Azura spun toward her and sniffed the air. She smirked and walked toward Stormey.
“Ah, is someone afraid?” Azura chuckled. Her golden eyes grew more menacing as she got closer to Stormey. She stopped in front of her, lifting a hand and brushing the tendrils of hair away from her face. “Having doubts that your murdering vampire will save you?”
“She will.” Stormey refused to believe anything else. Her mate would come for her. She and her warriors would rain down hell on these lycans. She refused to cower away from Azura.
Something that looked like respect passed through Azura’s eyes.
“Let me tell you about the royal vampire family. My people were enslaved for centuries. Serving them. Protecting them. Promises were made to my people that one day we would see our freedom. We would be treated as equals.” Azura snarled. The room fell quiet with everyone listening. The woman’s face darkened while she paced. “We fell for their lies, and the moment we demanded our freedom and all that was promised to us, they refused. So the uprising began, and do you know what they did?”
Stormey shook her head. She was too afraid at this point to say anything. Her heart was racing fast watching Azura pace in front of her. This was history that certainly wasn’t in any of the books she’d reviewed with Miss Lavana.
“Of course you wouldn’t know. They have brainwashed the entire world. But I’m going to tell you what they did. They tried to erase us from existence. They went around killing our men, women, and children.” Azura yanked Stormey from her chair and pushed her toward the one in front of the cameras.
Stormey’s fear had taken control of her. She barely sat in the new chair, almost falling out of it. She straightened and sat still.
“You heard me right. The king ordered the killing of young babies. My mother was lucky to survive, and you know what we are going to do for payback?”
Stormey shook her head once again. Her body was trembling uncontrollably. Her eyes went blurry from the gathering of tears. She blinked, and a warm trail of wetness ran down her face.
“We have you, the mate of the future vampire queen, and we will kill you on live television for the entire world to see.”
Hegna stood and eyed the large fire that blazed before her. The flames grew, reaching for the dark sky. The past few days had been one bloody battle. She had planned for Lethia to arrive with her two human captives where they could try to lure the alpha out of hiding.
But plans had changed the moment they’d come under attack.
She was proud of her warriors. They were victorious and had driven most of the lycans back and had them running. They were now in the middle of what would have been known as downtown Sanlow. Buildings that once stood busy and full of life were hollowed shells of what they once were. Where once had stood the town’s Christmas tree was a makeshift pyre, with the bodies of those lycans who’d fought for their alpha.
The scent of burning flesh filled the air. Hegna was now immune to it. Bodies of lycans needed to be burned to ensure their death. Hegna and her army had used the latest weaponry to combat the lycans, but Hegna wanted to be sure they crossed over to the afterlife. Even with the snow that covered the ground and the icy cold wind that blew, the heat from the fires provided only a slight warmth.
She bit back a growl. Azura thought she would eliminate her, but the lycan had failed. The lycan alpha was growing bolder. She knew eventually Hegna would come to this town that they’d overrun. Too bad the alpha was too cowardly to meet her on this battlefield.
Blood coated Hegna’s fighting leathers. Her daggers had tasted the flesh of many lycans. She rested a hand on the hilt of one of them, circling the handle.
“There are more bodies, Your Grace.” Nezera grimaced, coming to stand next to Hegna. The captain had been vital in their defeat of the lycans. Her attention to detail had been key.
Hegna would ensure the woman was rewarded. She believed in making sure her warriors were compensated for doing their jobs well.
“Burn them,” Hegna replied. Their business here in Sanlow was almost complete. They had done a full sweep of the town, and there were no humans to be found. If any had survived, they must have escaped. “I want to speak with this informant of yours.”
“Yes, Your Grace. We were also able to capture a lycan to be questioned, but he’s not giving up any information.”
“I’ll get it,” Hegna growled. There was no hiding from the memories that lingered in blood. She turned and followed Nezera.
They walked along the pathway that led to the main road. Her men were patrolling the area, checking it was safe for them. They didn’t want to be caught off guard with another lycan attack.
“I want to make sure what happened here gets out to the masses. If Azura wants to put everything on television, then we will do the same.”
“Are you sure that is wise?” Nezera asked quietly.
Hegna paused and faced her captain. It wasn’t often her officers questioned her.
Another gust of cold air blew past them. Hegna shivered slightly from it. She reached up and held on to the fur cloak that rested on her shoulders. She didn’t like being cold. The minute she got a chance, she would go and shower to wash the lycan blood off her and relax her muscles. Her stomach felt hollow. The small amounts of bagged blood she was able to consume gave her little strength.
Another reason for her to hurry home and bind herself to her mate. Stormey’s blood gave her such a thrilling rush of power.
“Do you think I am wrong?” she asked. She was reining in the rage that was burning inside her. Because of this lycan issue, she was apart from her mate. She should be at home with Stormey, sinking her fangs into her throat while offering her own blood to Stormey to bind them to each other forever.
“I’m only thinking that if we did, we could be causing a worldwide panic with the humans if they see we are warring with the lycans.” Nezera stood tall and met Hegna’s gaze head-on.
