Page 59 of The Vampire's Lament
Best of all, I couldn’t move more than a few feet away from the bush.
“Dammit!” I hissed, glowering at Caer. “What’s going on?”
She inspected a blackberry held between thumb and forefinger, squeezing out some of the juice.
“Hello?” I pressed when she didn’t answer.
“I heard you, precious one,” she replied gently.
“Then can you tell me why I can’t go to Silvanus?”
She lifted her lavender gaze to mine. “While we are here, I want to keep him at bay. He might be part of this, but I would also like to maintain a level of privacy for the elves in the room. Well, the clearing.”
Maybe it was a deity thing, but she really came across snooty.
“That seems a bit mean,” I countered.
She smiled. “I can smell him on you.”
My face heated. “Oh. Let’s not talk about it.” A sudden spike of horror came over me. “Oh, shit. You didn’t see or hear?—”
“No. I’m no voyeur to crude behaviors, Paris.”
Crude?
“I would like for you to be more respectful of your body and your heart from now on. There is work to be done.”
Mind your damn business.“Uh-huh. Fine.”
She took my hand, running her thumb over my knuckles. “How are you feeling?” Her touch was cold and unwelcome.
“I’m sweetcream,” I answered, freeing my hand to shove them both in my dressing gown pockets.
Damn. Couldn’t this vision provide a proper outfit for the occasion?
At least the rest of me stayed warm, only the skin she’d touched was chilly.
A louder line of the song wafted past me like a melodious echo that wouldn’t die, and the blue-and-orange sky swirled like paint in water.
“During my resting, I have seen things,” she said. “The song is reenergized for now, so we must use it while we can.”
Her foresight power could conjure visions and dreams of the future and the past. Like the one I’d just seen. My singing allowed us to share the details, for me to come here. And Silvanus tagged along for the ride because of his involvement with Aidan.
“This fragment of the king’s memory is important,” she said. “More will come hopefully with clear answers.”
I drew luck down my chest.
Then I told her about my vision, which the vampire didn’t share with me for some reason.
She steepled her fingers before her face. “I see. Fascinating. Whatever this thing is, it appears to be keeping you safe from death. But why, and what is the significance of the dagger?”
All questions in an endless loop in my head.
Shit. “Do you think it’s Aidan related?” I had to ask the question.
She shook her head. “No. He would not be able to hide it from me. Still, how does our little mystery keep its secrets?”
Don’t call it that.“Great,” I huffed.
