LUNA
The faint streams of orchestral music filtered through the ornate doors, and I tightened my grip on Sebastian’s arm. He leaned over, his wing brushing up against my shoulder, as he drew me closer to him.
“Are you ready?” he asked quietly.
I eyed the door, considering his question. Was I ready? Not really.
This massive throne room was the last place I wanted to be. I did not want to face the leering eyes and gleaming fangs of vampires that probably wanted me dead. I did not want to deal with Sebastian’s mother, nor did I want to dance.
I wanted to curl up in a ball in bed and cry, because my life was going from bad to worse. But I didn’t say that. I was a princess now, and this was my duty.
Swallowing all those emotions, I pushed back my shoulders and straightened an invisible wrinkle on my dark crimson gown. It was heavy, layered with multiple petticoats, and felt as though the seamstresses made it to ensure that walking would be nearly impossible. Every time I lifted my slippered foot, it was like wading through mud.
“I’m ready,” I said.
“And you remember—”
“I won’t go too far from you.”
The last thing we needed was for the Tether to cause us problems in front of an entire crowd of people.
“All right.” Sebastian nodded at the vampires guarding the door, and they pulled it open.
I couldn’t help the soft gasp that escaped me.
The throne room had been utterly transformed from the night of our wedding. Purple orbs floated in the air, illuminating the dark space as hundreds of vampires dressed in finery danced to a lively waltz. Everything they wore, from the clothes on their backs to the jewels in their hair, was black. Suddenly, the crimson of my gown seemed much brighter.
A human herald stepped forward. Wearing the livery of the court, the male sported a red ribbon around his neck. Now that I knew what it meant, I couldn’t seem to look away. Twin puncture marks were visible on the herald’s dark skin, and I gulped.
Thank Kydona, he didn’t seem to notice where my attention had gone as he cleared his throat. “Lords and Ladies, please give a warm welcome to the Prince and Princess of Eleyta.”
The music stopped, and as one, the crowd turned towards us. Their eyes hardened, glinting as they all dipped into a mix of bows and curtsies. I glimpsed more than a few fangs as they straightened. None of them made an effort to hide their curiosity as their gazes roamed over me.
On the far side of the room, seated on her obsidian throne, was Queen Marguerite. Dressed in a resplendent black gown, she stared at the gathered vampires as a pair of humans clad in strips of red silk danced provocatively around her. Even from here, death emanated from the royal vampire. A shiver ran through me, and I dropped my gaze, pressing myself closer to Sebastian’s side.
The vampire I knew was definitely better than the ones I didn’t. His hand reached up, clasping mine where it rested on his arm, and together, we walked into the throne room.
Our entrance appeared to be some kind of signal because the orchestra started once more. Sitting in the corner of the throne room, a mixture of humans and elves played a variety of stringed instruments.
My grip tightened on Sebastian’s arm as he led us around the dancers, straight for the throne on the other side of the room.
“We have to pay our respects,” he said in a low voice, his wing curling protectively around me.
To distract myself from thinking about the queen, I looked around the room. I was wrong, earlier. Vampires weren’t the only beings in attendance. In my quick perusal, I noted the long hair and orange eyes of a werewolf, the sparking red magic indicative of a Death Elf, and more than a few humans with their rounded ears and red ribbons proudly on display. Most of them were hanging onto the arms of vampires, who were presumably their partners for the evening, but others were walking from one vampire to another.
Too soon, Sebastian slowed. My ears popped as we walked through what must have been the last ward around the queen’s dais, and my stomach curled. The vampire prince had already explained to me that his mother kept herself warded at all times. The magic kept listening ears out of her conversations, allowing her privacy even in the middle of a crowded ballroom.
I couldn’t even fathom having enough power to do something like that. It just made me fear the queen even more.
“Good evening, Your Majesty,” Sebastian said, bowing.
Pulling my eyes from the crowd, I dropped into a low curtsy in front of the queen’s dais. My heart thundered in my chest and my lungs tightened, causing breathing to become more difficult as I recalled the icy touch of her nails on my skin.
“You may rise, son of my blood.” Queen Marguerite’s voice was as cold as her touch, and I shivered as Sebastian’s hand landed on my arm, pulling me up gently.
He didn’t let go of me. His long fingers ran down my arm, lacing through mine. His touch grounded me as the queen’s assessing gaze ran over us. Her black eyes held the promise of death within them, and I shivered as I glimpsed her fangs.
Pursing her lips, she rubbed the red ruby hanging around her neck. The same two humans who had been dancing now stood on either side of the queen’s throne, their eyes equally lifeless as they stared into the crowd. They unnerved me. Something about these humans was utterlywrong,but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.