A similar feeling rippling through Theo. It was as if his body were working against him. He'd already wrapped an arm around Von. His other hand finally dropped the wine, which thumped dully on the ground, its dark juice spilling out onto the earth. Von’s lemony scent engulfed him.
Theo’s pale eyes finally took in the witch’s intense regard. She was studying his body language. She'd foreseen that he wouldn't run. Not when it put Von in harm’s way. He imagined bolting for the pond and the Netherworld portal. He imagined sending his sluagh out to attack the wolves that followed. Von would run with him. He read from this squad’s actions that they weren’t above putting her in harm’s way. If she led to his capture, their prize, then they’d do whatever it took.
The risk posed to one human life in such a chase was worth it for the capture of an Enodian.
He felt Von’s eyes on him, wanting answers. Even if he bolted now, he knew she would chase after him. She may think that she had leanings towards the strange and unusual, but being chased by squads of wolves would be a baptism by fire into the para world. Besides, only he would be able to go through the pond and into the Between. He’d have to leave her behind, unsure of what had happened to her.
Theo looked at the witch. ‘You’re the Tassoligist?’
The witch nodded.
‘Nice job,’ he lauded dryly.
The witch had foreseen how much Von meant to him, foreseen something that he barely grasped even now. He felt a grudging respect for the nuances that the witch had picked up on from the earth, concerning this area, concerning what he’d done here and all the other factors at play.
He felt drunk as he turned back to Von. To be fair, he was, but he was clear-headed enough to know that this was it. The end for Von and him. He wouldn’t risk putting her in harm’s way, but the Triodia was strict when it came to procedure. Once they had him, Von’s mind would be wiped of tonight’s events.
Before Von could ask him what was going on, he kissed her. Kissed her like it was the end of the fucking world. There should have been post-apocalyptic effects in the background, but Antony and Richie were still only capable of staring. Instead, he kissed her with a passion and hunger that seemed to burn with soulfire.
As their lips parted, he knew that the vamp was already beside them, ready to glamour Von’s memories of the squad, of this moment, and anything remotely para-related away. He wondered how many of her memories containing him would be redacted.
He swallowed the lump in his throat and gave her one last killer smile before turning away. He didn’t want to see the adoration in her eyes melt. Instead, there was one heart-stopping moment when his name was on her lips, then silence.
He allowed the shifter to restrain him as the Triodian witch and mage used their earthen magic. The elegant cypresses around them became sheathed in golden light. Then pairs of huge, shadowy trees appeared. Yews. Their mature brown trunks so dark they bore a purplish hue in the gloom. They formed an avenue, the tips of their evergreen branches touching to make a glowing archway.
An archway that led through the Between to one of the Triodia penitentiaries.
As Theo blinked at the glowing portal, he remonstrated with himself. He’d screwed up. How had he gone from tethering a sluagh with para abilities to being transported to prison by the Triodia? Still, he had two months before the Enodian ceremony to get out. He would find a way. He always did. Given the situation, he felt surprisingly mellow.
Maybe that’s the wine.
As he stepped into the light of the portal, he knew that it wasn’t. It was the knowledge that Von was all right. Yes, he’d had to leave her, or been forcibly removed from her, but she was all right. Besides, they’d have ended up parting sooner rather than later. They came from different worlds. As he stepped into the Between, it was the idea of her that gave him comfort. A small wish glowed within him. He hoped that even after the vamp had glamoured everything para-related away that something of him remained. Maybe, like a half-remembered dream, she would be inspired to sing of a beautiful Byronic hero, beyond the known realm, who had once been hers.
Author’s Note
Thank you, reader, for venturing into the dark Between with Theo. I hope you enjoyed your first glimpse into the para world of The Dark Between Series. If you want to find out what happens to Theo in the custody of the Triodia, and meet an array of other colourful paras, sign up to my mailing list. The four book, full-length novels will be released later this year.
raeelse.co.uk/the-dark-between-sign-up
I’d also really appreciate a review of Doors To The Dead on Goodreads to help build buzz for the series. Thanks so much!
goodreads.com/doors-to-the-dead
And if you haven’t read my other series, The Arete Series, filled with myth, monsters, and magic, the complete series is now available at Amazon.
raeelse.co.uk/arete
Table of Contents
Author’s Note
