CHAPTER 29

Vita

VITA AWOKE IN A daze, the thick of a hangover still addling her mind. With a groan, she got out of bed, as last evening's festivities came back to her like the trickle of a stream.

Somehow, she'd gone from over a year of inadvertent celibacy to multiple partners within twenty-four hours. She knew what people would say, the horrible words they'd call her, but that's not what bothered her.

Petran and Aurora were captivating lovers—there was no doubt of that—and she'd be eager to join them again, but there was someone else she missed. The only other person besides Verian who she desperately wanted to be intimate with, to be close with, had just observed as she had her fun with the others .

Vita tried to remember the glimmer in Renatus' eyes as he watched her ride Petran, as Aurora pleasured her, but it still hurt.

Food was a necessity, and fast, the grumble in her stomach threatening to turn into all-out-sickness if she didn't give it what it wanted. Vita put on the periwinkle dress, the first gift Renatus had given her, and she tied the attached golden rope around her chest and waist as best she could. A lazy brush of her hair, and she was ready to find some sustenance.

When she made her way to the dining hall, someone was already there. Most days, she ate her meals alone, though sometimes Aurora accompanied her. But today, the mage was nowhere to be seen.

Instead, Petran would be joining her for breakfast.

"Good morning, love," he said, standing up to greet her with a crushing hug.

Vita's entire body flushed with the proximity, with the memory of last night. That was the first time she'd ever had sex with someone she'd just met, and while she didn't regret it, it still felt a bit odd.

"Did you sleep well?" His deep voice boomed through the room as he released her.

She nodded and sat, adding bread and honey, olives and grapes to her plate. Her stomach thanked her as she filled it, Petran devouring a surprising amount of food next to her. She supposed an enormous elf needed an enormous amount of sustenance, but still, it was impressive.

As the meal wore on, Vita's discomfort melted away, Petran's peaceful presence putting her at ease. He was a lot, but he seemed to be a kind man, asking polite questions without prying.

"Will you accompany me to Shadowholde? I want to look around… it's been a long time since I've been back." He eyed her as a servant walked by and began clearing the table.

"I would love to," Vita said with a smile, and it was the truth.

They walked arm in arm through Shadowholde's stone streets, and Vita was certain the blush hadn't left her face the entire time. Petran escorted her around the city, pointing out the old taverns he used to frequent and the parks he'd enjoyed as a child. Conversation was easy, the day warm and pleasant, though a cool breeze in the air betrayed the coming autumn.

Vita had a question gnawing at her. A few questions, in fact. She gathered her courage as they sat on a stone bench, enjoying the scent of honeysuckle.

"How do you know Renatus and Aurora?"

"Ah, we all go way back. We worked together when I still lived in Shadowholde. Worked for the city, for people who hired us, even for those who couldn't afford our fees." He paused, glancing sidelong at her. "You remind me of someone, you know. Our old friend. You have the same hair, the same eyes… the same beautiful scar."

Beautiful ? That was the first time anyone had ever called her blemish beautiful, and emotion welled in her chest.

"Your friend?"

Petran chuckled, eyes focused on the trees around them as if his mind was far away.

"We were inseparable back then. Renatus, Aurora, me, Tullia—the one you look like—and Atria, a priestess of Aona. Tullia, she was a wild woman, a powerful hunter. We did great work together, all of us, until…"

She took a big gulp of air. "What happened?"

With a sigh, he continued. "When Renatus was turned, everything changed. He… he did bad things, terrible things, on orders of his maker. His hunger was insatiable. And Tullia took it particularly hard. They were very close. Closer than the rest of us."

Petran turned, taking her hand in his. "We tried to help Renatus, made a plan to free him, kill his maker, but he was different. Not the same person he once was, though I always saw a bit of him deep down underneath the facade. Still, it wasn't enough for Tullia."

The story entranced Vita, her breath catching in her throat. "What happened to her? "

"Tullia left us, left Shadowholde, moved to a new city. As far as I know, she lived a long and happy life. Atria left us too, devoted herself to the temple until the day she died."

"Where is Tullia now?"

"Dead, most certainly. She was a half-elf and Atria was human."

"How long ago was this?"

"Two hundred years or so. But Renatus never forgot her."

Two hundred years?

Vita knew full-blooded elves lived a long time, but the idea of two centuries was unfathomable. She would be lucky if she made it past one hundred and fifty. And Tullia…

The woman she looked like, the woman Renatus never forgot.

