Chapter 15
SERA
The rage is hot and blinding in my throat. It blurs my vision and makes it hard to see.
It is not mine alone — I know I am feeling Nate’s too. It is why I was so compelled to act when the feelings of betrayal and defeat barrelled into his bones.
I am used to being powerless, but somehow the feeling is worse now as I play over in my head what I might have done differently — how I could have used my magic to ensure we all left the Court’s chambers alive.
Nate makes me stay for the rest of the assembly. He does not take after Rafe when he disappears into the night with Lizzie at his heels. He tells me to let them go.
How has this happened? At Nighthaven, Juliette was Valeria’s eyes and ears. She was kept informed of everything; Juliette made sure of it. And now she has used that loyalty against her.
We watch as Juliette’s body is carried away; her heart plucked out of the dust by a gutterfang. I imagine it tossed on a fire, turning to ash. Will they do the same with her corpse? Or will she join her mothers and grandfather in the family crypt at Nighthaven — entombed and forgotten?
The urge to save her pulsed through me. It was the injustice of it all, my heart aching for Nate at the loss, not any affections for her. And nothing I could have done, save confessing to my part in everything and sending the Court into chaos, would have changed the outcome.
Juliette was a vampire. Not a particularly cruel one like Ambrose, but she still saw my flesh burned as she desperately sought to understand who had betrayed her family and let a hunter infiltrate the ball. I should not mourn her.
But still, there was something about her that intrigued me. I am sure that she knew I am not entirely human. It was clear from the snarl of her lip when I plunged the room into darkness that night to save Lizzie and she had no one to blame but Mrs Hawley.
And she might have been a matriarch in waiting, but her loyalty was torn between her brothers and Valeria.
The fact that she was betrayed by her own grandmother is what churns my gut with a kind of twisted kinship.
I would not die for my brother now, but there is a time when I would have done it without question.
We were not close as children. Julian hated me for taking our mother away and for the otherness that followed me everywhere I went. But he was my brother. I looked up to him, despite his cruelty. I was desperate for his approval, his kindness. I made myself smaller because who I really was proved far too much for him to understand.
It was too much for my father, too.
I think of Juliette’s beautiful dark skin. Her black eyes that would flash gold when she was angry. Her halo of tightly coiled curls. She didn’t join in the games; never surrendered to debauchery and sin as her cousins did. Her laugh didn’t ring through the halls of Nighthaven as Rafe and Charlotte’s did.
And now it never will.
That perfectly contained, composed exterior has gone. And even in the face of such betrayal, she didn’t shatter. She didn’t rage like a thunderstorm and let Valeria feel her fury in her final moments. There is a certain dignity in it all, and I admire her for it.
I am not sure I would go so quietly.
“It has been an eventful evening.” Genevieve Rassard reclines slightly in her throne, her violet eyes scanning the rest of the vampires who have been stunned into silence. “Before we adjourn, we have the final matter of the Tournament to discuss.”
I glance at Nate, studying his profile. He is seething with rage and containing it poorly. The dark line of muscles twitch in his jaw; his fangs extended.
Will it break him losing his sister?
“In a week’s time we will hold the opening ball of the Tournament. There, each eligible competitor will pledge their allegiance to the House of their choosing and the trials will commence in the nights that follow. The results of the Tournament will decide the Houses who serve at Court, so you are encouraged to pledge your support to the matriarch you believe will best represent your interests.”
I look over at Charles. He has sat with his head buried in his hands, looking more gaunt and furious than ever. What will become of him now? There are no Blackwoods or Beaumonts remaining to hand him to.
“Our aim is for each noble House to take pledges at the end of the Tournament, but this will be a delicate operation that requires restraint. The ton will make their way to Bath in the coming weeks and we will need to show moderation so as not to decimate their ranks.” For the first time, Genevieve smiles. The thought of obliterating humans is amusing to her, even if she has done her best to suppress it until now.
“And what are we to do until then?” It is Caroline Vossler again. She is standing, eyes fixed unblinkingly on Genevieve. There is an even harder edge to her than before.
She disapproves, too.
“The Court must be aware that relying on animal sustenance alone has proven futile.”
Genevieve’s jaw tightens. “It has been twenty years, Miss Vossler. I am sure a few more months will make little difference.”
“And how many humans will each family take?” Caroline continues.
