Tristan got up from the side of my makeshift bed, giving me a quick wink. “I’ll see you in a bit, okay? I’m gonna go fetch you some fresh blood from the kitchen.”
I wanted him to stay, since more questions were popping into my head. But Kalon was just as qualified to answer them—or at least most of them. Besides, my heart was already singing at the mere sight of him. I’d earned a moment alone with him.
As soon as Tristan left, Kalon took his seat beside me, taking my hand in his. The touch alone was enough to send electric signals through my arm, reviving parts of me I’d thought dormant or numb.
“It’s good to see you awake,” he said. “For a moment, I thought you weren’t coming back.”
I gave a short chuckle. “I’m like a cockroach. Not even an apocalypse will kill me.”
Kalon smiled, even though he clearly didn’t get the joke. How could he, if he’d never been to Earth? Nevertheless, he was a gorgeous sight for my very sore eyes.
“We’ll find him,” he told me. “Zoltan. We’ll find him.”
“They’ve all gone into hiding. I doubt they’ll be easy to track down,” I said. “I’m worried about their capabilities. That was a Reaper scythe he used on me.”
He nodded slowly. “I know. Your team has told me about Reapers and their weapons. I admit, I am worried, too. But you at least understand what you’re dealing with here. I trust your judgment, going forward.”
“I have no idea how we’re going to do this.” I sighed. “What about the Lord and Lady Supreme? What are their thoughts on this?”
Kalon almost smiled. “They’re in shock. They’re appalled. They’re speechless. I have never seen them like this before. It’s humiliating to them, to have had Darklings roaming freely beneath the palace. They had no idea.”
“Do you believe them?”
I wanted to see Kalon’s reaction where the two were concerned. Something nagged me about this, but I had to give Danika and Acheron the benefit of the doubt. That underground maze was extremely well hidden and protected. From what I remembered, it wasn’t easy to come upon.
Kalon offered me a shrug. “You can talk to them yourself when you’re better,” he said, caressing my face. I melted a little, welcoming his touch. My skin tingled with delight, and I felt more alive than five minutes ago, which counted for a lot, given the road ahead. “You can listen to their heartbeats and maybe detect deception, like you usually do. I, for one, believe them. They’ve barely left their chambers since last night. I smell some execution orders coming soon. They’ll be out for blood.”
“Sure, but who can they punish, if the Darklings are gone?” I asked.
“I guess we’ll see. They’ll probably start with the captured Red Threads as known associates of the Darklings. For now, they’re focused on damage control. Petra has been charged with nominating a new chief councilor, and they’ve also given Corbin the right to call a state of emergency. That will allow for mass raids and home searches.”
“Have you heard from Trev yet?”
“No. It’s not safe for him right now. I’ll wait, though. These things take time, much like your recovery,” Kalon said, his hand cupping my face. “Next time, you can loop me in when you’re about to do something crazy. I might’ve been able to prevent this leg injury of yours, had we gone together.”
“How did you know where to find me?”
I remembered him saying something about my heartbeat, but the overall fuzz was persistent. Kalon was right. It would take time to recover.
He chuckled softly, leaning in closer. I had never seen him like this, so… warm. He’d been charming and funny and friendly. Sometimes he’d made me feel as though there was something more between us, but he’d never touched me this tenderly. Even last night felt like a light breeze compared to the way he was looking at me now, or the way his fingers brushed against my skin.
“We both knew Trev would be in the palace garden at that hour. And I knew you’d be there, even though I wouldn’t be able to see you. I figured out your little magic trick. I almost lost you both behind the curtain, as I didn’t have the advantage of invisibility to sneak down into the basement. It’s why… It’s why I was late in coming for you,” he said, his voice wavering. “I am sorry I couldn’t get to you sooner.”
“It’s okay, Kalon. You saved my life,” I replied, squeezing his hand. “You saved my life, and I don’t know if I will ever be able to repay you.”
“No need,” he whispered, then got up and dropped a kiss on my forehead. His lips were so warm and soft, I nearly fainted. Luckily, I was already lying down; otherwise, I might’ve made a fool of myself. “Now… rest up, Esme. Your brother will be back soon. And I’ll come around later. I need to consult with Derek, Sofia, Corbin, and Valaine. The Darklings may have gone into hiding, but their threat is still very real.”
I suddenly deflated like a sad beach ball abandoned in the sun. I would’ve wanted him to stay, but he had work to do. Important work that would get us closer to the Darklings. Catching them and wiping them off the face of this planet had become a priority for all of us. We could leave Amal and Amane to handle everything else regarding the protein and the Black Fever.
There are pulverizer weapons on the shuttle. The thought crossed my mind like a flying arrow as Kalon walked out and left me to my own devices. There were pulverizer weapons on the shuttle, with plenty of ammunition. It was time to think of a way to bring it up with the Lord and Lady Supreme, because if push came to shove, I wanted to be able to destroy every single Darkling out there and rid Visio of this horrible threat.
Maybe then, I’d be able to relax and really look at whatever was brewing between Kalon and me. There was something… something deeper than I’d thought. But the Darklings loomed over our heads, ruining everything.
I’d ruin them first, before they inflicted any more damage on me or anyone else.
Lumi
“I should’ve been on Visio by now,” I muttered.
We’d been wandering from planet to planet for three days, following Maya’s trail. At least she wasn’t an exceptional ghoul, since she’d left traces for Sidyan to pick up on. But this was taking too long, and I had serious business to attend to. If, at first, I’d been sympathetic toward Maya’s situation, my patience had begun to thin. I’d heard the communications between Derek and GASP through my earpiece. I knew Zoltan had killed Nethissis. I had to find him and kill him. It was the only retribution fit for what he had done.
“Your snippy attitude isn’t helping,” Sidyan replied.
The sequoia-like forest rose around us like sleeping giants, with trees as tall as mountains and trunks bigger than The Shade’s redwoods. It was magnificent, and, on a different occasion, I might’ve enjoyed a walkthrough, but this was not the right time. Vengeance called out to me, begging me to go after Zoltan. I could find him. I knew I could find him, especially with Sidyan by my side.
He held out his scythe, its blade glimmering, as it had caught another trail of Maya’s. She’d been through here recently, judging by the intensity of its light. Sidyan’s mood was as foul as mine. He didn’t enjoy this any more than I did, especially since he’d been blackmailed into helping me, to begin with. I did feel sorry for him, but that wasn’t going to get me to Visio.
“She’s around here somewhere,” he added, cursing under his breath. “You scared her away.”
“What the hell did I do? It’s not like I went all ooga-booga-booga on her!” I replied, downright exasperated. “It’s not my fault she’s skittish.”
“Shush.”
“Don’t shush me!”
But he did shush me again, this time bringing an index finger up to his lips while using his scythe to point somewhere northeast of our location. Squinting, I managed to pick up on movement between the massive trees. A small figure with translucent skin and scarce black hair, tearing into a small animal and eating its skittish and terrified soul. For a moment, I felt queasy, until I realized we were looking at Maya. We’d finally found her!
After three bleeping days!
