Page 41 of Ashvale: The Vampire's Kiss

“That's funny,” he said quietly, “because when I'm with you, my life is nothing but dreams, Leonora.”

Neither of us fell back to sleep, just holding each other quietly until the prospect of the new day felt less daunting.

“Nora,” Hayes said eventually and I hummed absently, the taste of him in my mouth and soothing my soul. “I need your help.”

“Anything.”

Chapter Twenty-One

Hayes

Nothing screamed romance quite like traipsing through the dusty underbelly of court.

We'd been wandering extensively, following the winding corridors around until we hit a dead end and then starting over. Of course, we weren't completely aimless—the goal was to find another way into the royal chambers, a hidden passage or emergency escape route.

I didn't know if my family were behind those heavy gilt doors, almost within touching distance, but the fact that the entire wing had been sealed off felt more than suspicious.

Who had sealed it? And why? At first, when we’d heard about the barrier, Cal had thought perhaps it was a spell only someone of royal descent could combat. So far, the doors remained just as stubbornly locked for me as they did for everyone else.

Nora ran her palm along the fifth dead end we’d come across, her dark brows furrowed. “There's definitely something here.” At my curious look, she shrugged. “Cal's been teaching me about magickal signatures and there's one here in the brickwork. I can't tell who laid it, but it's strong, like it altered the very foundation of the catacombs.”

I sighed and leaned back against the dark bricks opposite her. This had been a waste of time. “I wish Rowan was here.” The words escaped me without thinking and I didn't miss the way Leonora tensed, like I was about to shame her for his loss. “He would know exactly what books to check for information. I bet he could even dig out a blueprint of the tunnels down here.”

She smiled, eyes distant like she could picture Rowan amidst the stacks of books in Ashvale's library as clearly as I could. “Did he know? Who you were?”

The soft scuff of my footsteps stopped the air between us from becoming tense when I shook my head. “I never told him.”

“But?” Nora joined me, her proximity distracting as we walked back the way we'd come.

“But I think he suspected.”

“Too clever for his own good,” she muttered and I shorted, unable to disagree. “Do you think he'll wake up?”

“I don't know.” I watched her face carefully in the gloom, the darkness of her hair blending in with the shadows. “Do you want him to?”

Her eyes jerked up to search my face, their vivid green unsure. I knew her answer even if she couldn't say it aloud. As if she would be betraying herself. So I was surprised when she voiced it anyway. “Yes.”

The weight of her eyes as she watched for my reaction was interesting—did she wait to see relief? Anger? Something else altogether? I kept my emotions under wraps, filling the bond between us with humming static. “Me too.”

“I don’t regret it,” she added, biting her lip like the words were a test, so I nodded.

“I know that, too.”

“But I do miss him.”

“Maybe one day he'll come back to us.” Nora nodded and I felt her pang of guilt, of longing, as if it were my own.

She took a deep breath and I let the subject drop, happy to let her segue into other topics. “Until then, let's see if I can help Cal narrow down the kind of magick we'll need to get into those chambers.”

“Do you think Emerson could help?” I was somewhat hesitant to ask, I knew how protective Nora could be of her friends. “If you think it's too much for her?—”

“I think it's up to her whether she feels she can help. Or if she even wants to.”

That was fair enough. “Okay then. I'll talk to her.”

“It'd be good practice for her focus,” Nora continued and when she grabbed my hand to pull us to a stop, I nearly stumbled. So engrossed in our conversation, I hadn't noticed that we were already back in the centre of the underground maze that made up the vampire court. “How about you ask Cal to come and supervise, and I'll talk to Emerson about helping? Meet in my room in twenty?”

Shaking off my daze, I nodded but called after her before she could disappear completely, “I think you mean our room.”

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