“Once I’ve dealt with the loudest dissenters, you’ll find the rest become surprisingly amicable.”
I shot him a flat look. “As much as I love the sentiment, you can’t just kill everyone. I have to convince them to support me.”
“What are you thinking, Your Majesty?”
I turned back to the mirror, taking a moment to appreciate the woman I saw there. She was powerful. She would set the world ablaze and watch it burn. Roman stepped to my back once more, my fallen angel ready to be the black arm of retribution if I needed it. But I didn’t. Not now.
“You once said vampires are the most bloodthirsty creatures on the planet.”
Roman’s teeth gleamed in the mirror. “I’m listening.”
Solaris, Razvan, and Sorin were crammed into the carriage opposite Roman, Isabella, and me. Catina and Enso had been assigned guard duty in the other carriage so the three could brief us for the party, with Catina insisting Solaris ride with us. It made for tight quarters.
I laid my head on Isabella’s shoulder. She wore a black dress that accentuated her curves. “Are you ready for this, dear?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” I replied.
Solaris didn’t glance my way before interjecting, “I can’t wait to see Codran’s head roll.”
Roman laughed. “You and me both.”
I examined my sister with a clinical gaze. She had rebounded back to her fiery self with remarkable speed. Unlike Charlotte, who had chosen to stay behind, Solaris had demanded to attend. As hadbeen the case her entire life, she got her wish. Apparently, even my formidable tsar would bend to her fiery will.
The generals—our generals, I realized—spent the rest of the ride discussing the expectations for the party. Every second of the evening had been meticulously planned, from our entrance to the order in which we sat, even Roman’s speech. It was clear the three had made painstaking effort to ensure the event conveyed the exact message we needed.
The castle in the city was just as I remembered: a stone structure reminiscent of a church, with spires twisting off the top. The carriage rolled to a stop at the front, and as instructed, Roman exited first, helping me down second. The others followed, Sorin stepping back to assist Catina and Enso with the traitors. Ignoring their chatter, Solaris immediately walked to my side.
“Your gown is dragging.” She knelt down—impressive in her staggeringly high heels—and picked up the train that trailed several feet behind me.
“Thank you,” I said, twisting to gaze at her, my eyes stinging.
“I’ve always got your back, Es.”
Roman looked at me with an expression I didn’t quite understand. Instead of saying anything, he held out his arm, and I took it gratefully. My sister at my back, my partner at my side, and my family surrounding me, we entered the building together.
It felt just like before—the darkness of the interior, the suffocating auras of the vampire crowd, the shaking in my knees. Yet everything was different, especially the second throne positioned next to the original. I wasn’t entering this building as an acolyte ready to be sold off to the highest bidder; I was stepping in as a ruler ready to command the respect of my subjects with blood.
Silence swept over the room, as if Roman’s power had somehowsnuffed out the noise. Maybe it did—his shadows slid across the floor, choking the space in darkness like a thick fog. His wings were half-extended, intimidating sheets of onyx, yet all eyes were trained on me.
In that moment, I realizedwhyRoman had insisted I couldn’t wear black. I stood out as starkly as the moon in the night sky—literally. Him and his ridiculous metaphors.You did this on purpose.
You needed to outshine all of us. Besides, they would’ve been gawking at you anyway. I know I am. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught him winking.
I could stab you.
Save the sexy talk for home, doll.
He twirled me so my back faced the new throne before taking his place beside me. Codran, Iliya, and Gregor were thrown at our feet like trash. My lip curled. I refused to feel any semblance of fear for the people who had dragged me into a pit of nightmares and hurt me. They were nothing now.
Solaris took the spot farthest away on my left, with Catina close by her side. On my right, Razvan occupied the end, then Sorin. Enso was the closest to our right. They had explained to me in the carriage that having our general of war at our right hand was a statement. It was a threat.
I recognized some of the crowd: Alexander, next to his daughter Mia, surrounded by many from his house. Ylva was there too, dressed in an embellished dress that cut off too short. She was flanked by her lieutenants, but she walked arm-in-arm with her sister. The rest were unfamiliar.
Roman flared his wings to either side, one tucking behind me like a black backdrop to my glittering gown. “Thank you for coming all this way to our home. It means a great deal to have such loyal followers.”
He paused, allowing his subtle threat to resonate. Then he stood,taking my hand and pulling me with him. “I take great pleasure in announcing the lovely Estrella, our new tsarina, to reign by my side.”
The crowd erupted into a frenzy.
