Chapter 433: Mythic Immortals
Nedra entered the bent forest carrying the large, old book under her arm with the scribble that mentioned vampire mates. She pulled it out to look at it again now that the shade from the trees gave her some cover from the sun.
The heavy book made her sweat during the long trek from her cottage to the castle. Too bad she couldn’t manufacture some kind of cooling system in this world.
"That would be convenient," she chuckled to herself.
She dried the thin sheen of moisture she had left on the weathered cover with her sleeve, silently rereading the title. "The Mythic Immortals." It was a book she had gotten from a small old bookstore in Port Angeles that had a lot of first editions and new age books. Besides libraries, these were the best resources she had found during her days of seeking answers for ways to kill the vampire.
Now that she had met her son Sage and they had new prospects who might finally be able to end Zagan’s long, terrorizing existence, she was eager to get on with it. Every time she closed her eyes now, she kept seeing Sage’s beautiful, innocent face. He was out there in the world somewhere—her son. Her only son. And so was Selah.
Despite how stubborn she was in her arguments with Seth, his attitude about wanting to know both of their children set a renewed fire under her. She wanted that for him and for her children—for all of them. Seth’s eagerness to play a part in their children’s lives had given her hope that there was a future in which they could all live together, participating in each other’s lives like some kind of normal family.
Hope was dangerous. She knew that. That’s why she had never indulged in such fantasies. She had even kept herself from imagining Sage’s beautiful face and how he was growing. She was good at blocking things like that out—the things she had sacrificed. It was the only way to stay sane. It was the only way not to wither away, a victim to the ache of all the loves she had given up.
But now the sliver of hope’s light had cracked the dark shell she had kept encapsulating her all of these years, and it was too late to repair it. It was too late. She wanted that future. She wanted it so badly. She wanted to see her children and know them.
The castle’s crumbling facade came into view as Nedra daydreamed about how her life could be if she could finally get this creature to die. And then her steps paused, unsure if she should continue this visit she had planned. For some reason the distant castle seemed more ominous than usual despite the fact that nothing had outwardly changed.
Perhaps the darker feel of the area reflected the vampire’s mood. Surely with the alyko gone, Zagan was feeling... different. She just wasn’t sure she wanted to know how different. Given the fact that he hadn’t called for her or Seth—Seth being the most surprising—it was obvious there was a significant change in him.
Was he more volatile than usual? Was he more at ease? And, the question that really made Nedra worry, was Penelope okay? Had they... grown feelings for one another? Or had he neglected her? She shuddered to think what condition the Winter might be in if Zagan had chosen to ignore her entirely. Hopefully Brandt had enough sense to feed her and check in on her well-being.
"It’s fine," she whispered to herself, continuing on toward the path. "It’s fine," she repeated, tucking the book back under her arm and letting out a heavy breath, steadying her nerves.
Regardless of how much Zagan seemed to respect her, he could still be terrifying to be around. The last time she spoke with him, he reminded her of just how terrifying he could be. It was easy to forget that he was an emotionless predator, but then he would go completely still as his eyes narrowed in on every movement like a hungry lion.
But he needed her. She would be fine. If it were any other vampire, then she would need to worry.
Nedra approached the side door like she always did, finding it once again held open by Brandt’s boulder. That was good. Brandt was here. Zagan hadn’t dismissed everyone, which was a really good sign. Maybe Zagan was just blissfully happy, and that was why they hadn’t heard from him.
"Pfff," she scoffed to herself. Now she was really dreaming.
She slipped through and made her way to the kitchen, choosing to have Brandt alert Zagan to her presence first rather than risking surprising him. She wanted this visit to go well, so she was going to take every possible precaution.
Rather than the usual clanking of pots and pans, the castle was deadly quiet as she approached the kitchen.
"Brandt?" She called out, suddenly sensing a poised threat. Did he think she was an intruder?
She paused at the doorway, waiting to hear a relieved chuckle from the male or even a cackle after he purposely startled her in some kind of prank—even if that wasn’t his style. Like most of the males on this island, Brandt was careful around her. But she would laugh. She would be relieved. She wouldn’t be mad.
No such relief came. The room remained as still as before she called out his name.
She squeezed her eyes shut briefly and swallowed. It was too late to turn back and leave. If this were some kind of trap, she was already fully within its grasp.
Nedra entered the kitchen and immediately noticed the mess. Food from the pantry was strewn everywhere, and her vision of the Veiled immediately engulfed the room.
"No," she whispered, setting the book on the counter and taking another step forward.
There was a path in the Veiled—an absence of energy that was carved out like a black hole had just moved through and sucked up all the light—that reminded her of Zagan. A vampire had been here very recently or was still here. But... but that was impossible unless Zagan had invited one here, and he would never do that.
Her eyes trailed down and noticed a puddle of blood on the floor next to the island. Goddess, Brandt. It had to be Brandt.
Cold dread filled her with every step as she walked forward, unable to stop herself from investigating. If this was what it looked like, they were all in danger—even Zagan.
