Troubled (The Binding Chronicles #4)

5. Menacing Scowls and A Dance with Death

Menacing Scowls and A Dance with Death

T he carriage walls were closing in on Vivienne as seconds ticked by in agonizing slowness.

“Marius,” she hissed through clenched teeth, her wide eyes staring at the door in disbelief. “Come back.”

There was no reply.

Of course not.

Why would the prince of this land have any care for his personal well-being?

Vivienne felt like smacking her head against the carriage wall. Why? Why was this her life? Now, more than ever, she was certain she’d been cursed.

She must’ve angered a god in a previous life. There was no other explanation. First, the sneaking off. Now, this.

She extended her senses, listening for the prince, but she didn’t hear his voice. Come to think of it, she didn’t hear anything at all.

The darkness within her screamed at the wrongness of the situation.

Something was happening outside. Even though she didn’t have shadows to warn her, she could sense the change in the air. She chewed on her lip, her nails cutting into the skin of her palms once more as she debated the best course of action.

On one hand, the sun had been setting when Marius opened the door and slipped outside. There was a chance it would be safe for her to follow him outside.

On the other hand—the one that had kept her alive for over a century—Vivienne wasn’t keen on risking her life based on a chance.

However, her choice was made for her when a masculine grunt of pain reached her ears. She wasn’t sure whether it belonged to Felix or the prince, but she refused to remain hidden while something happened to the royal she was blood-sworn to protect.

Praying that this wouldn’t be the last choice she ever made, Vivienne tightened her grip on the hilt of her sword and flung open the door.

Time seemed to slow as she jumped outside, landing feet-first on the ground.

Squeezing her eyes shut instinctively, she braced herself for the hard sear of the sun on her flesh, followed by brutal, burning heat as flames devoured her from the inside out.

For one long, drawn-out heartbeat, she stood outside and expected to die.

Then, the familiar, bitter, snow-bearing wind kissed her cheek as though it was welcoming her home.

There was nothing in this world that compared to Eleytan wind. The other kingdoms were warmer, to be sure, but she’d always loved the cold. Born and raised on the northern edge of the Black Sea, she’d barely experienced a day without snow.

For a moment, she let herself relish in the peace that came from being back home.

Then, she opened her eyes .

The tranquility the cold wind had brought her dissipated as though it had never existed. A breathy curse slipped from her lips, and her momentary relief at being alive vanished.

A dozen men, all wearing hooded cloaks, stood in a circle twenty feet away. Their outer garments were common in Eleyta, where even the summers never got warm enough to melt stubborn patches of snow deep in the forests.

It wasn’t their appearance that worried her, but the weapons they held. Some carried swords, while others gripped a variety of sharp farming implements. All the weapons, save one, were pointed directly at Marius and Felix, who stood back-to-back in the middle of the circle.

They were surrounded.

A thousand curses ran through Vivienne’s mind as she drew in a sharp breath, scenting the air.

The men were humans. All of them were scowling, their eyes flashing with violence.

The skin on her arms prickled, and even the snowflakes falling leisurely from the sky and dusting the dirt road in white didn’t relieve the tension in the air.

She adjusted her grip on her sword.

The prince had had the foresight to draw his dagger, but the blade looked laughably small in the face of the larger weapons. Even though he was no longer swaying, his face was paler than usual.

Of all the times for something like this to happen, why now?

Felix stood with his back tall, a crimson sword made of Death Elf magic pointed at the chest of one of the scowling humans. A long cut ran down the groom’s left cheek, and blood trickled down his chin.

Vivienne hissed at the sight, her fangs burning.

“Well, hello there, little lady.” A man with greasy black hair and a scar across his left eye stepped away from the others. His steps were filled with authority as he approached Vivienne, his cocky demeanor at odds with the lecherous gleam in his eye as he looked her over. “You boys didn’t say you were hiding such a tasty little treat in your carriage.”

He raised a hand as though to touch her, which was laughable. Vivienne had vowed on the night of her Making that she’d never let another man touch her without her permission, and she didn’t intend to start now.

Growling, she raised her sword and kept it between them. She kept her mouth shut and prayed they couldn’t see her black eyes. Something told Vivienne that keeping her vampiric nature hidden would be vital tonight.

Marius snarled, “Don’t touch her.”

That was sweet, but she didn’t need the prince to defend her. She was fully capable of protecting herself.

This wasn’t the moment to tell him that, though. She shot him a warning smile that she hoped said, Let me take care of this, please .

He was just so far from her.

Keeping the sword between her and the humans, she inched towards the prince. She needed to get to him as quickly as possible.

“Stay back,” Vivienne warned, careful to keep her fangs hidden. “Don’t come any closer.”

