Page 30 of A Book of Royals and Deities

She is so brave and I want to be like her.

I head down past the river, enjoying the soft sound of the water hitting the pebbles and the lap of the waves in the thicker parts. After I cross the old wooden bridge, I wind through the darker parts of the forest until the tents all but fade out, and I’m finally alone in the stillness of the forest. I don’t know how long I’m walking, but when I see a bridge coming up and the sound of thunder slams across the sky, I jump. I’ve not seen this area before. I spin around, and I just see the mansion in the far distance, and the panic in my gut settles. It’s quiet here, not a bird chirp or a bee buzz. Suddenly I hear something, something that shouldn’t be there. A male groan. I swirl around and I hear it again, but this time I hear pain in the noise. Is someone hurt?

“Hello!” I shout out, wondering if someone’s there. “If you’re here, come out! I can help you!” Let’s hope the fae is a nice one, or I’m going to have to start screaming. Someone will hear me.I’m not far enough away that they wouldn’t. I’m not the best fighter, but my dragon will come for me if all else fails.

The groan echoes in my ears again, with a slightly whispered word. “Help me…”

My head turns towards the river where it’s coming from, and I rush over, wondering if someone’s fallen in. The heavy smell of blood slams into my nose as I get to the riverbank. I look down, my eyes widening and a shiver snaking down my spine. There’s a vampyre man on the creek bed. There’s a sword embedded straight through his stomach. A glistening gold sword that sliced through the thick black leathers he is wearing. He’s barely conscious, muttering to himself as his red blood pours onto the pebbles and into the river.

He has short, curly silver hair that touches his forehead, and his silver fangs are tipped red, but they shine. His skin is pale, so pale. It’s probably from all the blood pouring out of his stomach or the fact he is a vampyre. I’ve only seen dead ones brought in to be burnt from the city and only from a distance in the crowds. My eyes drift to the wound. He must be from the city, where the river starts, and I’d bet he got dragged up here by the current. The river is high from all the rain we have had recently. I steel my shoulders as I look down at him, wondering what to do. If I shout for help, someone will come and they will kill him.

Why does that thought make me feel sick?

Deities, what do I do? I can’t help him. He’s a vampyre and my natural enemy. His eyes open like he can hear my thoughts, and his eyes are so pale blue as he stares right up at me. “Help me.”

Something in my gut makes me stop. Makes me not turn and run away. I should. I absolutely should. But if I go back to themansion and tell them there’s a vampyre out here—he’s dead. That’s it. He could very well kill me too. Anyone else would run away for help, but I can’t make my feet turn. I can’t make myself actually leave. What am I doing? I reach for my dragon in my mind, seeking his advice. Ululia chose me in a Decidere, and so far, as long as I’ve known him, he helps me…the few, very few, times he’s chosen to speak to me. “What do I do?”

His grumble echoes in my mind. “We help the weak and look to the deities to judge us. You know what you must do.”

My jaw drops and I look at the sky above, the thick swirling clouds. I’m shocked silent and I know Ululia isn’t going to give me any more advice. My dragon, who would die to protect me like I would for him, just told me not to leave this vampyre. To help him.

I look down at the handsome vampyre, and my heart feels like it’s clogged in my throat. He is handsome. At least six foot five with tall, long legs and too many muscles on show, even injured. He’s covered in rippling muscles and quite a few scars that look old, like they never healed. I don’t even know if he’ll survive me helping him pull that sword out of his stomach. Then what? What do I do with him? I gulp before making my decision. A really stupid, reckless decision. But I’ve never been reckless in my life except for the Decidere, and I felt like that was the right thing for me to do. This is the right thing to do. I follow the rules. I do everything I’m told usually, but maybe I’m done with that.

I listen to my dragon. I always do and I always will. With my decision made, I slide down the embankment. Stones, pebbles and sand stick to my leggings as I make the descent before I can stand in the shallow water that seeps into my boot. Tugging my cloak off, I spend a few moments ripping the fabric with my teeth. I’m going to have to tie the fabric around him somehow tostop bleeding. I remember the wars in the mansion, and I know how to pack a wound. My mother, she’s good with stuff like this, and she taught me.

