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Before me, the heavily secured gateway loomed, its massive metal doors carved with the image of a stout tree with five thick branches. A jagged fracture sliced through the trunk.

The keeper of the gateway hobbled forward. His long robes hung from his narrow shoulders. With gnarled fingers, he twisted multiple dials, aligning the sacred emblems. Gears whirled, bolts slid free, and the doors glided open on their heavy track, parting the splintered trunk. At its center, a glowing fissure appeared—a violent tear between worlds.

Unlike the magic-infused portal that had once brought me here, this gateway was a scar—a remnant of when our kind had battered their way into this unsuspecting realm. Though I had little understanding of what made it work. One thing I knew for sure. It only worked in one direction. I could not use it to return to the mortal plane.

From the opening, a strange energy sparked over my skin, crawling like a thousand fire ants. The Arbor Realm’s gaping maw was eager to consume me.

This was it. No one would arrive to save me from this travesty of justice.

But what of loyalty? Some would ask.

My men. My soldiers. The warriors whoseloyaltyI’d paid handsomely for fled the moment the Council seized my assets. Those who sympathized with my plight dared not challenge the Council and magister on my behalf.

As for family? I had none. No mate. No younglings. Nobody to inherit my confiscated legacy. The so-called legacy I’d bled, begged, and bartered to achieve. I’d made sure of it, never claiming a Bride in all my years. Although I’d been tempted a time or two. But only for political reasons. Neverlove. Never would I fall prey to that tender emotion. Love made males soft. Weak.

Vulnerable.

And so I stood.

Alone.

Masking the rage that boiled behind my carefully crafted mask, I strode to the gateway. Clad in nothing but tailored slacks, a collarless shirt, and an embroidered jacket, I was ill-prepared for the unpredictable elements in Carcerem. My long white hair was a beacon to predators. While I carried no weapon, at least my hands were unbound.

Tiberius dared to meet my heated gaze. “Victor Custodis, do you have any final words before you enter the gateway and accept the repercussions of your crimes?”

I turned my head slowly. In a low voice intended only for my nemesis’s ears, I whispered, “I know who you are and what you’ve done. Soon, they will, too. When that happens, they will turn on you as they have on me.”

Tiberius leaned in, his breath a whisper of venom. “I know you as well. You’re nothing but a filthy gutter rat. The bastard son of a whore who cheated his way to the top. It’s no wonder they’ve abandoned you. It’s past time someone returned you to the slums of Carcerem, where you belong.”

No one here knew of my shameful past. That Tiberius didenraged me. Could it be he hailed from that same disgusting land?

Fury seethed in my gut, searing a path up my chest, refusing to be contained. In a rare burst of emotion, I lunged at Tiberius, snapping my hands around the monster’s throat. Before I could enjoy his pained expression, electricity jolted up my spine. The guards beside me nailed me with their energized rods. My muscles seized, my limbs no longer my own.

“Again,” Tiberius snarled.

Fire licked my nerve endings, sapping my strength. My body convulsed.

“Again!”

My blood boiled. Liquid trickled from my nose and eyes as my fangs tore into my lips.

“Magister Steel, enough,” barked an aged voice. “If we wanted him dead, we’d have ordered his execution.”

“Fine then,” Tiberius conceded. Quieter, for my ears only, he snarled, “Watch that first step. I hear it’s a doozy.” To my guard, he commanded, “Send him through.”

The guard slammed his foot into my stomach, and I plunged into the portal.

Swirling lights flashed in my vision. Icy fingers ripped at my flesh. Pressure built in my head, spikes driving into my eardrums. I spun in a vortex. I had vague memories of the sensation of being everywhere and yet nowhere while plunging through space. Nausea twisted my innards. My brain spun inside my skull.

Just when I feared the torment would never end, it stopped.

I windmilled my arms for balance, my legs wobbling. Sunlight stabbed my eyelids, its harsh light searing my skin. If I’d been a youngling, my pale vampire flesh would have fried on the spot. Fortunately, age had its benefits. Once my vision adjusted, I took in my surroundings.

“By the gods!” Vertigo washed over me, and I reeled back. Far below loomed the forest floor. Beneath my feet was a narrow, twelve-inch ledge. The portal had deposited me on the side of a cliff. The rift between realms was now a solid wall of rock with no sign of the gateway.

Dizziness threatened to pitch me over the edge, and I locked my knees in place. My limbs, weakened from the guards’ rods, barely obeyed. I swiped my hand under my nose, eyeing the crimson streak on my fingers.Fucking Tiberius.

He thought to be rid of me so easily? Anger ignited my being, and I glared out at the foreign landscape. Without my title, my wealth, or my connections, I might as well have been dead. Power was everything, and at the moment, I was less than worthless. I hadn’t spent centuries rising through the underworld ranks to have my many achievements stolen.