The scarred man laughed as if she’d made a joke.

“What do you think you’re going to do, hurt me?” His eyes narrowed on her weapon. “That sword looks awfully heavy. Maybe you should put it down before you injure yourself.”

It was just like a man to see a woman holding a sharp blade and immediately assume she didn’t know what to do with it.

“I’m good.”

Part of her hoped the human would push her further. She could use a fight. It would be the perfect outlet for all the anger and frustration she’d been dealing with since she took this position.

She took another step towards Marius, keeping her gaze locked on the leader of the humans.

Maybe if she kept him talking…

“What do you want?” she asked.

He raised a brow and adjusted his grip on his own sword. “Times are tough, as I’m sure you know.”

She nodded, taking another step. “I’m aware.”

Times were always tough in the north. The population was low in the northern villages, since most of Eleyta’s humans bordered the Western and Eastern Kingdoms. Life wasn’t easy for humans in this cold, inhospitable land.

“Winters are long, and our village has needs.” The human’s gaze flicked to the carriage. “We want your carriage and horses. Give them to us, and we’ll let you live.”

Damned highwaymen. They were a known problem on Ithenmyrian and Eleytan roads, but Vivienne had hoped they wouldn’t run into them.

Luck clearly wasn’t on their side.

The scarred man stared at her, as if waiting for her to believe his lies. He’d be waiting for an eternity. She didn’t trust a word coming out of his mouth.

Did he think she couldn’t feel the violence in the air or that somehow, because she was a woman, she would ignore the weapons pointed directly at them?

It was almost ridiculous.

No, a fight was imminent.

“How about I make you a deal?” She took another step towards the prince.

The man raised a brow and smirked. “Oh? ”

His expression made it clear that he didn’t think she had anything worthwhile to offer.

Gods, she disliked him immensely. It took tremendous effort not to snarl at him.

Instead, she breathed in deeply and calmly said, “ You leave, and I won’t kill you. It’s been a very long week, and I’d appreciate it if you didn’t further complicate matters.”

A man guffawed. She didn’t see which one. “By the gods, she’s a mouthy one.”

“I want her,” said another.

A grumble of agreement rose from the men, and Vivienne’s stomach twisted. If she’d eaten recently, bile would’ve risen in her throat.

No.

Absolutely not.

That wouldn’t be happening.

Vivienne sighed, rolled her shoulders, and prepared to fight. This wasn’t the first time she’d encountered men who underestimated her simply because of her smaller stature, and it probably wouldn’t be the last.

The air thickened, vibrating with pent-up violence.

If she’d been mortal, she might’ve been worried. But she wasn’t, and worry was far from her mind.

“Last chance,” she told the highwaymen, still concealing her fangs and keeping her eyes downcast so they couldn’t see the darkness of her gaze. “Leave now, and you’ll live.”

Rather than taking her up on her generous offer, which would’ve been the intelligent thing to do, the men chose poorly.

It all happened in the blink of an eye.

The leader raised his hand in a signal. Someone roared. They attacked .

Vivienne gave up being subtle and raced towards the prince. At the same moment, the man closest to Marius charged. The prince ducked to the left, avoiding his attacker’s blade.

Marius’s opponent chuckled as if he was just getting started.

Not happening.

The time for hiding her true identity was over.

Vivienne reached within herself, grabbed the dark magic that was her blessing as a child of the moon, and released her wings. They exploded out of her in a flurry of darkness, their weight settling on her back.

Shouts of alarm came from the men around them as they realized their mistake. The air shifted once again as fear settled upon the highwaymen.

“Vampire!” one yelled.

Another cursed.

“Run!” The command came from her left.

It didn’t matter how much they panicked. None of them would be leaving this forest alive. It was too late to run. Too late to take her up on her deal.

The moment they tried to hurt the prince, they signed their death warrants.

Vivienne smiled, giving in to the sweet song of death. Its melody played deep in her soul, and darkness fed her movements as she turned with vampiric precision to the nearest man and snarled.

The humans shouted something, but she no longer heard their words.

She became an instrument of death, and her blood vow to keep the prince safe was the force behind each of her movements.

A sword swiped through the air, aiming for the prince’s neck.

Vivienne roared, the vicious sound promising swift retribution.

She blocked the attack with her blade and spun around. The man’s eyes were wide as she charged at him, severing his head from his shoulders in one smooth, deadly movement.

His body hadn’t even hit the road before she was turning around, bloody sword raised once again.

“Get him to safety!” she yelled at Felix.

The Death Elf nodded, twisting crimson ribbons around his hand as he tugged Marius towards the carriage. The prince stumbled, still weak from using too much magic.

Gods, what a mess.

