Page 98 of The Vampire's Lament
Dagger mine…
Dust. Mermaid. Sinkhole. Dagger.
Oh, shit. My head whimpered with pain, tears burning down my cheeks. I pressed my face into him, tightening my hold, wishing I could climb inside him and find sanctuary in his strength. Away from here, in our own little world, safe from harm.
It’s like that, huh?
I snapped out of sobbing, lifting my head. “Aidan…”
He cupped my face, wiping my tears with the pads of his thumbs. His features were soft, packed with light and worry and raw masculine beauty.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t here,” he said, his voice a warm breeze against my lips.
“It’s…” I cleared my throat, shuffling back so his hand dropped away. “It’s okay. You didn’t know the prick would attack.”
I took deep breaths, building up the steel walls. I couldn’t let this shit get to me.
His nostrils flared. “Tell me what happened.” His eyes moved to my stomach, no longer wounded.
How am I surviving this stuff?
Yeah, the million-gold question, right?
Medusa told him instead, allowing me to get off the bed and put some distance between us. Not that I didn’t appreciate the hug, but because the room felt hot and close and I didn’t want to suffer a meltdown.
Those steel walls only went so high.
Fucking Aidan. Was this his attempt to sever the connection? Ha! Joke was on him.
I put this to the group, which consisted of the king, the snake shifter, and Lord Vaughn.
“How many lives do you have?” Vaughn asked me.
I shrugged, turning chilly.
I wasn’t a fan of this guy after the time he came onto me.
“He’s clearly testing us,” Silvanus said, his tone bordering on a growl.
Yeah, no shit.
I leaned against a bookcase, itching to hunt that fucker down and return the favor.
Tenfold.
We weren’t safe anywhere, at any time.
Game on, I guess.
Keeping my guard up, I said, “When are we leaving?”
Silvanus pinned me with his stare. “Are you ready to leave?”
I swallowed that lurking lump. “Yeah. No. I haven’t packed anything.”
“Ah, yes.”
Seconds later, a human thrall arrived with some rucksacks, aided by one of the guards.
