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“Right away.” The guard races from the room and we follow after him. Me, my father, Mom, Orlena, Oretta, Oraya, and Orana. Stone walls blur and the only thing I can seem to focus on is the blood dripping from the cloth the minotaur is holding. Vampires. Why would they do this?
I stopped what my father was planning. There’s no reason for them to do something like this… but then again, there was no reason for my father to escalate things the way he had planned. Maybe the vampires are just as ambitious. Maybe the furies offered them something to motivate them. Maybe they realized what we planned to do and decided to strike first.
Or maybe Hecate ordered them to deal with us the same way she dealt with Echidna. Hecate only did what any good parent would do. She killed the thing that threatened her children’s lives. And now the monsters are threatening her children. If she consulted with the furies, or the furies asked for her permission to use her vampires, I doubt she’d try to save us.
The goddess protects her own creatures.
We round a corner and enter the main hall that runs through the south wing. This is the most decorative hall in the entire castle, but it’s not the ornate objects that catch my attention. It’s another bloodied scrap of green silk, identical to the fabric of my shirt. I drop to my knees and pick it up.
Her dress was torn.
It’s slick with blood. She must have fought. I dig my fingers into the fabric, hating how vulnerable she is. How vulnerable I let her be. The first thing I should’ve done was teach her how to fight. Even I know those skills wouldn’t get her far when facing off with a vampire. She needed a weapon. Even still. She would have been taken.
I sniff the fabric. It’s not Daisy’s blood. A harsh breath leaves my chest. I feel for her through the bond, but all I get is faint indications of distress. Relief floods through me. She’s still alive. For now. They wouldn’t take the future queen only to kill her. They want to use her.
“Orcus,” Mom murmurs, placing her hand on my shoulder.
They ransacked that village but we got there in time to keep them from totally destroying it. I fought with them. I severely injured a few, and they did the same to us. But why take my mate? She’s innocent. The furies want their vengeance, and I thought they were above these things, but with Hecate’s blessing, the vampires might do anything within their power to make moves.
If they take out the monsters, they stand to inherit our territory and whatever other blessings Hecate and the furies promised.
Dammit. This is my fault.
“She’s gone?” Orana asks.
“No.” I shake my head.
“Yes,” Oraya whispers.
“No.” I grind my teeth together. They took her because of me. They took her, and I don’t know if I’ll ever get her back. The thought of losing her, it’s too much. A world without her smile, a world without her kiss, a world without her fingers curling around my tusks. I can’t do it. Nothing matters if she’s not here. The throne, the castle, the whole world doesn’t make sense without her.But she’s gone, a nasty voice whispers inside my head. A fissure cracks open my rib cage, exposing vital organs. Agony like I’ve never felt stabs straight through my heart, choking me and the breath I’d been taking.
Agony twists in my gut. “NO!” I slam my palms onto the stone floor and suck in a sharp breath. My shoulders heave. The fabric is so soft in my hands. I stare at it.
She’s gone.
And I’m going to do whatever it takes to get her back. My father steps back when I rise and turn on him, probably expecting another punch. I hold my hand out for the other scrap of fabric and the minotaur drops it into my hand. I clutch the pieces of her dress and glare at my father.
His brow furrows. “I’m so sorry, Son. I never thought it would come to this.”
“Call the soldiers together.”
He tips his head. “This will start a war. You didn’t want that.”
“That was before. Things have changed.”
“Orcus, please,” my mother says, but when I glance at her, she can’t find anything else to say.
“I know you don’t want this, and neither did I, but what they did can’t stand. I have to get her back.” And make those blood suckers pay for what they’ve done. I’ve avoided the furies’ wrath, but all it did was put Daisy in danger, and now I’ll take the full fury of Hecate and any consequences that might come if it means getting Daisy back.
Nothing will keep me from her.
My mother drops her gaze and nods. “I know,” she whispers.
I glance at Orlena. “You’re coming with me.”
She straightens and takes a warrior’s stance. “Anything to get Daisy back.”
Finally, I look back at my father. “I guess you got your war,” I mutter before shoving the bloodied fabric against his chest and storming away.
