Troubled (The Binding Chronicles #4)

31. We Stay Together

We Stay Together

H orror filled Marius as his bodyguard’s lips tilted up in a small smile, and her eyes closed. What did Vivienne have to be happy about?

Blood was pouring from hundreds of cuts on her back, arms, and legs. Her wings were shredded, and her face was paler than snow.

Oh, gods. His head swam as the full extent of her injuries was made clear to him.

“Think, Marius,” he chided himself.

There had to be something he could do to help her.

He glanced behind him, barely noticing the opening in the path where a wall had stood earlier, before returning his gaze to the vampire. He wasn’t entirely sure how much blood children of the night could lose before they died, or if blood loss could even kill them, but he wasn’t willing to find out.

Vivienne had saved him. Again.

He should’ve been smarter and thought about what might happen when he touched the crystal, but he’d acted impulsively. She’d thrown herself over him without a second thought, and even though a few cuts and bruises littered his body, he’d survived the rockfall largely unscathed.

Unlike her.

His stomach twisted at the thought that she might die because of him.

Before Marius could think too deeply about what he was about to do, his dagger was clutched in his right hand. He hastily ripped his left sleeve, pulling the fabric aside to reveal his arm.

With one final prayer to Kydona that he wouldn’t be too late, Marius sliced the blade across his wrist, making an inch-long cut. Wincing at the sting, he dropped the dagger beside him and lowered his wrist to Vivienne’s mouth.

She remained still, even as crimson drops landed on her lips.

“Come on,” he pleaded with her unconscious form, parting her lips with his fingers.

She didn’t react.

“No, no, no.” He shook his head. She couldn’t die here. He wouldn’t allow it.

Blood poured from the cut, staining her lips crimson. Marius’s heart raced in his chest, and his head grew light, but he didn’t take his eyes off her.

“Drink, damn it,” he growled.

Still nothing.

Shouldn’t she have reacted to the blood by now?

Every second felt like an eternity before her tongue twitched.

His heart pounded. Could she hear it?

“You can do it,” he urged her.

Her mouth opened wider, and his heart pounded as fangs latched onto his wrist. There was a flash of pain, but it was gone as quickly as it had appeared. Her tongue lapped at the incision he’d made, and he exhaled a sigh of relief as she pulled his blood into her.

Marius rested his back against the wall, letting himself drown in the sensations originating from his wrist. He’d always thought that allowing a vampire to drink from him would hurt, but he couldn’t have been more wrong.

He felt nothing but pleasure as she drank. Was this why so many people in the castle volunteered as Sources?

Vivienne’s hands rose, clutching at his wrist. She gripped him tightly, holding him in place as she drank.

He groaned as warmth ran through him, and his muscles tightened. Gods above. Even their kiss hadn’t felt this good. He ran the fingers of his free hand through her hair, and she made a sound that was pure pleasure as he rubbed her scalp.

Keeping his hand in her hair, he watched as her wounds stitched themselves together. Her back was the first to heal, the injuries closing one at a time. Within minutes, they were nothing but pink, slightly raised lines on her flesh.

Vivienne moaned around his wrist as the membranes of her wings began fitting themselves back together. It was like watching invisible hands work on a delicate puzzle. What had been bloody black tatters minutes ago became recognizable as beautiful bat wings once again.

Marius’s fingers twitched, and he yearned to touch one of those powerful appendages. He couldn’t, though. Not yet.

Many years ago, when he’d still been a child and unaware of the ways of the world, he’d asked Luna about vampire wings.

“They’re extremely delicate, Mar-mar. When you touch them…” His sister’s voice trailed off, and she exchanged a look with Sebastian. Blood rushed to her cheeks, the rosy hue a feat for a vampire, and she smiled softly. “Well, let’s just say it’s a very special moment. ”

Marius had been too young back then to understand what his sister was talking about, but her meaning was crystal clear now.

When he touched Vivienne’s wings, she would be alert, and it would be something they’d experience together.

