Page 38 of Darkest Heart

Erianna clucked her tongue, racing next to me. “We’re on schedule, and you have to eat. You can’t keep starving yourself. We’ll find her, whether you’ve been fed or not. But without blood, you’ll be weak.” She placed a hand on her hip. “So get dressed, Vangard, and feed from someone before I force you to.”

Zach laughed from behind her, and she whipped her head around, her glare silencing him. “You’ve been just as bad as him without Anna. Throwing yourself into this without a break.”

I arched a brow, wanting to point out that Erianna was doing the same thing. We all needed distractions. She was still mourning Draven, one of the few people who’d gotten under her well-armored exterior. Zach and I were without our soulmates. A thought popped into my head. What if Draven was her soulmate, and neither knew it? They were drawn to each other. Granted, hewasin love with my wife. But I didn’t know she was my soulmate until she became immortal. It could have been the same for Erianna and Draven.

It didn’t matter. He was gone, and we were all broken souls in this room.

“Stop overthinking,” Erianna ordered, her tone sharper than usual as she watched me zone back in. “It’s annoying.”

Zach rolled his eyes as she stormed into the bathroom. He gave me the same look we’d exchanged since we became friends. Erianna was hurting and taking it out on everyone around her. I didn’t blame her. I wasn’t any better.

I tapped on the bathroom door softly, but she didn’t answer. “I’m here, you know.” I softened my voice, something I’d only do for a select few. “Olivia might be gone,” I said, the reality piercing my chest, “but I can still listen. You know, if you did want to talk.”

She muttered something intelligible under her breath, then turned the faucet on. I looked back at Zach, who sighed.

I cleared my throat. “I’ll go feed. Then we’ll go.”

***

My wings erupted from my back as I extended my arms to Erianna. “Ready?”

She rolled her eyes. “Don’t make this more uncomfortable than this has to be.”

Zach grinned, his silver wings glistening against the morning sun overlooking the city. A mixture of blood and vomit covered the sidewalks, the rain from last night having turned the snow into a gray slush. “Sure you don’t want me to carry you?” He arched a brow. “You know Seb can’t handle long flights.”

“I have bigger wings than you, brother.”

He laughed. “It’s all about the stamina.”

I thought back to our race over the mountains a year ago. “Want to bet? I’ll beat your ancient ass any of the day of the week,” I joked, feeling a little lighter. For a moment, we slipped back into our old dynamic, before all of this. I felt bad for enjoying anything while she was missing. Zach noticed the fall in my smile.

“Let’s not waste time.” He stepped forward. “We’ll get there in half the time if I carry Erianna.”

She groaned. “I swear, if I had my wings…”

Ravena glided down the street, wearing her guild uniform. She must have kept it back from when she was kidnapped. The spandex clothes hugged her form, the black matching her dark gaze. She lifted her chin, her dark brows slightly elevated. I couldn’t see much of Olivia in her, except for subtle similarities; the few freckles dotting her nose, the angular shape of her jaw, and the roundness of her eyes. She let out a tense sigh. “Sorry I’m late.”

Erianna rolled her eyes at me and Zach. “It’s okay. The idiot patrol thinks they can get us there in half the time.”

Ravena’s expression remained stoic as she pulled a crumpled letter from her pants pocket. “Sargon has sent word. He’ll be arriving this afternoon.”

I gritted my teeth. “Doesn’t he care that his daughter’s missing?” I lowered my voice to a whisper. “We set a time. He knew we were leaving early.”

She shook her head. “He had to wait for more guards to join him,” she whispered back. “Kalon released the army to him. Begrudgingly, I presume.”

“He’s king!” I snapped, balling my fists. “He doesn’t need Kalon’s fucking permission.”

She sighed. “I am aware, but still, someone must stay behind to meet him. He doesn’t know what we do. Apparently, everyone here refuses to step into the modern era and actually get a phone.”

I arched a brow. “You’re staying behind then? What happened to our plan?” She’d been against them since last night. Erianna had put her on staking out the local houses for when we landed, while we would hunt aniccipere. She didn’t understand that hers was the most important job.

She shook her head, throwing the paper on the ground. “No. I need to find my daughter. But one of you must stay. We need the extra help.”

“I’m not staying,” I stated, then glanced at my friends. “Neither are they. We stick together. Who cares about Sargon?” I looked around at the empty street, listening for any sound to see if we were being watched. As long as we didn’t reveal the location, we would be okay. Everyone presumed she’d been taken to the south. That was a given. After a moment of silence, I whispered back to her. “We know where she is, so let’s go get her.”

Ravena placed a hand on her hip, whisper-shouting. “He has the resources we don’t. I can stake the area out before they get there. I was head protector at the guild for…”

“Yeah,” Erianna answered, waving her hand dismissively. “We get it, but you cannot fight the aniccipere by yourself. Once they see you circling, they’ll come after you.” She lowered her tone. “We know the south better than anyone here.”

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