Although, at least now she was getting rid of some of her pent-up anger. It was a small silver lining, but she’d take it.

Vivienne covered the men’s retreat with her wings and studied her prey. A dozen armed attackers would’ve meant death for most people, but there was a reason the king had chosen her to guard the prince. She’d been a top fighter ever since the night of her Making.

It was almost a relief to give in to the deadly creature of the night that had been her companion for over a century.

A blond man charged at Vivienne. He was the next to die.

After that, they all blended into each other.

Screams morphed into moans as the men met their ends, one by one.

Vivienne liked the killing calm. She always had. As a mortal, she’d been weak. Others had seen her as a plaything, and they had broken her.

But now?

She was the one who broke others.

One by one, the highwaymen fell.

At some point, she abandoned her sword. The coppery tang of blood filled her mouth as she tore into the humans with her fangs, making quick work of them.

She wasn’t sure whether seconds or minutes had passed before she’d dealt with them all. Time was of no consequence when one was dancing with death.

Eventually, heavy silence filled the air. She dropped the last body, licked her fangs, and wiped her palms on her fighting leathers.

They were all dead.

Vivienne stared at the bodies, wondering if she should feel bad about this. She’d killed them, after all.

She searched within herself for even an ounce of remorse but didn’t find one. The humans had intended to hurt them; all she’d done was protect her charge. As far as she was concerned, they’d asked for this by refusing to take her deal.

A sharp inhale came from behind her, interrupting her thoughts.

It was the prince. She wasn’t sure how she knew, but whether it was the intake of breath or just his presence behind her, she recognized him.

Vivienne turned slowly, bracing herself for Marius’s reaction. She was sure he was used to death, having grown up around vampires, but she didn’t know if he’d look at her differently now that he’d seen what she was capable of.

The prince was alone, leaning against the carriage. Most of the color had returned to his cheeks, and he seemed more like himself than before. And his eyes…

She wasn’t sure what she thought she’d see, but the awe flickering in his brown gaze wasn’t it.

“Thank you,” Marius said, gesturing to the dead bodies. “I’m not sure what we would’ve done without you.”

They would’ve died. One didn’t have to be a vampire to see that.

Felix’s low voice came from the other side of the carriage as a horse whinnied. He spoke in hushed tones, calming it.

It was just the two of them .

Taking advantage of the momentary privacy, Vivienne approached the prince, her fists clenched. “You should’ve stayed in the carriage.”

He opened his mouth, probably to protest, but she kept going before he could speak. “How am I supposed to protect you when you run headfirst into danger?”

Marius raised a brow, glancing at the carnage behind her. “It seems like you did a great job protecting me. I’m fine.”

What?

The man had been moments from fainting before he walked into an ambush. He was delusional. Absolutely, one-hundred percent delusional.

“We have absurdly differing definitions of ‘fine,’” she snapped. Apparently, she still had some anger left after all that killing. “If I hadn’t come to your rescue, you would’ve been skewered!”

“But you did come.” He spoke as if there wasn’t an issue.

“Gods above!” She threw up a hand and glared at him. “You’re missing the point.”

“I don’t think so.” He smiled, the expression having no right being so damned charming.

“Yes, you are. What if I hadn’t been fast enough?” Blood drained from her face, and she pointed a trembling finger at him. “Put yourself in my shoes for a moment, Your Highness. Imagine what will happen to me if I have to tell the king you took a sword to the stomach?”

He stared at her, and she realized she’d have to spell things out for him.

“The king will kill me,” she hissed. “It’s not just your life that you’re risking, Prince. If something happens to you, I will pay the price with my life.”

She’d agreed to those terms when she first took the job, but things had been different. Marius had been safely in Castle Sanguis, and she’d never foreseen anything like this happening .

For a very long moment, Marius’s brown gaze swept over hers. He was taller than her, but he didn’t make her feel small.

He pushed off from the carriage and stepped over a dead body, his gaze locked onto hers. “I’m sorry, Vivienne. I really am.”

That wasn’t what she expected him to say, and much of her anger drained.

He scrubbed a hand over his face. “It’s clear there were certain things I didn’t fully consider before leaving. Will you forgive me?”

Gods.

It wasn’t fair that the man who made her so furious was able to look so handsome and repentant at the same time. It made thinking practically impossible.

His apology hung in the air between them, and for several minutes, neither of them spoke.

She sighed.

Isvana help her, but Marius looked so sincere standing among the rapidly cooling bodies that Vivienne knew what she would say.

“Of course, I forgive you.” What choice did she have? “But could you at least try to let me protect you next time?” She pointed to the corpses. “I’m pretty good at my job.”

