Page 4

Chapter

Four

E nzo

Dimitri and I left Keir’s sprawling Garden District estate, the Court of Thorns, its wrought-iron gates creaking shut behind us. It had been three days since the battle at St. Christopher’s Church and graveyard. We’d been beaten and were exhausted. I wanted to search for Angelo, but our injuries ran deep and we had to secure the fallen. I hoped I hadn’t made a mistake. With Angelo gone, the responsibility was mine alone to bear.

The ornate mansion loomed against the darkening sky, its white columns stark against walls that had aged to the color of bleached bone. Somewhere inside those walls, Valentin lay fighting for his life, Rose’s pale fingers surely entwined with his as she maintained her vigil. Even from here, I could sense the heavy darkness of old magic working through the vampire’s wounds.

Ancient oak trees draped in Spanish moss lined the circular drive, their branches creating dark archways that seemed to watch our departure. None of us spoke—what was there to say? I was leaving one of our own behind in an Unseelie king’s domain. Even with Rose at his side, and even though vampires were notoriously hard to kill, the decision sat like lead in my stomach as I walked away with Dimitri and Gianna into the humid Louisiana night.

Keir’s healer could keep Valentin alive, but not for long. His wounds were too great, even for the Unseelie healer to cure. His only hope was Serenity, and who knows where the demon Balthazar took her. I suspected she was in hell, far away from our help. But not all hope was lost; there had to be a way to rescue her.

“At least Valentin’s safe with Keir—that’s the only good news in this mess. My father’s probably already started his purge at Crescent Manor, working his way through Angelo’s loyalists one by one.” Dimitri’s dark eyes met mine. “You know how creative he gets when someone refuses to kneel. And he’s had years to perfect his methods.” He ran a hand through his hair, a rare show of agitation. “The real question is how many are left alive to torture.”

Gianna frowned. “You don’t think he would hurt Elena, do you?”

My jaw clenched as acid churned in my stomach. Elena. She’d found me at my darkest moment after being turned, showed me there was more to being a vampire than bloodlust and violence. The only mother I’d ever truly known. If he laid a single finger on her...rage burned through my veins, my hands curling into fists until my knuckles went white.

Dimitri stopped and lifted her chin. “My father’s a monster, Gianna. He’s obsessed with being king, and anyone who stands in his way he would cut down without hesitation.”

“She’s like the mother I lost.” Tears slid down Gianna’s cheeks.

“I know.” Dimitri gathered her in his arms. “We’ll protect her. I swear.”

The tenderness between them led my thoughts to Joy DuPont. Ever since Angelo first assigned me to watch over her, I’d been captivated. Night after night, I’d followed her through the streets of New Orleans as she searched desperately for any trace of Serenity. She had no idea I existed, no clue that a vampire enforcer lingered in the shadows, making sure she stayed safe. The determination in her emerald eyes, the way she refused to give up hope of finding her friend—it stirred something in me I thought had died centuries ago.

Now she was out there somewhere, probably terrified, possibly hurt. And she still didn’t know me, didn’t know I’d been the one protecting her all those nights. The thought of her in danger while I dealt with Petar’s political games made my fangs ache with frustration.

Maybe if I freed Angelo and Serenity, I’d find her too. At least then she’d finally understand why I’d been there all along.

But first I had to save Elena. She wasn’t just a mother to Gianna. She was Mother to all of us. If Petar hurt her…

“We need to go.” I didn’t wait for them to follow as I drew on my vampire speed, becoming nothing more than a breeze to human eyes.

I whirled through the streets and down Bourbon, my chest tightening as Crimson Stakes came into view. Memories sliced through me like silver blades—Joy’s tenacious face as she handed out flyers in front of our casino, her voice trembling with hope as she asked about Serenity. Then the deafening explosion had erupted from within Crimson Stakes, sending glass and debris hurling outward as flames engulfed the structure.

I’d thought she was safe outside when I rushed in to investigate the fire. That was the last time I’d seen her. My throat burned with guilt. I shouldn’t have left her alone, assuming she’d stay put. Some protector I turned out to be.

My steps faltered at the sight of Crescent Manor. This was my home—where Elena had taught me to control my bloodlust, where I’d finally found peace within these antebellum walls. But now...

The guards’ movements made my skin crawl—rigid and precise, like dancers trapped in a music box. When I caught sight of their black eyes, bile rose in my throat. Possessed. These weren’t strangers—they were my brothers-in-arms, my family. Lorenzo, who’d spent countless nights training with me. James, who always had my back in fights.

My hands trembled with fury and dread. How could I fight through my own people to reach Elena? And how many more waited inside, their bodies puppet shells of the friends I’d known? My fangs descended as I struggled to keep my rage in check. Elena was trapped in there with the hollow shells of our family.