Jealousy grinds my stomach as I look at her. I try to swallow it, but it keeps rearing its head, bobbing around in my gut.
This is the vampire Nate has to charm and flatter.
She is impressive in a way that I can never hope to be. She might not have the social standing of the Blackwoods, but she is sure of herself. With her sheet of glossy black hair that hangs in a thick braid down to her waist, and eyes that glitter with youth and spirit rather than centuries of sight, she is undeniably beautiful.
And she is outspoken. Bold. I cannot imagine her speaking in riddles or turning her glamour onto an unsuspecting human. She looks like a vampire who would drink only animal blood, then rescue entire families of rabbits from poacher’s snares to repay the debt.
If Nate gets close enough to her to gain her trust, what else might form between them?
“Will it be decided by the size of the family?” Caroline glances to her siblings.
“That will be a consideration, yes.” Genevieve grinds her teeth. “Those who perform best in the Tournament will have first refusal.”
“So the Court, then. The Court will choose first.”
“Yes.”
“And how will the pledging itself take place? We are to host balls; charm the humans? There are many vampiric families, Lady Rassard. My concern is that it will be difficult to extract pledges for any length of time without raising suspicions with the rest of human Society.”
“Those are matters you need not concern yourself with, Miss Vossler. This Court is endorsed by the nobility for its collective wisdom. We will preside over?—”
“What of the Tournament itself, Lady Rassard? What is being done to protect the trials from attack by the hunters?” Caroline’s voice grows louder. “As this court now knows, Lord Nathaniel was attacked on his journey to Bath. They have always known where we assemble. It can surely not be so difficult to?—”
“Miss Vossler,” Genevieve’s voice is fraught. There is a quiver of fury on her lip. “All such matters are under consideration.”
“My brother’s death is proof that the hunters’ ambitions extend beyond London. By striking at the heart of our nobility, they have sown chaos and discord in their wake. And it should be considered why House Blackwood was once again targeted by the hunters. What particular axes they have to grind?—”
“Lady Rassard has been exceptionally patient,” a loud, menacing voice cuts Caroline off. The speaker is a severe-looking woman with alabaster skin, grey eyes and a nest of blonde hair.
I have avoided looking at her since we filed into the amphitheatre. Something about her sends daggers down my spine.
“I am unsure what you would have us do, Miss Vossler. Are we to take to the streets like common vigilantes, stalking the hunters one by one? Would you have us risk exposure, risk the wrath of the mortal authorities in London, all to defend the lowest of our society?”
Even from where I am sitting, I can see Caroline dip her head slightly. “Of course not, Lady Azarov, but there must be a middle ground; a way to protect our own without compromising our secrecy. The Court has resources, connections that extend far beyond the walls of this chamber. Surely there is something to be done to use them to our advantage, to turn the tide of things before this becomes a war that consumes us all.”
The Azarovs are the keepers of the vampires’ records. And now I see why Mrs Hawley warned me against them.
Lady Azarov stands and prowls the edge of the arena. “No one has spoken of war this evening, Miss Vossler. This Court has worked tirelessly in these past decades to protect our kin from the horrors that threaten our existence and prevent any escalation of conflict. If we are to survive, we must do whatever it takes. Sacrifice whatever is necessary.”
A heaviness settles in the pit of my stomach like a lead weight. There is something in Lady Azarov’s eyes, a glint of madness that makes me wonder just how far she would go to achieve her goals, to secure her family’s dominance. And what else is really at play here — what secrets they harbour. What their agenda is.
Genevieve raises her hand, silencing the murmurs of the arena. “Enough. These are complex matters. This Court will continue to seek answers and find the hunters responsible both for Mr Vossler’s death and those who coordinated the attack on Lord Nathaniel. But we cannot let such matters distract us from the Tournament.” She rises to her feet, gesturing for Lady Azarov to retake hers. “The opening ball will be in seven days’ time. Until then, I charge each of you to keep your wits about you and ensure you prepare adequately for the trials that lie ahead with the Tournament.” With that, she stands and sweeps out of the chamber, her long robes trailing through Juliette and Peregrine’s blood. The other matriarchs follow suit, some shooting Caroline looks of curiosity or contempt as they pass, others ignoring her entirely.
Something else is at play, I mutter to Nate. Juliette knew it.
Yes. And she died for it.