The moment was terrifying in its perfection. Warmth spread through me, tingling along nerves that’d been screaming. The ache in my head eased. Strength flooded back into overexerted muscles.
Another gulp followed before I could stop myself.
When I finally lowered the bottle, my hands were steadier, but my insides churned. The guilt was immediate and scalding. Even now, the phantom taste lingered on my tongue, teasing, whispering,Just a little more next time…
Yet a hairline crack spread through my resolve, a small voice growing louder:That wasn’t so bad.
I handed the bottle to Finn, unable to meet his gaze. He drank without hesitation and passed it to Felicity.
Zane’s face flashed in my mind again as my guilt spiked. I pressed my fingertips to my hidden engagement ring.
The remaining devotees exchanged glances as the blood containers were distributed.
“That’s barely enough to wet my throat,” muttered a dark-haired vampire.
“Better than nothing,” another whispered back.
A third devotee, who sported a large gash down his arm, shook his head. “We need to find more. Hunger leads to mistakes, and mistakes down here are fatal.”
When they’d consumed the last drop and the complaints faded into resigned silence, we pressed on.
I remained tense, trapped between the labyrinth’s unpredictable threats and the vampires now surrounding me. Betrayal lurked in every shadow around us. The air grew thick, the walls seeming to contract with each step.
Emmeline stayed close to Razira, silent and watchful. The devotees kept their weapons ready. Finn walked beside me.
After several minutes, we entered a wide corridor, the walls smoother than the passages we’d been navigating. The hairs on the back of my neck rose.
This does not feel right, I signed to Finn.
He nodded, his hand already raised in a cautionary gesture to the group behind us. His lips parted to speak.
The walls shook all around us. Exits slammed shut, slabs of rock descending with brutal finality.
The floor lurched, rising as the ceiling split open.
“What’s happening?” Emmeline cried. “We didn’t trigger any traps!”
When the grinding stopped, we were no longer in the corridor.
Three dozen pale, mutant creatures turned to notice us. Their skin was stretched hairless and taut over their skeletal frames. Cold and washed-out eyes fixed on us. Their arms dangled low, each hand tipped with curved claws.
We’d been elevated into a wide, circular chamber. No doors. No escape.
“The whole room is a trap!” I exclaimed. Only one group was getting out of this alive: us, or the monsters.
The first of them pointed our way, then several more brandished their talons.
“No!” Emmeline yelled. “They’re everywhere!”
“Eliminate them.” Razira stepped forward, sword raised, and struck.
Finn pointed, and his animals attacked. Ash's massive wings buffeted creatures back as his claws ripped through them. Boris darted between legs, his teeth finding vulnerable flesh. Iparried a claw swipe and countered, driving my dagger into sickly white skin.
Felicity weaved through the battle, graceful, unstoppable. She lifted her hand, and fire answered. Two monsters melted inches from her, their bony fingers stopping just before her throat. She pivoted, her blade flashing. One head flew off another, the body collapsing before it hit the ground. Her other hand thrust out; the air cracked and crystallized. Ice erupted, spears of frost exploding outward. Her ice devotee joined her. The creatures slowed, staggered, then froze.
Another vampire struck. A heavy mace shattered the frozen monsters like glass.
“Emmeline! Left flank. Now!” Razira barked.
