Dark Promise (Darkhaven Saga #3) - Danielle Rose Page 0,3

that title.

So I twist the knob and walk into the foyer. Closing the door behind me, I shut out the witches and stare into the crimson irises of several angry nestmates.

Surrounded by vampires, the space feels small, suffocating. I step backward until I’m flush against the stained-glass door. At my right, a doorway opens to the parlor, which is just a fancy word for our living room. Straight ahead is the sitting room, which connects to the dining room, solarium, and upstairs. Everywhere I look, I see vampires staring at me. No one looks happy.

“Do I really need to point out that this is a horrible idea?” Hikari asks. She’s leaning against the doorframe that connects the foyer to the parlor. She glares at me, her arms crossed over her chest. Her black pixie locks are messy, the gelled spikes granting a defiant edge to her looks.

“If anyone else was missing, I wouldn’t ask this of you,” I say.

“You made a promise, Ava,” Jeremiah says. He stands beside Hikari, his right leg kicked back so the sole of his shoe rests against the wall. He fingers the zipper of his jacket as he stares at me. His dark skin is ashy, and his eyes are hard. He looks exhausted. I’m certain that has something to do with Holland, his ex-boyfriend who is now living with us.

“I know, and I hate to break that promise,” I say.

I don’t dare look at Malik. Since I transitioned, he’s become too brotherly, and I know my request to aid the witches will only disappoint him. The last thing I want to do is upset him, seeing as how he’s also my trainer. Last time, he took out his frustrations with my bad decisions while we were on the mat. I felt sore for the rest of that week.

Jasik and Malik have one striking characteristic in common: they’re practically unreadable emotionally. I take a peek at the vampire standing beside me. His eyes are hard, cold. I know Jasik is upset with me. It seems like I’m choosing the witches over the vampires—again—but I’m not.

“Liv was my best friend,” I explain. “She’s seventeen and far too weak to handle herself against rogues. She won’t survive.”

“And why do we care?” Hikari asks.

“Hikari,” Jasik scolds, his tone sharp.

“No, let her say what we’re all thinking,” Jeremiah says.

“But I feel responsible.” My voice is whiny as I admit defeat.

“Why?” Hikari asks. “You did everything you could to stop the rogues. You owe them nothing.”

“She’s right, Ava,” Amicia says. Finally, our fearless leader speaks. Her silence was unnerving, and her impassive gaze made it difficult to tell if she was going to side with me or her vampires. I should have known she’d pick them.

“No, I mean, she never wanted to be a fighter. She never wanted to hunt vampires. She only did that to help me. She went on patrols with me so I wouldn’t be alone, so I’d always have someone to count on.”

Amicia is only a few feet away from me. With arms crossed, her index finger taps to the tick of a nearby grandfather clock. The tap, tap, tap of her disapproving finger echoes in my mind. I try to assess her thoughts by reading her eyes, but she’s just as detached as the others. One thing older vampires are exceptionally good at is perfecting that expressionless gaze.

Finally, she speaks. “And because of this, you feel responsible for her abduction? You have no control over the rogues. They do as they please.”

“This isn’t about the rogues. Don’t you see that? The only reason Liv was there last night is because of me. I brought her into this. I took her hunting the night this all started. They wouldn’t even know about her or her connection to me if it wasn’t for what I did.”

My tone is testy, my emotions irritable—a volatile combination for an already cranky vampire.

“That’s a bit of a stretch, Ava,” Jeremiah says.

“You can’t blame yourself for this,” Malik adds.

They speak almost in unison.

I groan internally. How can I better explain this to them? If I don’t sway them to my side, they won’t agree to find Liv, and I know the witches can’t do this alone. They might be able to find her, but they’ll never fight off an entire nest.

“They don’t deserve our help,” Hikari says. Her tone is absolute.

I know there’s no convincing her, but I try anyway. “Liv doesn’t deserve to die just because her coven is ungrateful.”

“I don’t