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It was past time I focused on my own goals—escaping this prison and finding a portal.

Whilenotwatching Runa as several of Gamma cell’s predators eyed the wench, I was determined to make the most of my incarceration. There were plenty of beings here who could provide me with the information and resources I required to go home. Since the torque disabled my ability to use compulsion, I’d need to get creative.

“Talk to me, sweet, and I’ll take you on a trip you won’t soon forget,” I demanded of the senseless female before me.

At this rate, I’d be the leech they accused me of being. In Gamma cell, drugs and alcohol were in short supply, making vampire venom a commodity.

The thought occurred to me… I was whoring myself.

I’d done far worse than this in my youth. The short time I’d lived in Carcerem with my mother hadn’t been kind nor easy. The impoverished slums were especially hard on young vampires. The mortal realm wasn’t much better. Except there, I was top of the food chain and stood a better chance of surviving on my own. At least this task I found more pleasurable than most.

“You mentioned you were one of the king’s seers for a time,” I said.

“Oh, I was. One of his best, much to my detriment.” Her expression grew haunted. “Seers who tell the truth don’t last long in his court.”

“Tell me, what was it that heralded your banishment to the pit?” Perhaps it was something I could use.

She rolled out her bottom lip. “I tried to warn King Idris that his end is nigh. That the prophecy is true. The rightful king will soon reclaim his throne.”

Nothing useful, then. What the hell did anyone care about prophecies? At any given moment, there were usually hundreds of mystical forecasts circulating. A seer’s ability to see the futurewas even worse than a meteorologist’s ability to predict the weather.

“Idris’s so-called fate doesn’t concern me. What do you know about portal magic?”

The seer eyed my mouth, then stroked her finger along the column of her throat. “Quite a bit. If you’re willing to pay.”

I exhaled an aggrieved sigh. Might as well get it over with. I enjoyed feeding from the servant, savoring Runa’s reaction. Those violet eyes locked with mine while I drank from another woman, the sorceress’s spicy scent deepening. I’d noted the way she’d squeezed her thighs together while pretending she was unaffected.

This, I would not enjoy.

I crooked my finger, and the woman’s eyes lit up. She moved closer with the intent of wrapping her arms around my shoulders, and I shoved her hands away. “No touching,” I commanded.

“But—”

Quickly, I sank my fangs into her flesh. Her stench was nothing like the sorceress’s delicious fragrance. One sip, and I released the seer’s throat.

The woman moaned, running her hands down her body. “Oh, that’s nice,” she gasped then stiffened, her muscles turning rigid. “Flark. Not now. This will totally ruin my buzz.”

I studied her strange reaction. “What’s happening?”

The seer’s eyes turned fully white, and her head fell back. She gazed up at nothing.

From her gaping mouth, a strange voice emerged.

“When twin moons collide, the fallen king will rise.

Upon that span, a hero of gold shall bring a shift of power.

The mountains will quake, and the land will roar with vengeance.

Siblings will battle as the mighty tree weeps.

Only one will survive.

The Chosen One.”

Suddenly, her head snapped up, and she grabbed the front of my tunic. Face pale, she stared at me with glowing eyes, gasping, “The Chosen One.”

Seers and their bloody visions. Again, she babbled about Idris and the threat he faced from some fallen king. According to the woman, this was the sort of thing that had landed her in prison. I could understand why. No king appreciated threats to their rule. If there were any truth to her prediction, perhaps I would have investigated further, using it as leverage against Idris. That was, if I had planned to stick around, which I didn’t.