Page 164 of A Vow of Shadow and Blood

He hands her the blade, and just as he did mere moments ago, she slides the sharp edge against her hand, letting the droplets of her blood mix with his in the bowl.

“With our blood we honor.” The words are repeated as she hands him back the knife.

The ceremony continues with Karius calling up each noble house. Only nine of the original houses remain, as two accepted offers to merge with other courts. In their place, four new houses from neighboring courts have joined. The ceremony stretcheson for far too long, and I fight the urge to close my eyes, only realizing how tired and sore I feel after a week of training, but after the fight with the impures, I didn’t want to miss a day.

“Now, I call upon the heads of each house to join me once again.”

I sit up straighter, my attention piqued as twelve individuals rise from the crowd and make their way to the dais to join Karius and Celeste. The human girl returns, this time with golden cups that she hands to each of them. I watch in anticipation as they all dip their own cups into the bowl before raising them to their lips. Iza lifts her cup to her mouth, but her wide eyes meet mine in a desperate plea that I don’t understand.

“With our blood we honor,” is repeated seconds before they all drink the contents of their cups. If I hadn’t experienced the intoxicating effects of Karius’s blood for myself, I may have turned up my nose, but my stomach knots for an entirely different reason when I see Celeste smiling up at him. My fists clench at my side, and I search for Athriel’s voice, but just like it has been for the past two weeks, it remains silent.

Suddenly, all their heads tilt back as though a hand tugged at them, and shadows shoot from their mouths, creating a thick black mass that meets in the air above them. The shadows twist and merge, moving through one another at dizzying speed, forming a massive cloud of darkness before splitting apart and retreating to their sources. All but Karius gasp for air, as if he’s intimately familiar with his own power, while the others struggle to grasp it.

A huge smile fills his face as the nobles begin making their way back into the crowd. As Celeste goes to join them, he grabs hold of her hand, pulling her back toward him, as two human guards block Iza’s path.What the hell?

“Not you, my betrothed.”

She smiles at the endearment, but confusion fills my gut.

Karius eyes the crowd, his gaze darting around like a feline searching for prey.

“I know that you all are so eager to begin the festivities now that the ceremony is complete, but I wish to begin them here.”

The members of the crowd hum their approval as excited murmurs pass through the room.

“You all have no idea how long I have waited for this moment. Centuries have come and gone, and I could only envision the day when I would take my rightful place.”

Silence ensues as everyone begins exchanging confused glances. Ajax shifts uncomfortably next to me. Karius’s eyes fall on me for a second, and he smiles at me oddly. There is something in the expression that I recognize, yet it feels strange.

“What’s wrong with him?” I whisper to Ajax, but he shakes his head as his eyes remain on Karius’s tall figure.

“It amazes me that you all claim to know your precious prince so well, yet I have slipped in and out for so long, and you have been none the wiser.” He turns his attention to me. “Not even you, his dear human mate, could see it.”

A chorus of gasps rings out across the room as I feel the weighted stare of eyes upon me.

“You don’t know me,” he says, addressing the crowd. “In fact, you were created to destroy what came from me.”

He laughs at this.

“The gods thought that they could contain me, but look at me now. Perhaps a clearer view will help.”

He pulls Celeste to him and sinks his fangs deep into her neck. He rips a chunk of flesh from her throat before throwing her lifeless body to the floor of the dais. Someone shouts out at the back, but no one dares to move. The domed window above suddenly fills with a bright light, and the vampires jump back from it, hiding in the shadows of the room.

The rays of light coat Karius in a warm glow, and he tilts his head back and smiles. “Sunlight,” he says, breathing it in.

A hiss comes from a couple of vampires at the back, and I turn to find them trying to get out, but the door is blocked by a human. No, I gasp as I spot the dark eyes and veins that sit beneath their eyes.

“Bring the girl up here,” Karius says, and I only just realize that the two guards who were blocking Iza are impure. They grab hold of her arms and drag her to the dais, throwing her down in front of Karius. I step forward, but Ajax grabs my arm. My eyes flicker to Willow next to him, but she just looks on in horror.

“Come, don’t be afraid.” He beckons to Iza. She scrambles to her feet. “Isadora here is by far the most intelligent among you. It burns me to know that she is not one of my children. Tell them what you discovered, my dear. All of it.”

He pushes her roughly to the front of the dais, and her eyes land directly on mine, an apology swirling in them.

“I…the gods…” She sounds nervous.

“Would it be an incentive if I started killing your friends?” he purrs.

“He’s not Karius. Not anymore,” she says, and the entire room seems to collectively suck in a breath. My eyes fall on him, and my heart sinks. “He’s a demon, the one that the gods imprisoned before they disappeared.”