Page 39 of Vows Forged in Blood

“Dahlia?” a low, gruff voice says urgently. “Dahlia, look at me.” Gloved hands gently cradle my face. My mind whispersAlaric, and something inside of me leaps with utter joy, but I can’t react, can’t say his name aloud, can’t even breathe a sigh of relief at seeing him or feeling his hands on me.I’m too far gone. I can’t fight out of the darkness. I can’t…I can’t…

“Keeva?” he says in an almost broken whisper. He sounds anguished and terrified and I can’t understand why. I try to speak, try to reach out to him, try to doanything, but I’m tumbling, tumbling, tumbling…

A moment later, the blackness engulfs me completely, and I’m gone.

Chapter 20

ALARIC

I’ve never known fear or fury like this. In all of the centuries, in all of the battles, in all of the life-or-death situations I’ve found myself in—nothing has ever compared to this.

We arrived back at the camp to find that Dahlia and her Keeper had gone to the village. I had already been on the verge of breaking and giving up on the notion of staying away from her before the conversation with Elias out in the wilds, but it had admittedly pushed me over the edge. I’d decided while lying in my tent that first night by the lake that even though I can’t claim her as my mate in the ways I want most, this self-imposed torture of keeping my distance was wearing thin. I am a prince. I am the High General of the most fearsome army in the history of the world. I can damn well control myself around my fucking mate.

So, instead of waiting for her to return, Elias and I had ridden out to meet them on their journey back from the village. Elias had given me a knowing look, a self-satisfied smile on his lips as if he were the sole reason behind my choice, but had miraculously refrained from gloating. We’d been laughing about nothing in particular when a stab of terror had nearly felledme. Even Xerxes had stutter stepped, stomping the ground and shaking his head in confusion. But it hadn’t beenmyterror I’d felt—it was Dahlia’s. I’d taken enough of her blood to truly feel her emotions now, at least strong ones, and the fear and panic and confusion she was feeling were so strong that my chest nearly split.

“What? What is it?” Elias asked, instantly on alert when he saw me tense.

“Dahlia,” I managed to grit out. “She’s in danger.” I spurred Xerxes into a gallop so fast that we were a blur across the road, my fangs and claws sharpening in rage. We pulled ahead of Elias, but he gave chase, his own fangs glinting as he snarled his own fury. Elias loves me like a brother and I know that he will protect my mate with all his power now that he knows the truth. My heart had swelled at the love for my closest friend, even as that iron fist of fear and rage clenched it tight.

Now we ride like the devil himself is on our backs, desperate to find her, desperate to figure out what could possibly be going on. I can feel Dahlia’s fear pulsing with every beat of my heart, a dagger of ice slipping deeper and deeper into my chest. What in seven hells could be happening to make her so afraid? To make her panic this way? Then I smell the blood and fire and smoke on the wind, hear the clash of blades and cries of battle in the distance, and my heart stops beating entirely.

No.

“Fuck,” Elias grates behind me.

“Come on, boy. Ride.Fly,” I beg, desperately spurring Xerxes to go faster, pushing the warhorse to the limit of his power, but he can feel everything I’m feeling, and he seems to find some strength in himself, a fierce need to protect Dahlia as well, and he puts on a burst of speed that makes me gasp.Magnificent bastard. After what feels like an eternity, I can make out shapes in the distance, the familiar dance of battle through the thicksmoke covering the road ahead. I don’t dare slow as I approach, but take in every detail of the utterly unbelievable scene before me as I barrel towards the chaos: twelve Revenants fighting four of Dahlia’s guard; bodies littering the earth, the dirt road wet and sticky with blood; no sign of Dahlia.Where the fuck is she?I know she’s near, can feel her and sense her, but can’t scent her over the stench of Revenant blood and smoke and fire.

Xerxes snorts and huffs, the cold and thrill of battle settling into every inch of the horse. He knows exactly what I want to do and where I want to go without me making a single move or command. We careen towards two Revenants fighting Malcom. The big vampire is covered in blood, both red and black. I unsheathe Night’s Fury from my back in an easy, practiced motion that’s as familiar to me as breathing. I swing the great sword and take the heads of both Revenants in one strike. Their bodies fall and Malcom inclines his head briefly before sprinting through the smoke to aid Cyrus. Isaiah lays in pieces beside him and my chest clenches.Vale, brother.

I slide from my horse as Elias hurtles into the fray just behind me and leaps from Orion’s back, landing easily and sprinting to engage another pair of Revenants with his twin short swords. He’s one of the greatest swordsmen in all the world, second only to myself, and watching him set to work on the two creatures is truly a thing of beauty. Later, I’ll recall it and marvel at my friend’s skill. Later, I’ll commend him for his bravery and valor. Later, I’ll even stroke his ego a bit and tell him how glorious he cut through the fray, like an avenging angel, all gold and fire.

