His Beloved(A vampire's mate)

Chapter 56

*Veronica's POV *

I was constantly praying to the gods and hoping that everything would go according to plan.

We were standing at the crossing line of our border territory. When I said we, I meant: Derek, Justin, Emily, Brittany, and I. Yes, Brittany was part of this adventure. The seer didn't tag along to keep an eye on us from her magic ball and be able to alert the clan for backup...since we would be too far away to contact them.

We stuck to the plan and started the first trial. It took us five hours of walking to get up the mountain.  We were so far from the clan and the vampire's realm that we couldn't catch any scent again. The only lingering scent was that of mountain dew and the fresh smell of nature.

It felt great being out of the vampire realm and I thought back that this was my dream those times I was held captive by Derek when I had no idea he was my mate. Now that I was marked by him, I craved his scent and needed it to keep me calm...which was the reason why I wasn't as scared of this journey to find the amulet that Derek had to wear to control this mindless dragon. He was so worried and scared...I could sense it, not just through the mate bond that had been completed, but also through my powers that had been growing rapidly.

I turned around to catch a glimpse of everyone's body language, I could read minds, but I didn't like invading privacy. Emily was tired and was just dragging her legs heavily not wanting to complain. She was sure Derek was close to snapping at any time being that he was agitated, everyone was, but he was worse.

Brittany was happy, carefree, and glad she was helping and a lot closer to her revenge. She wasn't finding this difficult at all, as she once told us that she practiced mostly in mountains and forests. Justin was just numb, I couldn't feel him. I'm guessing he had a strong will just like Lola and Derek. He blocked everyone out perfectly. I concentrated harder and all I could get was one word.

Emily.

Strange. I was shocked. I thought they both decided to get over each other.  I was glad he wasn't giving up...just taking his time.

*Derek's POV *

"Gather around everyone." They all shot their heads up and jogged to where I was. I was the one leading this journey, so it was obvious that I had to be in front. Brittany was close by as she knew all shortcuts, betting footing, dangerous traps, and parts set by witches to catch rare animals and dangerous plants.  This was her life and she seemed happy that she was doing it again.

I had a plan already and shared it with all of them, I just wanted to run it over again since we were already at Mount Urmam. I signaled for them to sit down, which they did...even though it was rocky. I locked eyes with Veronica and earned a reassuring smile, making me calm down a little.

"Well done so far, good work. Sadly, this is just the beginning of this adventure. As a dragon rider, I can finally read the map..." I said as I laid it down, even though they couldn't interpret I could still control the map and make it show images. "This is where we at, still at the foot of the mountain. There are three trails to pass before being worth of the amulet which I will use to control the dragon. The first trail is at the mouth opening of the mountain,  leading to a cave...the cave of empódio, meaning obstacles. I'm not sure what this obstacle will be, but I'm sure it will be able to slow and be a problem to each of us, matching our strengths and more." They all took in a sharp breath, probably already thinking of how great this obstacle would be.

"The second trail will be next place, beneath the cursed lake. I haven't yet thought of how we were going to get in, but I'm sure we will figure out something. This lake will lead us to the second trail...the undead and beast. Legend has it that all the strongest, most brutal beasts that dead are resurrected there." They all looked at one another in fear. They were finally knowing why I was this worried.