Page 31

I fled the dancefloor.

The kings’ attention burned into my back. I didn’t run, but only just. If I ran, they might ignore their own countdown.

But I certainly couldn’t. Unlike at last night’s harvest feast, Luc had somehow tied the shadowed numbers to me. No matter which way I turned, they were there, blinking in the corner of my visions.

18:31.

18:30.

18:29.

Shit. Fuck. Shit.

I quickened my pace. A hundred curious eyes flickered to me as I wove through the revelry, slipping between tables stacked with food. Had we passed these on the way in? I had never had this much issue navigating a crowd. Normally I could see over everyone’s head, but all the vampires towered over me. Even the shortest Azarasian women were my height.

It didn’t matter. I aimed for Dawnspear, the castle looming ahead impossible to miss. Eventually I’d find a door. At this point, even a window would do. For once, I wouldn’t care if the courts laughed at me as long as they didn’t get to watch their kings fuck me.

Fuck me.

It was finally happening. I’d always known it would. I thought I’d have another three months until my birthday and harvesting. I thought it’d be with a stranger. Some unknown vampire who wouldn’t introduce himself or care about the pain stabbing through my core. Who’d just grab my head and plunge his fangs into my neck as roughly as his cock split me open. My only hope had been that his venom would numb both my illness and my inexperience at once.

And it would have. But I didn’t even need a vampire’s venom when the soothing rune on my arm kept the aching, clenching, throbbing agony away.

Instead, I was a bundle of aching, clenching, throbbing need .

I spotted an open door and nearly cried out in relief.

The high-ceilinged hall was empty of vampires and thralls, the runelights lining the walls between the murder art dimmed. I hesitated, nibbling at my lip, a jittery buzz rattling through my bones. Left or right?

Since the right hall overlooked the terrace, left won the competition. I started down the corridor.

16:37.

16:36.

16:35.

I picked up the pace. If I didn’t have a plug in my ass, jolting through me with every step, I’d probably be running. I didn’t even care what that would look like, given I was practically naked. There was no one around anyway. I turned a corner, heading deeper into the castle—

And walked into a wide hall full of writhing bodies.

My jaw dropped. I’d heard the noises, the moaning and groaning and wet slap of flesh, but I had thought it all echoed in from the terrace and garden. Bodies twisted together on sofas and cushions lining the walls, pressing into each other in alcoves and shadowed corners. Vampires. Witches. Humans. All tangled in sin.

And my only way out was through.

I swallowed. No one turned. No one acknowledged me. I doubted they would. They were all… busy. I breathed in, then out. I could do this. Keep my eyes forward, move fast, and get out.

16:01.

16:00.

15:59.

I weaved through the depravity, my gaze locked ahead. Around a dark-haired female vampire riding a male witch, a goblet of dark red blood wine still clutched in her hand. Around a vampire fucking a human thrall into an Azarasian on her knees, his fangs in the thrall’s throat. Around two male vampires sharing a red-haired woman, both their massive cocks thrusting into her as her eyes rolled back, body limp—

I ripped my gaze upward. The kings didn’t plan to do that to me tonight, did they?

When Luc had slid the plug into my ass, he implied it would happen soon… but soon wasn’t tonight, right? I couldn’t go from a virgin who’d had three whole orgasms in her life—two of which happened in the last twenty-four hours—to taking both of the kings at once.

I veered around a mass of too many bodies to count—

And met a pair of familiar blue eyes.

Una.

I hadn’t seen her since we arrived in Dawnspear. A silver-eyed vampire had her pinned to his chest, his fangs in her neck over her iron collar. They were on their knees, bodies rocking together. Una moaned, her fingers clutching his forearm, as a golden-eyed woman approached. The Dawn vampire stroked her cheek.

The man pulled his fangs from Una’s neck and nipped her ear. “Lick my beloved’s cunt for me, pet?”

Una didn’t hesitate. She slid her hands up the vampire woman’s thighs, gripping her ass as she leaned forward, licking a slow, eager path between her legs. The vampire sighed, fisting Una’s golden hair as she sucked and nipped—

Wicked, sinful girl . I rushed the last few steps out of the hall, shaking my stepmother’s voice out of my head. What would she really say, if she could see the perfect Una now, eagerly eating out one vampire while another fucked her? Would her tone be horrified? Judgmental?

