Page 65 of House of Darkness (The Fallen Star #1)

“Never mind that humans have endured this for thousands of years. They have been hunted for sport and intimidated for the amusement of vampires. Girls are forced into slavery and tortured for vampires' benefit, with no one speaking up for them. I intend to be that voice.

“But that isn’t what concerns you, after all.

You aren’t human, so why should you care?

Vampires have been hurt by the same systems. Vampiresses mistreated in favor of acolytes.

The cruelty of more affluent vampires hurts those beneath them.

Those with no title or house struggle to survive and starve.

Division among the houses restricts vampire rights, chokes the economy, and harms us all.

I plan to work with Roman to eliminate these issues and help us all step into a new age of prosperity.

You don’t trust me right now, which is to be expected, but I plan to earn that trust in flesh and blood—of your enemies and my own. ”

There was no reverent applause. Only bone-chilling silence remained as my people gaped at me. Silence I could accept; it meant there was opportunity. I didn’t bother bowing; instead, I turned my back to them and plopped into my throne.

Absolutely remarkable, Your Highness, Roman purred.

Hopefully, it’s enough.

Roman remained standing, stepping forward for both of us. “Now that’s out of the way, let’s get to what you all came for.”

The crowd’s immediate switch to savage anticipation was electric. Bloodthirsty creatures indeed. Catina and Enso stepped forward, their hands behind their backs, waiting for Roman’s word.

“Something was stolen from me in an attempt to commit treason against the crown.” Roman stepped behind Codran without looking at him.

“We do not accept thievery of any kind. I invoke my right per Article One and Four to challenge anyone who attempts to steal from me in a fair competition. This includes anyone involved in the theft. Therefore, Codran, Iliya, and Gregor of the Bursuc House, you are hereby challenged to a fight to the death.”

The crowd roared to life like a pack of wolves locked onto a kill.

They didn’t care who was right or wrong; they craved bloodshed, and Roman was giving it to them in a way that reminded them exactly why he ruled.

He turned his back to the crowd and removed his suit jacket, draping it over the back of his throne.

Methodically, he undid his watch, removed his tie, and unfastened the first button of his shirt.

He pulled the two blades from his hips and set them atop the pile.

It was wrong, but I couldn’t tear my eyes away from him. I bit my lip, and his eyes heated as he noticed my expression. Make them pay.

Of course, Your Highness.

He turned back to the crowd and stepped off the dais.

The crowd parted before him, forming a tight circle around the room.

A cage, I realized. Catina and Enso dragged Gregor out first, unchaining him and leaving him in a trembling heap.

The glow of the torches reflected off his greasy red hair, making him look even more garish and hateful than I remembered.

I resisted the urge to shudder. I’d remember those psychotic eyes for the rest of my life.

Fortunately, now they would only live on in my memory and the memories of others he had hurt.

“You broke into my home, stole from me, and conspired to kill me and mine. For this, you are convicted of treason and will be sentenced to death.” Roman’s voice resonated like a death knell through the savage room.

Gregor opened his mouth, but only a jumble of words emerged. A cord of horror struck through me as I realized exactly what had caused that. It was easy to forget the sheer power of the man who shared my bed, but in moments like this, he was terrifying.

Gregor didn’t stand a chance. Whatever Roman had done to him had left him a mere shell of the man who had kidnapped me that night.

I didn’t blink when Roman tore his head from his shoulders.

I didn’t wince as that head rolled across the floor, fiery hair sticking to the stone.

It was the only time I’d ever seen that face devoid of hatred; his expression was frozen with terror, experiencing the same emotions he had cursed others with.

Roman’s stony expression didn’t falter for a second as Catina dragged the body away. He methodically rolled up the sleeves of his shirt. “Codran next.”

I dared a glance down the line at my sister.

Solaris was watching me, her expression unreadable, but I understood.

There were no words to explain the feeling of witnessing Codran’s chains fall to the floor.

Watching him stand and face death, knowing his time was short.

There was no fear, no sadness—only acceptance.

To his credit, he didn’t cower before the demon now stalking toward him. He looked Roman in the face and smirked. “I hope every time you bed her, it leaves the taste of me in your mouth.”

Roman’s face remained stony, even as the very foundation of the house shook. The stone beneath his feet cracked like ice under the pressure. The crowd’s fear was palpable as they experienced their tsar’s wrath.

“I have had a long time to dream of all the ways I would end you. Since I learned who took her, I fantasized about how I would bathe in your blood—a pint for every drop of hers spilled.”

His attack was so swift I didn’t even see it—I only knew what happened because of the ensuing bloodshed. He raked his talons down Codran’s face, across the mostly healed eye I had punctured. Before I even blinked, he was standing back where he started.

He raised his hand to his lips, sliding that demon-like tongue over the blood coating his fingers. “Revenge is so sweet, don’t you think?”

Codran clutched his face but didn’t flinch. Instead, he lunged forward. “Fuck you, you—”

He dropped to his knees, his bone-chilling scream filling the awestruck room as Roman revealed his powers. Roman’s face twisted with rage, his eyes locked on the count’s writhing body. I could only imagine the horrors he was now enduring. Actually, I could, because I had lived it at his hand.

Roman stepped toward Codran. “The best day of your miserable life was the day you stole my tsarina’s light. I plan to take it back, even if I have to carve it out of your flesh.”

And he did just that. He didn’t need his blades; his claws were enough to slash through him.

Codran didn’t even process the pain; he was trapped in the nightmares now playing in his head.

Silence enveloped the entire, drawn-out event.

Yet Roman continued, extracting every second of pain and terror Codran had ever inflicted on another, forcing him to endure his own sins over and over again.

