“You must have forgotten to mention that the event was my death,” I shot back. “How could you do this?”
Iliya glanced at Codran. Even now, love passed between them, but her gaze revealed something darker—obsession. “Once Roman is out of the way, I’ll be tsarina. It’s a dream that a stupid slut like you doesn’t deserve.”
I laughed, shaking my pinned hair and loosening a few curls. “Thetsarina to a man who tortures and abuses other women. What a dream that is, Iliya. Hope you enjoy it.”
Sticking to what I knew, I spat on her, right on that pretty dress. Iliya shrieked and stepped forward to strike me, but Codran stopped her. He murmured something in her ear, and though she bared her teeth at me, she stepped back to stand beside the throne. It didn’t escape my notice that she didn’t have a seat of her own.
“Good to see you’re still a spitfire,” Codran purred. “Are you ready to die?”
Part of me hoped my glare would set him ablaze. I stood my ground, head held high and chest puffed out. If defiance was all I could offer, I’d do it well. “I can’t wait.”
“Good.”
He turned to the gathering crowd of vampires. “Tonight, everything changes. Tonight, the Bursuc House ascends from the depths of the underworld. We will seize the throne from the unworthy Koraki House and their childish ruler. We will bring vampires back into the light and return to righteousness. No more ridiculous rules about protecting inferior humans, no more curbing our appetites with stale blood. NO MORE!”
The crowd roared their approval. My blood turned cold. It had been illegal to hunt humans for over a thousand years —what he was proposing would plunge humanity back into the dark ages.
Codran turned to me. “Our current tsar is soft. He has feelings for this acolyte, as if she is anything more than a vessel for our kind. He will learn the error of his ways tonight.”
He stepped behind me, close enough that I felt the brush of his shirt against my back. I felt small—smaller than I had all week. The nightmare that had seemed personal suddenly threatened to consume the entire world. If he discovered my secret, he would hold the key tohis plan. I needed to end this now. My heart raced, and before I could reconsider, I hurled my foot into his groin.
A stream of curses erupted from his mouth. I lurched forward, reaching for one of the spikes on the back of the throne. He couldn’t use my blood to fuel his war if I was dead. Talons dug into my hips before I could move, yanking me back against his chest.
“You fucking bitch.”
Then, pain. Liquid fire poured into my veins as his second set of fangs, the ones carrying the venom, pierced my skin. I barely noticed the warm trickle of blood trailing down my collarbone and blending into my dress. Cheers from the crowd faded into white noise behind the ringing in my ears.
The talons at my hips grew, digging deeper into my flesh and causing blood to flow over his fingers. I was only vaguely aware of what was happening when he spun me to face him. His eyes were entirely black and filled with rage. Sharp spikes shot from his shoulders, as long as my forearm and thick as quills. He towered over me, a monstrous behemoth in his beast form.
“You’re a fucking magnifier?”
Even through the burning pain, I smiled. “Was.”
He hit me so hard that I collapsed. I tried to stand, to remember my goal, but everything was consumed by the searing pain sweeping through me like a tidal wave.
Chapter 34
ROMAN
Istared at the house before me—a three-story behemoth with gargoyles perched on the eaves, its unassuming gray front door belying the darkness within. Every second felt like torture as I paced, waiting for my generals to arrive. Catina eyed me cautiously, standing between me and the door, holding me back. Babysitting me until reinforcements arrived. It was taking all my willpower not to charge in immediately, but I needed reinforcements.If I charged in now, I could be facing a horde of vampires, and even my power would not be enough. Then Codran would have what he wanted.
I knew that, but I seethed for a chance to tear out his throat with my bare hands. When Enso and the others arrived, I began my march toward the door. Enso stepped to my side. “Triangle formation?” He asked.
“You and I in the front,” I responded. He nodded and barked orders back at the group, who moved into formation around us.
“What’s the plan?” Isabella asked from my flank.
“Kill them all,” I snarled.
“They’re not all guilty,” Razvan reasoned cautiously. He had returned to town only that morning, still in travel attire and in need of a shower, yet he insisted on helping.
“If they are here, they are complicit in Codran’s scheme. They are all traitors conspiring to overthrow the crown. As of today, the Bursuc House is an enemy of the crown, and they will all be treated as such.” My voice was cold and unfeeling, seeped with a tsar’s authority that left no room for question. A tone Leonidas had used all too many times that had filled me with hatred and fear, but now I understood.
With a forceful kick, Enso and I burst through the doors, shaking the house to its foundation. The foyer lay empty. Panic began to creep in again, but I couldn’t allow it—not when Estrella’s life was at stake. I focused on the fleeting wisps of her consciousness I sensed.
“Down,” I commanded.
The Bursuc thrived in the depths of the earth, felt at home in the darkness. Well, I’d bring the darkness to them. We found the staircase and worked our way into the house’s underbelly, the sensation of tons of dirt making the raven within me shift and scream for release. I simply honed that tension and funneled it into my fear and hatred.
