Just when I thought things couldn’t get worse, a door banged nearby. The vampires stopped talking and the air itself seemed to vibrate with anticipation. Footsteps filled my ears, and that knot in my stomach twisted further. A shadow fell upon me.
A breathtakingly beautiful tall male stood at the foot of the altar. Two large wings, like Sebastian’s, stretched behind his back, and his chiseled features looked like they were cut from stone. Curly blond waves rested above his neck, and obsidian eyes took in the room. Like the others, he wore a robe, but unlike theirs, his was a deep crimson red. He oozed power and violence, and instantly, I knew him to be their leader.
Behind the imposing vampire, a white-robed figure walked into the temple. Keeping their head down, I couldn’t make out their features as they went to stand at the back of the room.
The winged male stepped forward, clearing his throat. That was all it took. As one, the gathered vampires bowed at the waist. The only sound in the room was the erratic rhythm of my heart against my ribs.
“Good,” the leader purred, a wolfish smile on his lips as his black eyes landed on me. “I see the mortal has been prepared.” He raised his voice. “Nostro, we’re ready for you.”
The same vampire who had complained about being a pack mule entered the space, still carrying his large bundle. Nostro walked towards me, placing the canvas on the altar next to me.
He sneered, reaching into his cloak and pulling out a dagger. I gulped, inching away from the vampire, but instead of moving towards me, Nostro cut the bindings on the bundle until the canvas fell away.
“Excellent,” the leader said. He stepped in front of me, his wings fanning out and hiding the altar from the other vampires as Nostro took his place.
Something propelled me to turn my head to the side. My eyes widened as I stared at the bundle that the vampires had brought with them.
Except, it wasn’t a bundle.
My lungs tightened and breathing was no longer possible as I stared at the space beside me. A foot away, lying on the stone altar as though he was simply sleeping, was Sebastian.
His face was pale—far more than normal—and his hands were folded eerily over his chest, where…
A wooden stake rested in the center of his body.
My heart quickened, and bile rose in my throat.
Dead.
He was definitely dead.
Gods.
I was right.
He was dead, and…
Stop. My brain forced me to look. To analyze. To understand.
If Sebastian was dead, why was his skin still pale? Why did he look the same? My mind flashed back to what he had told me in the library.
Sebastian was staked, yes, but there were no black veins running from his heart. He looked as devastatingly handsome as ever. As though he was simply sleeping.
Was it possible they had missed his heart? That they had staked him and just… assumed he was dead?
A laugh almost bubbled up within me.
The winged vampire began speaking in a tongue I didn’t understand. His voice echoed through the temple, but all my focus was on Sebastian.
Please, I prayed to any god who would listen.Give me a sign that he’s still alive.
At first, nothing happened. The blond vampire’s voice grew louder. I stared at Sebastian. Even in this state, he was so perfect it hurt to look at him.
Despair began to take root within me.
Just as I was about to give up, his chest rose. It was a barely there flicker of movement, but it was all I needed. Hope squashed the despair, and I sucked in a deep breath.
My mind raced as I stared at Sebastian. A plan began to form in my mind. It was quite possibly the worst idea I had ever had in my life, but it was something. And right now, it was all we had.
Please Kydona, let this work.
Moving with as much slowness as I could muster, given the obvious time constraints, I inched my way toward my vampire prince.