Blue Flames

Chapter 64

I dropped the letter to my lap, my mind and heart racing. There was so much to process, so much to come to terms with. I needed to read my mother's diary. I needed to tell Arthur about this. My mind was in chaos.

I took a deep breath, closed my eyes and focused inside. One thing at a time. The bond gave a gentle tug, a reminder that I was no longer alone.

Arthur.

He came in a second after I called. Wordlessly, I handed him the letter and waited as he read through it, all the while wondering if my uncle was, indeed, part of the gate scheme. That would explain so many things. If my mother was to be believed. That would also mean he was behind the attempt on my life.

"I'm going to kill him," Arthur snarled, dark anger radiating off him in waves that rattled the windows and shook the walls. Oddly, the darkness roaring through the bond gave me comfort. I calmed down some.

I plucked the letter from his hand before he tore it to pieces, stood on my toes and kissed him. "Okay, your lordship. Let's go meet Ryan."

His glare didn't vanish. "I'm going to make him regret being born."

I sighed. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but even you can't really do anything to Rion without proof."

He didn't like it, probably because I was right. I chuckled, breathing out the last of my turmoil. I knew what to do next. We had to get proof. I could focus on that instead of everything my mother dropped in her letter. That would come later.

"I can always torture a confession out of him," he growled.

I patted his arm and went into the closet. Strapping on my weapons put my mind at ease. Arthur stood in the door of the closet, his fury barely in check. I put on my hoodie, cargo pants, and boots. I pulled my hair into a tight ponytail. I was ready.

"Let's go."

*** **** ***

We left Charles and Irene behind. I gave her a wink before we sneaked out. She was not amused.

Marianno, Noah, Arthur and I sneaked past the guards in the castle. It was supposed to be difficult, but having a shapeshifter and a vampire lord in tow made it feel like child play. Arthur had a lot of tricks up his sleeve. It made me realize that there was so much I still didn't know about him, and that made me giddy with excitement for the future.

"You knew you were going to come with us to see Ryan anyway, didn't you?" Arthur asked as we walked through the forest to the spot where we were supposed to meet my cousin.

"Yep." There was no way I was missing what Ryan had to say.

Through the darkness, I saw Arthur's blank face. The forest ground was mottled with moonlight and shadows. The pattern looked arresting on Arthur's face. Marianno and Noah were quiet beside me.

I took a deep breath of the humid air. It smelled like rain, yet the moon shone round and clear in the cloudless night sky.

"Do you simply enjoy antagonizing me, then?" Arthur asked. A movement to the right caught my eyes. I squinted. There was someone maybe two hundred feet away. Patrol?

"Vampire," Noah murmured. His eyes were two glowing amber jewels.

Through the bond I felt Arthur focus his magic out and away. A second later, we heard a crash. The sound attracted the vampire away from us. We kept walking.

"Have you met yourself, Arthur? I love you, but you're an overbearing asshole. Once I let you have your way, you're going to make it a habit." I paused. Marianno choked back a laugh. "Okay, to be honest, that's an afterthought. The real reason is that you piss me off when you order me around. So maybe I do enjoy antagonizing you as payback."