When Sebastian spoke again, his voice was gravelly. “When the moon was high, I knew I was going to die on that pole. I prayed to Isvana, begging for help. The rest of the camp was under strict orders not to speak to me, and despite my pleas, no one came. I drifted in and out of consciousness. The last time I woke, something was different.
“I could barely pry my eyes open, and every beat of my slowing heart reverberated through me. I was so close to death, I felt it calling my name. Then I sawher. Skin as white as the snow dusting the mountain tops. Long black hair piled on her head. A red ruby at her throat. The dress she wore was so incongruous with the rest of the army camp, I thought her to be an angel. She glided through the square, her movements too fluid to be real.”
Everything within me tightened. My heart pounded, and in my mind, I saw the scene Sebastian described as though it were right in front of me.
“The queen?” I whispered.
His hand tightened around my own. “The queen,” he confirmed. “I’d never seen her before. I hadn’t even known she frequented the camps. But there she was. I groaned, and the sound must have caught her attention. One moment, she was gliding away, the next she was right in front of me. She crouched, reaching out with her cold hands and touching my face.”
I remembered that touch, the scrape of her nails against my skin, and I shivered. Nothing about Queen Marguerite seemed kind.
Sebastian sighed, still lost in memories of the past. “She asked what I did to deserve this, and so I told her. What else did one do when faced with a queen? After that, she seemed to think for a moment before surprising me. She had an offer, she informed me. One that could change my life forever if I accepted it.”
He turned, wrapping his wing around me as he brought us face to face. “It was the last choice I would ever make.”
It always came down to choices.
“She Made you,” I whispered.
“After my first Feeding, my power grew.” He shook his head, holding out his hand as shadows swirled above his outstretched palm. “When the other vampires heard of what I could do, they grew afraid of me. Of what I was. Who I was.”
“The Prince of Darkness,” I whispered. “Is that where the rumors came from? Walking through shadows and ripping out the throats of anyone who dared cross you? Draining entire villages?”
He tilted his head. “They’re not all rumors, Luna. I’m not a good male. I’ve seen plenty of death and caused even more of it. I deserve the name they gave me.”
“Sebastian—”
He cut me off. “Sometimes I wonder why I was Made. Why didn’t I just refuse her offer? I could have died on the pole like a good soldier. I was a decent male, once. But now… I don’t know what it means to be good anymore.”
After that, it seemed like Sebastian ran out of words. His wings curled around us both, cocooning us from the outside world as he stared at the Binding Marks on our wrists.
I didn’t even think he knew he still held my hand.
We sat there on the cold stone as the sounds of life in the castle filtered through the closed door.
Outside of our room, people continued to live. There was shouting. Footsteps. The occasional flapping of wings and a bird’s cry. But in here, it was quiet.
How did the two of us end up in this same place at the same time? There were so many factors that went into our arranged marriage. So many moving parts that all had to line up at once.
Maybe this was my fight. Maybe this was the reason I needed not to give in to the numbness that still pushed at the edge of my consciousness.
Inhaling deeply, I met his gaze. “What if we were both brought here for a reason?”
“What do you mean?” Sebastian stopped rubbing our Binding Marks and looked at me.
I shook my head. “I’m not sure, but I can’t help but feel as though there is something else here. Do you believe in coincidence?”
The vampire prince laughed, the sound bitter. “Darling, I don’t believe in anything except Isvana and Ithiar, and even that belief is thin at times.”
“There must be a reason,” I said, firm in my conviction. “Look at what you just told me! You shouldn’t be here. Neither should I. If I had been in that room, I would be dead.”
Instead of Julieta.
“And?” He raised a brow.
“And yet, we are.” Emboldened by my thoughts, I pushed myself to my feet. He watched me as I stood, brushing out the wrinkles that had taken up residence in my clothes.
“Come on, Sebastian.” I held out a hand. “Let’s go.”
He stared at my outstretched hand. “Go where?”
“The library.” Glancing out the window, I nodded resolutely. “It looks like we have a few hours of moonlight left. Tonight, we will continue our research about the Tether. And tomorrow, we’ll begin our search for Julieta’s murderer.”
His wings rustled, and for a moment, I thought he might not come. Then he stood, taking my hand. Silence stretched between us as his shadows enveloped us both, moving us to the library.
Our hands remained joined the entire time.