Page 19 of When Day Breaks

"When your men came for me, I thought they were out of their mind," she speaks, not daring to turn her head toward me. The sinister undertone in her voice does nothing but break my nerves, leaving them exposed to worry even thoughIshould be the one that others worry about.

We both stand side by side aware of what this could mean for the future of the Hollows Trace Society and the Lunarnyx Coven.

"They seemed confused in their own quest to procure me, and I promise you, they never seemed so scared out of their minds." Her words hold some kind of weight to them. I know my men didn't love the idea of summoning the beautiful, powerful being that stood next to me. But they might not have known the severity of why I needed her.

I know I had no other choice. Without her, the castle would have been a pile of ashes and my Nocturnes would have burned with the sunrise. But my problems would have still been prevalent. At least now, we still have beds to rest our heads on while I deal with everything else that remains.

"Surely, you gave them a run for their money." I attempt to quip, feeling lighter in mood than I have all night even though I know I should have every reason to keep my guard up.

"Your Society might be the strongest of Nocturnes right now, but nothing will ever overpower one really pissed off witch." Shefinally opens her eyes and brings them to me. They glow a deep, forbidden amber; golden in the sun and molten honey in the dark.

I can see whyheobsessed over her. He was never affrighted by her like the rest of us were. But now, not much can penetrate the barrier of the walls I've put up. I do not cower easily; fear is not a game I tend to play.

"Why'd you bring me here?" She turns her head back to the castle and I follow her gaze.

"You're looking at it."

"I'm shocked. I mean, maybe I'm not. But the last time I recall, you wanted nothing to do with this ruinous castle and the land it laid on. And you sure as Hell wanted nothing to do with the very being you've become." Witches know all, whether you want them too or not.

For a while, I thought the deal we made would prevent them from being able to obtain any knowledge of Nocturne activity. I was wrong. And when it comes to Nathairia, I should know better.

"I didn't have a choice,” I admit, not losing pride over the truth.

"We always have a choice." Is all she says, causing me to close my eyes.

Her words: we always have a choice.My mother had said them once or twice before. Which lets me know that she still remembers that part of her life. They had some semblance of a friendship for a moment in time and part of me wondered if she was strong enough to fix what was done, erase the damage. But I don't doubt that if she could, she would. Unless she couldn’t or she just really didn’t care.

The memory of my mother pulls a small smirk across my face, remembering her green eyes, the same ones I inherited, and herlong, wavy ash-blonde hair. The way she would sit with me in the gazebo as we watched the waves crash against the cliffs.

I miss the Hell out of her.

"You know what this means right?" Nathairia breaks my remembrance, bringing me back to the reality at hand. Her voice holds a vintage timbre to it, soft yet convincing. Powerful and deep. It's a wonder how anyone defies her. She is intimidatingly superior and even I know that I don’t hold a candle to her in regards to her power.

"I do." I don't say it more than a whisper, wanting to do anything but think about what is to come now that I broke the deal. With everything going on, this would be the last thing the Society needs to deal with right now. But it needed to be done.

"I told you that one day you were going to need me and when that day comes, the deal is off," she states matter-of-factly, as if I'd forgotten what I said and swore to under the Lunarnyx oath.

"I'm aware."

Silence caresses the night for a few beats, everything seeming calm in the moment, but I know that havoc still awaits just on the other side of those double doors.

Nathairia reaches for something from her dress pocket and tosses me a small bag with a crushed, lilac-purple substance inside.

"Do you have it?" she asks, and I don't need her to be any more specific because I know exactly what it is she's after.

I look down at the pearlescent-marble colored stone in my hand, it's round shape and porcelain smooth sides cool the heat in my palm. I toss the moonstone to her, and in return, she tosses me the little bag that she retrieved.

I catch it and look up at her.

"Lavender. Surprisingly, it's a suppressant for the curse your wife suffers from." She dips her head, staring at the lavender I curiously crush between my fingers. "She's beautiful, Rivian. Butshe's a Hell of a lot more powerful than you give her credit for. You need to tread lightly."

Gee, thanks for the warning, I want to say, but decide to keep my mouth from insulting her.

"You must truly have some groveling to do in order to put the entire vampire species at risk, breaking our deal and all." She's not wrong, but I didn't do this to impress Lucynda. I did it because I know it's the right thing to do. I can't keep going down this path of destruction, taking everyone in the way with me. It's what I thought I wanted, but it was never meant to go this far.

I think for a second about taking what she's offering me—the suppressant—knowing that it might come at an additional cost. But if it will help my wife, I refuse to ask questions. A remedy, temporary or not, could help bide time to figure out everything else. Though I'm not too weak to try and strike up some kind of new deal with the witches, knowing that after we've solved one problem, they might become our next.

"I'm hoping we can come to new terms." I turn back to the structure before me, trying my best to hold an authoritative tone to my words. But when she chuckles next to me, I know she won't take me seriously.

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