A Shade of Vampire 83 A Bender of Spirit - Bella Forrest Page 0,4

answer to that question. His situation was extraordinary, and he only had us to look to for guidance. I sympathized with his misery, but like Sofia, I didn’t want to see him back in the palace. I doubted any of us would be comfortable returning Thayen to the belly of the beast at this point.

“Let’s cross that bridge when we get there,” Sofia said, resting an arm around his shoulders. “The decision belongs to you, Thayen. It’s your life, your family. You are the only one with the power to stick around or walk away. Remember that.”

Thayen nodded slowly, then looked at Night. “So, you’re the one who made vampires, huh?” the boy asked, eager to change the subject. It caught Night with his guard down. The Reaper exhaled sharply, his shoulders dropping.

“It wasn’t my intention to create the Elders. To be honest, I’ve always thought they really created themselves. They didn’t come to Cruor with the best intentions—they were exploiting a witch and looking to conquer that world, much like they’d done with Rimia and Nalore. I didn’t exactly feel sorry for them. The moment they set foot on Cruor, I could read their minds. I could see their memories. I knew what they’d done.”

“I admit, I feel a sense of relief,” Sofia said. “It’s hard to explain, but after everything we went through on Cruor, it’s as if the circle sort of closed itself, you know? I understand why things happened the way they did. Why we got involved, all that suffering and darkness… it’s justified.”

Night gave her a sad look. “I never meant for any of that to happen. My unhappiness morphed into a disease of its own, spawning the Elders, who then tormented you and your people. For that, I am truly sorry.”

“It wasn’t your fault. Not really,” Sofia replied. “Despite everything, Cruor did give us vampirism. To us, that is strength. It’s the possibility of living far beyond our human years. Consider it our silver lining.”

Kailani added more wood to the fire, the flames crackling hungrily as they reached for the sky. She pulled her rich golden-brown hair back, then twisted it over one shoulder as she settled back in Hunter’s arms. “It does connect us to the Aeternae, though. More than we’d originally thought,” she mumbled. “And to Unending, if you think about it.”

Valaine’s eyes widened. “I gave them immortality, right?”

All the Reapers nodded at once.

“But why would I do that?” she asked. “From what you’ve told me, it sounds like I was pretty unhappy with my ability from the beginning.”

“That part is still a mystery,” Soul replied. “Something or someone must’ve changed your mind. You’ve always been hardheaded. Always stuck to your ways.”

Phantom grinned. “You were the only one we were ever truly afraid of.”

It shocked Valaine. “Really?”

“I think that’s why Spirit went to such lengths to keep you trapped,” Widow said. “He put a lot of work into this whole place. The Darklings are proof of that. He never would’ve shared his knowledge with living creatures otherwise. He probably wanted to make sure they would keep you under control in his absence. With you, Unending, all it takes is one moment for you to seize an opportunity, and Spirit knew that.”

“You make me sound so… cool,” Valaine murmured, slightly amused.

Kalon laughed. “Oh, come on! You’ve always been fierce!” he said. “For as long as I’ve known you, Valaine. You’re ruthless and determined. What you’re experiencing now, this… this revelation, it’s thrown you off balance a little, sure, but it doesn’t change who you are. And for what comes next, we all need you at the top of your game, as Valaine or Unending or both.”

A few moments passed in silence as we all looked around at one another, wordlessly agreeing that we were in for one hell of a rollercoaster ride. The Darklings were going to fight us tooth and nail. Corbin was going to come for Valaine’s head. And we had to do whatever we could to take them all down and restore the balance of this world and everything beyond it.

“Has anyone heard from Lumi?” I asked, wondering about Derek and his less than pleasant predicament.

“She’ll reach out when she’s got Derek,” Kailani said. “I imagine Danika has put some death magic traps in place to make sure no one dares touch him.”

“Especially since I’m still your pretend prisoner,” Thayen added.

“I trust the swamp witch,” Seeley replied, earning himself an appreciative nod from Nethissis. I was still adjusting to the