Page 168 of The Vampire's Bride

“Aye. I’m going with you.”

A lump of emotions rises in my throat. “That’s not necessary. I—”

Before I can finish, he gestures to the other guards. “Whatever happens, you hold the others here. Do you understand?”

Edgyr turns his attention back to me. “You’re Lady Juliet Greyvale. Wife of Lord Valaric, the First Knight of the Shadow Blade of Aralon, and Sanishon of the Fallen Knight,” he says, his voice full of reverence. “My sword is yours. Now, follow me, my Lady.”

The rest of the guards bow to me, and then rush to secure the gates.

Together, we race out into the forest toward the mountain road, trying to put as much distance between us and the village as possible.

“Stop her!” Jonathan’s voice echoes through the woods. “Open the gates!”

The ringing sound of sword clanging fills the air behind us, and I glance back to see the gates are still partially open. Danor and the other guards fight Jonathan’s soldiers, but a blinding arc of red magic takes out one and then the other. Horror fills me when I see Lena in the distance, using her High Elf magic to render them unconscious.

“Juliet!” Jonathan yells as he rides through the gates, two of his men trailing behind him on their mounts.

The cold wind whips through my hair as I follow Edgyr, urging my horse faster through the dense forest. My heart hammers in my chest, beating a resonant drum of fear and resolve.

I will not be captured again.

“Go on, my Lady,” Edgyr calls out. “I’ll hold them off.”

I glance back at him as he turns his horse toward danger, racing to meet our pursuers head on.

A searing flash of red light arcs toward us as Lena strikes out with her destructive magic. It slams into the tree beside me in a brilliant explosion, splintering the wood with a sharp crack.

My horse rears up, and I cling to her mane, barely managing to avoid being thrown from the saddle.

“Lady Greyvale!” Edgyr yells.

His warning is a heartbeat too late as another burst of crimson light streaks toward me, slamming into my chest and knocking me from my horse.

Pain tears through my body and the world tilts as I tumble from the saddle to the snow-covered ground. I struggle to push up onto my arms, but another blast of searing magic hits my side, and I collapse.

The distant sounds of battle echo through the woods. My limbs feel heavy, but I somehow manage to roll onto my back, blinking my eyelids open and closed, forcing myself to stay awake. Time slows as I stare up at the dark blanket of clouds overhead as snow falls all around me.

Jonathan kneels at my side. “I told you not to escape. I warned you, Juliet.” His voice breaks as his eyes slowly return to their normal blue coloring. “Why didn’t you listen?”

“There you are,” I whisper. “Now, you’re Jonathan again.”

“I don’t know what happened to me.” He shakes his head. “It’s like I’m watching myself do these terrible things. I didn’t mean to get so angry when you said you wanted to wait for our wedding night. But it was like I was watching myself say all those horrible things to you.”

He draws in a shaking breath. “And then I—” A broken sob escapes him. “I’m the one who hurt you, Juliet. It was me who attacked you at Lucy’s wedding, but I—I… it was like I was outside of my body and I couldn’t stop myself.”

My heart hammers as he admits to being my attacker. The one who has haunted my nightmares these past few months.

“I didn’t want to believe it.” His voice quavers. “I didn’t want it to be real, but it was me. I nearly killed you, and I—”

He falls completely still and his expression hardens as his eyes turn pitch black once more.

“Jonathan?”

“Bring her here,” Lena calls out from behind him. “Now. There’s no use dwelling on the past. You’ve served your purpose well.”

Roughly, he takes my hands and binds my wrists in front of me. I’m too weak to move. All I can do is lie still as he hoists me to his chest and carries me toward his horse.

A large shadow passes overhead, and I lift my eyes to see my husband, his dark wings beating furiously as he races across the sky.

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