During the long, perilous climb up Death Mountain, Marius had made a decision about his bodyguard. Their journey might be coming to a close, but this would not be the last time he and Vivienne embarked on an adventure together.

Over the past few days, he’d realized that adventures were fun, but having someone to go on them with , to talk to, and experience life alongside was even better.

He wanted to live with Vivienne by his side. She made everything, from the most mundane tasks to life-endangering adventures, better.

Disentangling his fingers from her hair, he brushed his hand over her cheek. She was so beautiful, but that wasn’t why he was drawn to her.

He loved that she didn’t mince her words with him because he was a prince, that she got angry and frustrated with him, and that her eyes flashed when they argued.

He loved so many things about her that he wasn’t even sure how to sort through them all. Every day with Vivienne was different, and that was exactly what he wanted.

When they completed this quest, he would ask her to stay with him, not as his bodyguard, but as his partner.

He would?—

Obsidian eyes opened, and they looked straight at him. The moment their gazes met, it was like all the air was sucked out of the mountain. He could barely breathe, let alone move.

For the longest moment, they stared at each other.

Then, her hands spasmed around his wrist. She pulled her fangs out of his flesh, and her tongue lapped at the skin, helping the wound heal. Sitting up, she retracted her wings, still holding his gaze. Her shirt was torn in several places, hanging off one shoulder and barely covering her chest.

Marius undid the clasp of his cloak and slung the heavy material over her. She gripped the edges and stared at him.

Every second felt like a lifetime. Could she feel the way time stretched on, too?

His heart hammered in his chest as he breathed her name.

She opened her mouth, her fangs still tipped in crimson, but no words came out. Was she in shock, or was this something else? A side-effect from his halfling blood?

Gods, he hoped he hadn’t hurt her.

Leaning forward, he took her hand and laced their fingers together. “How are you feeling?”

Please be okay , he thought.

She sucked in a sharp breath. “I feel fine. But you?—”

“Don’t worry about me,” he said. “I’ve never been better.”

It was the truth. As long as she was alive and her light was still in the world, he’d always be fine. Better than fine.

She blinked, her dark gaze never straying from his.

“I… you… you let me feed from you.” She sounded like she couldn’t believe it.

“I did, and I would do it again.” He would let her feed from him daily if she needed it. Something told him this wasn’t the moment to bring it up, though. One thing at a time.

Her eyes widened. “The life-debt?—”

“Is paid,” he said gruffly, interrupting her. “I don’t want any debts between us, Viv. No vows. Nothing of that nature.”

He wanted her free of any obligation towards him, because when he asked her to stay by his side, he needed her to choose him of her own volition. He’d spent years feeling helpless, unable to make any decisions thanks to his debilitating illness. He’d be damned if he ever forced someone to remain with him if they weren’t wholeheartedly interested in doing so.

“I’m not sure I understand,” she said slowly. “What are you saying?”

“I—”

A shriek rose from within the chasm. The drawn-out, unexpected sound shattered the silence of Death Mountain. It was followed by a high-pitched scratching like claws being drawn along a sheet of flat shale.

Marius’s heart raced, and goosebumps pebbled his flesh.

“Did you hear that?” he asked at the exact moment that Vivienne pointed into the pit and said, “Something’s down there.”

A cool breeze blew past, and the temperature dropped. The crystals’ glow dimmed, and the darkness seemed to pulse beneath them.

Another ear-deafening shriek echoed through the space. It was a roar, an awakening, a warning to prey near and far. A predator was here, and it would not rest until it fed.

The scratching started again, and this time, it continued steadily like the beat of an executioner’s drum.

Marius’s magic thrashed in his veins.

Get out, get out, get out.

He swore. Such inconvenient timing. The rest of their conversation would have to wait.

Checking that his weapons were in place, Marius grabbed his pack and stood before turning back to Vivienne. He held out his hand and helped her to her feet. Grabbing her sword, he gave it to her, waiting as she sheathed it across her back.

They shared a look as another shriek rose from the pit, and her mouth tightened. “We need to move swiftly.”

