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The gothic buildings grew smaller as the bitter winds blew, their cold gusts pushing us further and further towards the edge of the city. I looked down at the ancient stone walls looming ahead, ivy crawling up its sides like a virus. Beyond the tall gates was a desolate wasteland full of bleached bones from those who’d tried to escape. Olivia wrapped her arms tighter around my torso, and warmth spread through our bond, the purring sensation growing stronger as she nestled into my chest.
I thought back on Azia’s words, wondering if I hadn’t agreed to go along with their plan, if she really would have gone behind my back, trapping me with a spell so I couldn’t stop them. At least she wasn’t hiding anything from me anymore that I knew of. Erianna looked back, checking to make sure I wasn’t flying in the opposite direction and whisking Olivia away to another kingdom.
I wished I could.
“If you want to leave at any point, you tell me,” I whispered in her ear as we soared higher.
She hugged me tighter, but I could sense her determination in her bond. There was no turning back now. My throat tightened as we all headed toward the lake. My fingers gripped into her body, as if she might disappear again at any moment.
Below, I spotted one of the Blood Brother’s clubs, stationed just outside of the city. There were a few inside, but their members were more elusive than Malum Dominor’s, which I was sure angered Salvor. He and Niall had a long history of feuding, but it was Niall who’d helped us track Olivia when she was taken, but his loyalties seemed to lean toward Gwen, or Salenia, as we now knew her. I wondered if he still longed for her. Now her identity was revealed.
Olivia shuddered as the temperatures dropped, and the wasteland landscape below us changed to vast forests. I looked ahead, knowing this could be the last time we were here. Once we were at the castle, in Salenia’s grasp, there was no going back. I was glad we could stop and plan at the lake before walking into the snake’s pit, but I wouldn’t give Salvor the satisfaction of knowing that.
TWENTY-TWO
Niall
WetrailedbehindSaleniaas we descended the ornate staircase, our ears filled with the increasing volume of the nobles' conversations. Adrian's gaze settled on me, and his eyebrows grew together, forming a crease above his eyes. A knot twisted in my stomach as I watched Salenia disappear around the corner below us, her long blonde curls swaying as she moved.
Seven days. That’s all it had been since Edward had left for the city to find out more about Vangard. We’d been careful not to leave any trace of our plans, but as we neared the throne room and saw the guards extra alert, my heart raced with unease. I could feel something was off.
Unless this was another power play, where she’d dangle the crown in front of me. Or Elizabeth…
A hush fell over the hundred vampires gathered in the foyer as she snapped her fingers. A line formed down the middle of the room, leaving a narrow path for her led through the double doors and into the throne room. A warm glow bathed the area, candles guiding our path as night enveloped the castle.
Adrian's fingers curled into his palm, and his shoulders stiffened as he turned to face Salenia. She stood bathed in a beam of moonlight that caught the hints of silver in her hair, and her lips pulled back to reveal her fangs. “I have something for you,” she said.
Clenching my jaw, I stared back at her, my body poised to attack. She inspected Adrian with a smirk on her lips like she was amused by his obvious hatred for her, meeting his intense gaze without flinching and seemingly impervious to the deadly intentions emanating from him. She turned her focus to Adrian, her lip curling in amusement as his glare bore into her. “It’s actually a gift for you both.” She took a step closer to Adrian, who let out a low growl in response. “Call it a gesture of my mercy.”
The hairs on the back of my neck stood erect. We both gave each other the same look.
Salenia didn’t believe in mercy.
My gaze darted around the nobles and their guests who watched us, their expressions a mixture of fear and curiosity. A pungent mix of metallic blood and rancid flesh hung thick in the air. The stench seeped into every pore of my skin, my throat closing in response.
Edward hadn’t returned yet, but if he found Sebastian, I wondered if that’s who she was taking us to.
As I stepped into the throne room, my breath caught in my throat, and I felt a wave of dizziness. I steadied myself and tried to remain composed, but my stomach turned to knots as my eyes moved across the spikes that lined the room like guards at attention. There had to be fifteen of them, each one standing five feet tall.
A single bead of sweat trickled down my face, and I couldn't contain the shiver that ran through me as I looked at Edward's severed head. His eyes were glazed over, and his skin hung off in strips from where it had been hacked away from the rest of his body. Next to him, a long line of members of the Blood Brothers, men I recognized from our various meetings—all ruthlessly killed.
I turned to face Adrian, his face paling as his gaze traveled from one head to the next.
I spoke through clenched teeth, the room hushing in anticipation of our responses. Everyone's eyes seemed to bore into us, prying for any sign of emotion. “You bitch.”
The disapproving stares from the rest of the castle bore into me. Salenia had thrown down a challenge, daring me to defy her with every look, but I refused to be baited. As much as I wanted to take Salenia on here, I knew better. She’d just possess another body. Then we wouldn’t have any way to track her movements. But this display would lose us all credibility.
“You don’t like it?” Salenia asked, her lips curled up in a smug smile as if she was presenting us with a gift. I clenched my fists and felt my nails biting into the skin of my palms. Fury welled within me as I imagined all the terrible things I would love to do to her if I could.
A low growl reverberated in my chest. “What the fuck!” I gestured at their heads, averting my gaze. I was no stranger to bloodshed, but this was different. We knew all these men; they were loyal to us.
“You sent him to find Sebastian.” She pursed her lips and pointed at Edward’s head. “I couldn’t have that.”
The corners of my mouth involuntarily twitched, and my cheeks heated. Adrian’s knuckles turned white as he balled his hands into fists and fixed Salenia with a hard stare. “Why kill them all?” he asked, as the room fell into a heavy silence.
“Because I can,” she said, as if that was any kind of explanation.
The nobles hesitated to move as they watched. Until now, they feared us, but Salenia more.
