Page 61 of Bound By Darkness

He takes a deep breath as he nods and looks away. Then he faces me again with determination. “I can’t argue with what you’ve just said.” I’m surprised and the surprise shows on my face. He continues. “I’m well aware that whatever happened between you and Revenant… I drove you to it,” he says, and his eyes soften.

“I wish things were the way they used to be between us,” I admit, feeling an inexplicable sadness overcome me.

“As do I,” he whispers. I brace my hand against his chest, feeling the comforting throb of his heart beneath my palm.

***

DRAGAN

I lean forward, needing to touch Eilish with my lips, to taste her mouth. There’s something about this woman that makes me lose my fucking mind and I’m tired of fighting it. Maybe she’s the same as Lamia and she’s trying to destroy me, destroy us, but I don’t believe that’s the case.

I’m not sure what I believe.

Regardless, I want her, and I’m tired of the wanting.

“Dragan!” Cambion calls from the other room, his tone of voice one of panic.

I instantly pull away from Eilish and her eyes go wide. At the same moment, a stampede of boots sounds through the house and I realize what this means. We’ve been found out.

I lift Eilish down from the table and face her earnestly.

“Stay behind me, no matter what happens. Variant wants you just as much as he wants us, if not even more.”

She nods as I ease into the shadows and lead her into the main room. Cambion and Revenant are standing on either side of the front entry. Pyre’s mask is back in place as he creeps toward the door, closest to Revenant. Kolvar and Aima press themselves against the wall nearest Cambion. Whatever the threat, it’s outside the front door, and most probably surrounding the entire place.

My eyes turn to the sniveling Raflamir still sitting at the table. I notice with interest he’s made no motion to move. He doesn’t look up from his hands where they sit clasped on the tabletop. What strikes me most is his lack of surprise.

He yelps as I grab him by the collar and force him out of his chair. He stares up at me with petrified eyes.

“You snitched, didn’t you?” I scream at him. “You told Variant we were here!”

He doesn’t respond and my hands curl around his throat of their own accord. His silence speaks volumes. Not wanting to waste valuable time on him, I release him with a hard shove. He falls against the floor and stays there. No one says anything.

Saevel is nowhere in sight, which means she knew to hide before the soldiers arrived. Pyre stiffens, hearing something beyond the veil that no one else can. He looks over his shoulder at me and shakes his head.

I take it to mean there are too many of Variant’s men and we won’t make it out. I glance back at Eilish when I feel her tentative fingers encircling my arm. Her eyes are wide with fear and she swallows hard.

I won’t let them take her. I’ll protect her, even if it means I go down fighting. Variant can’t get ahold of her…

“How many?” I ask, facing Pyre again.

“Thirty,” he replies, and maintains his calm. “They’re surrounding the house, spreading out to cover the roads and cutting off the alleys that lead to the gateway out of this realm.”

Pyre walks over to Eilish, where she stands behind my back, and hands her a dagger with a serpent on the handle, complete with obsidian eyes. The faint light in the room reflects off the serrated edge of the blade. She glances down as she accepts the blade, and her expression reveals her hesitation. If we make it out of this alive, I’m going to need to teach her the art of self-defense.

“We are more apt to survive if we split up,” Pyre suggests. “Numerous targets are more difficult to hit.”

“Go,” Cambion tells the necromancer. “If we escape, we’ll need allies on the outside.”

Pyre nods and approaches Revenant. The two look at each other for a moment and though neither says anything, understanding passes between them all the same. Pyre reaches out and touches the vampire’s arm. Instantly, Revenant grits his teeth and closes his eyes, appearing as though he’s in excruciating pain. He immediately breaks into a sweat as his fangs lengthen, the tips pointing into his lower lip. When Pyre steps away, Revenant opens his eyes. There’s a strange mark on his arm that seeps into his skin with an eerie red glow.

“It’s a blood rune,” Pyre explains. “Cut your flesh and touch the mark. It will allow me to find you.” Revenant nods as Pyre continues. “I will use the guidance of my spirits to locate the others when the time comes.” He glances at Eilish again, before returning his attention to Revenant. “Guard her with your life.”

“I will,” Revenant assures him, and I immediately feel that jealous anger settling over me again. It’s my fucking job to guard her. I’ve already taken up that mantle. Fuck whoever says or thinks otherwise.

Pyre nods to the rest of us before he disappears into thin air.

“Open the door,” Aima says. Cambion looks at her as if she’s lost her mind. I have to admit, I’m surprised as well.

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