“She growled at Kier,” Draven said coolly.
“Don’t antagonize Rynn. You know why she’s on edge.” I leaned against him while holding a hand out to Vail, who took it, intertwining his fingers with mine. “Our guests are doing well?”
“Woke up an hour ago.” Draven wrapped an arm around my waist and tucked me further into his side. “They still look like death but will probably come up for the fun part.”
“Good.” I watched as shapes started to appear on the horizon. “It’s just a waiting game now.”
We fell silent as Carmilla and her rangers drew closer. Rynn had to keep her distance while scouting, but we knew Carmilla had at least a hundred rangers with her. Maybe closer to two hundred. She clearly wasn’t fucking around this time.
When Carmilla was less than a quarter mile away, I stepped back. “Let’s get into position.”
The three of us retreated back inside the temple, which was as silent as a tomb. Erendriel had gotten the wraiths under control. Good. The last thing we needed was to tip Carmilla off. I tried not to think about all the moving pieces of this plan and how many ways it could fail.
If I stumbled now, it wasn’t just my life on the line—it was the lives of all of all those I loved.
I would not falter.
We walked towards the archway that led further into the temple but stopped just short of it. On either side of us, pillars of white stone spiraled from the ceiling to the floor. Only the spirals and a few tables with benches made of the same stone decorated this room.
Standing in the center of the archway was a pedestal that Draven and I had dragged over from a small room in the back. Erendriel had barely glanced at the large shallow bowl full of blood that was resting on it. I’d explained this morning that it was part of the ceremony I would invoke to challenge Carmilla. He’d made some backhanded compliment about me cleverly using theridiculousMoroi customs to my advantage. Clearly, in his eyes, I was more Fae than Moroi.
Draven and Vail moved to stand on either side of the pedestal, facing the temple entrance, while I stood directly in front of it. A few minutes later, I heard the telltale sound of hooves pounding into the hard surface of the badlands.
I took a deep breath and let it out.
“We’ve got your back, Sam,” Vail said solemnly, and I felt Draven’s agreement through our mating bond.
Not a flicker of doubt crossed my mind. Vail was every bit mine as I was his, and Draven had been mine for longer than I’d known.
“And I’ve got yours.” I smiled over my shoulder at each of them.
Our attention snapped forward as Carmilla and the rangers flooded the temple.
“So this is where you’ve been hiding.” My aunt walked confidently towards me as the rangers lined the walls. She’d traded her typical refined dress for black pants and a deep purple tunic that matched her eyes perfectly. The soul crownrested on her head, making her look every inch the queen she was—or would be for a few more minutes anyway.
Doing okay, Talis?I asked.
I’ll be doing better once you get me off this psychopath’s head. Kind of worried that you’re related to her, if I’m being honest.
Soon, my friend, I promised.Soon.
Only half of the rangers here are bound, by the way. The others have enthusiastically followed her.
That’s unfortunate, but we’ll deal with that later.I’d made a promise to Vail about how the rangers that came today would be treated, and I wouldn’t be breaking that.
“I felt it had a certain amount of charm.” I waved a hand flippantly through the air. “Could do with a bit more color though. All this white stone feels a bit ostentatious.”
“How fortunate for you that you’ll be returning to your cell soon.” She smiled.
“No.” I shook my head and moved to the side so she could see the bowl behind me. “I don’t think I will.”
I saw the moment my aunt realized what I intended. “The Claiming?” she scoffed. “My dear, there hasn’t been a Claiming in over a century.”
“Not since the Tepes bloodline overtook House Stoker,” I agreed.
It was a bit of a throwback tradition. The Houses had been stable for some time now, but that hadn’t always been the case. Sometimes, a Moroi bloodline had emerged to challenge one of the existing Houses, and that was where the Claiming came in.
A fight to the death between two Moroi. No weapons. No submissions. You fought until one was dead.
