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“I am afraid your country is under attack,” he said.

“By whom?” I demanded.

“Alaric of Hela,” said Gavriel, who entered behind Tanaka. He was clad in armor and dirty; even his hair, usually blond, looked almost brown. I was surprised by his sudden appearance in our room and crossed my arms over my chest. “They invaded in the night. I suppose they took your father’s long absence as an invitation. Though that is not the worst of it.”

“What is the worst of it?” I demanded.

“Alaric has been turned,” he said. “And so has his army.”

Adrian and I exchanged a look. We both knew who was responsible.

Julian.

Of all the kings to turn, I had not expected Alaric. He had never petitioned Adrian and had been vocal about his dislike for my father’s surrender.

Adrian rose from the bath, water streaming off his skin.

“Give us a moment,” he said. “As you can see, we are not in a state to entertain this news. We will meet you in the council room shortly. Summon Daroc.”

“And Killian,” I added.

“Of course, Your Majesties,” said Tanaka.

They bowed and the old man cast a furious look at Gavriel before they departed.

“You are surprised,” Adrian said as I got to my feet. “You did not expect this behavior from Alaric?”

“No, not in the least. He has never supported vampires of any kind. When my father decided to surrender to you, he was the most vocal against it.”

“Sounds like Julian swayed him,” Adrian said and grew quiet.

“Or forced him,” I said. “Do you think Julian is using Alaric?”

“Yes. Hela is a large country with a large army. Likely Julian will allow Alaric to lead until he grows tired of him. Then he will kill him…but by then, he will have an army big enough to come after me.”

I let Adrian’s words sit in the silence between us. All I could think was that we had to stop him at Lara.

“What are we going to do?” I asked, though I did not expect a quick answer. Revekka was in a fragile state, not only due to Ravena’s spells but the shifting loyalties of its people, who grew wary of our leadership day by day. Still, I had to defend my kingdom. Lara was mine by right, and I would be damned if I witnessed a king of the Nine Houses take what was mine.

Adrian looked at me, the tips of his fingers caressing my cheek.

“We will fight for your throne.”

Twenty-Four

Adrian

My gaze strayed to Isolde as we made our way to the council room. I worried for her and all the change she had seen in such a short time. I had been the catalyst for all of it, but she stood beside me, stoic and proud and beautiful, giving no hint to the internal turmoil of her mind, which I heard as her thoughts raced from Lara to Sorin, from Ana to Ravena, from her own power over magic to her power over shifting to when she would fully know her potential as a vampire.

She worried about me and she worried about Dis.

I could offer no comfort, save that I would not leave her side, but that all depended on how long Dis allowed me to be…me.

As I thought about the control she might leverage, my teeth clenched so hard my jaw ached. I could feel her influence now and then, teasing the edges of my mind. That was how I knew she was unhappy with me—she had never attempted to control me before, but I had done something she did not like, though what exactly it was remained to be seen.

Gavriel, Tanaka, and Killian waited in the council room.

“I apologize for what happened earlier,” said Tanaka as soon as we entered.