A cheer rose among the gathered vampires, and I shuddered.
“Light the incense,” Roman commanded.
Moments later, the thick, cloying scent of lavender laced with something bitter filled the space.
Roman cleared his throat, speaking once more about the horrible acts perpetrated against them in Her Majesty Queen Marguerite’s name.Iwas the one who had performed every single act he named.
With every passing moment, the thick sense of dread that had settled in my stomach worsened. A century ago, Roman had been teetering on the brink of insanity. Evidently, his time in the tomb had thrown him over the ledge. He was stark-raving mad.
I was the prince of this entire gods-damned kingdom. Did he not consider the fact that Mother would be rather… displeased if he killed me?
Obviously, he didn’t care.
I would have devoted more time to thinking about his insanity, but a ruffle of fabric came from next to me. Though my eyes still refused to open and my body remained incapable of moving, my senses perked up. Luna’s scent flooded me, stronger than before.
Every single one of my nerves screamed out for her. My fangs were an aching, burning presence in my mouth, and my shadows pulsed to life, writhing within my veins.
It was as though her nearness was bringing me energy. Life. The Binding Mark burned on my wrist, and I knew that somehow, the Tether was keeping me alive.
Roman was still speaking, leading his people through a chanting prayer where he called and they repeated. Their voices grew in fervor until all of them were screaming at the top of their lungs, begging Ithiar to rain blessings upon them for the gifts they were about to bestow upon him.
That dread within me twisted, a churning monster in my veins. I should have driven stakes through each of their black hearts over a century ago, Mother’s wishes be damned. Beings like this—vampires who had no morals, ones who lived by their own twisted code of honor—had no place in this world.
I was so busy cursing the events that had led us here, I barely registered another shifting of fabric.
“Sebastian.” Luna’s whisper was a quiet caress and little more than a breath as it brushed up against my ear. Even so, it was the best sound I had ever heard in my entire life.
The vampires began screaming, speaking in tongues as gibberish words meaning nothing escaped their lips. Insane. Every single one of them was insane.
The scent of honey and sunshine grew stronger. More powerful. My fangs ached as hunger coursed through my body. For a moment, I questioned whether this was real. Maybe I had lost so much blood my mind had scattered like ash in the wind.
One of the People of the Night screamed as though her soul was being pulled out of her body.
“Come, Ithiar!” Roman shouted, his voice echoing off the stones. “We beseech you to fill us with your presence.”
Then I felt it. Soft skin smelling of lilacs pressed against my mouth, and my entire body groaned at my Bound Partner’s presence.
Her flesh against my lips was just a touch, but I felt it with every single part of my being. My nostrils flared and the Binding Mark on my wrist burned. My lips parted, and my fangs scraped Luna’s skin.
“Bite me,” she whispered.
I did not hesitate. We didn’t have time for that. My fangs pierced Luna’s flesh, and instantly her sweet honeyed blood filled my senses. Sunshine and light and life itself poured into me. With every passing second, strength grew within me.
A soft sigh escaped her lips, and finally, my eyes obeyed my command to open.
Shit.
This was far worse than I had assumed. Luna was lying on her side, her back to me and her wrist was bent at an awkward angle as she fed me.
We were in an underground temple, and all around us, vampires in black robes were in a frenzied state. I glared at Roman’s massive wings as Luna’s honeyed blood filled my veins.
Every second counted. Soon, they would realize the mistake they had made. They must have thought me already too close to death to drink. It was a mistake I would ensure they regretted.
My gaze landed on a white-robed figure at the back of the temple.
Ciro.
That traitorous, black-hearted bastard. I was going to tear him limb from gods-damned limb before burning his corpse. He would rue the day he crossed the Prince of Darkness.
Less than a heartbeat after I saw the treacherous priest, his gaze flickered up to mine. I knew the moment he noticed me, as recognition flickered in his horrible eyes. He opened his mouth as though to yell, and I drank even faster.
We were out of time.