Chapter 3
Black mist exploded from the last Ignis as Aurora’s Blood Manipulation tore through its throat. My jaw clenched, watching her rip them apart with a savagery that made my blood freeze and burn at the same time.
She was the end of the world in leather.
That damn suit was drenched. Ichor spread across the material like oil on water. Slithering up her neck and across her face was a network of black veins that melded with raven hair.
Raw fury coursed through me. I’d warned her to cut the link, to turn off the Nexus. But no, the princess always had to prove something. Had to throw herself into danger. Like I hadn’t spent decades hearing projectors scream their hearts out.
The ground beneath us moaned, soaked and still trembling from the slaughter she’d orchestrated. Limuses, Glacies, Nebulas, Ignises. She’d gone through them like wooden puppets. Five, maybe six hundred of the fuckers, all reduced to mist and gore.
And she’d had the nerve to yell at me in Sibiu for losing control. The hypocrisy was staggering.
Hummingbird gathered his wings, gave an upward push, and was airborne. His massive wings beat like thunderclaps in the silence.
Aurora whirled toward me, chest heaving, fangs bared.
A sea of red had crawled across her eyes, conquering the whites and almost successfully shocking me out of my fury.
It was like watching the wings of the night close out the sun.
Feral. Untamed. For a split second, I saw what the rest of the continent feared—an original pureblood in her true form, stripped of sanity.
The starved animal beneath the marble skin and noble breeding.
My body tensed. Ready to move. Ready to fight. Part of me wanted to shake her until her teeth rattled, make her understand she couldn’t keep doing this. Couldn’t put herself and my guildmates in danger with her reckless stunts.
The other part wanted to gather her close, to erase that wild look from her eyes, to shield her from the pain the Voices had brought.
When the fuck did I get so soft?
She wasn’t some damsel in distress. She was a goddamn Tepes; the most dangerous bloodline in the Republic. She’d just annihilated Stalkers with nothing but her mind. And yet here I was, wanting to protect her when she was knee-deep in their remains.
The cold air carried the stench of death and Gloom, thick and cloying like a coating of fur on my tongue. Moonlight filtered through the clouds, casting dark shadows across her blood-spattered face. Beautiful, in the way a wildfire consuming a forest was beautiful. Terrifying. Mesmerizing.
Glass and stone crunched beneath our feet as we moved closer. Her scent was an ache in my throat—spilled blood mixed with vanilla and peaches. My wolf paced behind my ribs, wanting out. Wanting her. The beast didn’t give a damn about timing or consequences.
“You will feed, princess,” I snarled, hoping she was still in there enough to hear me. “And then we’ll talk.”
Aurora let out a low growl that sounded like it should’ve come from a much bigger creature. The sound sent shivers down my spine. Zalmoxis, help me, but even drunk on bloodlust, she was magnificent.
She launched at me like a panther, all teeth and claws. I staggered back, breath rushing out as her weight slammed into me. Pure instinct had my hands flying to her thighs, ready to throw her off, and my blade clattered to the ground, forgotten.
Her fangs sank into my neck. I couldn’t bite back the groan. Sharp pain bloomed, then melted into heat coursing through my veins. My grip on her tightened, fingers digging into softness that yielded just enough to drive me crazy.
“Fuck,” I hissed as she pressed closer, her body molding against mine like she was made to fit there. Like all the jagged pieces of me had finally found their match.
Every pull of her mouth sent ecstasy racing through me. My blood burned. Those feral snarls turned to soft, desperate moans, and I almost lost my head. My hands slid up her thighs, to the curve of her hips, and squeezed, needing her closer.
Rain started falling. Cold water trickled down my chest, but I barely felt it. All that existed was her—the way she moved against me, the heat of her mouth on my neck, her body grinding against mine.
Between the hunger and the downpour, a connection blazed between us.
I could feel her, not just physically, but in my head.
Her thirst. Her need. Her pleasure as she drank.
It was invasive as hell, but I couldn’t deny it felt good.
My cock strained against my leather pants, and she felt it.
She started moving with purpose, rolling her hips in a way that would make even a monk lose control.
“It’s enough, Aurora,” I rasped.
The wild hunger in her dimmed. I could sense her awareness seeping back in. She pulled back from my neck, tongue darting out to catch the last drops of blood from her lips. The sight sent another searing jolt through me, but that smug satisfaction in her eyes killed it fast.
