12. Valek

valek

. . .

I stand before my brother, Vesper, my skin still tingling from the abrupt departure, as frustration and anger boil within me.

My brother's bewildered eyes scan my naked body once, taking in my disheveled state and the obvious remnants of my passionate encounter with Odette. He shakes his head slightly, a smirk pulling at the corner of his lips.

"Only you would arrive in my court like this." Vesper chuckles softly, breaking the tension that threatens to choke me. "Now, tell me what happened. It appears you have quite a story to share."

I quickly recount the events, how the queen's magic tore me from my mate's arms—and pussy— and deposited me here. With each word, Vesper's expression grows grimmer. By the time I finish, he is pacing the opulent chamber, hands clasped behind his back. Isolde's interference is not only illegal, but an affront to our family name.

"Brother, you look like hell," he comments dryly, handing me a silken robe that I quickly wrap around myself, grateful for some semblance of modesty.

"I feel much worse than I look," I admit, tying the sash with quick, jerky movements. A heavy weight of sadness sits on my chest. I desperately want to feel Odette's presence, but there's nothing, just an empty void where she should have been.

Her sister's dark magic had woven a barrier between us, blocking me from feeling the warmth and comfort of her love. I feel powerless, unable to break through the spell and reach her. The thought of life without my mate is too tragic to fathom. My mind spins with anxiety, fearing Isolde has stashed Odette in another dimension, beyond my reach forever.

"You have my sympathies. I would turn Shadowhaven into ashes if Isolde came between Selene and me. But that goes without saying. If you want to recapture your mate, we need to act swiftly." Vesper lowers his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "The enchantment she used is ancient and powerful. Breaking through it will not be easy, nor without risk."

I nod in agreement, desperation sharpening my resolve. "Tell me what to do. I'll face any danger to bring Odette back to me. She accepted me, and her sister had no right to take her."

Vesper's sharp gaze assesses our options, calculating and precise. The room falls into silence as he ponders our next move. With purposeful steps, he crosses the room to a towering bookcase, its shelves overflowing with leather-bound tomes. His hands deftly pluck out a thick volume, its dark cover bearing intricate designs etched in gold.

"This," Vesper growls as he flips through the ancient book, its pages revealing dark secrets and forbidden knowledge. His eyes scan the incomprehensible symbols and languages lost to time, searching for a weapon to use against our powerful enemy. "We need something strong enough to shatter her twisted magic, but subtle enough to evade her vigilant defenses. Isolde's arrogance will be her downfall. And she'll rue the day she crossed us." He slams the book onto a table, causing the candles to flicker wildly, and points to a passage written in shimmering silver ink that seems to pulse with ominous energy.

As Vesper's eyes move down the yellowed page, his brows furrow in concentration. His lips move silently as he reads the words on the aged paper, his fingers tracing along the faded ink.

My heart races with anticipation as I wait for him to reveal the next steps in our journey to break the curse.

"The Obsidian Shroud," Vesper finally speaks, his voice deep and melodic. "It requires…" He pauses, his gaze returning to the text before him.

My fingers twitch with impatience, desperate to know what comes next. "What is it? What does it require?" I urge him forward, my breath catching in my throat. My future rests within these ancient pages, and I can hardly contain my excitement to hold my mate once more.

Vesper's voice is grave and heavy with meaning as he looks up at me. "A sacrifice," he says, his eyes holding a weighty seriousness. "It allows you to move undetected, and it requires a personal artifact of great emotional value that must be given up forever."

My heart hammers in my chest at the thought, and I feel a sense of dread settle over me like a dark cloud. The cost could be immense, depending on what artifact I choose—whatever it is will vanish from this world entirely. The thought of losing something so precious twists my heart painfully, yet the image of my mate alone and waiting spurs me onward. With determination, I declare, "I'll do it."

Vesper nods approvingly, his expression softening slightly. He closes the ancient book with a loud thump, indicating that time is of the essence. We must prepare quickly for what may come.

As we gather the necessary materials for the ritual—a circle of salt, candles made from beeswax collected under a full moon, and an assortment of rare herbs—I feel my resolve hardening into something fierce and unbreakable. I rush to my room to change clothes and retrieve my sacrifice, my hands trembling as I try to push away my fears and focus on the task at hand. The castle where my mate waits seems like an eternity away, but each step in our preparations brings us closer to breaching the walls that separate us.

With careful precision, we begin to etch intricate sigils into the smooth stone floor of the room. The chalk we use is infused with powdered moonstone, its shimmering particles softly glimmering against the dark surface.

"Place your artifact in the center," Vesper instructs, his sharp gaze taking in our progress from a few steps away.

My hand hesitantly reaches into a hidden pocket sewn into my clothing, retrieving a single white feather. It is the only remaining relic from the millennium I spent as an angel, and has been my most treasured possession until this moment—until fate granted me the gift of Odette. With trembling fingers, I place the feather on the ground, silently pleading for it to be accepted by whatever forces we are summoning.

"Are you sure you want to part with that?" Vesper's surprised voice breaks through my thoughts, his eyes finally recognizing the significance of my offering and being aware of its true history and meaning to me.

"What happens now?" I ask my brother, ignorant of the process and wondering when I'll be allowed to see my mate again.

"We wait," Vesper replies. "You've offered a precious token of your love. Have patience, and good things will come."