Chapter 22 Aurora #2
Two more officers approached the junction, their footsteps barely audible against the dirt-covered floor.
“We wouldn’t be here if the higher-ups thought she was dead, would we?
” another man answered. From his no-nonsense tone, he was clearly the leader.
“It’s not our job to have opinions, officer.
We follow orders. The prince put considerable resources into hunting her.
Even Governor Tepes has his own dogs following her trail.
It’s just a matter of time before someone finds and drags her back where she belongs. Now finish your business and shut up.”
A droplet of water from Radu’s drenched cloak hit the dirt at our feet with a wet clink. Then another. And another.
We both stilled. And I hoped his portal would dampen the sound.
The third guard paced around, her footfalls lighter than her companions’. She took a loud sniff, bristling the fine hairs on my nape. Each deep inhalation felt like drawing back the string of an imaginary bow, taking careful aim. Fear slammed into me, locking every muscle.
“Do you smell that?” she said, stepping into our tunnel and pausing just inside the entrance.
The first guard snorted. “Yeah, I’m taking a piss.”
“Not that, you idiot!” she snapped. “Someone’s been here recently.
It’s faint, but there’s something bitter, acidic.
Burnt chocolate, maybe?” Her voice carried a note of uncertainty.
“It’s… off somehow. Not quite mortal, not quite immortal.
” She inhaled again, deeper this time. “And underneath that… sweetness. Like those peach pastries from the bakery on Dawn Avenue.”
My blood turned to ice. If she could detect Radu’s dual nature, then every pureblood with a functioning nose would recognize the anomaly the moment they caught his scent.
I’d grown so accustomed to his uniqueness that I’d never considered the implications.
How foolish I’d been to think he could walk among my people undetected.
Yet here we stood, barely a dozen steps away, and she couldn’t pinpoint our location. She should have traced the scent straight to us by now.
Then, understanding hit me.
The portal.
A heavier set of boots stopped beside her. He inhaled deeply, held his breath for several seconds, then exhaled slowly through his mouth. “Their trail passes through here.” The leader.
I fisted my hands in Radu’s shirt and pressed my face against his chest, trying to make myself smaller.
Steel rattled again, and the first guard rejoined his team. “Do you think it’s her, sir?”
“Intel says she’s traveling with a female companion.
The dominant scent here is clearly masculine.
” Their leader stepped back, the others falling in behind him.
“Let Joseph handle whoever’s down here—this is his territory.
Let’s move. The faster we clear this quadrant, the sooner we’re back on the surface. ”
Their footsteps faded to whispers until the female guard spoke again.
“You think she’s running or being held? She’s been in the outer wards for months.”
“Doesn’t matter,” the leader spat. “Prince’s orders are clear—question every outlier about the princess, then execute them. Someone will break eventually.”
“Good.” Her voice held satisfaction. “Those half-breed scum deserve—”
The voices grew distant as they moved away from our tunnel, but their words thundered in my skull like hammer blows.
‘Question every outlier about the princess, then execute them.’
The thought cinched my ribs around my lungs.
Bile burned my throat. Outliers were dying because of me.
Mixed-breeds who’d already sacrificed everything for the Republic were being slaughtered to satisfy Lev’s twisted need for control.
Because I’d been weak. Because I’d chosen to run instead of staying to face him.
I pressed my fist to my mouth, biting my knuckles to distract myself from the fierce burning behind my eyes. How many had already died? How many more would follow while I hid in shadows? Their blood tainted my hands as surely as if I’d wielded the blade myself.
Then ice shot through my veins. How long until they reached the Tenth Ward? What if they’d already threatened the Black Guild?
“You alright?” Radu asked, tightening his arms around me.
But I couldn’t find comfort in his warmth. Not when innocent people were paying the price for my freedom.
I nodded stiffly and shoved my emotions back into that steel box I kept for moments like these. When I couldn’t afford to break down.
I had a plan to focus on.
“We need to keep moving.” I pulled away, not meeting his eyes.
Inside the alcove, I couldn’t smell the guards at all.
