Donatello and Apollo and Ren and Oreo, all fight fae and other vampires, and I can’t bear looking at them for fear of seeing them hurt. This is exactly what I wanted to avoid. If I had gone in and out, maybe I would have gotten the stones and jumped out of the balcony, free to travel back to Giulia.
Because they’re here, they might not go back. And it’s even more dangerous with Kayn, and he’s not alone. He brought his underlings, and even the weakest of vampires is still a problem.
“I gave them a choice,” Kayn says, meeting my eyes. “They refused to accept it.”
A chill slides down my spine. “Your choice was coming with you or dying.”
Kayn shakes his head once. “I never threatened them with death. A Shadow Mage in a city of witches? Sooner or later, they would burn him for heresy. What I offered them is the same as I offer you. A chance to find your rightful place in the world.”
“Working for you, I guess?” I scoff. “How convenient.”
“No. I don’t wish that. All I wish is the help to cross into the Dark Realm before the ones there cross here.” Kayn takes one step closer, narrowing his eyes. Everything is quiet around us, even when I know the fight still goes on. My heart stammers in my chest, climbing my throat. The shadows still swirl around my hand, and the cold touch of them soothes me. Ground me. “It’s a matter of making the first move, Cassandra. The creatures locked by the Rift are much more dangerous and much crueler than I ever hope to be.”
I curl my nose, staring at him. And I search for that feeling, that tingle when someone is lying, and find nothing. Is Kayn telling the truth? Does he honestly want my help?
I shake my head. “You never asked for my help. Your first move, from the very beginning, was to kidnap me and force me.”
“A mistake on my part,” he cuts me in. “A desperate attempt.” He raises his hands in a pacifying gesture. “Stop,” he says, not louder than his usual voice, and even so, all of his underlings pause mid-fight. Apollo lands a punch on a vampire that growls but doesn’t punch back. “As a good-faith gesture, we won’t attack you. I won’t even order Donatello to make a move. Understand, Cassandra, that my situation is dire, and I’ve been looking for a Shadow Mage for centuries.”
“Why?”
“Because,” and his eyes grow urgent, almost mad, “if someone else finds you first, like that prick of a fae, and opens the Rift without the proper care, what’s inside is much worse.”
“Oh, yeah?” I defy him, hating how rational his speech sounds. “And what is inside?”
Kayn tucks his light brown hair behind his ears, closing his eyes for a moment. Even with how sharp his features are, his nose, his cheekbones, he almost looks peaceful like this. “My mother,” he says, and I’m confused for a moment. “My mother is the previous vampire leader of the council. And she is so much worse than any of you can imagine.”
The viciousness of his truth sinks into my stomach. Something bitter covers my mouth and I try to swallow, but my tongue is parched, glued to the roof of my mouth. A primal, new kind of fear makes me shiver, and I have no idea why, but Kayn’s words make me pause.
Should I side with Kayn?
A blond silhouette jumps across my vision, landing on Kayn. I gasp in surprise, watching both forms struggle on the ground. Other vampires approach, and I step back, searching for my men. Tristan’s body finds mine, the solidity of him to my back. Ren shifts back into his human form, eyes wide, a trickle of blood running down the side of his face. Oreo races to my feet, touching his warm body to my legs.
Donatello fights Kayn, physically fights him, and the two exchange blows and kicks, rolling on the ground. I hear the snap of something breaking, but the other vampires have joined in a circle and I can’t see what’s happening.
Apollo appears next to me, his strong fingers closing around my arm a bit too tightly. “The stone!” He roars. “Now!”
That shakes me back to reality. I shove a hand into a pocket, rescuing the portal stone back to Giulia. Gripping it, I feel its edges biting into my hand. Tristan bends to pick Oreo up with an arm, then throws the dog over his shoulder to catch the sac of books, his other hand flat on my back.
My knees quiver as the words Giulia taught me rise on my tongue. I part my lips to say them, but I can’t. I can’t go without Donatello. My heart races, and I gape at Apollo, pressing my brows together.
“What’s wrong?” He asks, his voice urgent.
I turn back to the group of vampires. “Don!” I cry out loud. “We have to leave!”
Though several vampires turn to gape at us, Donatello is not one of them. He keeps punching Kayn, fighting as if he hadn’t heard me.
Shit. That’s because he didn’t.
That fucking potion. We used it in case Kayn showed up, and show up he did, but he didn’t order Donatello. It was for nothing. Freaking useless, and worse. Now he can’t hear me!
“Say the words,” Apollo says, turning me so I face him. “He’ll find us later.”
“Kayn will kill him for rebelling.”
Apollo opens and closes his mouth. He knows that’s what’s going to happen. He knows we would leave Donatello for dead. The dragon shifter licks his lips. “He would rather keep you safe,” he says.
And I know he’s right. But I just can’t.