Page 56
“Doesn’t feel the same without Luna here, huh?” he says, laughing.
“It does not,” I reply. “But at least it broke the tension.”
Kim takes his glasses off and puts them in his pocket. He’s changed from grey joggers that accentuate the outline of what’s in his pants to more sensible clothes. Dark jeans, dark hoodie. “Time to go?” he asks.
“Time to go.”
“She’s going to be pissed that we’re going after her.”
“Yes.”
“And she’s going to be a pissed off Shadow Queen.”
“Yes. But while she’s dealing with The Covenant, we’ll need to deal with Nix’s werewolves. And whatever vampires he’s rounded up into his crypt. She can’t do it all alone.”
“She probably could.”
I start walking, shoes tapping loudly on the polished museum floor as I cross toward the exit. “Probably. But I’m not going to let her do this alone, and neither are you. So, it’s best we stop pretending otherwise and get on with it.”
Kim jogs to catch up with me.
“Just do me a favour?” I meet his eyes. “Don’t eat the heart of another of my siblings tonight. I don’t think I could stand how hot you’d look with Nix’s blood dribbling down your chin.”
Kim coughs loudly then laughs. “Fuck me, Lucien. When you flirt, it lands hard.” He claps my shoulder playfully. “But I can’t kill your brother, remember? So, don’t worry. You’re safe.”
He jogs ahead of me, taking the museum steps two at a time. Then calls back from the darkness, “I’ll try not to look too hot when I kick the werewolves’ asses though. Don’t want to distract you.”
29
Nix
Cerberus alerts me to her presence, but the book has already sensed her. It is throbbing, making the air pulse, and every shadow in the crypt is leaning toward it.
I look to the top of the stairs and see Cerberus greeting her. She stops and strokes him like he’s a puppy dog. Then she follows him down the steps.
She doesn’t even flinch when she reaches the bottom step and realises the entire room is full of vampires and werewolves.
When every pair of eyes, and every heartbeat is directed toward her, she simply stands, scanning the room until she finds me. And then she smiles.
A glorious fucking smile.
I stride into the centre of the room and wave my hands at our surroundings. “Well, well, well…” I kneel in front of her, and suddenly everyone else does the same. “I did not expect to see you so soon, my queen. But I am very glad you are here.”
30
Luna
Ifeel The Covenant’s power the second I enter the crypt. My whole body responds to it. An invisible, pulsating string pulling me from one end of the room to the other.
The moment I see Nix, I know how I’m going to play this. No smiling nicely and persuading him to allow me close. If he’s going to believe I’m here to claim my power then I need to act like the woman who believes she deserves it.
I push back my shoulders and try to remember how Lucien walks when he enters a room; with the aura of a creature who knows it is the most powerful thing there and that nothing else could even make a mark on it unless he chose to allow it.
I move slowly, not allowing myself to glance at the werewolves or the vampires who are staring at me.
Yes, they’re on their knees. But I can feel their scepticism; they’re scared of me but also, deep down, don’t see how someone like me could be a threat to them.
They’ll see, though.
