Page 48 of Ashvale: The Vampire's Kiss

I pushed myself, moving faster than I ever had before, my mind pulling in different directions as I imagined what could happen if Rowan reached the others before me. Would he hurt them? Kill them? Some part of me rejected the idea. Despite everything, Rowan was our friend.

But there was every chance that he wasn't the same person now that we’d known before. Death changed a lot.

The only comfort I had was that Leonora could take care of herself and the bond between us would tell me if she was hurt. But if Rowan went after her… I wasn’t sure if she had it in her to kill him again. More than anything, I hoped we wouldn’t have to find out.

A faint scent tickled my nose, not too old but buried under the stronger smells of dying leaves and recent rainfall.

I skidded to a stop, my claws digging through the dirt and sending it flying through the air as I inhaled deeply, my eyes closing as I tried to parse the different smells.

My eyes flashed open. A growl rumbled out of me. Rowan.

He’d passed through here recently. But did I follow his trail? Or go back to the field and use my phone to warn the others he was awake?

Torn, I lifted a paw before replacing it on the ground, unsure. It could be a trap, a false lead to buy him time to get further ahead of me. Or, I could find him waiting. I wasn't sure which option scared me more.

I was wasting time just standing still, each moment meant he slipped further from my grasp. So I pivoted to follow Rowan through the greenery. If I was fast enough, I could catch up to him and warn the others, but I needed to be quick if I had any hope of matching the speed of an undead vampire.

His trail picked up, the scent of him filling my head and driving me onward. I moved deeper into the forest into territory I hadn't explored before. Blood and Rowan mixed together, capturing my attention as I halted next to the perfect imprint of a hand on the tree.

He’d known I would follow him. That meant he’d known I was at Ashvale and had chosen to run anyway. Where was he leading me?

I continued to run until the trees began to thin, making way for grass and the last of the weeds and stray wildflowers still clinging on despite the colder weather. The field I emerged into seemed the same as the one I’d left my clothes in, but I'd come out onto the other side and Rowan’s scent had faded.

I snarled into the empty air. There was too much ground to cover and too weak of a trail to continue following. Why had he led me back here? What had been the point in getting me to hunt him?

A familiar hill in the distance had me moving in its direction, fairly certain it was the same one I’d left my belongings with. I didn't hear the rustle of the bushes until it was too late.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Leonora

“If you’re going to vanish off the face of the earth, then at least answer your fucking phone.” I hung up and knew my face must still be twisted in a scowl by the way Emerson winced as she and Novalie sat down opposite me on my bed.

“Cal?”

“Hayes,” I corrected and then sighed. “I don’t know… It’s only been a day, but I got a weird feeling through the bond yesterday and then today something just feels off.”

“Speaking of Cal,” Novalie said and I raised an eyebrow. “Have you tried asking him if he heard from Hayes?”

I shrugged, it was worth a try. I scrolled down my contacts until I found his name and hit call. It went straight to voicemail. “Why doesn't anyone answer their bloody phones? What is the point in having one if they don’t answer it?”

“Yeah, it’s frustrating when somebody just up and leaves and doesn’t tell you why.”

I raised my hands, palms out. “Hey, I apologised for that.” The two girls snickered and I sighed. “I’ll try Cal again. I’ve already left Hayes about four voicemails threatening various parts of his anatomy.”

“Oh yeah, I bet he can’t wait to call you back after listening to those.”

I threw a pillow at Novalie’s head as I stood up to pace while I called Cal again. This time, he answered.

“What?”

“Good. You’re not dead. I was starting to worry. Have you heard from Hayes?” I bit my thumb lightly as I waited for his response, stomach dropping when he waited a moment too long to reply,

“He’s not with you?”

Fuck. “Why would I be calling you if he was with me?” More magick than brains, it was the only time I’d been glad to take after Elowen.

Cal mumbled something on the other end of the line before speaking up, “He texted to tell me he was going to Ashvale.”

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