Page 100 of Vows Forged in Blood

Chapter 51

ALARIC

Hours later, Dahlia and I lie wrapped up in each other on the floor in front of the fireplace. I gave myself over completely to my instincts for the first time in my life, losing myself with Dahlia, and I don’t actually have any idea how we ended up here. Everything is a bit of a blur, honestly.

That first time was pure fire and instincts, a lust and bloodlust that I knew Dahlia would need to sate as soon as possible. After that, we took our time. Dahlia took her time to learn how her new body can feel and move and experience. I took the time to worship her, to kiss every inch of her body in thanks and gratitude. She came back to me. She came back to me and now she’s whole and strong and we have all of eternity together.

And then we broke the bed…and put a hole in the wall…or perhaps several, actually, now that I look around the room. I chuckle lightly and Dahlia sighs, turning where she lies on my chest so that she can see me.

“What’s so funny?”

“Have you looked around this room?”

She frowns. “Well, no, I guess not really. Everything has kind of been a haze of…oh my gods.” She sits up and stares, mouth agape. “We did all ofthat?” Definitely several holes in the walls, deep gouges in the stone of the floor, a broken bed, a broken bench, and a shattered wardrobe. I grin, pushing up to sit as well to survey the damage with her, unable to resist brushing her hair aside and kissing the nape of her neck gently. She shivers.

“Gods, will this never ebb? How can I possibly want you again after we’ve just fucked for hours upon hours? After we destroyed half of our room for gods’ sake?”

“A perk of being a vampire,” I say with a shrug.

She turns towards me. “I had no idea how much you were truly holding yourself back before. How easy it really would have been for you to kill me.” She pulls my hand to her lips, kissing my palm. I take a steadying breath. We haven’t exactly slowed to have a real conversation yet and I need to know that she’s ok.Trulyok with everything that’s happened.

“And are you alright with the fact that we don’t have to worry about that anymore?” I ask gently.

Her lips curl. “If you’re asking if I’m ok with the fact that I’m a vampire, the answer is yes.” I give her a dubious look and she rolls her eyes. “I swear it, Alaric. I can’t explain it, but I feel as if this was always meant to be, that this iswhoI was meant to be. Plus, I was the one who wanted to attempt the turning, if you recall. You were the one being a stubborn arse, which in turn got me kidnapped—” I cut her off with a growl and a soft nip at her ear lobe. She giggles and the sound makes my chest swell.

“I’m happy with this new life, Alaric. I’ll miss bacon, I’ll admit, but…I feel like your true partner now, like I’m worthy of standing beside you. And you don’t have to worry about protecting me so much anymore.”

“Me? Worry about protecting the woman who killed Kilgren the Kinsblood Slayer and ended the war with the Revenants inone afternoon when I’ve failed to do it in two hundred years?” I scoff and she smiles, slapping me playfully on the chest before blinking in surprise.

“Wait, so it’s really over then? What happened after…” She trails off, clearly not wanting to say the wordsafter I died.

“The army dispatched any Revenants who chose not to surrender. Those who did, but did not step up declaring their want for peace will be imprisoned on Racknor Island.” She shivers, imagining a prison on that frozen island and I don’t blame her. It’s a fate almost worse than death, I think. “Malek and Xavier and the others went to the stronghold with the army and it was a short affair there. Almost all of them wanted peace—though they were all too happy to turn on the others who tried to stand against it.”

Dahlia’s expression turns sad, but her eyes burn with fury.

“Kilgren did horrible things to them, Alaric. He killed their loved ones, theirmateseven, forced them to fight and kill, branded them for others to ridicule and torment at will…Well, I don’t blame them for being all too eager to take up arms against the others.”

“How did you figure it all out?” I ask.

“Kilgren kept me in a dungeon after Highspear took me—he’s dead, I’m assuming?”

“Oh yes,” I say rage burning brightly for a moment at the thought of the traitor. I wish I could have been the one to end him—slowly—but Braddock of all people took that task in my stead. The big blacksmith is typically a gentle giant, truth be told, but he’d unleashed absolute fury on the bastard. She nods and moves on, clearly not concerned with the coward’s fate.

“Anyway, Kilgren liked to talk a bit too much and explained how their leaders are chosen, the power they have over the others, the talks of peace that led to his father’s death.”

“Very chatty,” I muse, tracing shapes down her spine.

“Malek and Xavier were guarding me and they told me what happened after Kilgren killed his father, how any who wanted peace were punished.” She takes a shuddering breath before continuing and I realize that this must be the first time she’s really had to think about those days, about the decisions she made. “Kilgren told me how he planned to torture you by torturing me for years to come, all the things he planned to do to me while you were forced to watch…I couldn’t let that happen, Alaric. I knew if I challenged him, at least he would have to kill me and he couldn’t make you suffer that way. I had no idea if I’d actually succeed in killing him and even if I did, if the power would actually shift to me to control them or not, but…” she shrugs, “it was worth a try.”

“And the silver?” I ask.

She smiles and holds up her hand. The ring that she’s worn since the Choosing shines in the firelight.

“It’s one of my designs. There’s a hidden space within it for poison and a small needle that slips out when you press this little latch here.” She shows me the mechanism. “Da apparently had some silver left hidden away from when he made Night’s Fury and used a bit of it for powder to put inside the ring—just in case, he’d said.”

“Genius, the both of you.” I lean in and kiss her forehead. I’ve never believed much in divine intervention or the Goddess of Fate, but now I’ll worship her until the day I die.

She blushes faintly. “So, anyway, go on about the remaining Revenants. What happens now?”

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