Out here, without the portal’s buffer, I nearly staggered from the assault on my senses—pine, bergamot, lavender, and underneath it all, the acrid stench of urine.
The foul smell snaked around me like poisonous gas, and I couldn’t decide which would be worse: breathing through my mouth or nose.
I wrinkled my nose in disgust and gestured toward the junction. We returned to the crossroads and took the right passage. The spiral staircase at the end led us to a hidden door set deep in the fortified perimeter surrounding the Temple.
Balmy tropical air hit us as Radu forced the rusted lock with his shoulder, and we stepped into the inner courtyard.
The sacred ground pulled at something deep in my chest. Every time I set foot on this hallowed earth, I felt Derzelas’ presence, as if all my burdens lifted, leaving only the essential core of who I was. His Sons had first touched earth on this hill. Here, too, He would rise when His time came.
“Fucking hell, princess,” Radu muttered, stopping beside me. His gaze swept the massive stone walls bristling with defensive towers. “Thought we were entering a holy place, not storming a fortress.”
Despite everything weighing on my mind, I couldn’t suppress a chuckle. “Another gift from great-grandfather Traian’s paranoia. He fortified Derzelas’ sacred temple like a military stronghold.” I gestured at the imposing battlements. “Wait until you see the moat he dug around the outer walls.”
The Temple stood out like a peacock among pigeons.
Twenty stories of red tuff and sandstone stretched skyward, pointed turrets crowning its bulk like spears thrust at the heavens.
It resembled the fortified churches of old Solanthia, except great-grandfather had abandoned the traditional cross-shaped floor for open rectangular space.
Dense strands of ivy and honeysuckle climbed the walls, their leaves gleaming under the bright moon.
“I’ll give you credit,” Radu said, inclining his hooded head. “You people know how to build shit to last.” He pointed at the arched windows, where warm light filtered through stained glass. “Looks like someone’s home.”
“There’s always someone inside,” I said, reaching up to smack his chest as if this should be obvious. “The High Priestess and her acolytes live here.”
Radu gave me a pointed look, his irises flickering from glowing yellow to brilliant red like they couldn’t decide on a color. “Then how do you plan to do this without getting caught, smart ass?” He caught my wrist and linked his fingers with mine.
My heart did a flip, and I swallowed. The way he stroked my skin with deliberate, silky touches soothed the bleeding wound left by the guards’ words. More and more, I found myself drawing strength from his presence exactly when I needed it most.
Without him, I wasn’t sure I could face Dracula.
I squeezed his hand and started toward the temple entrance.
“This is a place of worship,” I reminded him. “It’s always open to anyone wanting to pay respects to our Father. There’s no judgment inside. Covered or bare, Derzelas doesn’t care. We’re all his children regardless of how we present ourselves.”
He grunted, “Fair enough,” as we approached the grand archway.
An intricate carving of our Dark Lord dominated the pediment.
Derzelas seated on his massive throne, draped in elaborate cloth, arms outstretched in welcome.
Gilded words gleamed above the entrance: ‘Devote yourselves to me, my beloved children, and the gates to my kingdom shall forever remain open for you.’
“We’ll walk straight through the front door and blend in. Are you spiritual?” I asked.
“To your God?” He scoffed. “Hard pass.”
“Figured as much,” I muttered. He might not have grown up with our customs, but he didn’t need to be such an ass about it. “Then you handle unlocking the crypt door while I pray. It’s behind His statue. You can’t miss it.”
We passed through the porch, where sturdy wooden doors stood open. Sinuous carvings depicting the underworld and the three Creators decorated its surface, embellished with golden hardware that gleamed from centuries of devotional touch.
“Fine. I’ll do all the work while you slack off,” he teased, but his words died as we stepped into the atrium.
And with good reason.
Warm sand-colored tiles stretched beneath our feet.
Soaring ceilings reached toward the heavens, supported by slender gray columns that rose like towering trees.
Our finest sculptors had carved them to branch into a canopy of stone, transforming the massive space into a mesmerizing forest that stole your breath.
