Page 1 of Of Spindles and Nightfall
Chapter 1
Aryana
The stillness of the forest settled around Aryana as she crept through the brush, hunting her prey. His sweet, tangy scent was sharp in her nose—as well as the smell of blood.
Despite the spike of rage in her chest, she couldn’t stop her mouth from watering.
It didn’t matter if it was from an innocent human child or a monstrous murderer. Her body responded exactly the same. She swallowed down her thirst, feeling the dryness in her throat and the ravenous emptiness gnawing at her gut.
There was a fine line between monster and survival.
Shefocused on the man’s familiar smell. It wasn’t as strong as the other scent, the blood scent, but she could still pick out his persistent aroma in the slight breeze that blew past, ruffling her dark-brown hair.
She’d met the human man for the first time only a couple of days ago. Her intended future Bloodbound mate, Raydin, had introduced her to him before they’d left her and disappeared inside a room to discuss trade agreements and other minutia. Initially, she thought it a positive development. Humans and vampires striking a deal, as if the vampires needed trade agreements with the mortals. They didn’t, unless it was to exchange one thing. The lives of other mortals.
Her teeth clenched. She should have seen it earlier, should have paid more attention, asked more questions. And now, Raydin, his vampire cronies, and human raiders led by this man—this Jonas Harns— had ravaged an entire village. It was an innocent town on the border between human and vampire lands. Whenever attacks like these occurred, they always killed the men who deigned to fight back first, ripping out throats or drinking them raw while forcing their loved ones to watch. They saved the women and children to be sold off, like some delicacy. And last night, the settlement of Odensha had been wiped off the map. An entire community of humans slaughtered or dragged into captivity to be merchandised, tortured and murdered.
Nausea surged through her as she recalled Raydin and his lackeys laughing, joking, and boasting about their so-called glorious conquest. If only she’d paid closer attention, she might have stopped it.
Somehow.
Running her fingers over the edge of her cloak, she gave a soft tug on the hood so that it hid her face. She would encounter dire consequences if discovered. Not the hunting and feeding, that was normal, but Raydin had made a deal with Jonas Harns, and she assumed that meant her uncle approved, considering all trade agreements had to be accepted by the great Vampire King Fallor.
Tonight she was on a mission important enough to risk the wrath of the king and her betrothed. She couldn’t stop Raydin or undo her uncle’s dealings, no matter how much they harmed the humans, but there were two things shecoulddo.
She would give the innocent a chance at life, and ensure that Jonas Harns got what was coming to him.
A snap of a twig caused her to whirl around, scouring the blackened depths of the forest. Ever since she left her chambers inside the castle, she’d had an odd feeling. A shiver that refused to depart curled up her spine. She sniffed the air, but the current was blowing in the wrong direction, sending her scent out the way she’d come.
She waited much longer than she normally would, searching past the large trees and harsh underbrush for… anything. Finally, she relaxed.
“Stop being jumpy, Aryana. It’s probably only a damn squirrel,” she muttered to herself. It wasn’t time to lose focus right before she was about to dive recklessly into danger. Turning, she concentrated on the task at hand.
The smell of sweat, fear, and blood strengthened as she drew closer to her destination.
She huddled behind a bush and peered out to study the camp. The men that had helped raid the village lay sprawled out, asleep. Only one remained awake, guarding the five barred wagons filled with trembling women and children. A couple of tents stood to the right, one burning a lamp within. Someone in there must be awake. Perhaps Jonas Harns.
Her attention shifted to the guard, occasionally taking a sip from his flask as he slumped against the carts.
Aryana crept forward, careful to watch every footstep, moving like a specter through the leaves and twigs that littered the ground. She brushed up alongside the cage, low, and threw a hand over the guard’s mouth as her lips descended to his neck. Her teeth pierced his skin as he stiffened, his palm flying to her arm, his hold tightening on her.
The first draw of blood tasted warm and delicious as it coursed over her tongue. It was sweet, metallic, with the slightest hint of alcohol. The man’s grip tightened as she drew more, but then he relaxed, loosening. Vampire venom worked that fast, drawing him into a numbed, unresponsive state. Her clenching stomach eased, and she fought a moan of release as the crimson nectar flooded her taste buds and soothed her throat. Shit, he tasted good.
It always took an act of extreme effort to extract herself from her meal when she didn’t want to kill. But she released him, catching his limp body and laying him out on the ground.
A whimper came from the cage. A girl stared at her with wide eyes, a dirty stuffed doll clutched in her little hands. From the doll’s purpledress and sewn in scarf, it was meant to be the Fairy Godmother, said to deliver magic beans that granted wishes. A silly superstition.
Wishes weren't granted unless you made them come true.
Aryana gave the girl a reassuring smile, then pressed a finger to her lips and moved to the first sleeping man. She glided among the slumbering. It was so easy to give a quick bite, a quick drag of blood, and then they had no way of stopping her. She thought about how effortless it would be to kill these men. They’d just slaughtered a village, but these were only the grunt workers. As loathsome as they were, she worried any moment the leaders might come out of their tents.
She needed to save the women and children, then she’d face off against Jonas Harns and anyone else who had to go.
Returning to the first man she'd bitten, she sifted through his clothes until her fingers closed around the keys. She lifted them, triumph coursing through her. Quickly, she pulled herself up to the cage. The eyes of the mothers and their young watched her, huddled toward the rear of their enclosure. The scent of blood and fear was strong in the air. The muscles of Aryana’s body clenched in hungry anticipation. Pausing, she took several calming breaths, forcing back the natural predator inside that urged her to act.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” she whispered through the bars as she swung it open. “Please, this is your chance. You must hurry.”
The women and children didn’t move, their eyes wide, their body slick with sweat and terror. Aryana released a breath of frustration. And yet, none of them had called out. Perhaps they thought they had a higher probability of escaping if a vampire came and openedtheir enclosure to kill some of them. Gods, to be in a situation where one was that desperate.
