Chapter 84: A weird offering.
A thick and chilling silence coated the air. Their gazes flicked between one another, but Ren’s eyes found Kai’s. For a moment, neither spoke. Then, his fingers slipped from hers.
"Stay behind me," he commanded, guiding her back before drawing his sword in a fluid motion.
The next moment was a blur of steel and motion. A flash of silver and Kai struck.
The vampire shrieked, a high, piercing sound that scraped against the walls, vibrating through the stone like a death wail. Blood erupted into the air, splattering in dark arcs. Where the silver blade had carved through its skin, the skin blackened, sizzling, burning from the inside out.
Ren fought the instinct to shield herself, to squeeze her eyes shut against the sight and cover her ears from the wretched sound. But she couldn’t. She wouldn’t. If she wanted to understand, if she wanted to fight, she had to see everything.
"It works!" Rail exhaled, the relief in his voice unmistakable.
Kai wiped his sword clean of the vile substance that clung to its edge. Ren’s gaze drifted to the blade, catching the shimmer of silver beneath the bloodstains.
"You changed your sword," she murmured.
Kai gave a curt nod. "Just plated it with silver. We can’t forge strong weapons entirely from silver, it’s too fragile. And we can’t mix it with steel. I had to find another way to coat our weapons."
Ren nodded slowly, realization and relief washing over her. All this time, she had wondered where he had been, foolishly suspecting he was avoiding her... spending time with Elaika or some other woman. But in truth, he had been preparing for this.
"Not just silver."