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Then he started walking away.
Curious. He retains no guards, unlike most who rule like frightened children in the dark.
Annoyance flickered through Elarian. She despised delayed opportunities. If only she had not been resting! If she had seen him arrive, this would have been over, and she would have already been well on her way to the dark forest where Aela waited.
Gaze following Lucan, she waited for him to disappear, then quietly jumped from the upper rafters to the low chandelier hung with witchlights. Surveying the long corridor to ensure no one else lurked in the deepest corners, she jumped to the carpeted floor, landing on all fours like a cat. Crawling over the plush carpet, she carefully eyed Lucan in the distance.
That’s right, shivaem, she thought with grim satisfaction. Lead me to the corridor that will be your grave.
Lucan walked through empty corridors as if he was wandering a beautiful garden, ensuring he enjoyed every sight. Each time he stopped to observe some insignificant detail on a wall tapestry or defiled statue, Elarian’s fingers twitched. She hid herself in the alcoves and in deep shadows pooling at the bases of tall columns. Though Lucan never saw her, each time she pressed against the marble walls, she wondered if it might be her last.
Was he toying with her?
Surely not…
At last, Lucan seemed satisfied with the inspections. He strode with intent down the corridors, winding his way from opulence to dimly lit hallways hung with ancient spider webs and reeking of mold.
The architecture changed from stone to wood.
A memory pulled at Elarian’s mind—how once the Blooded Court was home to a human kingdom, wildmen who hewed wood and stone into machinations of war.
Was this place something more to him than merely a court of blood and rot?
As she followed him, Elarian realized she had never noticed the shape of Lucan’s ears. Now, she wondered if he might’ve been a human-born vampire.
Ahead of Lucan, the corridor led to a small chapel. A crumbling altar stood in the center, decorated only with the headless statue of a four-armed woman. Bright, silver moonlight reflected through the stained glass, casting a rainbow of colors Elarian had scarcely seen before across the rough wooden floors.
Lucan glanced behind him as if to ensure none had followed. Elarian pressed herself against the wall behind a statue of a man wearing a golden crown. Satisfied, Lucan turned back and entered the chapel.
At last, Elarian sighed as she peeled herself from the wall. Her thumb brushed over the silver hilt at her side.
At last, I will end this torment.
fifteen
Ruined Moonlight
“Ah,” a low voice crooned, “there’s my deadly plaything.”
Elarian’s breathing stuttered, freezing at the words echoing from everywhere and nowhere. She spun around, silver flashing in both hands. Darkness greeted her, the entrance to the small chapel obscured behind shadow and mist.
“Plaything?” she asked, gripping the silver in each hand tighter until her palms ached. “Perhaps if you crave death, shivaem.”
Somewhere behind her, the shadows shifted. Metal creaked, then the lattice door slammed shut.
“Please, Elarian.” The foul thing laughed. “After all this time, have I not earned the courtesy of hearing my name upon your poisonous lips?”
Shivers raced down her spine at the sound of her name. She vowed to make sure his tongue was the second thing she removed from his maggot-infested corpse.
“I’ll paint my face with your blackened blood, vampire, before I ever say your name.”
The prince crowned in blood continued laughing. “I rather think you’ll scream it soon enough.”
Before she could form a retort, the swirling black in front of her eyes melted away to reveal the vampire prince—Lucan—standing before her. A wicked smile curled the edges of his scarred lips. Strands of pure white hair fell in front of his crimson eyes, rimmed by deep circles and dark veins. Ashen skin, nearly as gray as the moon covered by fog, glistened with the faint sheen of mist.
So fucking beautiful, Elarian thought, unbidden. How can a monster look so godsdamn beautiful?
“N-no,” she stuttered, breath stolen by the vampire prince’s unwavering smile.
