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He froze mid stride towards the stairs and turned back to her. “What?”
Mina handed the spyglass back to the guard who’d given it to her, and she took a deep breath before speaking. She exhaled, “I’ve seen how your wolves fight, and how you fight. I want to be able to defend myself too. There are clearly things here that my father and the rest of Distova have no clue exist, I need to be ready for them if I’m going to make a real life for myself on this side of the mountains.”
Vlad considered her for a moment and then nodded slowly. “You make a valid point. I’ll speak with Alaric once we get you safely behind palace walls.”
“Aren’t we…” she trailed off looking around in confusion. To her surprise the gate they’d entered through belonged to a small set of buildings along a thin river that seemed to cut across. The valley before them.
In the distance, however, sat a massive city carved into the side of a black mountain, and high at the top sat a castle shining in the moonlight, glowing bright red. Red as blood.
Vlad turned following her gaze. “Ah, yes. Welcome to Nilumaria. The shining city. Heart of my kingdom. Home of the vampires. The holy land of the goddess Lumaria.”
“It’s….” Mina trailed off. There were a hundred ways she could describe the sight of the city sprawling down the side of the mountain, twisting out of sight in the distance. There were so many lights on it seemed like a piece of the sky had fallen to the ground, and the castle at the top shone like a giant ruby looming over it all.
“It’s what?” Vlad pressed, stepping closer. His hand found hers where it dangled at her side, and he brushed her knuckles with his fingers.
“Beautiful.”
His answering smile was blinding. “Indeed, it is.”
“What do we do now?” She asked, meeting his eye.
“Now?” His brows rose to his hairline. “Now, we check in with Lucy and the wolves, and then we ride to the city proper. We shouldn’t have any more trouble from this point on.”
“Okay.” She nodded slowly.
“The city has been preparing for your arrival, Your Majesty,” the guard with the spyglass croaked, drawing their attention.
Vlad gave him a respectful nod and held out his hand to her. “I figured as much. We should ride on. We’ll only have a few minutes to rest before the Council wants to greet us, I’m sure.”
“The who?” a weight sank into Mina’s gut.
Vlad frowned. “Surely your father has a council that he deals with?”
Mina gulped. “Yes, but they’re human. What if…what if your council doesn’t like me?”
Vlad’s smile returned and he dropped his hand coming closer again, to brush his fingers over her cheek. A gesture that sent another warm jolt to the coil in her stomach.
“Do you really think I’d let any of them hurt you, Starlight?” He asked quietly. “I’ve kept you safe this far, haven’t I?”
She narrowed her eyes at him. He wasn’t wrong, he had kept her safe, but could she trust him to keep her that way?
“You have,” she said, finally.
“And I promise it will stay that way,” he said, holding his hand up again.
This time, Mina slid her fingers through his. It was time to choose, and for now, she was choosing to trust him. She would believe him when he said he’d protect her. She only hoped that trust wasn’t in vain.
