She sighed and stared back up at the ceiling. “Another thing to add to the list.”
“Hey.” I tilted her face towards me, and those concerned eyes met mine. “I swear to you that I will help you figure this out. You are not alone in this.” I swallowed. “I love you, Samara Harker.”
Her eyes got a little misty. “I love you too, Astaroth Devereux.”
I smiled at hearing my full name on her lips—the one I’d been running away from my whole life. I’d been running from the mantle of being part of the Devereux line but never really fitting in anywhere.
I was the lost scholar who’d finally found a home in her.
Samara scooted closer, laying her head on my shoulder and her hand over my heart, where heat suddenly flared—and a bond thrummed to life.
“You’re mine, Roth,” Samara breathed. “Always and forever.”
“And you’re mine too, my Blood Queen. Always and forever.”
Chapter Thirteen
Samara
“We can’t wait any longer.”Taivan sighed. “Vail will have to find us.”
“Are we sure he hasn’t gone back to Carmilla?” Desmond looked to me for an answer.
I didn’t have one, because while I didn’t think he would have, I clearly couldn’t trust myself when it came to Vail. I’d learned that lesson the hard way. There was another way I could tell though, one that made no sense but was real all the same. I concentrated on the thread between us, and it felt thinner now, strained.
Was that because of the physical distance? Or because of . . . everything else between us?
“South,” I breathed out. “He’s to the south of us.”
Taivan mulled it over. “The Sovereign House is north, and most of their search parties haven’t reached this far yet. If Vail is south of us, then it’s unlikely he’s met up with Carmilla or any of her rangers.”
“What if he runs into them while making his way back to us?” Absently, I rubbed the spot on my chest where I felt the bond. As soon as I realized what I was doing, I dropped my hand. “Vail’s a strong fighter, but he’d be outnumbered.”
Not to mention the fact that Carmilla would likely make an example out of him if he were captured. He was a traitorous asshole, but if he was truly on our side, Vail would be useful. Just because I was still hurting over his betrayal didn’t mean I’d waste such a valuable resource.
So pragmatic. I could practically hear Carmilla in my mind, and I shoved the thought away.
“Let’s go then. We’ll stick with the original plan and trust Vail to catch up.” I nodded at Taivan. “We’re following you.”
“This way.” He entered the tunnel outside the cavern we’d been resting in and went left. “My parents are waiting topside for us. We’ll meet up with the Harker rangers—Adrienne, Emil, and Nyx—in a couple of miles. The storm is going to hit any minute, and we’ll travel as far as we can. There are a few safe houses we can use, depending on where we end up.”
The tunnel split into two directions, but Taivan sliced his finger open on his fang and tapped a glyph on the wall. The compact dirt shimmered, revealing a door, which Taivan pulled open and stepped through.
I started to move towards it when Kieran placed a hand on my forearm, halting me. Gold wove through his brown eyes, a little of his bloodlust peeking through. Everyone except Alaric was riding their bloodlust to some extent because we needed any advantage we could get.
Traveling on a night like this was insane. All kinds of wicked things prowled the Lunarian wilds after the sun set, and we were far from the top of the food chain, but we’d discussed it when Taivan and Desmond had returned and agreed it would be worth it. The storm would cover our tracks better than we could ever manage. With Carmilla and her rangers likely coming for us, I wanted to delay our reunion until I knew of some way to counteract the crown’s magic.
“You good, Sam?” Kieran’s lips quirked up into a lopsided grin as he tightened the cloak hanging around my neck. He and Draven had burst into the room after I’d formed the bond with Roth and Draven had felt the echoes of the new bond through his.
They’d both been happy for us, but I hadn’t missed the uncertainty in Kieran’s eyes. I’d tried to explain that I hadn’t intentionally done it—not that I wasn’t absolutely thrilled to be bonded with Roth—but I still didn’t understand why this was happening. I didn’t want Kieran to think I wasn’t choosing him.
Kieran had seen right through my hasty explanations and assured me he was fine, but then he’d smiled at me in a way that I knew was false. Draven had frowned at him when he’d done it because he clearly recognized that fake smile too.
Unfortunately, that was when Roth’s brothers had arrived, so I hadn’t been able to discuss it with Kieran anymore.
We’d barely had time to get dressed in the clothing Kieran and Draven had found and adorn ourselves with weapons, which was why I was wearing a shirt that was a little baggy and pants that were way too tight.
On the plus side, two wicked daggers were now strapped to my thighs, and I’d been able to quickly recreate the blood magic I’d had on my previous ones, so now I could recall these to my hands after I threw them.
