“Nyte can’t always get what he wants in keeping you to himself. You must long for other friendly company.”
“He’s not… in the best of spirits for extra company right now.”
I feared Nightsdeath would sooner kill them all.
The alcohol had been creeping over me slowly until now. I pushed the rest of the second away when a wave of dizziness swept over me, and my throat tickled worse now.
I raised a hand to my neck when the sensation dawned on me and I slipped clumsily off my stool, pinning Laviana with a horrified look.
“I had a feeling you might resist. It’s nothing personal, Astraea. You won’t be harmed, I promise.”
I stumbled back, knocking into a tall form, but as they grabbed me my magick flared to life and a male hissed at the burning of his hands.
Then in my utter shock andrage—rage because I would never be someone’s captive again—silver and violet flame erupted through the room, but I held control of it so it would not burn anyone or anything.
“You think nebulora in my cup was enough to stop me?” I snarled, not recognizing the sinister malice in my own voice. This was pain, betrayal, and I’d never felt more aligned with Nightsdeath than right now, which only broke me more.
“It was quite a powerful dosage. Far more easily hidden in your favored drink,” Laviana said carefully.
I trembled with the hold on my magick and my skin was quickly slicked with sweat. The nebulora had some effect, I had to admit, but now I had Lightsdeath, which infused the edges of my vision with a shimmering silver.
“Everyone get out!” I yelled. Most scrambled for the exit. Those who stayed were on edge, and I assumed they were with Laviana.
“Why?” I said through my teeth. My eyes pricked. Though we’d become estranged over all these years, and I’d broken many promises with my death, it cut deeply to think she would take me by force for her gain.
“If you didn’t react so hastily you would have awoken perfectly well back at our camp.”
I chuckled without humor, adding heat to my flames licking around all of us. “Then what?”
Her expression began to shift, not from my question but, as she glanced from the magick to me, as she began to reassess exactly who she’d confronted.
“What happened to you?” she asked again, and the gentleness of it nearly broke me down.
“What did youwantwith me?” I bit out again.
“To convince you to join us and show us where the dragons are so the vampires might have the first chance at securing their rider bonds.”
“And you thought kidnapping me was a good start to that alliance?”
“I thought there was no chance of Nyte being agreeable and I needed you alone.”
“He’s not here!”
In more ways than one. I took a breath through the tightness swelling in my throat to stop my voice from breaking.
I warned, “You’d best leave before he returns because I promise he won’t be as hesitant as me to destroy you and this whole place.”
“Which is why you need to come with us alone.”
I pushed my feelings aside to understand her desperation.
“I want to help you, trust me I do. But there are things I need to do first,and the dragons… they belong to no one. There is no telling who they will bond with. There could be a courtyard full of vampires and it may not choose any of them. It’s not as simple as that.”
“It seemed that way with Drystan and you,” she said, slipping a hint of bitterness.
“Nothing has been simple or easy,” I said steadily. My emotions threatened to make me volatile.
I couldn’t hold the magick much longer, but it was all that kept Laviana’s people from advancing on me.
