Page 34 of From Frost to Flame

Chapter Eight

Lex

He couldn’t stop glancingat Silas. Something was obviously wrong. Their black footprints were bold against the white as they followed the compass across the lawn. “Do you see something out there?”

“Sorry, what?” Silas blinked as if he’d forgotten where he was.

“I asked if you saw something,” he said, nodding to the empty patch of grass under a magnolia tree in the distance. It was taller than the ones that bordered this strange place and, unlike the other trees, its branches undulated slowly despite the lack of wind. Each branch rose to the sky and dipped back toward the frozen earth like rippling waves. Lex could tell the tree had captured Silas's attention. “You’ve been jumpy.”

“Just keeping a lookout.” The lie came out stilted and cold.

Something is wrong.

Lex searched Silas's face, desperately wanting to know what he was thinking. But the tension in his jaw was all he could see.

It’s not one thing. This whole place has him upset.

The compass flashed again, and the chains sliced deeper into his skin as they got to the edge of a large white quartz pool.

The fountain was a hundred yards long and filled with inky black water. In the center of the pool was a tall marble statue of The Ravenous One. Twelve thin tentacles on her back, made of enchanted water, curled and looped in the air before ending in the water.

“This definitely wasn’t in the original Lover’s Garden.” Lex winced through the pain as he inspected the pool. His wrist hurt more than anything he had experienced since becoming a vampire. The fiery metal burrowed even deeper, and he was certain it would carve through his bones before the journey was over. He forced himself to keep a brave face, but Silas noticed the bandage was dripping crimson blood onto the frost.

“I can look at your wrist now if you need me to,” Silas offered, giving his good hand a squeeze.

“It can wait. It doesn’t hurt so bad.” Lex tucked his hand under his cloak, hoping Silas would let it go. “Since this feature is out of place, her soul is probably here.”

“I saw the blood soaking through. I should at least make the bandage tighter. Or perhaps I can add another layer to it,” Silas pressed. “Or maybe you should bite me just to be safe.”

“It’s fine,” Lex snipped. “She could’ve hidden the soul in the statue as a symbolic gesture. We should head there first.”

“Not a bad idea,” Castor said, nodding as he squinted at the water suspiciously. “It could be deep. It’s hard to gauge the depth through the darkness.”

“I can hop in.” Julian looked into the black waters confidently. “I spent all my human days on the ocean. If it’s deep, I’m probably the strongest swimmer.”

Mora gripped his arm. “Let’s jump together. We’ll teleport out if it's too bad.”

“Nobody does anything yet,” Silas said, giving Lex’s hand a tug. “I want to take care of you first. Pushing yourself when it isn’t necessary is just going to make your pain worse.”

“Will you stop it?” Lex huffed. “I know you’re upset, okay? I’m not physically strong enough to do much. I know that. But if getting out of here faster helps you, then I’m willing to put up with the pain because I want to protect you, like you protect me. So, will you please just let me help you for once?”

Silas went silent and blushed as Castor stifled a laugh in the background.

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