Page 9 of Blood Tribute

“I’m not that familiar with your history.” Nothing in the kingdom of Tenebra had ever mattered to Dav. Until his brother had met his fate here.

Nora scarcely seemed to notice the rose vines that spilled through the window frame from outside. She ran her hand along the stonework. A thorn tore her skin, painting one of her fingertips red. The fragrance of her blood bloomed in the air.

Dav took a Hesperine step, transporting himself to her side. He had pulled her hand halfway to his mouth before he realized what he was doing.

They both froze. Blood dripped from her finger onto one white rose. His mouth went dry, parched for his next taste of her.

By the Goddess, he was an educated, intelligent immortal who never struggled with self control. He would not let any human reduce him to this, least of all her.

Slowly, he released her, to prove to himself that he could.

She scuttled away from the roses, cradling her bleeding hand. “Are those Harlot’s Kiss?”

He huffed. “That’s what you call roses here, isn’t it? I suppose you’ve never seen one in person.”

She swallowed. “Tenebrans set fire to them wherever they spring up.”

He nearly rolled his eyes. “Yes, they are Hespera’s sacred flower. No, pricking your finger on one will not destroy your soul or any of that other nonsense.”

“But they have magical properties associated with your goddess.”

“Nothing that will harm you.” He turned his back on her and crossed the room. He was not fleeing from the temptation of her blood. He was exhibiting self-mastery.

His fangs throbbed, taunting him.

“We are not animals, Nora. We are scientists, artists…” He gestured around them. “Architects.”

Curiosity sparked in her aura. Apparently, the way to Nora’s heart was through historical buildings. Dav had never thought a window arch would prove the key to his plan, but if this was an opening he could use, he would take it.

He beckoned her over to one of the walls, where a bas relief was overgrown with rose vines. With a touch of magic, he swept the blooms aside to reveal the red stone beneath. The carvingdepicted Hespera as a beautiful woman clothed only in her flowing hair.

Nora gasped and stared for a speechless moment. “This has to be a portrayal of Hespera from before worship of her was outlawed. Most of the carvings from this era were destroyed in the Last War. This is exquisitely preserved.”

His empathic abilities tortured him with every flavor of her emotions. Her fascination with the architecture was more powerful than her disapproval of his goddess.

Dav said, “This ruin is just a small example of our architecture. There are glorious cities in Orthros built in styles you’ve never seen before.”

At the mention of the Hesperine homeland, a shudder went through her. “I suppose you would need buildings, even in the Land of Eternal Night.”

“It isn’t a frozen wasteland of death and destruction. It is a place of great beauty and sophistication, a pinnacle of learning and the arts.”

She scowled at him. “Your fangs weren’t made for sipping fine wine. You expect me to believe you sit about painting and reading whenever you aren’t invading my lands and dragging me into your lair?”

For the last seven months, Dav had sat about watching his entire life collapse. Until Queen Soteira had told him that the only way for him to finish grieving was to finish his brother’s mission. She, his gentle mentor, had tossed him out on his arse and told him to go to Tenebra.

“I’m a mind healer by profession,” he said.

You were.The voice of doubt had followed him here.What kind of healer cannot mend himself?

Nora tensed. “You’re a mind mage?”

“No. Not a mind mage, a mindhealer.My magic cannot manipulate your thoughts, only restore them to what theyshould be. It’s the same principle as a healer mage mending a broken leg, except I work on broken minds. My power can repair the inner damage from harmful spells or painful life experiences.”

Where is your power now?the voice taunted.

As he so often had in the past half year, Dav reached within himself on reflex, deep into the well where his mind healing magic had always dwelt. And once again, he found only emptiness.

He, one of the most powerful theramancers in Orthros, could no longer wield a drop of his own magic. He was a wreck held together by the innate Hesperine abilities he could still use.

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