Her smile, lazy and pleased, reminded me of what she’d done. Disobeyed orders. Nearly died. And she didn’t seem to give a damn.
“Are you well?” I asked, swallowing my anger.
I set her on her feet, trying like hell to ignore how her body slid against mine. How her breasts pressed against my chest through the wet leather.
She leaned forward, that pink tongue flicking out to taste the blood on my skin. My muscles locked up, teeth clenching so hard it hurt.
“I am now—” The words died in her throat.
I watched the change sweep over her as memory hit. It was like watching storm clouds roll in. Fear replaced the post-feed bliss. Her eyes went wide, pupils dilating, pulse jumping as she stared at her blood-caked hands.
The reality of what she’d done crashed into her.
My hands tightened on her hips, pulling her close until our breaths mingled. “Good. You’re starting to remember,” I seethed.
She tried to pull away.
I allowed it and released her, watching her retreat.
Her eyes met mine, wary now. Smart girl—she should be afraid.
“You know what? I’m glad you fed,” I spat, picking up the blade and sheathing it as I stalked toward her, “because I’m so fucking pissed at you right now, you’ll need all your strength.”
My fangs pressed against my lip as I bared them, copper flooding my mouth. The urge to grab her was almost overwhelming, but then I felt a push on my mind. My mouth dried; my heart closed into a tight shell. Her magic brushed against my consciousness, ice-cold fingers probing at a locked door.
The fucking audacity.
“I won’t fall for that shit again, princess,” I hissed.
Ma had taught me to strengthen my mental shields when I was a boy, before the conflicts, before everything went to hell. I didn’t inherit her blood magic, but I could defend myself against it. I’d be damned if I let the projector trap my mind again.
Her eyes blazed when she realized her efforts were futile as she launched herself at me.
I stepped aside, feeling air displace as she flew past. “Aurora,” I warned, my voice dropping an octave.
“You can communicate with them!” She spun, leading with a kick aimed at my head. Her movements were fluid despite what she’d been through, so I ducked. “All this time.” Her voice broke as she feinted left, then slammed her palm toward my sternum.
I jumped back, barely avoiding her strike.
She continued, “You knew what would happen with the Nexus.”
Something gleamed in her other hand, silver catching firelight from a nearby blazing pile of dead limbs.
I caught her wrist and made her drop the needle with a pained gasp, but she twisted free like a cat, dancing back out of reach.
The last time she’d pulled that thing out, she’d driven it into my hand.
“Those Voices were tearing me apart from the inside,” she snarled. Diving low, she swept at my legs. “And you knew!”
I jumped over her leg, but she anticipated it, rolling to her feet behind me. Rage bubbled up in my chest. “I told you to cut the fucking link!” I roared, whirling to face her. “I warned you! But you just had to prove something, didn’t you? Had to show how fucking brave you are!”
Her chest heaved, water streaming down her face.
Or were those tears? I couldn’t tell anymore.
All I knew was that the fear that had gripped me when I saw her collapse from that roof, when I heard her screaming in my head, had paralyzed every nerve in my body.
I’d felt her pain echoing through the Harmonization, sharp and jagged, and for one terrifying moment, I thought I’d lost her.
That fear—cold, absolute—had gutted me more effectively than any Stalker ever could. I’d stood there, useless, helpless, hearing her suffer. Just like I’d watched Ma die. Just like I’d failed Conin.
I couldn’t feel that again. Couldn’t bear another loss. Another failure.
I couldn’t afford the distraction. Not her scarlet eyes, not her stubborn pride, not the way my body responded to her. Because if I did, none of us would survive this war.
She threw a punch.
I grabbed her arm and used her momentum to spin her against my chest. Her back slammed into me, soaked leather squeaking against bare skin.
“But no, the mighty Princess Aurora knows better than everyone else, doesn’t she?
” I said into her ear, lips brushing wet hair.
“Do you get off on going against my orders?”
She drove her elbow back into my ribs with enough force to crack bone.
My hold broke. I grunted, pain lancing through my side.
“That’s rich, coming from you.” Her bitter laugh echoed across the ruins. “Master of secrets and lies.”
I pursued her. When she leaped at me again, I caught her in the air, pinning her arms to her sides.
“Tell me,” she hissed, struggling against my grip. “Is that why you disappeared after that night? Why you bottled your blood instead of letting me feed from you? Because you knew I’d eventually catch up with your lies?”