The vampyre doesn’t move when I nervously step closer. He’s so pale and I wonder if he will die no matter what I do. My eyes catch on the bridge a little further down the river. If he survives this, I can take them there to hide him. “Hey, vampyre, nice to meet you, I’m Catherine, and I’m a dragon rider from the Sun Dynasty. You’re my enemy, the villains we had been destroyed by, but I guess you’re lucky I found you. I don’t like murder, and I can’t walk away from someone who is hurt and needs help. Please do not bite me.” I wrap my shaky hands around the sword. “Brace yourself.” I yank it out in one swift pull, and blood sprays across my leggings. He screams for a second, and I lean down, shoving my hand over his mouth, feeling the tips of his fangs press into my palm. He doesn’t bite me though, his startling blue eyes widening right before he passes out again.

He will be lucky if no one heard that scream. I’m kind of glad at least he’s unconscious now, though. I kneel down by his side, carefully putting the sword on the bank. I glance at the strange symbols on the very expensive sword that is heavy, and it might be pure gold for all I know. Where in the deities is he from? Carefully, I manage to shove bits of the cloak that I’ve ripped up into the gaping wound to stop the bleeding before I get a strip underneath him and tie it hard around his stomach to hold it in place. It’s not hygienic or really any good, but I don’t have another choice. I’m sure vampyres heal fast, but I wouldn’t know.

He flinches in his sleep, but he’s not strong enough to wake up. I glance around me to make sure no one’s looking before grabbing his arms, and I pull. He is heavy and massive, and tugging himalong proves to be one hell of a workout. I’m sweating after even a minute of pulling him across the sandy, pebbly beach. I grunt and tug until I finally get him underneath the bridge and collapse at his side, breathless. “You’re too muscular for your own good, vamp.”

I push back to my feet with a groan. I get what’s left of my cloak and the stupidly heavy sword before kicking sand over the blood marks to hide them. The bridge is big enough that no one is going to see him unless they come down here. Thunder crackles loud above, and the second I step out from under the bridge, the rain comes down. The river might get higher, but I can’t move him anymore. I’m not left with a choice but to leave him on the edge of the stone path under the bridge. I throw the cloak over his shoulders and leave the sword pressed against the wall.

“I don’t know if you can hear me or if you’re remotely with it, but I hope you live. I will come back tomorrow with animal blood for you, but don’t you fucking dare attack anyone. I think you’re safe here to recover. It’s far enough away from the mansion for them not to find you. Please don’t make me regret this.”

Just when I turn to walk away, his gravelly voice hits my ears. He has a perfect voice. “I owe you my life and my thanks, fae.”

I can’t make myself look back at him, as my stomach turns with my decision to help this stranger. Did I really just save a vampyre’s life?

Chapter Seventeen

Page Seventeen—I found an old fae who claimed

that the first living person on this world was half fae and half dragon.

What a strange thought…

Luna is nearly as clumsy as I was when I first started training, but she doesn’t give up easily, and I admire her strength. I watch her train with Calix, who seems to have taken over personal responsibility of making sure Luna can defend herself. He’s ruthless, as Ziven still is with my training. I’m proud of myself when I don’t keel over and heave like I’ve inhaled a barrel of smoke. Luna is nothing but a sweaty mess, shivering on the mat after Calix has just flipped her over his shoulder. I internally wince and pick up a glass bottle of water, taking it over and offering her a drink.

“Thank you!” She gasps with a smile, taking a deep sip. Ziven stops close at my side, crossing his thick arms as his bodypresses into mine, and his scent wraps around my senses, luring me to him. He’s not wearing a shirt and I’ve been drooling since the second he got in here. We’ve been training all morning, after a late night of discussing with Mazzis what we should do with the books. Putting them near each other is a bad idea when the barrier could be the only thing holding the Silkvir back when they get here.

The idea of Emyr riding a beast and coming after me sends a cold sweat down my spine. I woke up four times last night, nightmares of the past smacking into me, and each time, Ziven held me, reminding me that I’m safe with him. That Emyr is never going to touch me. I focus on Ziven now and try not to drool over the display of tight, thick muscles. I can barely look at him right now, but I’m itching to drag him away.

“Her training is more painful to watch than yours,” Ziven comments, and poor Luna nearly chokes on her drink. She is scared of him, and I don’t blame her. He scared me too at the start. Ziven leans into me. “I really fucking enjoyed seeing you all sweaty and breathless under me. I was rock hard all fucking day after training you. Every fucking day, Storm.”

I shiver and meet his eyes, batting mine innocently. “Want to do some more training?”

He loudly laughs, the sound amazing to my ears. Calix shakes his head at us both, but there is a huge grin on his face. “I’ve never heard Ziv laugh like that unless he was drunk.”

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