Chapter 10 Aurora #2
“If it’s revenge we’re after,” Hummingbird added from his spot near the mantle, “it wouldn’t be difficult.
Just step aside when the Souleaters come.
” His boyish voice hardened, thick with a cruel streak I hadn’t heard from him before.
The tip of his dusty-white wings brushed the floor as he turned to study the rusty weapons on the wall, speaking to the steel rather than us.
“We die, sure, but so does the Republic. Might be worth it, watching those bastards finally get what’s coming to them. ”
“It wouldn’t solve anything.” Quakelord slouched in his chair, tipping it back on two legs.
“There’re purebloods out there who don’t deserve to die.
Hell, some are probably just as clueless as you were, Projector.
” He propped a boot on the table and laced his fingers behind his head, staring at the ceiling.
“If the Souleaters take over the Republic, every nation on this continent becomes their feeding ground. Revenge might taste sweet, but extinction? That’s forever. ”
Hummingbird glanced over his shoulder. A deep scowl darkened his pretty face.
“Projector, you’re too innocent for this world,” he said, that unfamiliar edge still coloring his tone.
“Bet you’ve never even thought about getting someone back for hurting you.
But hatred isn’t as simple as killing your enemy.
” His shoulders shifted restlessly. “True revenge is watching them realize how wrong they were, making them crawl and plead for forgiveness that’ll never come. ”
“After everything the Republic has done, a rebellion or massacre wouldn’t make them regret anything.” Selena’s voice cut through the air like a blade.
“Exactly.” Pearl nodded. “They’d close their eyes to their crimes, blame someone else, then play the victim even as they died.” Her fingers tightened around her mug. “All it would do is feed their sense of martyrdom.”
I bolted upright and started pacing the length of the room again. My hands clenched and unclenched at my sides. The thick silence that followed amplified the thundering in my ears.
“They sealed themselves behind walls and pretended the war didn’t exist,” I spat. “Built a fantasy where they were heroes while others bled for their comfort.”
Their smug superiority, their blind faith in their own virtue, fed the inferno building in my chest. My blood felt like it was boiling beneath my skin.
Brother’s voice echoed in my memory—so certain the government was doing right, protecting their people’s interests. Such noble duty.
Bullshit. All of it.
I shook to my core, the anger sparking within me, catching fire and flooding the room with the energy pouring out of me. I grabbed the kafea pitcher and hurled it against the wall. The crash of shattering ceramic barely registered underneath the roar of fury. In a word, I threw a fit.
“They lied about the Nexus being safe! Betrayed their own citizens while refusing to honor their agreements!” My voice broke with the force of my anger. “And they have the audacity to claim righteousness? They’re drowning in their own hypocrisy!”
“She finally gets it,” Ember muttered under her breath, and I whipped around to glare at her. She met my stare without flinching, her green eyes blazing like the Northern Lights.
A firm hand clamped around my bicep and yanked me back toward my seat. I spun, ready to unleash my fury on whoever dared manhandle me, only to find Selena glowering at me. Without her usual heels, she had to crane her neck to meet my eyes, but her glare could have melted steel.
“You’re supposed to be the level-headed one between us,” she snarled and jabbed her sharp nail toward my face.
“Stop throwing a tantrum and accept that the Republic fucked us.” She planted her hands on her hips, anger sharpening her features.
“What are we going to do about it? Let them all die, or do whatever we can to save those bastards?”
The rational part of my mind knew she was right, but the rage still burned too hot. “If we stoop to their level, we become just like them,” I hissed, biting into my lower lip until I tasted copper.
The metallic sweetness flooded the room. Selena’s pupils dilated, but she wasn’t the only one whose hunger flashed across their faces.
We were all running on empty. Blood, food, sleep—everything we needed to function properly had been pushed aside for the mission in Brasov.
“Cut that out!” She swatted my shoulder just as Hummingbird spoke again. Something in his tone made us both freeze. A grim finality I’d only heard from the Elders preparing for their eternal rest.
“When your choices are to fight the Souleaters and maybe die, or to quit and definitely die, it’s not really a choice at all. We keep going. Survive as long as we can.”
“We’ll fight until our last breath,” Gale said. She drifted closer to Harbinger and Terraknight in a sign of solidarity. “And live with our pride intact.”
Nods rippled around the table. My chest constricted under the weight of crippling helplessness.
“Even if death is all you have to look forward to?” I asked.
Quakelord’s laugh held no humor. “What kind of fool throws in the towel just because the end’s coming? Even when you’re facing a firing squad, you can still decide whether to stand tall or fall to your knees.” His sharp jaw clenched. “We’ve made our choice. All that’s left is living by it.”
My spine straightened, every muscle in my body tensed as if primed for battle. “I won’t let any of you die. Not anymore.”
Harbinger leaned against the table and crossed his powerful arms over his chest. “And how exactly do you plan on saving us, princess?” His lips moved, but I could only hear the mockery in his tone. “By crawling back to the man who forced himself on you?”
Annoyance seared through me. His underestimation of me grated against every nerve I had.
He didn’t understand how things worked in the Republic.
Had no idea what I was truly capable of.
And using that endearment was a low blow.
This wasn’t about na?ve dreams; this was about me taking action to save his stubborn ass.
“He won’t know I’ve returned,” I said, restraining myself to mirror his pose and cross my arms in defense.
“Once Dracula hears the truth about what’s happening here, Lev becomes irrelevant.
Our Creator is just—he’ll grant me the Blood Aura.
” He wouldn’t let the Republic fall without giving it a real chance to defend itself.
The muscle at Harbinger’s temple twitched, but the man stayed silent. Terraknight glanced between him and Selena, both of whom were staring at me with hard, scrutinizing eyes.
“How certain are you about him?” Terraknight asked, hope warring with doubt in his voice.
I wasn’t, but I didn’t have anything else. Underworld’s endless pits, I wasn’t even sure I could reach Dracula’s Sleeping Chamber without getting killed first. But looking around the room, at the faces that had become important to me, what choice did we have?
“He’s our only hope,” I said, holding his gaze. “I’d rather die trying than allow this slaughter to continue.”