AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Of course you can,” I said. The stones were all charged now—they would provide a bit of good luck and protection, and maybe even enhance their intuitive abilities a little. “In fact, you should all keep yours. Consider them my gift to you.”
“Sweet,” Eliza said. She held her carnelian stone up to the moonlight, turning it this way and that. “I think it’ll make a pretty awesome bracelet.”
“You’re going to make it into jewelry?” Nyra asked, sounding intrigued. She studied the clear quartz she’d been given, a thoughtful look in her eyes. “Do you think you could make a necklace for this?”
“Sure.” Eliza waggled her eyebrows at Lucius and Sparrow. “Do you boys want jewelry too?”
Lucius rolled his eyes as Sparrow laughed, but I noticed him tuck the moss agate into his pocket. I turned to see Maximillian smiling faintly as he watched them, and I realized I was witnessing a rare moment of the five of them together, relaxed and with their guard down, laughing and teasing each other the way I always imagined a real family did.
The sight opened a yawning ache deep in the pit of my chest, a wound that had torn into my heart the day my mother hadwalked out of my life and had never fully healed. The desire to belong, to have a family of my own someday.
I’d had glimmers of such things in the past—cautious friendships formed over the years, and a dark passion I’d once mistaken for love. But I knew that true friendship and lasting bonds required the opening of one’s heart, the baring of one’s soul, the sharing of secrets clutched deep to one’s chest.
And the last time I had dared to be that vulnerable, that open, the person I’d foolishly trusted had nearly destroyed me.
As if sensing my inner turmoil, Maximillian’s gaze snapped to mine. His smile faded, and he came to me, stepping through the circle of candles that had guttered out.
“Are you all right?” he asked, his eyes roving over my face.
I blinked away the sting of tears, not wanting him to see them. “I’m fine,” I told him. “I’m just… taking it all in. Tonight has been… a lot.”
“The past few days have been a lot,” he agreed, taking my hand in his. He stroked his thumb across the back of my hand, and some of the ache in my chest eased. “And there is much that needs to be done to prepare you for what’s ahead. Are you ready to begin?”
He will be your guiding light on this journey.Hecate’s voice echoed in my ears, and I wondered if this was what she meant. That Maximillian would be the one to bring me back to myself, to hone me into the weapon I needed to be.
“Yes.” I curled my fingers around his, my resolve strengthening, and gave him a grim smile. “Let’s go end an empire.”
PART II
THE RECKONING
18
Casimir
Casimir Invictus didn’t consider himself particularly prone to vices.
But even he could see the appeal of the Midnight Menagerie.
The Crown Prince of Noxalis lounged in a wing-backed velvet chair, his head tipped back as the thrall in his lap fed him sips of bloodwine from a crystal goblet. His citrine eyes roved over the scene splayed out beyond him—a sensory feast that was a decadent blend of high society luxury and untamed wilderness. High ceilings adorned with intricate moldings loomed above, while lavish chandeliers cast a dim, sultry glow over the patrons. The walls, draped in dark, sumptuous fabrics, were juxtaposed with the verdant lushness of faux vines and exotic plants that crept along the edges, lending an almost jungle-like feel to the opulence.
Interspersed between groupings of couches and chairs were gilded cages elevated on platforms, each one housing an exoticoffering for the clientele to feast their eyes on. In one, a majestic snow leopard, its coat a tapestry of black on white, paced with restless energy. In another cage suspended from the ceiling, a golden eagle perched, his keen eyes scanning the room. And in yet another lay a silver stag, its antlered head bowed as it rested on folded legs that were meant to stretch long and roam through fields and forests.
All of these animals had once been plentiful, commonplace even, throughout Valentaera. But that was before the Eternal Night had descended upon the world, plunging the continent into darkness. Many of the animals that had once roamed the wilds had gone extinct. The only ones left were those who had been saved by collectors like the proprietor of this establishment, who bred them exclusively for those who could afford the extravagant luxury of keeping and feeding an animal that had no practical purpose.
Casimir personally considered this to be wasteful behavior. With such a shortage of food supplies, keeping such animals for vanity was foolish. Yet there was a small part of him that was grateful that the bloodlines of these great beasts, captive though they might be, continued to live on.
Perhaps when technology and science improved, they would be able to find a way to create sustainable habitats for them. So they could exist outside of cages, and bring some semblance of balance to the continent’s necrotic ecosystem.
“Cas,” the vampire seated next to him groaned, a long-suffering note in his voice. “Can you look like you are at leastpretendingto have fun? You’re spoiling the ambiance.”
Casimir turned his head to look at Caelum Stellaris, who was sprawled out on the chaise next to him. The heir to HouseStellaris’s black-and-white streaked head rested in the lap of a thrall who was massaging his scalp, while a second perched on his thighs, hand-feeding him grapes. His midnight eyes were half-lidded with lust, but there was a spark of annoyance in them as he looked back at Casimir.
“You hardly seem to be suffering,” Casimir said, arching an eyebrow. “In fact, I’d say you’re well attended.”
“As are you,” Caelum said, giving a pointed look to the thrall in Casimir’s lap. Casimir belatedly realized that the woman had been running her hands up and down his chest, and had even opened the top two buttons of his collar. He caught her delicate fingers between his before she could unbutton a third, and she pouted up at him from beneath her lashes.
"Is there nothing else I can offer you, Your Highness?" the thrall asked in a breathy voice, presenting her swan-like neck to him. "Nothing you want to… take?"
