Page 40 of Ashvale: The Vampire's Kiss

“If, by some miracle, they’re still alive, then they probably assumed you were dead already.” At my look, he cleared his throat and grimaced. “I realise that isn't as comforting as I meant it to be. Sorry.”

The laugh that rumbled out of me surprised us both. “Sometimes, you remind me of Leonora so much.”

A gleam shone in his eyes as though the thought pleased him.

“Had any luck with the amulet yet?” I knew Cal had only created it to have something to do in the search for Elowen, but the truth was that she just wasn’t a priority right now. Plus, it required proximity to work, so until we had a vague idea of Elowen’s location, it was unlikely that we were going to stumble across her using the amulet.

“Nope.” Cal frowned, eyeing the place where it dangled from his neck like he was contemplating throwing it into the ether.

The wooden stool by the table creaked ominously when I dropped into it. “If I can't take on Adrian, then how else am I supposed to find them? I need to know,” I interrupted when Cal looked set to protest again. “I just… I need to know.” Of course, I’d love to then rip off the head of whoever was responsible, but I could bide my time.

“We've already tried all of the locator spells that I can find,” he said slowly and I waited, hoping he had more to offer than just the obvious. “So maybe we need to try a different kind of magick.”

I raised a brow. “Like?”

“Emerson.”

Great. Our only hope was a newbie vamp who had no clue how her power worked or how to control it. My face must have betrayed my thoughts because Cal sighed as he sat too.

“I know. She's a work in progress, but other than confronting Adrian—which, again, will almost certainly end in death—I think she's your best shot.” Cal leaned in, gripping the back of my neck and tugging until our foreheads touched. “I did not spend almost twenty years keeping you safe and hidden to watch you die now.”

“You're getting sentimental in your old age,” I quipped, but my voice was soft. “I'll talk to Nora and see what she thinks.”

“Good. Now, go and run off some of your energy before I send you home or my daughter will eat you alive. Full moon tonight.” The sing-song quality of his voice made me snort, but I stood and nodded.

“I will. Though, you do realise I'm a vampire, right? The full moon doesn't have any effect on me.”

“I know," Cal said, blinking innocently. “I just know how pretty you think it is to run under.”

His laughter followed me out of the door as I left his house and contemplated the dense greenery of the forest about half a mile away. The night was a pale grey, thanks to the light of the moon, and I chuckled as I broke into a light jog. Once I was amongst the trees I could change, but for now, I had to stay on two legs. Giant wolves weren't a typical sight amidst the rural streets.

The air was cool but I barely felt it as I entered the copse of trees and stripped down to my underwear. The scent of the earth grew richer and I could taste the incoming rainstorm on the air as the change rippled through me, effortlessly.

Four paws hit the ground and I stretched before shaking out my coat. In this form, everything was sharper, my senses more honed, and I wondered if this was what Leonora felt every day as an undead vampire.

One day, this would be the norm for me, too... If I could find a way to discover my family's whereabouts without confronting Adrian. Otherwise, I imagined this might be the only taste of my future I might get.

I was warm. No, hot. Almost like someone had crept in and set my room on fire while I'd slept. But this heat, though somewhat stifling, was... soft?

The sleepy haze tried to lift from my mind, but I could only assume I was still dreaming when I managed to open my eyes—there was a wolf in my bed.

Luckily, this silver-haired monster was familiar and, apparently, a duvet hogger. Though, with all that soft fur keeping me warm, it wasn't like I needed it.

One eyelid lifted, showing an icy-blue iris before it slid shut once more and a contented rumble vibrated through his chest.

“I hope you at least wiped your paws before you got in the bed.” I received no response, but I could see a trail of clothes leading from the door to my bed. For whatever reason, Hayes had opted to shift before joining me—maybe so he could steal all the covers.

Sat up and now fully awake, I found my path blocked when I tried to move by a paw the same size as my head. The paw pads were surprisingly soft, a fact I was grateful for when they pressed me back down into the covers and I found my head nestled beneath a wolf's chin.

“Dangerous to have me at your throat,” I muttered, trying to stifle a yawn and giving up when the wolf made another rumbling sound that reminded me of a chuckle. Well, that, and I could feel Hayes’ amusement through our bond.

“Where did you go?” I murmured and then shrieked, trying to scramble away when the wolf licked me and attempted to fit my head in its mouth. Fine. Message received—now was the time for sleeping. “Gross.”

I wiped some wolf-drool from my cheek and scowled when he licked the spot again. “You're such an animal,” I teased as I burrowed closer into his soft fur and swatted away his playful nip. “I'm glad you're here.” For some reason it felt easier, safer, to talk to him when he was like this. Maybe it was because he couldn't talk back, or maybe because the wolf felt so separate from Hayes and the complex emotions he typically stirred up. “I sleep better with you.”

He licked the top of my head, as if to prompt me to continue, and I laughed, the sound dying quickly. “I'm scared of what I'll see when I close my eyes,” I admitted, my voice barely louder than a breath as I whispered my secrets to the wolf and the dark. “Sometimes it's Rowan, killing me or being killed. Sometimes it's you, begging me not to kill him but then I kill you, too. Then the blood on my hands grows thicker and thicker until it covers me, choking me—” I screwed my eyes shut. “I don't dream when I'm with you.”

At some point while I was talking I'd started to shake and the wolf had faded, becoming a young man. Hayes held my hands in his, my head on his shoulder as I let the wetness slip free from my eyes, peppering his pale skin.

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