Page 79

Traveling by horse was the safest route, but Gods, they were slow. I knew the speed of running, and now it almost felt like torture.

Draco pulled the carriage from storage with deliberate care. It was smaller than Arianna’s but far more regal. The carriage was crafted from dark oak polished to a shadowed sheen. Its wheels were blackened steel, rusted at the edges in a way that made it look more like a relic than a vehicle. It suited Draco perfectly, quietly commanding and timeless.

Opening the door, I offered my hand to the women. My mother climbed in first, settling onto the cushioned bench. When Valentina stepped forward, I let my hand linger around hers a moment longer than I should’ve, savoring the warmth of her palm before our fingers slipped apart. She entered with a soft smile, one that stayed burning in the back of my mind long after the door closed.

Draco took the reins, fastening them to a pair of tall, black-streaked horses. Their coats shimmered as ink brushed across midnight skies. Once secured, I climbed in and sat beside Valentina, pulling the door shut with a low click.

White trees blurred past in flickering patterns as the horses kept a steady pace through the cold. Snow whispered against the windows, and the wind rattled the frame every so often. Even at this speed, I knew we wouldn’t reach Arianna’s home until twilight.

The sky had shifted from pale blue to a shadowy purple by the time the glow of Arianna’s home came into sight. Twilight brushed the horizon, casting long shadows through the trees. The aurora light above us started to ripple through the night, flashing orange and violet across the snow. The air turned sharp, colder than anything we’d felt all day. The kind that crawled into your bones and stayed there.

Stepping out first, my boots pressed against the ice of Arianna’s land. I extended my hand to Valentina. Her silky fingers slipped into mine with familiar warmth as I helped her down, then turned to assist my mother.

Lord Draco joined us at the front of the carriage; his gaze fixed on the shimmering force field ahead. The dome pulsed softly, casting waves of sapphire light into the woods. Where the dome's sapphire light mixed with the orange aurora, it formed a strange brown tint that almost shadowed her entrance. The snow beneath us glistened like powdered diamonds around the sapphire.

Even the horses paused, their attention drawn toward the radiant veil. Their tails flicked with sudden energy, cords jingling as they shifted in place. I let my hand glide over one of their sleek necks, offering a small gesture of thanks before we passed through.

My mother was the first to breach the barrier. The magic bent around her like water parting for a swimmer, responding to her presence as though it remembered her. It folded inward, allowing her to slip through before sealing tight again. Valentina followed next, her steps so light she barely disturbed the snow. I paused for a moment, half-expecting Draco to bounce off the dome like Kleitos once had. But no, he passed through effortlessly, the barrier giving way just as it had for the others. I followed last, watching as the dome shimmered once more behind me, sealing us back inside this secret world.

Lord Draco stepped ahead of my mother, guiding her around him as she moved onto the cobblestone path. He lifted his knuckles and knocked lightly against the wooden door. The dim tea light above cast a golden glow across his features, illuminating him in a way that made him look more myth than man.

Seconds later, the door creaked open without a word. Arianna stood in the threshold, face unreadable. Her expression didn’t betray annoyance, but the simmer in her aura told another story. Her eyes swept over us slowly.

“I’ve returned your guests,” Lord Draco said, his voice still and cool.

“Oh, the honor,” Arianna replied dryly, stepping aside to let us in.

It was my fault that her isolated home now felt less like a retreat and more like a revolving door. I mouthed an apology as we entered. Kleitos sat perched on one of Arianna’s few wooden chairs, barely fitting. Bomani lay curled near the fire in his hyena form, paws crossed beneath his head, eyes closed and breathing slowly. The moment Kleitos saw me, his eyes lit up. When he saw my mother, though, his expression softened further.