No.

It wouldn’t be either.

If my stepmother were here, she’d be a sinner like the rest of us. Her veins would be flooded with a vampire’s venom. It didn’t matter how holy she thought she was. Una was just as pious— had been just as pious.

And now she was a blood thrall, a vampire’s eager whore.

Like I would be before the night ended.

I shuddered, but the tension between my legs built. I slid my hand between the chains of my skirt, pressing down, as if pressure alone could offer relief.

Instead, I only soaked my fingers.

I whimpered. Stars, a part of me wanted the kings to find me. Wanted them to bend me over the nearest chaise and make me theirs forever. I couldn’t tell if it was the soulbond or the kings’ venom clouding my mind.

Maybe it was both.

Worst of all, maybe it was neither.

A high-pitched scream of ecstasy rang out behind me. I ripped my hand away and strode forward, pulse hammering. I was still far too close to others. I had no chance of finding my way to the kings’ apartment, but there had to be somewhere empty. Maybe if I went up a floor?

A melodic laugh echoed through the hallway. I stiffened mid-step, but the countdown ticking away in the corner of my vision forced me to keep moving. Ahead, two black-haired vampire females cuddled on a wide sofa, one’s skin a lighter olive and the others a deep golden brown—

Bright gold and silver eyes swung toward me.

Roxiana and Isabeau. The general’s sword leaned against the couch’s arm, her burgundy pantsuit with gilded buttons discarded in a puddle on the floor. Roxiana hadn’t removed anything, but her gown was little more than rubies strung together, smudged silver swirls painted into her skin.

I stared at them.

They stared at me.

11:42.

11:41.

11:40.

“Stairs to the apartment are that way,” Roxiana said, breaking the silence. She pointed to the end of the hall, slightly to the left. “When you’re up two floors, head south until you reach another staircase. Stay on that one until you reach the apartment.”

I opened my mouth. Closed it. Opened it again. I didn’t know these vampires. They’d never addressed me directly before. They were the kings’ trusted councilors, but my comfort with my new soulbound didn’t extend to their friends.

Fuck it. They couldn’t punish me for speaking my mind. “Why are you helping me?”

“Why not?” Roxiana shrugged. “It doesn’t harm anyone or hinder my kings’ plans. Besides, I doubt you’ll make it to the second staircase.”

The general stroked a hand down her beloved’s shoulder. “Might be a better idea to stop at the lounge next to it. Those stairs can be hard on the knees.”

I gaped. Isabeau simply watched, unreadable, but the corner of Roxiana’s lips twitched. The smirk mirrored Luc’s perfectly, the family resemblance uncanny. My stomach flipped at the sight.

But unlike her nephew’s, Roxiana’s easily grew into a full-fledged smile. “Tick-tock, bride.”

I jumped at the words and rushed down the hall. Roxiana’s laughter followed me past runelight after runelight.

At least she hadn’t lied.

A stairwell opened to my left. I all but lunged for it, biting my lip as the plug shuffled within me. Two floors up, the pulsing music from the revelry had faded slightly, the moans and laughter dampened beneath it.

Now to go south… But without the stars to guide me, I had no idea which way was south.

Moonlight streamed through open balcony doors at the end of the hall. I still had a little over ten minutes, more than enough time to check and orient myself. Worth the risk if it got me closer to privacy.

I rushed to the end as quick as I could and swung into the open air—

And met six widening gazes, each belonging to a witch, their irises rimmed with the faintest line of shadow.

The Isauran delegation.

I stared at the witches.

The witches stared at me.

“Oh.” When Jules said the Isaurans were watching from a balcony, I had assumed he meant under guard, but there wasn’t a vampire in sight. “Sorry, wrong door. Obviously. I’m just going to—”

I cut off and backed away before I blubbered more stupidity out into the world.

“Nessa, was it?” On the other side of a stone bench, Exalted Morrena leaned against the balustrade, hands folded in front of her. Like the Azarasians below, the Isaurans were dressed in red to celebrate the Blood Star’s rising, but here the color felt different.

Somber.

Like I’d walked into a funeral.

“Uh, yes?”

“You are without king, council, or guard?”

I awkwardly turned to glance behind me, but the hall remained as empty as it was when I walked through it. A shiver prickled up my spine. “Maybe? I doubt they’d just let me wander the halls alone.”

