A Valley of Darkness (A Shade of Vampire #52)(2)

“Oh, it’s a wonderful event, milady!” the bartender said, grinding coffee and scooping it into a paper filter, while a kettle full of water boiled next to him on a hot metal plate. “Spring is, by far, one of the most beautiful seasons. Everything is in full bloom on the mountain, and the air is cool but the temperatures are perfect. Sure, there’s the occasional shower, but it’s barely anything. Most importantly, spring fruit is absolutely delicious. The Exiled Maras actually adopted the spring celebration from our people. The Imen have honored this season for eons.”

He poured hot water through the paper filter into a large white porcelain cup, then served my fresh coffee with a jar of honey.

“Thank you,” I said. “Have you ever been to the Spring Ball?”

“Once, milady, but I was working.” The Iman bartender smiled. “For your kind, it is an exquisite experience. I thoroughly recommend it. It’s highly entertaining, and a lot of effort is put into the seasonal blood dishes. And the costumes are simply stunning each year. The Exiled Maras love their fashion!”

“Yeah, I’ve noticed.” I smirked, watching two young Exiled Mara females take their seats outside on the covered terrace, while an Iman waiter took their order. They’d made quite the effort for breakfast, with beautifully tailored dresses in shades of pale green and yellow, with white ruffles and elegant headdresses.

The waiter came in and left an order for the bartender. I took it as my cue to go and enjoy my drink on the far edge of the platform. The awnings were huge and thick, excellent at keeping the shade constant over the entire terrace throughout the day, while at night they were pulled back, giving the Exiled Maras the pleasure of admiring the starry sky with its three moons.

I pulled one of the spare metal chairs outside to the edge and sat down, putting my feet up on the white marble balustrade bordering the platform. I took long sips from my drink, shield at my side, as I gazed at the wide plains and the Valley of Screams.

The fields were covered in soft green grass, and I could see large herbivores grazing in herds—they looked big enough to be the moon-bison that the bartender had mentioned. The assumption was further enforced by the Imen who were perched atop horses, keeping the creatures together.

The gorges looked beautiful in the distance, like gray limestone giants. Shadows filled the crevices, and massive sequoia-like trees were scattered along the edges. Streams of water poured out from several openings, spreading across the open plain. It would’ve resembled a little chunk of heaven, had it not been for the risk of death hiding inside.

“Still here, I see.” Caspian’s low, husky voice startled me, nearly making me jump out of my chair.

I spilled some coffee and cursed under my breath. I’d been so absorbed in the stunning view that I hadn’t even heard him stop next to me. I glanced up, but he didn’t look at me. He focused on the gorges with a cold, stern expression.

“Where else would I go?” I asked, already knowing what his answer would be based on our previous tense exchanges.

“Back to your world. Back to safety,” he replied.

“Not happening until we get to the bottom of this, and you know it,” I shot back, already feeling my decent morning spoiled. “It was Neraka that reached out to us in the first place.”

“I didn’t approve that.” His jade eyes found mine, and I stilled, clutching my coffee. “Besides, you’re in over your heads, and last night proved it.”

“Oh, because we actually saw those responsible for all these disappearances, and because we rescued one of their victims?” I raised an eyebrow, tension building in my stomach.

“Saw?”

“Kind of. You know what I mean,” I muttered, and looked away, his gaze too intense for my already-stretched nerves.

A minute passed in silence. The morning breeze brushed against my face, and his masculine fragrance instantly filled me up—a bold mixture of musk and hot spices. It did things to my senses, and I didn’t know what to make of it.

I gave him a sideways glance, focusing on his eyes. I wondered if he could be my masked savior. But the voice didn’t fit, and he was an absolute jerk, relentlessly antagonizing me over the course of the single day I’d been here.

He can’t be. I didn’t want him to be my savior, either. He’d been too thorny, always glaring and pushing back. I didn’t want to be indebted to him in any way.

“I’m planning to propose the relocation of our city,” he said, breaking my train of thought. “It’s time to consider moving somewhere less… deadly.”

“How come? I thought you were all determined to stay here and fight. Darius and Emilian were quite adamant about it.”

“I don’t care,” Caspian said. “GASP is clearly inept and nearly got one of our Lords killed. I have little to no faith in your ability to stop whatever those fiends are from taking more of our people. I’d rather push to gather all our resources, build some ships, and go farther down the shoreline, away from the gorges.”

I thought about this for a while, choosing to temporarily ignore his jab at GASP’s competence. He clearly hadn’t been there the other night—otherwise he wouldn’t have referred to me and my teammates as “useless”. The only useless one had been Darius, who had chosen to ride ahead and not come back to help us. I focused on the amount of logistical work required to move an entire city.