Page 22 of Ashvale: The Vampire's Kiss

“I’m not sure yet. Let’s just get back and go to sleep.” Whatever this was, I had to hope it would pass and that the heavy sensation of eyes on my skin would prove to be paranoia.

We picked up the pace and I was relieved when we came to a stop outside of our doors. I watched to make sure they made it inside safely, the sound of their chatter through the door comforting, and then stepped into my own chambers.

The itchy feeling faded and I loosed a breath, my shoulders easing. That is, until a shadow in my periphery moved and a small orb, similar to a marble, rolled across the floor towards me. It stopped against the toe of my boot and I froze, unsure whether to run at the mage lurking off to my right or to head back out the door.

In the end, the marble made the decision for me. A small crack spiderwebbed across the glass front and the inside turned a cloudy red that deepened to black. It almost looked like blood. I would have been much more curious if the marble hadn’t exploded at right that second, throwing me clear across the room.

God, we were idiots. It was the night before the trial and, theoretically, the last chance to take me out before I spoke up against Elowen. What I didn’t get was why anyone cared.

I hit the floor hard and instinctively shifted into a roll, my arse hitting the wall on the other side of my bed instead of my back. Seeing me moving, the mage gave up on all pretences of subtlety and a spell lit up in his palms.

“I was having such a nice night,” I growled and dodged when he flung the ball of blue light at me as I sprinted towards him. “Did she send you? Elowen?”

The ski mask covered most of his face, but the mage’s eyes widened at my proximity before he blasted me back again with a wall of air. “Stop looking for her.”

I groaned, my head feeling woozy after hitting the wall so hard. Where the hell was Novalie and Emerson? Surely, they could hear the absolute racket this guy was making by chucking me around so much? Unless he’d soundproofed the room with magick. Fuck.

“She’s not high on my list just yet. So why don’t you just run along and we can pretend this never happened?” My hand found my side and I winced even as the pain faded. Bastard must have broken my rib.

The mage either didn’t listen, or didn’t care, because when he approached there was something different in his hands.

“Is that a fucking sword?”

He didn’t reply, just swung at me and I yelped as I scrambled back, watching in shock as a few strands of my dark hair fell to the floor where I’d been standing.

“She knows you’re working for him. Leave now, and you can live.”

“You,” I grunted as I kicked out with one leg, hearing a satisfying crunch as the mage’s knee buckled, “have been grossly misinformed.”

“Have it your way,” he hissed, wobbling on his good leg as he closed his eyes and began chanting.

If there was one thing I’d learnt, it was that any spell a mage had to physically speak into being was either strong or nasty, or both.

Shit.

I grabbed blindly behind me, pulling the curtain rod free from the wall and blinking plaster out of my eyes as I flung it like a javelin at the mage. The metal hit him with enough force that he flew backwards and I couldn’t help the satisfaction that came from seeing him get thrown around instead of me.

His words cut off with a gurgle and I stalked towards him, pulling the curtain rod out of the wall and his stomach with one swift tug. The mage slid down the wall, leaving a smear of blood that made my nose wrinkle.

“Did Elowen send you?” I leaned my face in close, letting him see the cold promise in my eyes. “Tell me, and I’ll give you my blood so you can live. Or don’t, and die.”

He remained stubbornly silent, his body trying to breathe and failing due to the hole in the middle of his body. His legs jerked like he was trying to crawl away and I pushed one hand inside him, frowning at the slippery feel of his blood on my hand.

“Did. She. Send. You.” I twisted viciously, not particularly enjoying the way his insides pulsed around my fingers. His mouth opened in a scream, but no sound came out as he nodded and then looked at me with pleading in his eyes.

I removed my hand and considered him. I could give him my blood and he would live, or I could wait a few more seconds and he would die.

Any remaining desperation faded and I sighed, biting into my forearm before it was too late, only for the bedroom door to fly open behind me.

“Hey, Leah, do you have a—” Novalie paused in the entrance, blinking rapidly. “I can see you’re busy.”

I glanced down at the mage and found him dead, having slipped away in my moment of distraction. “You could say that.”

Chapter Twelve

Leonora

A jet of water flew at my face and it was only my desire to arrive at the council meeting dry that allowed me to push a shield of air around my body. I’d spent some time catching everyone up on last night’s assassination attempt, and now I was more determined than ever to continue training with my magick. The encounter with the mage had been too close.

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