Page 40 of A House of Fangs & Deceit

As the Marshal, all House Harker rangers reported to him, but I knew that he had his own personal unit that went out with him on most missions as well. I had expected his unit to be full of copycat Vails, big and burly with matching beards. Each with a different assortment of scars to prove just how badass they were and matching scowls that they always broke out in unison.

But these rangers couldn’t be more different.

The one to Vail’s right was a man a few inches shorter than me. He had a stocky build but still appeared small next to Vail.

On Vail’s other side was a woman who looked like sheshould be on the arm of a noble at one of the House courts wearing a fine gown. Instead, she was here, wearing russet-brown leathers that looked like they had seen better days, and she had bits of what I was pretty sure was dried blood in her ashen-blonde hair.

I squinted, trying to get a clearer look. Definitely dried blood. Though, it looked too dark to be Moroi blood, so I didn’t worry too much about it.

The rangers often returned with bits of monster blood and pieces on them, so it was a fairly normal sight, but if they came back with Moroi blood on them that wasn’t theirs, it meant they’d had to hunt down a Strigoi. The occurrences of Moroi turning Strigoi were becoming rarer, but it still happened, and I was always worried it would one day be someone I knew.

It was one thing when the monsters that roamed the wilds were nameless beasts, but it was quite another when they wore a familiar face.

Vail and his three companions moved with a dangerous air about them as they surveyed those gathered in the courtyard. I was wondering about what type of weapons they used when my gaze fell on the third ranger who trailed behind them.

They were dressed in a way that leaned neither feminine nor masculine. Gender fluidity was common enough among the Moon Blessed, especially the Velesians.

As my gaze traveled over them, I was startled when I took in their face.

Nyx.

It had been at least five years since I’d seen them, but I’d recognize those sky-blue eyes anywhere.

Back then, they had seemed so unsure of themselves. Nyx was several years younger than me, Rynn, and Cali, and when they’d arrived to study at Drudonia, we’d done our best to take them under our wing when it was clear they didn’t have any friends.

They’d never really settled in there, despite being very bright and showing an aptitude for House politics, but after years of struggling, they had simply disappeared.

I’d worried at the time and put out inquiries to find out where they’d gone. Cali and Rynn did the same. We learned that Nyx actually came from House Corvinus and was the younger sibling of the Heir. They’d been sent to Drudonia so that they could support their older sister when she eventually took over the rule of the House.

Through the process, House Corvinus confirmed that Nyx was alive and well but wouldn’t give us any other information. I’d even asked Carmilla to look into it, but she’d just given me the same line.

Nyx has found a place in the world that suits them. Let them be.

With no other choice, I’d had to drop it, but now, here they were. Alive and well. With Vail.

They held my stare for another moment before dipping their head slightly in acknowledgement. I did the same but made no move to approach. We had been friends once, though I assumed their loyalty now resided with Vail, considering they hadn’t reached out to me once since leaving Drudonia.

I was happy that they’d found a role in life that fit them well, but I was more than a little hurt and miffed that they hadn’t told me. There was no way they didn’t know that I’d been asking around about them.

I tried to subtly study them a little bit more. They seemed very at ease around Vail and the other two rangers. Nyx likely knew at least some of the history between Vail and me, although I doubted the grumpy-ass had told them everything. Maybe Nyx just felt uncomfortable telling me they had joined up with my arch-nemesis, so they’d simply avoided the conversation altogether.

More rangers came around the corner and casually leaned against the walls and buildings that surrounded the courtyard.I didn’t know if they came because Vail ordered them to, or because they heard about what was about to go down and wanted a front-row seat.

I pursed my lips into a hard line. Probably the latter.

“Nyx with Alaric,” Vail ordered. “Emil with the Heir.”

I held my chin high as I moved to stand in front of the male ranger. Surprise flickered through me when I noticed the fine lines around his eyes and the corners of his mouth. His black hair was pulled back into a bun, but there were some grey streaks that I had somehow missed before.

He must be a fourth generation like Carmilla, which meant he could be anywhere from sixty to a hundred years old, maybe even older.

I’d thought all the older rangers had retired to be instructors or hold positions that didn’t require them to travel as much.

The ones that had survived this long anyway.

The stunningly beautiful female ranger with the dried monster blood in her hair eyed Kieran, who was still perched on a barrel on the sidelines.

Like me, she’d ditched a layer of clothes and was only wearing a tight pair of pants and a band around her chest. Her well-toned body was wrapped in lightly tanned skin that showcased her ashen-blonde hair quite well. More than a few rangers were subtly checking her out.

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