The prince raised a brow, a small smile tugging at his lips. “Good? You were amazing.” He stepped towards her. “I’ve never seen anyone move like you did.”

Her chest warmed with pride at the praise. Some people might find being complimented on their killing techniques strange or off-putting, but not her. She was a soldier, and she was damned good at her job.

Heat rushed to her cheeks. “Thank you.”

His smile widened, and a twinkle entered his gaze. “I’m happy to have you on my side, Viv. ”

A nickname shouldn’t sound so good, especially coming from the lips of the man causing her so much trouble.

Marius was her charge. She needed to remember that. Feelings that were anything other than completely platonic, “I’m going to keep you safe and return you to the castle so your brother-in-law doesn’t kill me,” were ones she absolutely could not entertain.

For some reason, remembering that right now was more difficult than it should have been.

She shrugged. “I did what had to be done. I wish they’d just left, though.”

As much as ridding herself of some of her anger had felt good, she hated killing humans. It never felt like a fair fight.

“They were desperate.” Felix rounded the carriage, leading the taller horse by its harness. The steed was limping, and blood was running down its leg. “Azil is fine, but Silverfoot can’t go any further. He needs to heal and rest.”

Vivienne’s heart ached at the sight of the horse’s bloody leg. “Will Silverfoot live?”

There was little she hated more than seeing animals in pain. It was ironic, considering that she’d just killed a dozen men, but the horse was innocent. The humans, with their dark intentions and violent auras, hadn’t been.

“He will.” Felix ran a hand lovingly down the horse’s mane. “The highwaymen spooked him, jumping out and ambushing us. He jolted, and a sharp branch sliced open his foreleg. He’ll be alright as long as he can rest.”

Vivienne frowned. She didn’t like the idea of sticking around here. They’d be sitting ducks. “What’s the plan?”

Luckily, it seemed the groom had already thought about this.

“We passed an abandoned barn a short while ago. I’ll take Silverfoot there, and once he’s recuperated, I’ll bring him back to Castle Sanguis.” Felix frowned and glanced at the prince. “It means we’ll have to split up, Mar. I’m sorry, but I?—”

“I get it.” Marius clapped the groom on the back. “Take care of Silverfoot. We’re close to Hoarfrost Hollow anyway. We can leave the carriage here, and Vivienne and I can keep going with Azil.”

It took everything Vivienne had to bite back her groan.

Of course, the prince wouldn’t take the highwaymen’s ambush or the horse’s injury as signs to turn back. That would be too easy, and if there’s one thing she’d learned about the prince, it was that he rarely did things the easy way.

Marius and Felix bent their heads together, finalizing plans and saying goodbye. It was sweet, the way they seemed to care for each other.

Vivienne didn’t have any close friends. Not really. She’d been too concerned with training her first few decades after being Made to make friends, and by the time she was a confident soldier, she found that she didn’t particularly relate to any of the other vampires in her unit. They got along well enough, but she’d never say they were anything more than acquaintances.

That had never bothered Vivienne before, but now she was considering that having a friend might be nice. She’d enjoy having someone with whom she could have deep conversations, share stories, and build a real relationship.

Maybe when this was all over, she’d find someone to connect with. Someone who cared about her, like Marius and Felix cared about each other.

That would be nice. Different, but nice.

Lost in her thoughts, Vivienne silently helped the men move the carriage off the road and into the nearby woods. If it weren’t for her vampiric strength, the task would’ve taken hours instead of minutes .

Once it was done, Felix shook her hand. “Keep him safe?”

The prince.

“Always,” she promised.

The words came to her lips easily, despite her seemingly never-ending frustrations with the halfling. In the end, it didn’t matter that he irritated her.

She would protect him, no matter the cost.

Those thoughts remained in her mind even as Felix said his final goodbyes and led the limping horse down the road.

When he was out of sight, she placed her hands on her hips and turned to Marius. “Are you sure you don’t want to turn around, Your Highness? We could go with him.”

“No.” Defiance flashed in the stubborn man’s eyes, and he shook his head. “Absolutely not. I want to see this through.”

Vivienne sighed. She’d expected his response, but it was still frustrating. Unfortunately, she recognized that arguing in a forest surrounded by dead bodies would be a pointless waste of time, so she stuffed her frustrations down, to be dealt with later.

“Alright.” She gestured to the carnage surrounding them. “We’d better get to cleaning this up.”

She didn’t want to leave the bodies scattered over the road. The men had tried to kill them, but they still deserved some decency upon death.

And then, they’d leave for Hoarfrost Hollow.

Maybe she could convince the prince to return to Castle Sanguis once they reached the ancient tombs.

She doubted he would agree, but she still had to try. After all, she would do anything to keep the halfling prince alive.