He turns to her, and the anguish and sadness in his eyes reminds me of how I used to be when I was apart from Manu.
“There’s nothing waiting for me in the human world besides despair.”
“How do you know? You don’t remember your life before you came here,” I argue.
Adrian takes a deep breath, massaging his chest with a fist. “I might not remember my life, but I know it is so.”
“Things might have changed since your imprisonment. You don’t know how long you’ve been here. Promise me you’ll consider coming with us when we find an exit.”
He shakes his head. “You’re getting ahead of yourselves. We don’t even know if it’s possible. Come. I’m aching to sit by my imaginary fire and relax my real muscles.”
Thirty-Five
RONAN
ELLNESARI, PRESENT DAY
Outside Lord Valkor’s manor, we find a small army of soldiers wearing silver armor and indigo blue capes. Their skin tones are all different shades of blue, and they all possess striking hair and eye colors. My guess is most are from the Lynx Kingdom. But some aren’t from Lynx, and they stick out like chickens in the North Pole. I easily spot Ronwen with his flaming red hair and freckled face. Until now, I had been certain he’d betrayed us, but in his gaze, I see nothing but relief.
He takes a step forward, but a stern look from the blond soldier near him sends him back in line with his gaze down. The blond looks familiar—it takes me a few seconds to place him. He’s the captain of the Aquila army, which doesn’t make any sense. Why ishehere? Fuck. Maybe Ronwen did betray us after all.
From the fire into the frying pan.
Ollie shudders in my arms, and I clutch her tighter against my chest. The youngster has stopped crying, but she won’t release the hold her tiny hands have around my shirt. The fright hasn’t left her body yet. She reminds me of myself, and it painsme that her young life has been marked by violence and death already. It took months for me to feel truly safe after King Raphael saved me.
I move closer to Cheryl, who carries Rio in her arms. If I weren’t holding Ollie, I’d use my body to shield her. The newborn was wailing a moment ago—hungry is my guess. But unlike human babies who need milk, vampire babies need blood. Cheryl didn’t waste a second before she cut her palm and started nursing him. The sight of her feeding Rio mended my heart even more, as if a piece that was missing had locked into place. In turn, Cheryl’s gaze softened when she saw me take care of Ollie.
There’s no time to unpack any of that. I don’t even know where we stand in our relationship. We need to find out what Castiel plans to do with us. I’m about to ask him again how he found us, but a commotion to my left makes the words die in my throat.
Two Lynx soldiers walk up dragging Lord Indigo, who looks worse for wear. His robes are in tatters, and he has several scratches on his face. A pack of shadowbeasts follows them, and even though they seem nonthreatening, a ripple of uneasiness goes through me. The soldiers before us also seem uncomfortable. They can’t see the shadowbeasts, but they can sense their evil presence.
Ollie whimpers in my arms, hiding her face against my chest. I pat her head. “It’s okay, sweetheart. You’re safe.”
The soldiers bring Lord Indigo to Castiel and force him onto his knees. Castiel looks at his brother with contempt. “So… this is what you’ve been up to—kidnapping and breeding vampires with the likes of Lord Valkor. Pathetic.”
Lord Indigo glowers. “Who are you to talk? You made your bed with the Aquila scum.”
Castiel’s lips twist into a sardonic grin. “My alliance with King Ruel was sanctioned by the crown. Your actions, on the other hand, were not.”
Lord Indigo laughs without humor. “What did you expect me to do after you convinced Father to exile me? Confess, brother. You wanted me out of your way, just like you got rid of Dedrik.”
Murmurs of surprise ripple through the Lynx soldiers. Castiel’s reaction is different, though. His eyes flash with fury just before he grabs his brother by the hair and yanks his head back hard enough to inflict pain. “How dare you insinuate I had anything to do with Dedrik’s passing? He wasn’t only our brother; he was my best friend.”
Lord Indigo laughs. “Your best friend is King Ruel’s son, or should I say,was. He finally found out about your duplicity and?—”
Tendrils of black smoke emerge from Castiel’s wrists and wrap around Lord Indigo’s throat, then choke him. I had no idea the Lynx prince could control shadows. Lord Indigo’s eyes bug out as he fights to draw in air. Does Castiel mean to end his brother in front of everyone?
“You’re killing him!” Cheryl starts.
Castiel turns to her. “And? Don’t tell me you pity the male responsible for your imprisonment and the kidnapping of who knows how many vampires.”
Cheryl’s eyes become rounder. “He was responsible for it all? What about Lord Valkor?”
“A pawn my brother used to open the portals. Why do you think Lord Valkor looked like a corpse?” Castiel responds, but a moment later, he releases his brother, who falls onto his hands, gasping for air. “But killing Indigo isn’t in my purview. He’ll be brought back to the Lynx court and receive his punishment in front of the entire kingdom.”
“No,” Lord Indigo whimpers. “Please, be done with me now.”
I glance at Cheryl, and she seems as surprised as I am. What kind of punishment could possibly await Lord Indigo in his own court?