I pressed the back of my free hand against my mouth, stifling laughter. “Not quite what you expected?”
He didn’t answer. I doubted he could. Even after all this time, the sight still left me speechless.
Flowing water whispered around us. Dappled light filtered from above as we moved deeper into the temple. An indoor garden stretched on either side, with lush grasses and night-blooming plants spilling from curved raised beds surrounded by a gently winding pond.
Radu stopped dead, jerking me to a halt beside him. He pointed at a lily pad. “Is that—”
“A koi fish? Oh, yes,” I said. “There should be goldfish and frogs as well. Also, a turtle, if it survived. It’s been decades since I bothered checking on the aquatic residents.”
The air carried lavender and lotus. Dragonflies and tiny insects darted between flowers like scattered jewels.
He leaned close, his whisper meant only for me. “Do people know there’s a legion of bloodthirsty creatures waging war outside their borders? Who the hell has time to maintain all this?”
His tone lacked that visceral hatred I’d grown accustomed to, but I knew him well enough to catch his disapproval. Irritation sparked inside me, but his grip tightened on my hand, sensing I wanted to pull away.
“The priestesses maintain the Temple. They created a space for peace, tranquility, and reflection. Stop being such a condescending ass.”
As if summoned, a woman appeared from a side door. Tall, thin, ramrod straight. She wore a blood-red gown, the splits down the sides revealing white flowing pants and silken flats. Her onyx hair fell in complex braids to her mid-thighs, swaying with her purposeful strides.
She carried that weight purebloods gained after several centuries. But her eyes betrayed her true age. Sharp. Merciless. Like Elena’s.
Those eyes locked onto us with unwavering focus, raising the hair on my nape.
“Welcome to the sanctuary of our Dark Father,” the High Priestess said and paused to tend wilted flowers at Derzelas’ statue. “Please, let me know how I may assist you.”
I dropped into a curtsy, my hood shifting forward as I pulled Radu down beside me in a respectful bow. “We humbly thank you, High Priestess. We’ve come to offer our respects.”
Her head dipped in acknowledgment. “Your presence honors Him. Please, let me know if you require guidance with your offerings and prayers.”
I nodded, not trusting my voice to betray us. My pulse hammered with fear that Derzelas would strike us down for lying in his sanctuary. Or worse—she’d sense something amiss and summon the guards. She seemed satisfied with my silence, though, moving on with her work while humming.
I nudged Radu forward. We headed straight for the knee-high podium at the nave’s rear, my breath coming in shallow bursts while he brooded beside me.
Derzelas’ statue towered above us, fifty feet of ivory marble reaching toward the ceiling, hands open at his sides as if drawing us closer. Moonlight streamed through the high stained glass, painting the polished stone in shifting patterns of color and shadow.
Radu stopped five feet away and planted his feet. Other purebloods began their prayers from the middle aisle, and I let him stay put.
Approaching Derzelas’ gigantic feet, I grabbed the ceremonial blade from the pedestal among the flower arrangements and incense.
Please, Father, accept my offering as an apology for what I’m about to do.
I slashed my palm. The wound sealed almost instantly.
It took several more cuts to keep blood flowing long enough to anoint His feet. The blood trailed down the statue’s slight incline, gathered in the narrow groove and dripped into the silver bowl below.
Dracula will know I wouldn’t disturb his Sleep unless the danger was imminent and our people faced extinction.
My blood wasn’t powerful enough to wake him—I hoped—but it would let him share my memories. He’d see what had happened since the war began. The injustices we’d committed, the lies we’d believed. Most importantly, how close we were to another attack.
He was the most merciful of the Sons. He’d forgive my transgression. He—
“High Priestess!” a high-pitched voice gasped from the atrium. “You’re needed outside. Please, come quickly!”
Something clattered to the floor. My heart slammed against my ribs. This was it—our window. The humming cut off, replaced by the sharp tap of hurried footsteps on stone.
Adrenaline flooded my system.
“Time to go, princess,” Radu whispered against my ear. His fingers pried the blade from my death grip and returned it to the pedestal.