Kleitos stood swiftly, crossing the room with purposeful steps. One hand landed on my shoulder, grounding me mid-thought as I searched for any sign of Mark. “I’m so glad you’re safe,” he said, voice low and filled with apology. “I’m sorry for the chaos in the clearing yesterday. That was never my intention.” His gaze flicked between Martha and me, and his hand on my shoulder dropped, only to settle gently on hers. I heard the breath catch softly between her lips the moment his hand made contact. His touch wasn’t possessive; it was reverent. Tender. Careful.

“Where's Mark?" I asked. My voice was even but firm. I wasn’t ready to accept his apology. Not yet. Arianna and Kleitos exchanged a look, one of silent hesitation, breath held between them like a secret too sharp to speak aloud. The one thing I’d hoped for, prayed for, was that both men had returned. Even if their presence irritated Arianna. At least they would have been back where they belonged. But now… this silence? It simmered hot beneath my ribs. My confusion melted into anger. Bouncing between the two of them, I waited. Their lips remained sealed. “I didn’t know both of you were hard of hearing,” I snapped, my voice cool but sharp.

That earned me a pair of withering looks. Kleitos’s jaw tensed, his expression twisting as I’d just slapped the back of his ego. Arianna raised an eyebrow, as if daring me to repeat myself.

“Don’t talk to your father like that,” Martha scolded, reaching out and giving the lobe of my ear a quick tug. Her new strength was felt as my head jerked low, to the right of me. I couldn’t help that my gaze heated as they followed the assaulter. I found my mother glaring back up at me.

My brows tightened, heat flashing behind my eyes. But it faded just as quickly as I took her in. Sucking in a breath, I yanked my head from her grip. “Okay. Let me rephrase: Do you know where Mark is?” Before the fire behind my words could spark again, a familiar hand pressed against the small of my back, and that soothing calm prickled through the iron that was forming. Valentina’s eyes met mine, grounding me, and I pressed myself a bit deeper into her touch.

Kleitos, however, didn’t seem fazed. His hand remained steady on Martha’s shoulder as he looked down at her with a soft, glittering beam in his eyes. “Mark fled,” he said at last. “Once Arianna caught up to us. I gave it reason and stopped my pursuit. We all tried to follow, but he torched the forest with every step. It became a chase of fire and smoke.”

This didn’t sound like Mark; he wasn’t ever aggressive back in the human world. Maybe an occasional argument with a telemarketer, but rightfully so. This though… I saw him in that clearing with my own eyes. That was far more chilling to reconcile with than a phone call. I didn’t have a choice but to believe it.

During the ride, in the distance, we saw the glowing amber kissing the night air like a halo. Even with how cold it was, there was a slick humidity wrapping around us, seeping through the carriage. Rot even lingered in the air, with the hum of burning cedar.

Kleitos’ voice dropped slightly. “We could’ve kept going, but to what end? Let him burn the kingdom down? We let him escape.”

Instead of playing the role he’d been given, Mark wanted to go rogue. Again. Just like when he faked his own death and became a vampire. He always thought he knew best. Always leaving someone else to clean up the pieces.

For what?

A bruised ego?

At this point, I wasn’t even sure if he wanted to be a part of my life, or if he just enjoyed throwing wrenches into everything we were building. It felt like he was playing a game without instructions. And hell, the instructions I had been given for this world didn’t involve drawing attention to myself… or to anyone around me. I exhaled slowly, irritation tightening across my chest. With a loose tongue, I muttered, “This man doesn’t even know anything about this world. Why would he try to escape?” My body broke from Valentina’s grounding touch as I turned toward Arianna. “Did you see where he went?” I demanded. “Have you looked into his future?” My eyes narrowed to slits as I studied her. I had put too much faith in her, and somehow being let down by her only twisted the frustration deeper.

She shook her head, calm but unwavering. “I don’t know him well. My power has limits, I’m not all-seeing.”

The silence that followed tightened in the air, tense, suspended, brittle. Then my mother’s voice slipped through it, soft but sure. “Mark’s known about Eari for two years. When you mentioned the town for the transformed… I already knew. He probably went to his friend’s place in Ameega City.”