Page 5 of Vampire's Promise
“What the fuck?”
He laid there for several moments before he was healed and able to survey his surroundings. Pushing himself to sitting, he scanned the landscape.
Nothing.
A sea of rocks that ranged from pink to deep red, and sand surrounded him. In the distance, he noticed a small range of red mountains. He used his senses to scan for life as he roseto his feet and that was when he spotted the bones scattered in piles. While no life came back from his scans, he knew the bones belonged to other immortals. The keyword there being immortals since they were extremely hard to kill, yet something had. He stepped closer, checking the ground under his feet as he bent to pick up a femur. From initial contact, he gleaned it belonged to a fae who died maybe a decade ago. He gently laid it down, being respectful of the dead, and wondered what this place was and how in the fuck he ended up here.
The wind picked up and blew hot sand across his skin and he decided he had enough. Waving his hand, he summoned a portal, except nothing happened. Again, he tried, but was met with the same results. His anger increased that someone dared to force him to this desolate world then think to keep him here. Who would be so brazen? Was his mother behind this? He focused on a pile of rocks several yards away and flashed.
“Well, that seems to be working,” he announced into the hot wind as he stood next to the stones. He scanned his body and concluded he seemed to have some of his power, but for some reason, couldn’t produce a portal. The heat from the two suns bore down on him and caused him to sweat. He thought of a tall glass of cold water and, thankfully, it appeared in his hand. He drank while he contemplated his next move. Standing here would not cut it. He had to assume that like most places, night would come eventually and that was when bad creatures tended to prowl. His best bet was to inspect as much of this world as he could and seek adequate shelter. Hell, he didn’t even know if he was in another realm or on a different planet at this point. What he knew was someone owed him some damn answers.
He steppedinto view and was, without a doubt, the most handsome man she had ever laid eyes on. He was also a spitting image of Argathos, and Gwen had to question if the god of vision had a son he’d never spoken of. The male’s gaze reminded her of melted chocolate, and he seemed to take in everything around him with the wonder of a child. The way he filled out his clothing, however, said he was no child but all adult male. Likely sensing he was being watched, his beautiful eyes landed on her, and her breath caught. It was silly, really. No man had ever made her heart skip a beat, but he had, and he did. She recognized the same feelings that had grabbed her earlier during her fight with the valkyrie. She also acknowledged this vision was taking place in the past rather than the future. As she extended her arm to reach for him and he her, the air charged with an angry power.
Gwen scanned the area, trying to find the source, but soon realized it came from outside her world. Before she could warn her sexy male, he vanished. Had he left on his own or had the power behind that anger taken him?
Jerking awake and straight into a sitting position, Gwen palmed her chest and tried to sort out her vision.
“What the hell?” She grabbed the glass of water from the nightstand and took a large drink. Finally slowing her racing heart, she went over what she had seen and felt. The feelings were ones that could not be denied.
That male was her mate.
But why did he look like Argathos? Where had he gone? And had the angry power been the one to take him away? Before she could even put the pieces together, a knock came at her door.She glanced at the clock and saw it was two in the morning. She might have questioned who was there, except she recognized the power that stood on the other side. Untangling herself from the sheet, she jumped from bed, deciding her shorts and tank were sufficient to cover her and practically ran for the door. Flinging it open, she met the god of vision’s gaze. His forehead wrinkled in worry.
“Come in. I’ve never known you to knock before.” Usually, he just appeared.
“I knew the hour here was late and didn’t want to simply drop in on you.” He stepped inside and his mere presence charged the atmosphere. The god was the most handsome of the brothers, in her opinion. His brown eyes were always filled with warmth, but right now they reflected concern, and she had to wonder if it had anything to do with what she had seen.
She gave a bow, then indicated to the couch. “Have a seat. Can I get you anything?”
“No. You are most gracious.” He didn’t bother to sit but stayed standing and faced her. “I have a very delicate and perhaps dangerous assignment for you.”
“Would it involve your son?”
His mouth dropped open before he quickly recovered and recomposed himself. “You know?”
“Vision, and since he looks just like you, it was an easy guess.”
He gave a curt nod. “Maybe we should sit for this.” He walked to the couch and took up a space there. Gwen decided on the chair across from him. Rather than speak, she simply waited. Argathos was her favorite of the gods, but then he had been the one to give her the gift of vision as a babe. The god was a seer, and she often went to him for advice on the gift she was still honing some four hundred years later.
“You recall the fate of my wife, Brianna?”
“Of course. She was killed because they considered her a slave and that is what started the war in your world.”
His eyes grew even sadder. “Yes. But I was the only one who knew she was with child at the time. Only a few months, therefore she wasn’t showing yet.”
Her heart ached. “I am so sorry.”
His smile was broken, and he looked as if he were recalling a painful memory. “We were going to make our announcement that very night, then she was murdered.” He pulled in a breath. “Several hours ago, I sensed a powerful being enter the mortal world. I know this sounds insane, but everything inside me said it was my son.”
“Not insane. I felt something earlier this evening as well and then tonight I had a vision and put two and two together. It was your son I felt earlier and then later saw him in my vision.”
He frowned. “You felt him, you say?”
She licked her lips. “I felt my mate.”
Once again, he allowed his mouth to drop open. “And you believe they are one and the same?”
Her gaze never left his. “I know it down to my soul. The question is, how? How do you have a son if he wasn’t even born when Brianna was murdered?”
