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I wanted to agree with him. Instead I said nothing, just kept my eyes locked on Rory’s with bold determination.

“Rory, Rory, Rory,” Hadrian’s voice tsked behind me. “Will you please explain to me why you’re keeping Julian from his duties?”

Duties. I fought a derisive snort as I held my stance, unwilling to back down until Rory did.

“The outcast started it,” Rory whined, relaxing his arm.

I let go of the club and turned to face Hadrian.

“There’s no need for insults,” Hadrian corrected smoothly, shifting his gaze from Rory to me. “He’s come back home. And outcastsdon’tcome home, do they?”

I knew the question wasn’t aimed at Rory.

“No, they don’t,” I answered.

Tilting his head, the vampire leader looked back at Rory. “See? We’re all on the same team here.” He brought his pale blue eyes back to me. “It’s time.”

“See you around,” I said with a nod to Rory, then walked by the rows of cages, feeling the fearful gazes of the human captives following me.

“Sorry you got held up by him,” Hadrian said as we walked side by side through the next room of cages. The apology was insincere, only used as a formality.

I kept my gaze forward, not wanting to see the haunted looks of the caged humans. “I expected nothing less. Rory’s always been an idiot.”

“A loyal idiot,” Hadrian added.

A short, awkward silence surrounded us. To an onlooker, we might appear to be friends, perhaps walking off to share a meal together.

We walked into the next room, more cages set into the walls. My footfalls seemed to get heavier the closer we got to the Madness Chamber.

“I must admit, I’m still shocked you came back,” Hadrian said, breaking the silence.

“It had to be done,” was all I said.

“Indeed.”

We entered an area of the fortress I was entirely unfamiliar with.

“I should probably prepare you a bit for what’s about to happen,” Hadrian prefaced. Again, the insincerity of his tone wasn’t hidden. It seemed as if he were gloating.

We must be approaching the Madness Chamber.

Clearing his throat, Hadrian continued. “Typically, in similar instances, the punishment for deserting occurs at the top of the center tower—my personal chambers. The betrayer is placed in a cell made of tinted glass that blocks outmostof the sun. But not all. The roof of the tower opens, and the traitor then suffers a slow burn that can last for several days. It’s excruciating, from what I’ve heard. If the deserter desires to shift his loyalties back to me, salvation is rewarded just before death.”

I shuddered. It was a torture created specifically for vampires. Alice’s spell would protect me from that kind of torture, and Hadrian knew it. Being a daywalker had given me vast privilege during my first stint in Hadrian’s ranks.

“Nobody has ever betrayed me twice,” Hadrian continued. “It’s a tough lesson to learn, but it is effective.”

Up ahead, I could see a small doorway that was bleeding red light. I forced myself to swallow.

“Since that method of punishment would do nothing to you, I’ve had to think outside the box.”

Upon reaching the doorway, Hadrian gestured for me to go in first. I looked at him, not seeking forgiveness or a way out but exuding determination.

“Whatever you have prepared, I will prove my loyalty to you.”For Alice.

Stepping past the threshold, I saw that the red room was about as small as my studio apartment. And it was full of vampires gazing at me curiously. They pushed to the sides of the room, revealing a plexiglass container that had to be at least ten feet high and ten feet wide. Some form of liquid was inside it—I didn’t want to guess what. But the whole thing seemed like something that would be found in an aquarium.

Except it lacked fish.