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Erianna sheathed her blade. “So, Zach, how are we going to get Sargon to exile Kalon?”
Zach smiled, throwing me off guard. “We have him turn the princess. Sebastian can plant proof that Kalon planned it to break the ties with Asland.”
“Is it enough to make him exile his own brother?” Sebastian asked. “He’s forgiven many of Kalon’s treacheries.”
“He can’t ignore it if it’s brought before the entire court,” Zach responded.
Erianna headed toward the door. “It seems we have to plan.” Her face lit up. “I’ll start tracking locations.”
Zach nodded curtly. “I’ll take care of making sure she’s turned.”
“Couldn’t this start a war?” I questioned. “Between Asland and Sanmorte?”
“Probably,” Sebastian replied. “But we have no choice. Besides, you can remedy it soon enough.”
I swallowed thickly, thinking about the throne I was destined to inherit, along with all its problems and enemies. “Rest up, love,” Sebastian offered. “We have a long day tomorrow.”
***
I lay perfectly still that night, thinking about my fate. Panic seized me when I thought about becoming a vampire or ruling a kingdom of them. I wished I could see my mom, but she hadn’t come tonight either. Midnight sent a distant clock from the hallway chiming twelve. Unable to sleep, I turned on the dim light on my nightstand. Walls emerged from the shadows of the room. I yawned, stretching my arms and legs. How would it feel to lose my mortality and crave the blood of the people I cared about? Would Draven still want to be my friend? Of course he wouldn’t. I’d never be able to see him again. It wouldn’t be safe for him to visit a kingdom like this.
I imagined him now, sweeping the fireplaces or being used as a blood bag by some sangaree noble, and shuddered. I’d get him out of here soon, I told myself, calming my racing mind.
I rolled onto my side, and Sebastian let out a slight grunt, moving his head against the soft pillow. I wondered what he was dreaming about, so gentle, his expression softened. I couldn’t help but look at him and think about the man who’d watched his family die and believed that he was alone in the world.
I tossed and turned until late into the night. When sleep finally came for me, it pulled me deep into nightmares that weren’t too different from my world now.
TWENTY-FIVE
“Mom!” I wrapped my hands around her neck, burying myself in her coconut-scented hair. At that moment, I forgot she was a vampire. She was just my mom. She hushed me as she stroked the back of my hair. I let my emotions pour out on her, and tears of relief soaked my red cheeks. “How did you get away?”
She pulled me at arm’s length, examining me from head to toe. She eyed my neck, seeming satisfied to see no recent bite marks. “That doesn’t matter. I’ve found a way out for you.” Her eyes glistened with hope, and in them, I found the same woman who evoked fear in the men at the guild.
“H-how?” I stuttered.
“For Draven too. He’s going to help you escape. I trust him.” She looked around my room, pausing on the pile of Sebastian’s clothes he’d left sprawled out on the bed. “Tonight, when the court is distracted, you will be taken out of here under cover of darkness. I’ve paid two guards I trust to take you and Draven to the forest. There, two horses will be waiting for you. Cars are in short supply here, plus one would be too conspicuous. You’ll ride out to the east. There’s an abandoned beach by the tower. I’ve given Draven enough stagma to get you on a boat. The guild will take care of you once you arrive back in Baldoria.”
My mind raced as I struggled to keep up with her words. Her manic expression told me she wouldn’t take no for an answer. “What about Kalon? He knows.”
She let out a tense breath, pacing in a circle. “I did wonder. Don’t worry about him. I’ll take care of him after you’re gone.”
I trusted she would, but I also knew what she meant by that. “You’ll get yourself killed.”
She brushed a thumb over my cheek as she pressed her lips together. “Honey, I’m already dead. All that matters to me is that you’re safe.”
“I can’t leave you here.”
“Don’t worry about me.” Tears threatened to soften her dark eyes. “You have your whole life ahead of you. Here, it’ll be taken from you. If Sargon finds out who you are, he’ll take your mortality, like he has mine.” She placed her hand over where my heart thumped. “I can’t allow that. I won’t see you turned into one of them.”
“It’s just….” I fumbled with my ring, turning it around my finger. “My friends.”
“Those vampires?” She shook her head. “You will not sacrifice your beautiful, mortal life for those whose fates are already lost to the shadows. You will go, Olivia.”
“I-I don’t know.”
“Draven told me you’ve been practicing with your powers. He said you broke a window.” She squeezed my hands in hers, the wrinkles around her eyes deepening. “I’m proud of you, honey. When you’re out of here, you can continue to practice. You’ve already gone through enough.”
I swallowed thickly, my hands shaking in hers. This was my mom, the woman I trusted beyond anything. Yet some strange piece of me said not to go along with her plan. “We have something in place too.”