Once Codran sat in a pool of his own blood, Roman positioned himself in front of him, splattered with crimson like a garish painter. His face remained carved with that cold, unfeeling expression as he crushed him. Blood poured from Codran’s orifices, and he crumpled.

The man who tried to destroy me was gone, as if he had never existed to begin with.

It took several minutes before the floor was clean enough for Iliya to be released.

Roman returned to my side, his bloodied hands tucked behind his back.

I stood close enough to him that I could curl my hand into his, not caring about the filth between our skin.

Another evil wiped from the face of the earth by my angel.

He smiled at that.

Are you ready?

Yes.

“Please bring Iliya forward,” I called.

I set my tiara in my chair and picked up Roman’s twin blades. Turning to Iliya, I found her standing meekly on the floor still stained with her lover’s blood, tears welling in her eyes. It was almost enough to make me feel bad for her. Almost.

I stepped off the dais, and she turned to run. The wall of vampires caught her and shoved her back to me.

“Iliya, you conspired to kidnap and torture me to overthrow the crown. You are a defector, a thief, a liar, and worst of all, a traitor to your fellow woman. For this, I sentence you to death.”

My feet continued their steady march forward, and I basked in her fear when she finally turned to face me. She pointed an accusatory finger at my hands. “You’re cheating. It’s not fair if you have weapons and I have none.”

My lip curled in response. I threw one of the blades to her. “There. Wouldn’t want anyone to think this isn’t fair.”

Then I lunged. I narrowly dodged the swipe of her blade before slamming my own into her ribcage. She screamed and tackled me.

It felt like being kicked by a horse. I managed to press the serrated outer edge of Roman’s karambit to her throat, struggling to hold back her snapping jaws, even as blood trickled down my arms.

She caught her blade against my shoulder, slicing through my beautiful dress and leaving a trail of gore. I saw red.

“This was a gift, you bitch!”

I slammed my knee into her groin and wriggled from beneath her. Albeit not gracefully, I crawled away and scrambled to my feet. Before Iliya had a chance to rise, I fisted her hair and dragged her backward.

She kicked and screamed, but my grip was like a vise. Thankfully, I had been training for this moment. I forced her to her knees and pressed my blade to her throat.

“See you in hell.”

I thrust upward. Blood sprayed across me, ruining my dress, and her body slumped in my grip until I remembered to release her.

The crowd erupted in bloodthirsty cheers.

Just as I’d thought, they appreciated my savagery.

I felt nothing as I looked upon the corpse of the woman I had just murdered.

It was then I realized why darkness always seemed to follow me.

Unlike my sister, who radiated light, darkness lived within me. I just had to choose to unleash it.

My focus shifted to my tsar. He sat on his throne next to mine, his eyes darkened with lust. I could only imagine what twisted thoughts swirled in that messed-up little head, and the thought made me smile.

I stepped over Iliya, nearly tripping on her hair, and ignored the applause for my wickedness as I made my way back to him.

He was ready for me when I pressed my lips to his, disregarding the gore that covered us.

The demons that had haunted my nightmares were gone, and I wanted to celebrate with the love of my life. We could worry about the rest later.

Roman picked me up and spun me, oblivious to our audience.

For a moment, the room melted away, consumed by our darkness.

Then he set me down, and reality returned.

He took my hand and thrust it into the air.

The cheers were rabid, and I couldn’t tell if they were for us or the evil we had committed.

“Thank you for your continued support of the crown. Please enjoy the evening. There are drinks and music for your enjoyment.”

Roman spun me onto the dance floor. It was a special kind of twisted to dance on a floor stained with the blood of our enemies, but I didn’t care. He moved us expertly, allowing others to bow out of our way.

“I’m sorry I ruined my dress,” I said as he dipped me back.

He drank me in hungrily before responding, “I think it’s an improvement.”

As the song ended, I caught sight of my sister against a wall. Somehow, she seemed completely comfortable amid the soirée of vampires, though that may have had something to do with the guard dog named Catina at her side. She watched me with a smile on her pretty face.

I turned back to Roman. “I’m sorry, but I think I’ve found another dance partner.”

“Have fun with your sister, Your Highness. Just know I’m devouring you later.” He kissed me, swirling his tongue against mine before releasing me.

I walked to Solaris and held out my hand. To her credit, she was unaffected by the blood as she took it. She led the way, as she had my entire life.

“Kind of crazy, huh?” she asked.

“What?”

“Last time we were here, we were being sold off as acolytes. I told you then you were lucky to have been chosen by the tsar,” she smirked. “Turns out I was right. As usual.”

“True. You also used to say you’d catch the attention of a high-ranking vampire. I think you succeeded.” I winked at her, and she blushed after casting a sideways glance at Catina.

“For two acolytes, we aren’t doing half bad.”

She spun me, then I her, our pacing perfectly in sync. “That’s because we aren’t acolytes. We’re the tsarina and her advisor.”

She laughed, the sound a beacon that drew light to her beautiful face. I noticed the freckles splattering her cheeks from time spent in the sun. She’d never had freckles before. “Advisor? The royal council won’t know what hit them.”

“We’ve already got two wrapped around our fingers. Just imagine the chaos we can cause,” I laughed.

“Imagine the good we could do, Es.” For the first time in a long while, her eyes sparkled with daydreams, and she hummed happily. This time, though, she was dreaming bigger than either of us.

“The good we will do, Sol,” I corrected. She smiled, her brows set with determination.

As the song came to an end, Solaris kissed my cheek. I couldn’t imagine a better place after vanquishing our demons than by my sister’s side. Together, with our new family, we would be unstoppable.