I sensed Dimitri and Gianna behind me. I shouldn’t have brought her. Angelo would kill me if something happened to her. “Dimitri, you and Gianna should wait. I’ll handle your father.”

“Like hell you will,” Dimitri appeared beside me, his usual smirk replaced with a hard line. “He’s my father, my mess to deal with. And in case you’ve forgotten, I’ve had years of practice handling his particular brand of crazy.”

“Gianna—”

She glared at me and held up her palm. “Don’t start on me, Enzo. I’m not leaving her unless I know that Elena is safe.”

There wasn’t time to argue. As Angelo’s enforcer, I had final say on operations, and I wasn’t about to let Dimitri’s hotheadedness compromise this one. I edged closer, my voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. “Keep your cool, Dimitri. If anything happens to Gianna due to your temper, you won’t have to worry about Angelo. You’ll have to deal with me first. We go through the side of the house near the garage.”

Dimitri’s eyes flashed with defiance, a cocky smirk playing at the corner of his mouth. For a moment, I thought he might challenge me—typical Dimitri, always pushing boundaries. Then the smirk faded, replaced by a reluctant nod. He might be reckless, but he wasn’t stupid enough to cross Angelo’s right hand.

“Fine,” he muttered, checking his weapon. “But when this goes south—and it will—don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“Stop.” Gianna elbowed him in the ribs. “Go on, Enzo.”

“The guards are possessed—under either Balthazar’s or Petar’s control,” I warned. “We need to incapacitate without killing them. One wrong move, and we could lose both the possessed and the ones we’re trying to save. We get everyone out that hasn’t fallen under their power, but we have to be careful not to let them raise an alarm.”

“What if everyone has…” Gianna’s voice was softer than the wind blowing around us.

I met her sad gaze, trying to project a confidence I wasn’t entirely sure I felt. “Then we find Angelo and Serenity. They can break this spell.”

Dimitri frowned, bitterness reflecting in his eyes. “How do you know this? They couldn’t break away from Dracula and Balthazar at St. Christopher’s.”

“Because I believe in Angelo. If anyone can find a way to break their hold, it’s him. Maybe you need to find some faith.” The words came out sharper than I intended, born of frustration and fear for those trapped inside.

“Faith isn’t in my vocabulary,” Dimitri grumbled behind me, but there was something raw in his voice, something that hinted at too many betrayals.

“Maybe it should be,” Gianna said softly.

I pressed my back against the side wall and eyed the doorway, waiting for a possessed guard to come out and face me. Petar wouldn’t want to face me himself. He would rather send someone he felt was expendable in order to save his own skin. The gravel crunched softly under my feet as I crept toward the door.

A woman’s agonizing scream spurred me into action—shit, Elena.

I burst through the side door. Two possessed guards flanked Angelo’s secret room, their black eyes locking onto me. I grabbed the closest one and slammed his head into the wall. He crumpled. Beside me, Dimitri had the second guard in a headlock.

Gianna pounded on the door frantically. “Elena, Elena.”

Angelo had entrusted me with this secret, meant to be used only when absolutely necessary. Besides him, I was the only one who knew how to open this door. My fingers curled as the spell word surfaced in my mind. “ Reserare .”

I swung open the door.

My heart shattered at the sight. Elena—my mother—strapped to a chair like an animal. Her beautiful face was swollen and bloody, her perfect hair a tangled mess. Blood stained her white shirt. Rage roared through me, my fangs descending as a snarl ripped from my throat. Every mark on her body was a promise of vengeance. The false king would pay for touching her. He would pay for breaking her.

“Petar,” I barreled toward him as he stood over her chair, his fingers twisted in her hair as he snapped her head back. “Stay away from her.”

“Guards,” Petar yelled as he stepped away from Elena. He ran over to the wall and grabbed a sword.

A guard stood between us and Elena, his sword glinting under the room’s dim lights. I focused on the blade, watching for the telltale shift in stance that would signal his first strike. Over his shoulder, I caught a glimpse of Elena shaking her head frantically.

“No, mon petit , you must leave me. He’s... He’s cast a spell on me. You cannot help me.”

Behind me, I heard Gianna’s determined voice. “We’re not leaving you, Elena.”

The guard lunged. I drove my fist into his gut, the impact so hard he folded in half with a sickening crunch. The sword clattered from his grip into my waiting hand.

The door behind me burst open. Another blade sliced through the air near my face as a second attacker entered. I spun to meet this new threat, and in that split second, my heart clenched—Pascal, Angelo’s new chauffeur, one of my own enforcers. He must have abandoned his post outside. Those black, soulless eyes stared back at me from a face I’d shared drinks with just last week.

