Page 32 of Vows Forged in Blood

“Elias,” Wesley clarifies.Oh, right. I’d forgotten that most of the soldiers are referred to by the surnames here, at least the higher-ranking ones.

“It’s not dangerous, is it?” I ask, chewing my lip. They’re set to leave the next morning but already an icy ball of worry is settling in my stomach. For Nova, of course. No other reason.

“It’s only a scouting mission, so it should be fine…but I wouldn’t be mad if Reaper’s Lady got her first taste of Revenant blood.” The vampire's fangs glint in the morning sun as she smiles a dark, hungry smile, and I’m reminded of how deadly she can be.

“I will never understand you vampires, I swear,” I say with a laugh, and both Nova and Wesley grin. We spend the next few hours lounging by the pond, the two vampires gloating over their swords some more, going through some exercises while I watch on in fascination. How can something so lethal also be so graceful and beautiful? Wesley and I try to teach Nova one of the games we used to play as children, but neither of us can quite remember the rules and we all end up in laughing heaps on the ground before we get very far into the game.

It's a truly lovely day.

And I barely think of Alaric at all.

Enid,

You’ll be glad to know that I have completely recovered from my strange…feelings for the High General. It was just from the binding, his blood more potent than I could have realized, that’s all. I haven’t seen him in almost two months now, and I’ve barely even noticed.

How are things faring with Leland? Has he purchased every flower on the continent by now? Haveyou already suffocated beneath them all and this letter will remain unread forever!? I kid, I kid, I’m sorry. But I do want to hear more about whether his efforts are gaining any ground with you.

Nova is going on a mission with Alaric tomorrow and though I know it’s a great thing for her to be selected and that she’s fully capable of taking care of herself (it’s literally her job), I can’t pretend I’m not worried.

In truth,I’m worried about more than just Nova, but I refuse to acknowledge the other worry slowly chilling my blood and making my chest feel tight. That worry shouldn’t fucking be there anymore. The binding should be long faded, so why am I still feeling so uneasy about him going? Why am I still feeling anything for him at all? I grit my teeth and nearly tear straight through the parchment when I begin writing again. I take a deep breath and then start again, more gently this time.

I have more requests for da, so pass these along if you please, with a big hug. I miss him so much that sometimes it feels like my heart is splintering. I’ve been working in the smithy here with Braddock though, which helps ease the ache a bit, but still—no one and nothing can compare with being with da at his forge. I miss you too, Enid, just as much, especially when I can’t sleep at night. Even after all these months, my room is still far tooquiet without you here. I’m not sure if I’ll ever get used to it.

With love,

~Dahlia

Chapter 17

ALARIC

The Revenant army is acting…strange. There have been seemingly random engagements, small, half-hearted attacks all along the borders of the Sisters, in places where there is no hope of breaking through. It makes no sense. It’s almost as if they’re testing our forces, but they are as strong as ever, coming out victorious and sending the Revenant forces scurrying away within days of each battle. Something feels wrong, but I can’t see it yet, and that’s driving me mad.

We’ve seen no more signs of the armor-piercing arrows and while I would like to believe they only had the one, I fear that’s not the case. I feel deep in my bones that they’re just waiting for another chance to do…something but, again, I have no idea what.

“What the fuck are you up to, Kilgren?” I mutter to myself as I pour over the maps in my war room.

“You know, talking to yourself is a sign of lunacy in many places.” Elias strolls into the room as if he hasn’t a care in the world. It’s one of the things I love most about him. He always appears at ease and totally unflappable, but beneath that, he’ssharp as a razor, always seeing and analyzing, always ready to unleash the utterly terrifying warrior within.

“Is the group ready to leave in the morning?”

“Ready and rearing. I reminded them it’s just a scouting mission and that we likely wouldn’t be seeing battle, but they can hope.” He smiles and shrugs, leaning on the edge of the table and narrowing his eyes slightly as he studies the figurines marking the locations of the most recent skirmishes. I can hardly even call them battles, really.It doesn’t make any fucking sense.

“It’s almost like a distraction.”

I frown. “What do you mean?”

He waves a hand at the table. “All these fights, up and down the borders, usually several at once at different locations with no clear purpose, only for them to retreat soon after the battle begins. It just seems like some kind of distraction, something to keep us busy while they’re doing other things. Misdirection.”

I exhale roughly and run a hand through my hair. I’m exhausted. I haven’t been sleeping well, not since…well, not since Dahlia arrived, really. Not since the moment I knew she was mine and made the decision to forsake the mating bond, but it’s gotten worse these last months while I’ve done everything in my power to stay away from her. It’s like razors being scraped against the inside of my skull, a constant, sharp pain that only gets worse with each day that passes. But I know it’s the right decision. It’s the only decision that will keep her safe.

When I’d seen her that day outside the training rings, my entire body had responded, needs and desires and urges surfacing like beasts from the darkest depths of the ocean, all sharp teeth and hungry eyes. I’d barely stopped myself from going to her, barely stopped myself from giving chase as she fled. Because that’s what she’d been doing as she backed away and ran:fleeing. She’d run from me, some baser instincts deep inher bones telling her what I was thinking, screaming at her that I was a danger. That knowledge had held me in place, watching her as she ran away.

So, yes, staying away is the only choice.

But it still fucking hurts.

We leave at first light.It will take our small cadre at least four days to reach the remote village deep in the northwest. It’s a small fishing village, but their elder wrote to me personally to tell me of Revenant sightings nearby. We’ve never heard of them going that far out into the wilds before, so I felt I needed to come myself. Yet more Revenant activity not making any fucking sense. If Kilgren’s goal is to drive me insane, he might just succeed at this rate.

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