I shrugged. “As long as I am reunited with my love it doesn’t matter. Now, if that is all, I will take my leave. I’ve got a war to organize.” I’d have Keziq look into it in the meantime. See if it really was true and if it was, if she couldstop it. Or find a way to stop my death. Everyone else—I didn’t give a fuck. But part of me still wanted that power?—
“You’re seriously going to move forward with this?” the High King pressed.
“Yes. When this is all said and done, vampires will have been eliminated, and you and all your people and friends will be dead. Leaving the crown open for whoever gets to it first. A new Lethenia—sounds refreshing, doesn’t it? I’m leaving behind a legacy that will live on well past my death.” I laughed. This was grand. This was all going too well. And the looks on their faces—priceless.
I stood, not caring to waste another minute with them when I had so much work to do. “It appears I have a lot to do before I meet my bitter end. I’ll see you on the battlefield, Lennox Adair.”
38
LUCIANA
“Well, that was a fucking waste of time.” I stood, my chair creaking on the dilapidated wooden floor.
“She’s really going to let all vampires die for the sake of her own twisted mission.” Lennox slammed her fist on the table—rattling the crumbling building around us.
“We won’t let her,” Luka said as he laid a hand on Lennox’s shoulder.
“I know we won’t, but you know what that means?—”
“That we’re going to start a war,” Decan finished for us. “We need to get back to Ceto and Alon and rally the forces, start marching west as soon as possible, and pick up anyone else we can gather on the way.”
Lennox chewed on her bottom lip. “I’ll need to send a letter to the courts, letting them know what the next step is, what I’m asking of them.”
Lennox paused. “Nico, Zienna, I need you to visit your family—convince them to rally with us.”
“No fucking way,” Nico protested. “You can demand them. Or Queen Elvira can demand them.”
“You know that’s not how I rule, Nico. And Elviratold me herself yesterday how much sway your parents have.” Nico stiffened. “You need to visit them yourself, they’re your family. There is a better chance they will listen to you than me.”
“She’s right, Nico?—”
“Stay the fuck out of this Zienna,” he snapped.
Lennox glared at the wolf. “You will go and visit your family. You will convince them to join our army and fight against Adreona. You will not let whatever the fuck is going on between you and them get in the way of your job. Can you do that? Or do I need to appoint a different emissary?” She waved her arms around. “I’ve got plenty to choose from, so make your choice, Nico. You know I love you, but I will not let you get in the way of saving an entire population of people.”
Silence followed her words, no one daring to say a word as Lennox’s chest heaved and Nico looked at his feet.
“Fine,” he grumbled, kicking at a rock, sending it crashing toward the wall.
Lennox dipped her chin. “You and Zienna will travel there this evening. Luce too. I can’t trust that you two can make it there in one piece. The rest of us will join you tomorrow after we send out letters to the courts, and I can sort things out with Elvira.”
“Luce, are you going to transport us, or are you riding on one of our backs?”
I let out a harsh breath. “I’ll transport us. There is no way I’m riding on the back of a wolf.”
Zienna gave me a mischievous smirk as she took my hand in hers, Nico taking my other hand begrudgingly, closing the circle by joining hands with his sister. I closed my eyes and started murmuring the spell.
I opened my eyes as Zienna quietly slipped her hand from mine.
“Tell him I love him, but I’m not sorry for doing this,” she mouthed before slipping her hand from Nico’s.
“What the—” Nico cursed.
I rushed out the rest of the spell before he knew what was happening.
When the spell deposited us in the forest, it was only me and Nico who fell through the magic.
“I can’t fucking believe my sister,” Nico mumbled as we walked through the trees.
