Page 11 of Dawn to Dusk
I could see it. I could see her. Beneath that neutral exterior, she was concerned. It was in how she walked with every muscle tensed. Her voice grew colder as she delivered the harsh truth. She hardened her heart so she could remain realistic, like a soldier would before delivering a finishing blow.
Her steps halted next to some vines, and she moved them out of her way. It opened into a tunnel. We both stepped in, and she dropped the vines, cutting off the light. “Stay here.”
“What? No.”
She pointed deeper into the tunnel. “This leads into the castle. I’m almost certain our missing family is in there.”
I sighed, and she ran in. I needed time to think anyway. I sat down inside the tunnel to stay out of sight. The sun continuously dipped lower and worry flitted around my gut. I let a woman walk into the demon fortress alone.
The thought hit me sideways. I shouldn’t have thought twice about whether she was caught or not. Then again, she never deserved that attitude in the first place. Thinking back, I never actually saw her kill someone who hadn’t gone rogue. I saw all the other hunter’s dirty work firsthand. Why did I never see the truth before?
I heard three sets of footsteps and four heartbeats coming down the way. She carried the baby in her arms and led the limping parents out. The father looked at the sun and grunted. “It’s almost nightfall, Esmerey.”
“Exactly, the forest is empty. Shift and run fast. Don’t stop until you get to the safe house. You won’t have a moment to spare.” She told them as she thrust the baby in my hands while they shifted into a pair of large cat-like beasts. “Lead them to Calida.”
My heart lurched, but I didn’t have time to think about that. “What about you?”
“I need to give Pylo something to follow.” She took a hair from the mother and father and blew into her hands and let the hairs go. “Glamour.”
In a shimmer of sunlight, copies of them appeared before her like a mirage in the desert. The real beasts looked at me, and despite my reservations, I followed her command. I looked back to see her arranging brush behind us.
No, she destroyed our trail. Hunters couldn’t follow scent, they looked at the physical trail. She ruined ours to make sure they followed hers.
We made it into Calida’s house, minutes after the sun fell. Those huge creatures from the night before haunted my thoughts. I needed to go out there to find and protect her.
“Edur?” Calida spoke up behind me. I turned to look at her, and she offered me a comforting smile. “Don’t worry about her. She has a hundred and one hiding places on this island. Even Drakko and I don’t know them all.” She gestured for me to follow her. She opened a wall up even though there was no door. She winked at me when I gaped in surprise. “You can stay in Esmerey’s room.”
I went in, and she shut the door behind me. We would get off this devil island and nothing would be the same between us. I would make sure of that.
Chapter 3:
Esmerey
My trip to Rashik strengthened my resolve to stay with the faction. The Isles were exhausting. No matter where I went, I felt trapped under my husband’s or my mother’s thumb. Freedom didn’t exist there. It was one of the reasons I became a hunter. By the time I was eighteen, I needed a breath of fresh air that was not controlled by someone who already owned me.
I was more than ready to leave when I retrieved Edur from Calida’s house. Days later, I still felt drained from setting foot on that forsaken rock. Tending to Balthazar’s garden seemed to take the edge off, so I found myself there checking on things. I tried to soothe my mind by telling myself everyone made it out safe and sound. At least the ones under my care.
“Sunshine!”
My eyes shot up from where I kneeled on the ground and found a shirtless Edur smiling at me. His eyes lacked any of the harsh spikes of rage I grew accustomed to him looking at me with. “My mom sent you lunch.”
His mom? “You told people.”
“Just my mom.” He shrugged. To be fair, I thought both his moms and dads were dead, so she must be good at keeping secrets. A mother deserved to know what happened to her child.
“And Balthazar.” Of course, he reiterated each moment to our leader.
He flashed an impish grin at me. “Of course.”
That playful expression threatened to stop my heart all together. Edur was an attractive man with a scowl, but that grin took him up at least three levels of hot. I went to stand, and he offered a hand to help me up. My face warmed in surprise, but Iaccepted his offer. Whatever he saw on my face must have been hilarious, because he nearly busted a seam with how hard he laughed.
“Why are you being nice to me?” Working together without killing each other was one thing, freely acting kind was another. Too much bad blood was spilt between us to be on nice terms.
“I’ve been a cad to you.” His hand landed on the small of my back as he subtly guided me over to one of the wooden tables the garden workers used. “You’re not the monster I thought you were. I want to start over.”
Once again, he freely offered for me to touch him by holding out his huge hand to shake in agreement. An awkward chuckle left me, and I waved him off, unsure of how to respond.
“Please,” He begged quietly. Those ice blue eyes gleamed with forgiveness for my role in his sister’s death.
