The Mark Of The Phoenix

Chapter 4 An Uninvited Shadow On The Roof

I inhaled the cool night air, letting the fragrance of the blue and purple roses wash over me. Moving past the stone bench, I tossed my hooded cloak aside and sat on the very edge of the roof. My feet dangled over a dizzying drop, the castle walls falling away into the darkness below.

In the quiet, I began to sing. It was the lullaby from my childhood—the one I could never quite finish unless I had my mother’s journal in front of me. I only remembered the first verse by heart; the melody was a haunting thread in the night wind.

The journal was my most prized possession, tucked safely in the satchel on my cot downstairs. It stayed there, along with my father’s gold pocket watch. The watch was a mystery; no matter how often I wound it, the hands eventually froze, yet I carried it everywhere. Engraved on the cover was a beautiful firebird and the words: *Always sing, my little bird.*

They were the only pieces of "home" I had left. Down in the sleeping quarters, I shared a room with over a hundred rugged, snoring men. My only scrap of privacy was a heavy curtain I pulled around my bed at night to keep eyes away while I slept. I was basically one of the boys, except for the private shower stall the Queen had granted me—the only other door I held a key to.

Up here, however, I wasn't a soldier. I was just Sindel.

***

Meanwhile, in the jagged spires of Darkness Falls, Dominic was enduring yet another lecture.

As the eldest son of Gavin, the first Vampire King, Dominic was expected to be a paragon of the night. His father paced the cold stone floor, his red eyes burning with a decades-old grudge against Clover Valley.

"The Prize is a female, Dominic," Gavin hissed. "She carries the Phoenix mark on her shoulder line. I have watched her from afar in battle—she slashes through your brothers and sisters as if they were wheat. Bring me her head. I want a trophy to prove that I have finally won this war."

Dominic nodded, pretending to listen, but he was restless. He was bored of the endless night and the obsession with a girl he had only seen through the chaos of war. He was a reader, a seeker of knowledge who longed to see a sunset or explore the lands beyond the Midlands. He had spent years scouting the neutral lands, disguised in a hooded cloak like a common villager, watching the people of Clover Valley with a quiet, hidden envy.

"I will try my best, Father," Dominic said coldly.

He left the dark gates of the city at a run, but once he was out of his father's sight, he slowed to a walk. He pulled his hood down, feeling the cool air on his face. He approached the rear of the castle—a side guarded only by massive, thorn-choked hedges.

He took a running start, leaping over the prickly barriers and landing silently on his feet. He began to scale the stone wall, his movements fluid and unnatural. He was halfway up when he heard it—a voice. It was a haunting harmony, an angelic melody drifting from the very top of the castle.

He had to find the source of that song.

***

I stopped humming the moment I felt it—a shift in the air, a shadow falling over me that shouldn't have been there.

I spun around, leaping to my feet. "Who are you? How did you get into my garden?" I hissed. My eyes adjusted, and the truth hit me like a physical blow. "Vampire," I spat, dropping into an attack stance.

He tried to speak, but I was too fast. I lunged with my small dagger—the only weapon I had on me. He dodged with terrifying grace, and I went face-first into a purple rose arch, knocking the trellis to the ground. I scrambled up, pivoting to face him again, my blade pointed straight for his chest.

He was standing right where I had been sitting, on the very precipice of the roof. I threw my weight into a second strike, but he ducked. I overbalanced, my momentum carrying me past him and over the ledge.

I closed my eyes, waiting for the impact of the dizzying fall. I had failed the King. I had failed Aiden. I had failed my father’s memory.

But the impact never came.

A cold, powerful hand clamped around my wrist. I snapped my eyes open to see the vampire leaning over the edge, holding me suspended in the air. My heart hammered against my ribs—not with the thrill of battle, but with pure, raw fear.

His expression wasn't cocky or teasing anymore. He looked... concerned.

"I've got you," he said, his voice certain and low. "I won't let you fall."

He pulled me back up with effortless strength, leading me away from the edge toward the center of the garden. Once my feet were steady, I jerked my hand away. I looked at him—really looked at him—and the words died in my throat. He didn't look like a monster. He was flawless, with deep, dark eyes that seemed to pull me into a trance.

I shook my head, fighting the sudden, inexplicable attraction. "Why did you do that? Why did you save me? Do you even know who I am?"

"You're the Slayer they call the Prize," he said, his eyes searching mine. "I don't know your name, but I remember your eyes. We brushed past each other once in battle. And now... I heard your voice. Your song. I don't want to kill you anymore. I want to know you. Please... what is your real name?"

The way he looked at me made my stomach flutter, a swarm of butterflies erupting in my chest. My heart skipped a beat. For all my years as a Slayer, I had never allowed myself a crush, let alone a vulnerability like this. It was easier to be a weapon.

He stepped closer, pulling me into a soft, cold embrace. "Please," he pleaded.

"Sindel," I whispered, my throat dry.

He pulled me closer, his gaze dropping to my lips. When he kissed me, I tried to fight it for a split second, then I simply melted. The world disappeared—the war, the Slayers, the blood—until the heavy sound of a gong shattered the moment.

The First Call.

"You have to leave!" I broke the kiss, breathless. "I have to be at roll call before the third bell."

I pointed toward the north side of the roof. "Go to the far end. You'll have to jump, but there's a door that leads to the underground tunnels. It bypasses the rear of the castle."

He let out a short, teasing laugh. "Now you tell me? I had to climb the walls to get up here."

I felt myself blush—actually blush—like a normal girl.

"Your name again, Angel Voice?" he called out.

"Sindel," I repeated.

He nodded, a cocky, beautiful smile playing on his lips. "Sindel. Meet me at the end of the tunnel at three. I have to see you again."

The second bell sounded. "Go! Now!" I urged. "Follow the gaze of the statues—the fallen Slayers. They all look toward the exit. It's the safest way out."

He vanished into the shadows, leaving me standing alone in my ruined roses. I turned and ran, bolting through the secret door and down the stairs. I reached the roll call line just as the final gong echoed through the hall, falling into position.

Aiden glanced at me, noticing my windblown hair and flushed face, but he didn't say a word. As the names were called, my mind wasn't on the training or the war. It was on the end of a tunnel at three o'clock, and the vampire who had saved my life.