Page 78 of Veiled Yearning

If not for Gavril, I’m not sure I could get through it.

But for Gavril, I have to.

This is the only way to protect him. To protect my friends. To protect every vampire who chooses not to follow Nicolas.

All of us are running flat-out, covering a mile in less than a minute, so we’re closing in on the farmhouse terrifyingly quickly. In only seconds, we’ll be within sight of it, which means our part in the battle is about to begin.

As we’ve been running, we’ve heard more news relayed from Frederick.

Alex and Jules stunned the first two Custodians inside the house with a gravity flux- fireball combo; then Titus swooped in to finish them off.

Two more Custodians are laying decapitated in the kitchen thanks to the work of Larkin, Paul, and Darien.

It’s a promising start.

But we haven’t reached the most dangerous part of it—facing off against Nicolas, a vampire who’s been stealing abilities for centuries. We have no idea how many he has by now, and how adept he is at using them. Can he use more than one at a time? Does he tire afterwards, like I do when I push myself too hard?

Or is he more powerful than all of us combined? Please, let that not be true.

“Nearly there,” Gavril murmurs as he races alongside me, his silver gaze darting over to meet mine.

A second later, the farmhouse emerges past a small cluster of trees.

Reality slams into me, and my lungs seize. My step falters. The fear I’ve been trying to escape finally catches up to me.

It’s happening.

Frederick’s voice is eerily calm as he says, “There are four Custodians engaged on the main floor. Two of them just came up from the basement. It sounds like… one of them has the ability to freeze. Another is throwing fire. But we’re doing alright.”

“We need to head straight to the basement,” Gavril adds, his tone low and commanding. “Don’t stop to help the others. It’s critical that we get to Nicolas.”

My heart is galloping wildly; it’s hard to hear anything above the frenzied beats echoing in my head.

Gavril veers closer to me and touches my hand for a moment. Softly, he says, “You can do this, Chiara. We can do this.”

Halfway across the yard, we fall into a line. Frederick and Gavril at the lead, with Cait and I right behind them. Then it’s Ivy and Grace, with Ethan and Roman covering them from behind.

Just as we’re approaching the front porch, Frederick starts, “Remember the plan. And—” He pauses, then bites out a low curse. “Knight is hurt. Badly. He doesn’t think he’ll make it without—”

Ethan doesn’t hesitate. “I’ll teleport in to get him. Ivy and I can heal him out here.”

Gavril grimaces, his already stony expression tightening. We planned on having Ethan and Ivy in the basement with us, ready to heal if we need. But with Knight hurt, and from what it sounds like, beyond the normal healing capabilities of a vampire, there’s no other choice.

“Get him,” Gavril replies through a clenched jaw. “Heal him, and come find us as soon as you can.”

Ethan gives a brief nod. “I will.” Then he disappears.

Ivy slows to a stop while the rest of us keep moving forward. “Be careful,” she calls after us. “Ethan and I will come as quickly as possible.”

Now we’re down to six as we race into the house and a scene of utter destruction.

Doors hang from broken hinges or are gone completely. Splintered scraps of wood are scattered all over the floor. All the windows are blown out, leaving only jagged shards in the panes and the ground glittering as the sun hits the pulverized glass.

Blood is smeared on the walls, violent crimson against faded wallpaper.

A torn sofa smolders, tiny whorls of smoke drifting as the breeze moves through the room.

In the corner of the living room, beside a blackened bookcase filled with charred books, lies a decapitated body in a still-spreading pool of red.

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