Morrena’s unnervingly young face remained unreadable, but her gaze dropped to my collar. “They would if you wore some of the most intricate defensive spells I’ve ever seen.”

I stiffened. My fingers brushed along the collar, the cool metal grounding me. Was that supposed to be a reassurance? A threat?

Morrena noticed my wariness. “My collar is marked with an obedience rune drawn by the Conqueror himself. We were all ordered not to harm any Azarasian or their property, so I can’t hurt you, Nessa.”

An obedience rune. Not a thrall runespell.

Why not? Thrall runespells didn’t just enforce obedience. They bound the bearer to the Impire itself, limiting movement, decisions, even thought. That would’ve been a far more effective way to control a powerful witch.

Was it because of the allegiance runespell? Did the two interfere? Was that why the kings needed her to surrender?

Not that it mattered. Morrena had just implied she’d kill me if she wasn’t wearing an obedience rune. That wasn’t at all comforting.

Neither was the time.

8:49.

I swallowed, the flutter in my stomach returning to the forefront of my mind. Over half my time was gone, and I hadn’t made it far, the revelry right below us. “Um, I should go. The kings will be… following me soon.”

“Hunting you.” Her words made me stop again. “I’m aware. I’ve been watching.”

I flinched. Of course she had. That was why the Azarasians had left them here. Ordered them here, no doubt.

I hesitated. “I’m… sorry.”

“What for?”

“That they make you watch.”

Morrena nodded slowly, her gaze returning to the balcony’s edge. “I have visited the Azarasian capitals every three years since they conquered us centuries ago. They always make each Exalted Daughter or Son watch after delivering a harvest.”

8:01.

My stomach dipped. More than half my time was gone, and I’d barely made it anywhere. But I couldn’t stop myself from asking. “How? You look fifteen. From what the kings told me about wraiths and the everlife runespell, I didn’t think witches had found a way to be immortal yet.”

“We haven’t.”

My brows raised. “Then how…?”

Her expression didn’t change. “My sister developed a runespell that powerful female witches can cast when pregnant. When it’s time, we… transfer into the new body, and our old one dies. The kings graciously allowed me to cast the soulshift spell sixteen years ago.”

“That— I— Wow.” I took a step closer, my curiosity burning brighter than even my desire or fear. “Why?”

She shrugged. “I assume the Imperium will keep me alive until they find Allegra or confirm she’s dead.”

Allegra. The sister Morrena and the kings had spoken of last night. The one responsible for gifting a harvest full of witches wearing the everlife rune to the Azarasian court nearly four hundred years ago. “Your sister, right?”

Morrena nodded. “In that, you and I are similar. We are both here suffering because of our sisters.”

A chill slid through me. My heart pounded, but I held her gaze. “How do you know that?”

“I asked the right thrall,” Morrena said simply. “I wanted to know more about the human woman who will be the Queen of Dusk and Dawn.”

I stiffened. So they’d figured out what happened earlier. “I’m not a queen.”

“You are according to Azarasian law,” she said. “Soulbound heartmates share one fully merged soul. That means you share every title with your husbands.”

My husbands ? I wasn’t touching that. It was somehow worse than them calling me their wife. “I couldn’t even decide what to wear tonight. I doubt I’ll rule much of anything.”

Morrena’s lips twitched. “Your bond is new. Right now, it’s lust and obsession. But one day, you will own the Kings of Dusk and Dawn’s hearts and bodies as much as they own yours. I’m sure you’ll resist, but soulbonds are inevitable.”

I closed the final few steps to Morrena’s side and looked over the balcony’s edge, heart pounding, mind racing. Vampires feasted and fucked and fought, a sea of beautiful faces, glittering dust and too many rubies. “What point are you trying to make, Morrena?”

The Exalted Daughter finally turned, her hazel eyes piercing. “You’ll have something no human has had since the First Godsfall. You’ll have power .”

I barely breathed. “And what are you expecting I do with this power—?”

The music below cut off mid-note.

Silence crashed over the revelry. I stiffened, but no one below was looking at us. Every Azarasian had turned to the grand staircase, their collective focus locking onto one figure standing at the top.

Jules.

The King of Dawn grinned and raised his hands with a flourish. “Don’t you all look fabulous tonight?”