She didn’t need to tell him twice .

The silence was long forgotten as the mountain shook with angry roars. Rocks trembled, walls shuddered, and that sense of unease he’d felt ever since they entered the mountain increased ten-fold.

How long had they been in here?

Xander said he would be back at nightfall, but they had no way of knowing what time it was. They could have minutes or hours before the dragon shifter returned.

They needed to get out of here.

Marius squeezed Vivienne’s hand. There was no time to appreciate the softness of her skin, the lack of callouses, or the way her fingers fit his so perfectly.

He said, “We stay together, no matter what.”

The path that had opened up when the mountain shifted was wide enough for two people.

“You’ll hear no argument from me, Your Highness. Let’s get out of here.”

This time, they weren’t careful as they made their way along the path. They ran, hands clutched together, as the sounds from the predator below got louder and louder.

They had to keep going.

Every so often, Marius wondered how they would get out of there once they found the dagger. Just as quickly as the thoughts appeared, he cast them from his mind. What good was worrying about the future when they first had to survive the beast behind them?

Their surroundings slowly shifted. The rocks got lighter as they climbed, and more crystals were scattered through the space, illuminating the walls. Unlike the lower part of the mountain, rudimentary drawings were carved into the shale.

Marius stopped at one such etching, his eyes widening as he stared at what he could’ve sworn was a crude depiction of a vampire. Wings were extended from a figure whose face was twisted in displeasure as dark shadows streamed from their flying form.

Below them was a huddled mass of people. Their faces weren’t visible, but terror ebbed off them, nonetheless.

Vivienne tugged on his hand. “We can’t stop, Marius!”

Another roar came from the pit, emphasizing her point.

He cast one last glance at the drawing before hurrying after her.

The carvings continued. Some were primitive, but others were more elaborate. Where had they come from? Had people once lived in this mountain?

In the past, during the Rose Empire, human slaves had fled the evil Emerald Empress’s rule and ran north, finding refuge in the mountains. Had they come here? Or had another group of people lived here, only to be killed by the monster pursuing them?

He’d probably never know.

The ground quaked as the creature drew nearer.

It felt like they’d been running for an hour before Vivienne shouted, “There! Do you see it?”

A bright blue glow, just like the one they had encountered at the House of Forgotten Shadows, broke through the darkness. The path led them into a chamber where four steps—true stairs carved into stone, unlike the ghost of a trail they had followed earlier—led up to a marble platform.

And on it…

Marius’s heart sped up, and his fingers tightened around Vivienne’s.

“It’s real,” he breathed.

Thank all the gods, they found it.

He drank in the sight before him. The brilliant blue glow came from hundreds of crystals lining the walls, the ceiling, and the floor. They all pointed towards the black marble dais, as if proclaiming, “This is what you came for.”

The dagger was vertical, its tip embedded into the marble as if someone had slammed it into the surface. It was made of shimmering obsidian, which glistened as if it contained entire galaxies. The black hilt was covered in intricate carvings of leaves, vines, flowers, and bats.

It was a thing of beauty.

They reached the first step as another roar came from behind them. It was louder than the others, echoing through the chamber.

The crystals clattered.

Marius’s heart sped up.

“It’s coming.” Pulling her hand from his, Vivienne drew her sword.

Marius’s gaze swung between her and the dagger.

“Go,” she urged him, noticing his hesitation. “Get the blade. I’ll take care of the creature. I can’t touch the dagger anyway, remember?”

He knew that, but every part of him ached when he thought about leaving Vivienne to fight the beast. She was right, though, even if it pained him to admit it. They would gain nothing if they didn’t get the weapon.

Jerking his chin, Marius spun around and stepped onto the platform. He strode up the first three steps without issue, his hand outstretched. He’d grab the dagger, and then they’d find a way out.

He was so focused on grabbing the blade that he barely noticed the air shimmering as he raised his foot to climb the last step. The kiss of magic swept over his flesh, and suddenly, the mountain, the dagger, and the vampire he cared for disappeared.