Page 28 of Ashvale: The Vampire's Kiss

“This kind,” Novalie said and I watched her keenly, finding nothing but worry on her face as she took in Emerson’s form, sitting bolt upright on the bed but unseeing.

The whites of her eyes were red once more, bleeding into the black of her irises. Her face had paled, her warm skin becoming ashy as blue-black veins ran over her skin.

“That’s…”

“Freaky as fuck?” I muttered and Hayes nodded.

Emerson blinked, the only sign of life she gave before closing her eyes for a longer period of time. When they reopened, her normal colour had returned and the bronze hue of her skin had deepened again. “Did I miss something?”

Emerson ran her eyes over Hayes, still clad in only the low-slung jeans Cal had provided when Hayes had strode off of the council table still nude.

“What were you doing just now?” I asked carefully and Emerson frowned.

“Um, I was talking to Novalie and then suddenly my head hurt.”

“Do you remember… seeing anything?”

She shrugged. “I don’t think so. Why?”

“Earlier…” I hesitated and then moved to sit down beside her, taking her hand in mine. “Earlier you told me I could save Novalie, before her parents had even attacked her.”

A perfectly sculpted eyebrow rose. “I don't know what you’re talking about.”

“Emerson,” Hayes tried, “you have a gift. Foresight.”

I nodded when she looked to me for confirmation.

“There’s no way to know how strong or accurate this gift might be, but if the other houses find out… They’ll want you for themselves.” Cal looked to me and I knew what he was really saying—that as her sire, it was my job to protect Emerson from anyone who might want to take her by force. “Do your best to keep this under wraps,” he said and I sighed.

“That would be easier if she hadn’t already had two visions publicly. Plus, the walls here have ears.” We all looked to Emerson at my words, the mood growing even more sombre.

“Then you need to be on your guard. Don’t go anywhere alone.”

“Or better yet, we could all leave. Right now.” I pointed out and Cal and Hayes shared a look that made me cross my arms over my chest. “What?”

“Returning to Ashvale would be ideal…” Cal started and Hayes cut him off.

“—Adrian isn’t going to let you go anywhere. Not without permission.”

Novalie and I exchanged a glance, and I could tell we were thinking the same thing. Adrian may be old and therefore strong, but he couldn’t be everywhere at once. How would he know if we tried to leave? And what would he do about it? If he wanted to punish us, he’d have to catch us first.

“Couldn’t you just give us permission?” Novalie asked, gesturing to Hayes. “You’re kind of a big deal, right?”

I bristled at the thought of Hayes giving me permission to do anything.

Hayes shook his head. “Even if I had any interest in ruling, the council aren’t going to give up their power just like that. I’d probably have to kill them all.”

“Sounds good to me,” Novalie muttered and I coughed to hide my laugh.

“But like I said, beyond pissing off Adrian I don’t care about the monarchy or ruling the council. I just want to know what that bastard did to my family and get the fuck out of here.”

My body turned towards him, his emotions pouring through to me via the bond, and it took conscious effort to remain where I was instead of comforting him.

“So we need Adrian’s permission to leave. Surely, that won’t be a problem, what more could he want from me anyway?” My jaw clenched and I pushed out a long breath to calm myself. I hated feeling out of control and, despite my heightened power thanks to my heritage, I was still low ranking compared to most of the vampires at court. “I came to his stupid trial. I don’t want to stay here if it means we’re all at risk.”

Hayes watched me, cool measurement in his eyes. “Ask him for permission.”

I recoiled and held back the growl that wanted to escape my mouth. “I didn’t realise we were prisoners,” I muttered and Cal patted my shoulder sympathetically, brows drawn together in faux empathy.

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