as Adam used the smoke from their campfires to locate them despite the dark atmosphere in Ichor Knell.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” he asked, and she nodded.

“Absolutely.”