The woman he loved .

Her stomach clenched, her chest constricting painfully.

"So that's the only reason he wanted me. Because I look like her ." She tried to keep the jealousy out of her words, but it was difficult.

Petran cupped her cheek, turning her to face him as tears welled in her eyes. "No, love, that's not what I meant at all. You may have caught his eye because of your appearance, but Renatus likes you for you . He wouldn't have brought you to his palace if he didn't."

He pressed his warm lips to hers, the sweet scent of honey enveloping her, beguiling her, but Vita pulled away. "I don't understand you, any of you. So casual with your… affection."

A deep laugh from Petran, kind and gentle. "I promise you, I am never casual with my affection. Renatus and Aurora care for you, which means I care for you. They have accepted you and thus, I accept you."

Her eyes widened, and she had to turn away from his tender gaze. Accepted her? Cared for her? In a strange way, she supposed it was true. Vita felt more at home than she had in years, since Mariana passed away and she found employment with the Praetor.

Still, there was a nagging feeling in her gut that her resemblance to Tullia was the only reason Renatus wanted her company. And it hurt.

"I hope I've not upset you. That wasn't my intention." Petran's normally booming voice was quiet, and he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "Here, there's something I want to show you. "

They wandered through parks and streets, hand in hand, until he stopped in front of a building she knew well.

The Temple of Aona.

It was round, unlike most of the religious sanctuaries in Shadowholde, and sat atop a podium of steps, a ring of massive columns supporting the conical roof. Vita had been here many times as a child, the priestesses of Aona offering food and prayer for those in need. Just a month ago, she was making an offering of her own with Rhea at the Aonalia celebration.

Oh, how things had changed in such little time.

Petran led them around the exterior to a small cemetery in back. Rows of graves with small gray marking stones twisted around the temple, great oak trees shading the peaceful resting place. They stopped in front of one marker, and Vita bent down to read the name.

ATRIA LURIO .

Petran's voice sounded from above. "She was a strong woman, an excellent healer. I miss her. I know why she left, why she returned to the temple, but it was painful to see her go."

A tear ran down her cheek as she kneeled before the grave. Another friend of Renatus, a friend of Aurora and Petran. Someone who'd left when Renatus changed, when his maker turned him. Vita wondered what she had been like, so devoted to something you believed in.

Aona, the Goddess of the hearth and the home, and her virgin priestesses who dedicated their lives to serving others. They knew exactly where they wanted to be. The cemetery was calming, in a way, peaceful and full of the love and wisdom of centuries of women serving the city.

Vita rose, turning to face Petran as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "Thank you. For explaining, for everything."

He pulled her into a hug, kissing her on the top of the head, and she sighed into the comforting embrace.

As they made their way back to the palace, she desperately wished she could see Verian. There were so many things she'd learned and she needed someone to talk to, someone she trusted without question. If he was working his normal shift, he wouldn't be free until the evening, and it was still late afternoon.

There were shouts up ahead as they approached the front of the palace, hurrying along the stone bridge and glancing at each other. A soldier with a black cloak was arguing with the doorman, but not just any soldier.

"Verian!" Vita shouted, loosing herself from Petran and running to meet her friend.

A jolt of anxiety lanced through her, the black cloak the same color as the storm cloud that settled in her stomach, though she tried to maintain a smile.

He turned as he heard his name, brows raising and then relaxing with relief. "Vita! I've been trying to see you, but the High Consul's servants won't let me in the palace."

The doorman glared at the two of them as Petran walked over.

Vita linked her arm through Verian's and glared back. "I live here too now, and this is my friend. He will be treated as if he were the High Consul's guest. Understood?"

She didn't wait for an answer, pushing past the annoyed servant with Verian in tow, Petran following closely behind. As she led them through the palace, she burned at her confidence, hoping this was a good idea. The sun was still up, so they had a couple of hours before Renatus or his thralls could make trouble, anyway.

Once a safe distance from the entryway, Vita turned to Petran. "Could you give us some privacy?"

He nodded solemnly and disappeared down a hallway, but not before giving Verian a wink and a flirty smile.

Verian gulped audibly as the man walked away before glancing at her with wide eyes. "Who was that?"

"I will tell you in a moment," she said, tempted to laugh at his response despite the nerves souring her stomach. "Let's go to the garden."