Page 64 of A Vow of Shadow and Blood

I grit my teeth.

“I have a name.”

He shrugs as he leans back in his seat.

“I don’t care to learn your name. In the end, you’ll die like the rest of them.” I pin him with a look as fire rumbles through my veins and my head pulses.Calm down,I whisper to Athriel. I may want to kill the prince, but the mere thought of Willow brings me back to my plan. One wrong move, and it will be her who suffers—and that’s not a risk I’m willing to take.

I avert my attention back to the window and pretend he doesn’t exist.

“You should probably get some sleep, it’s a long way to the palace.”

I don’t speak again for the rest of the journey, and I most definitely don’t allow myself to sleep.

The weight of the prince’s stare almost makes me squirm in my chair. He watches me like a predator ready to attack at any moment. I avert my gaze, keeping my attention out the window as I try to block out the images of the purebloods he murdered. Beautiful as he is, he’s still a monster.

A gasp falls from my lips as my eyes take in the glittering lights that come into focus. Instinctively, I shift forward, my gaze fixed on the silhouette as we draw closer. From my place in the carriage, I can just about make out the outline of the palace. There must be at least a hundred lights covering it, making it stand out against the dark backdrop of the night. The high stone walls tower above us, reducing us to tiny, insignificant dots, while the slopes and peaks of its roof fade into the starlit sky. I hate to admit it, but it’s beautiful.

“It existed long before the war.”

The prince’s voice makes me jump, the rough sound of it filling the tiny space between us. I hate that I want to know more.

“Who built it?”

I can’t take my eyes off it. I thought the bloodhouse was big, but this is something else. Something magical. I cannot imagine what lies within its walls.

“You wouldn’t believe me,” he says.

I turn to face him and find his dark gaze on me. He’s goading me, but I’m not about to take the bait. I shrug.

“Probably not.”

I spend the rest of the journey shamelessly gawking out the window as he watches me. His gaze is a constant presence, sending prickles up my neck. As we draw closer to the palace, its details become clearer, the starlight casting a gentle, icy glow over its walls.

The prince makes haste to exit the carriage and leaves the door open for me to follow. I climb out cautiously and am surprised when there is no one there to greet us. As soon as we are on the grounds, the female and the carriage disappear back into the night.

I tilt my head back, my eyes sweeping up the length of the building. It’s tall.Too tall.If I kill the prince tonight, as I plan to, then I need to be able to get out. I only hope I won’t be too high up when that occurs.

“No servants to greet you?”

He ignores my quip and moves in silence toward the alcove entrance of the palace, and reluctantly, I follow behind him. It’s so quiet that I find myself peering into every shadow, wondering if something might jump out and attack me. I move faster until I’m at the prince’s side.

When we reach the large, curved doors, I notice two figures pulling them open. Their shadowy silhouettes are the sameas those that killed the purebloods at the bloodhouse, and instinctively, I freeze.

“They only kill on my command.”

My eyes lift to the prince’s.

“Oh, really? I feel so much safer now.”

He shrugs.

“Don’t do anything foolish and you’ll be fine.”

He takes long strides up the stairs, passing through the threshold into a large foyer with ceilings that stretch so high I have to lean back just to see them. It’s every bit the dark castle that I imagined it to be, with shadowy passages that lead to only the gods’ knows where.

“How many of them are there?” I ask casually while I examine the gray stone walls that line the foyer, along with the intricate patterning that seems to weave itself throughout the entire space. I hate to admit it, but it’s breathtaking. I’ve never seen a design as grand as this. The bloodhouse was pretty to look at, but this is out of this realm.

“Many,” he says, clearly reluctant to divulge any further information.