Page 21 of Vampire Blood

The words came out sharp, final, and Callum stepped back like he felt the wall I’d just thrown between us.

I didn’t want to shut him out. I didn’t want to lose him, too. But this wasn’t his fight. It wasn’t his mate.

It was mine.

Without allowing him to say anything else, I turned around and headed back to my cottage. I needed to get my gear, to ready my horse. In less than half an hour, I was already on my way, galloping through the forest. Branches clawed at my cloak, and the damp earth sucked at the horse’s hooves. The moonlight barely cut through the trees, leaving the path ahead shrouded in shadow. It didn’t matter. I didn’t need light to find my way.

After what seemed an eternity, I left the horse tied to a gnarled tree at the edge of a clearing, brushing its head before stepping away.

“I will be back for you, girl,” I whispered.

She snorted softly, stamping her hooves as if she sensed what lay ahead. I felt it, too.

The pull. The sickness in the earth. The taint of blood and magic clinging to the air.

I moved quickly, each step deliberate and soundless. The closer I got, the quieter the world became. There were no birds, no insects. Just the wind curling through the trees like whispers.

Annika’s scent still lingered. Faint but there. I gritted my teeth and pushed forward.

The terrain shifted. It was rockier, more uneven. The trees thinned, revealing jagged stones jutting out of the earth like broken bones. The ruins on the map Kael drew were just ahead.

I stopped, crouching low behind a boulder. My eyes swept the shadows, searching for movement. Nothing.

But they were here. I could feel it.

I ran my thumb along the edge of my blade, sharp and ready. My instincts screamed to keep moving, to tear through them until I found her.

Then, a twig snapped somewhere behind me. I froze, my every muscle locking in place.

The sound repeated, closer this time. It was careful, measured. Someone was moving through the trees. I was sure of it.

I drew my blade, sinking lower into the shadows. My heart was hammering inside my chest, but my hands were steady.

Another step, louder than before.

I shifted silently, slipping through the trees like smoke. My breath barely stirred the air. The scent hit me first. Earth, sweat, blood. But it wasn’t Annika.

A shifter.

I moved before I could think. The blade flashed in the moonlight as I lunged, slamming the figure to the ground. I could hear a grunt as my knee pressed into his chest, pinning him down. My sword hovered at his throat, ready to make a clean cut and end his miserable life.

Then…I saw his face.

“Kael?”

His eyes widened. “Lucas—wait!”

I yanked back before the blade could cut. My pulse roared in my ears as I stumbled off him. “What the hell are you doing out here?”

“Waiting for you,” he replied, still breathing heavily.

I allowed him to get up, his eyes staring at me blankly while his hands nursed his neck.

“I needed to talk to you,” he continued.

I frowned. “No time for talking. We need to act. Now.”

“We can’t,” he said without flinching.

---