But now, all I can think of is Dahlia, the need to find her like jagged claws tearing me apart from the inside. Another bastard charges towards me, but Xerxes throws himself between me and the Revenant. He rears back and kicks out with his hooves, and they crush right through the Revenant’s chest. Blood and bonespray through the air. The horse stomps on the Revenant’s body, just to be safe, his head popping like a grape, and soon nothing remains of the creature but thick, black pulp and shards of milk-white bone. I scan the area, trying to see through the smoke and bodies. The cool calm of battle is still upon me, as it always is during a fight, but there’s a frantic edge to my thoughts now that I’ve never had before.Where the fuck is she??

Descartes lay bleeding a few feet away, a Revenant looming over him. I speed towards them, fangs bared. The Revenant whirls, dark braids spinning wide around her head and her eyes going wide in shock.

“Not supposed to be here,” she hisses just before I plunge my blade into her chest, slicing through flesh and muscle, grating against bone. The Revenant howls in agony as the silver stars burn her, and I yank the blade free, kicking out and dislocating her knee caps with a loud snap that echoes off of the trees. She screeches and falls, black blood oozing from her chest and running down her chin. She bares her fangs and raises a dagger, but I lop of her hand at the wrist with a flick of mine, sending her dagger sailing through the mud, still clutched in her fingers. She howls and holds up the other hand to ward me off, fear in her eyes. I take that hand too, just for good measure. I leave her for someone else to finish off, or to be questioned later, if she survives, and rush to Descartes’ side.

“Where is she?!” I demand, only realizing a moment too late that the vampire’s eyes are wide and unseeing. He’s gone. “Fuck,” I growl, another swift stab of sorrow slicing my chest.Vale.

I feel a pulse of fear, but immediately followed by an even stronger pulse of rage. Dahlia. I stand and whip my head around, trying to find her, trying to—Pain laces through me, a white-hot agony that makes me stumble for a moment. I whirl, trying to find my attacker, but I see no one. My hand flies to my arm,where the pain still lances my body, but I frown—there’s no wound. I don’t understand…but then realization turns my blood to ice, spiky shards of it piercing every inch of me. It’sherpain I’m feeling. Dahlia is hurt.

Every instinct roars in my head to find her, to protect my fucking mate. My vision goes red, my mind nearly feral. My fangs and claws sharpen with the need to rip the bastard who had dared harm what’s mine to bloody ribbons. I grip Night’s Fury so tightly that my knuckles creak beneath my skin.

I let the instincts that I’ve been fighting all this time lead me now, fully opening myself up to them for the first time, and it’s like coming up for air after an eternity under water. I can feel her now, like a beacon in the darkest of night calling me home. I sprint through the melee, squinting through the smoke.

I finally see the outline of her carriage and crouched in front of it, a Revenant. Dahlia’s beneath it, cowering and bloody and rage and terror explode in my head. I move so fast that I swear I’ve somehow teleported. One second, I’m watching the Revenant reach towards my mate, and the next, I’m standing over his headless body, breathing hard and furious that his death had been so quick and painless. I wanted to make him suffer for days, weeks,yearsfor daring to try to touch my Dahlia.

The fear is still pulsing from my mate, but something is off now, like the fear is becoming muted. It’s difficult to explain, but I know that something isn’t right. I drop to my knees and clench my jaw at the sight of her wound. Her arm is nearly severed completely, white bone standing out starkly against the crimson coating most of her body. I can tell within seconds that she’s lost entirely too much blood, her skin pale as death. Her eyes are wide, her pupils nearly overtaking the green completely, but they’re unfocused. She’s staring at me, but not seeing me, I know. This is why her fear seemed muted. Her mind is slipping, everything becoming too much for her to handle.

“Dahlia,” I say as gently as I can around the rage and fear and agony coursing through me. “Dahlia, look at me.” She doesn’t move, doesn’t speak, doesn’t blink.Shock. She’s in shock. Panic begins to claw at my throat. Human minds are fragile things. They can be broken beyond repair. But I have no idea how the fuck to help, how to pull her back. But I have to. Ihaveto.

I somehow maneuver my big body beneath the carriage in front of her, knees sinking into the bloody earth.Her blood. My mate’s blood. I gnash my teeth and take a settling breath, forcing myself to be gentle as I reach forward. I cradle her face between my hands and there’s the tiniest flicker of something in her eyes.

“Keeva,” I say, the word a choked, broken whisper. Though she doesn’t say a word, I feel relief rush through her a moment before her eyes roll back and she slumps forward into my arms.

“Alaric!” Elias calls.

“Here! I’m here!” I reach above me, gripping the bottom of the carriage and shove it away. It flies into the air, landing on its side a hundred yards away. I hear Elias mutterholy shitas I gather Dahlia’s limp body in my arms, careful of her injury. It looks even more gruesome up close, and I take in her pale skin again. My heart races as real fear pumps through me. No, not fear. Utterterror.

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