His voice rippled through the terrace and garden, amplified by a rune I couldn’t see. The courtiers tittered and simpered over the compliment, even coming from the Butcher King.

“We have a treat for you tonight, my friends.” Jules paced the top step like a performer on stage. “One better than even last night’s harvest and worthy of our Red Queen’s Rising.”

The crowd’s attention shifted to the open doors behind him.

A vampire woman in a flowing crimson gown emerged, two gilded leashes raised in her hands. The chains trailed down to eight thralls, collared, gagged, and dusted in gold, moving in unison behind her.

My pulse slammed into my ribs.

Jules kept speaking, his tone light, indulgent. “When Lady Renée came to us a hundred years ago and asked for twenty Maboni from our harvest, I laughed in her face. We had never claimed over two humans ourselves.”

The woman descended the steps, her thralls following obediently. They were led past the buffet to a circle of eight poles surrounding a low table lined with empty goblets.

Jules smirked. “But Lady Renée had a vision—a delicacy bred across centuries, perfected by the discerning hand of its mistress.” He gestured grandly. “She is quite the salesman.”

Luc strolled to Jules’s side. “Her expertise in genetics didn’t convince you, Julien?” The words were dry, amused. “I’m shocked.”

Jules waved a hand. “This isn’t the Colloquium, darling. This is a revelry. And revel we shall. Tonight, my friends, you will be the first to sample Lady Renée’s long-awaited vintage.” His golden eyes gleamed. “And should you find a favorite—well, she’ll be accepting bids until midnight.”

Bids.

On humans.

Bred. Sold. Like livestock.

My stomach twisted, nausea surging.

Lady Renée slid her finger along the leashes’ ends, and the chain clattered to the floor. I expected at least one thrall to try to resist, but each moved with lowered heads to stand before the poles. The moment they stopped, their collars snapped back, locking their heads at an angle that exposed their necks.

I couldn’t look away.

A vampire stepped forward, tray in hand, holding eight slender, curved instruments gilded in gold and etched with tiny runes. Soothe. Endure. Stream. Lady Renée plucked one without hesitation and clasped the chin of the gagged thrall before her.

I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t move.

All I could do was watch as she plunged the curved device into the first thrall’s throat.

My stomach seized, nausea clawing up my throat. The thrall flinched—just barely. A minuscule shudder that his soothing runes and servitude didn’t let him complete. But his eyes flickered wide, some discomfort remaining. His mouth worked against the gag, but no sound escaped.

The only noise was the slow, wet drip, drip, drip of blood filling the goblet below.

A tap.

Lady Renée had added a fucking tap to his throat.

I slapped a hand over my mouth, bile surging at the back of my tongue. The woman beside him was next. Then the next. Each new snap of metal sent shocks through my bones, my vision blurring.

None of the thralls fought. They stood limp, blank-eyed. They would continue to stand there, bleeding, until the vampires drained them dry.

Lady Renée lifted the first full goblet and turned, approaching Jules. She bowed low. “It’s only fitting you have the first taste, Imperium.”

Jules plucked the goblet from her grasp and inhaled, breathing in the scent of the fresh blood. My stomach twisted.

He lowered the goblet and offered it to Luc. “After you, darling. I’ve already gone first so many times this week.”

Luc took the goblet from Jules and brought it to his lips. His throat bobbed as he swallowed down the blood. When he pulled away, his tongue flickered out to catch a missed drop on his lips.

My horror burned into something twisted and sick and wrong. Because I couldn’t look away from Luc’s tongue catching that stray drop.

Because I still wanted him.

And that made me feel worse than anything else.

Luc exhaled, considering. “A smooth vintage. Rich, decadent. Well worth the effort, Lady Renée.”

Jules snatched the goblet back and took a sip. “Hmm. That’s amazing.” The King of Dawn raised the goblet. “May the Red Queen and her court reign over another year of prosperity and health in our lands. Long live the Impire.”

The crowd raised their goblets in unison.

“Long live the Imperium.”

A thousand voices.

A thousand monsters.

Jules lowered his cup and turned his head.

His eyes locked onto mine instantly. “Now you’ll have to excuse us, my friends.”

My breath hitched. I jolted back, the enchantment of his voice shattering.

4:14.

4:13.

4:11.

The King of Dawn winked. “We have a bride to hunt down.”