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We both had a death sentence, but for now, we remained mortal. I gritted my teeth, my gaze flashing toward Kalon, who’d arrived to feed. My eyes flicked over to the large grandfather clock. It was a quarter past noon, lunchtime. He slid his eyes over to me before disappearing into a tent. It had been two days since my fate had been sealed, and Kalon had been unnervingly quiet for that time.
I hated him, and he despised me all the same. I could have told my father that his brother had tried to have me killed and knew of my true identity. But the truth was the only leverage I had. Honestly, I was concerned that I wouldn't be believed even if I tried to voice it.
Draven placed a hand on my shoulder, anger lacing his chiseled features. He was getting his muscle tone back after being close to starvation for weeks, but the dark circles under his eyes were still prominent. “We will get out of here. Then we can tell the world what’s really going on here.”
“Not this again.” I stepped out of his hold, lowering my voice to a whisper. “We can’t escape. Maybe you can, but not me.”
He balled a fist. “Therehasto be a way.”
“There isn’t.” I tried to keep my expression stoic, but I’d always worn my emotions for all to see. Pain cracked through, creasing lines on my forehead. I hated to be so blunt with him, but I didn’t want him hoping for something that could never be. There were people I needed to help, and I couldn’t do that if I tried to save myself. Sebastian would be the first to be executed if I even attempted to leave. Then Erianna and Zach would follow shortly after. My mom would probably be okay, but they would never stop hunting us.
“You give up so easily.”
“I’ve already chosen my path, Draven. Besides, we would probably die before we could get past the forest.”
His tightened grip told me he would not let this go. “I’m tougher than you know.”
“This isn’t about how tough you are. Neither of us is a match against a castle of immortals, and I know they’d only bring me back. But you, they would have no need to keep you. Right now, you’re only serving as a guard because me and Mom begged Sargon.”
Flickering orange soaked the table from a lamp on the wall, illuminating the golden tones in Draven’s hair. My father agreed to let him live, only if I promised to turn him into a vampire once I turned. He thought it would be ceremonial to have my first kill be my best friend, making him a permanent soldier in the castle. It was a gift, he said, but that wasn’t how I saw it. I needed at least one person I loved to make it out of all this darkness.
I agreed to the terms if only to bide more time. As soon as the metaphorical leash around my neck was loosened, and I was trusted with free rein of the castle and its grounds, I would get Draven out of here, with safe passage back to Baldoria.
Grazing the side of my neck with my index finger, I turned my attention back to the room. The holiday of romance and love, Adormai, approached. The countdown also ticked down the minutes to my death. Silky roses of red and white entwined a metal arch over the thrones, and bouquets sat upon tall pillars.
Draven stepped in front of me. “I got this. I can move her.” He leaned over, lifting her corpse from the bench, and laid her in his arms.
I stared for a moment longer at her face, wondering how it felt to die. Blue tinted her lips, and her skin grayed. I watched, hoping that wherever her soul was now, it was at peace. I swallowed thickly as I faced my mortality, a thing which would be taken away soon.
“They’ll try to stop you,” I warned, glancing at the greedy eyes of the vampires. “I shouldn’t have tried to move her. It was stupid.”
I felt their gazes bore into me as Draven laid her down, slumping her rigid body on the old stone floor for a few seconds as he held his breath, repositioning her against him. “It’s fine. I want to move her body. I’ll just say I’m clearing up.”
The pianist in the corner of the room, and a string quartet, who were present at every feeding, started playing. A deep, thrumming melody filled the space, matching my stormy mood.
“You should go,” Draven insisted. “Find your fiancé. I can handle this.” The word left his mouth, leaving a tang of bitterness between us.Fiancé.After all, I had chosen Sebastian over him. Draven had offered to save me from marrying someone I didn’t know, but I refused to do that to him. If I took Draven as my husband, I would commit him to a forever of immortality, forcing him to become the thing he’d fought his whole life against. I couldn’t do that to my best friend.
I looked down at the woman. “You can’t carry her on your own,” I remarked, careful not to point out that he was still weak. His bronzed tan never returned, but he finally had color in his cheeks. “And you shouldn’t. You’ll get in trouble.”
“Neither can you.”
“I don’t care….” I trailed off. Vampires around us sank into deep bows and curtseys, and my stomach hollowed. “Draven, put her down,” I snapped, but it was too late.
Cold danced down my spine. I felt his presence towering over us before turning to look at him. “Your Majesty.” His ancient-gold crown circled his forehead, freshly polished with enough rubies to feed a kingdom. His blazing red hair and emerald eyes matched mine.
“Daughter,” he addressed me, awkwardness threading through the word. Neither of us had spent much time together since he discovered who I was. Something changed in his eyes, the anger burning behind them softening when he looked at me. “What is this?” He moved his attention to the woman and Draven.
“Niall’s leftovers,” I snapped, hatred clinging to each word. “We were moving her.”
“You!” he barked at Draven, his liquor-tainted breath hitting us as he closed the distance between us. “Many would kill to be in your position, boy. Yet you show such blatant disrespect. Return to your post now.”
I grabbed his arm. “Please don’t! It was my idea—”
“Do not argue with me, Seraphina,” he ordered, still focused on Draven. “The servants will take care of the bodies at the night's end. Go back to your post.”
I held my quarrel behind clenched teeth. The vampires would first take advantage of her body before being burned along with others. Every week I looked out my window, I saw the fires as they sent ash billowing into the sky, their name and identity forgotten to the winds. The smell was overpowering, so I always kept my window closed tight.
I glanced behind my father, observing a man as he licked his lips, hungry eyes on the woman's crumpled body at our feet. “Please.” I softened my tone. “Can she be removed now?” I asked, hoping that the excitement of my return and agreeing to take my place as the princess wasn’t wearing off. “Draven can take her outside and just burn her now.”