“I don’t want to kill you, Pascal.”

His black eyes gleamed as he grinned. “I’m stronger than you are, Enzo.” He lunged, blade aimed at my heart.

I twisted away from the strike, rolling over his extended arm and bringing the blunt edge of my sword down hard on the back of his neck. He collapsed.

“Get away from her.” Dimitri’s savage growl made me spin around.

Petar had materialized behind Gianna, his sword pressed against her throat. “Stay back or I’ll splatter your clothes with your mate’s blood.”

My heart stuttered. Gianna. The sword at her throat made my hands shake with helpless rage. The smallest mistake and her blood would coat these walls. As the king’s enforcer, her protection was my sworn duty. More than that—she was family. And I was about to watch her die because I’d failed again at the one thing I was meant to do.

Dimitri pulled back his lips, the light glistening off his sharp fangs. “Let her go, Dad.”

“I don’t think so.” Petar had his back up against the wall, using Gianna as a shield. “Everyone here now works for me except for the damn housekeeper. She wouldn’t conform so I had to make an example out of her.” He pressed the sword deeper into Gianna’s throat, nicking her flesh, a line of blood dripped down her throat. “Stay back or she’s dead.”

Dimitri’s eyes suddenly turned black, his fangs dropping as he took a step forward. I grabbed his arm before he could get any closer—even a twitch and Petar would slice through Gianna’s throat.

Tears glistening in her eyes, Gianna stared at Dimitri. “Dimitri, please save Elena.”

“Let her go.” Dimitri strained against my grip, his muscles coiled to strike.

My fingers dug into his arm. “Control yourself or you’ll get us all killed,” I muttered in his ear. Once his breathing steadied, I shifted toward Elena. She swayed in the chair, her wrists raw from the restraints.

“Please don’t harm her.” Elena’s voice cracked as a tears slid down her cheek.

I moved toward her, keeping Petar in my peripheral vision. My fingers worked at the bindings, feeling each knot give way. The rope was slick with her blood where it had cut into her skin. Behind me, I could hear Dimitri’s controlled breathing—a predator barely restraining himself.

“Almost there,” I murmured, glancing over my shoulder at Petar. His eyes tracked my every movement, calculating. I knew that look—he was waiting for a moment of distraction, a split second to strike.

The final binding fell away. Elena’s arms dropped limply to her sides, and she slumped forward. I caught her weight, helping her to her feet while keeping my body between her and Petar.

“Go, Elena,” I said, guiding her toward the door while maintaining my defensive stance. “Now.”

“No. I won’t?—”

I brought her close to me and lowered my voice to the barest whisper against her ear. “Go to Sangue Reale . Wait for my signal.” The thunder of boots in the hallway set every instinct on edge. “They’re coming.”

The Sangue Reale was Angelo’s houseboat hidden deep in the bayou. Not many people knew about it, and I doubted Petar would immediately think to look there.

“Run, Elena,” Petar smiled. “You’ll soon be dead anyway.”

Elena hesitated at the doorway, her hand gripping the frame as she looked back at Gianna. When she finally turned away, her sob echoed through the room. The sound of her footsteps faded toward the back door.

A fleeting sense of relief washed over me. At least Elena was safe—one small victory in this endless night. I allowed myself one deep breath, my shoulders dropping slightly as I turned back to Gianna. Now we just needed to get her out too, and then we could put this hellish place behind us.

The moment shattered as black-eyed guards poured through the doorway like a tide of shadows. I met Dimitri’s gaze for a split second before the first blade swung at my head. We’d fought together enough times to know we weren’t leaving this room without Gianna.

But Petar backed toward a hidden panel in the wall, dragging Gianna with him. “One step closer and I’ll end her.” Blood trickled down her neck where his blade pressed deeper.

“Dimitri, go,” Gianna whispered. “Please. I’ll stay. Just save Elena.”

Three guards rushed me at once. I slammed the first into the wall, but the second’s blade sliced across my ribs. Dimitri was surrounded by four more, his movements becoming desperate as he tried to reach Gianna.

Petar yanked her through the panel. “Come find me when you’re ready to kneel, son.” The wall sealed shut with a terrible finality.

“No!” Dimitri’s anguish shout shook the room as he fought to reach the panel, but more possessed guards kept flooding in.

Every instinct screamed against retreat, but we’d be no help to Gianna if we died here. I grabbed his arm. “We have to go. Now.”

For a moment, I thought he’d fight me too. Then his shoulders slumped, and we ran, plowing over every guard in our way. I threw bodies left and right, hearing them crash against walls and crumple to the floor as I carved through them. Dimitri matched my pace, his rage leaving its own path of destruction. Petar’s laughter followed us through the halls of what used to be my home.