Chapter 15 #2
Edmund was speaking in hushed tones with a messenger. The vampire’s expression was carefully controlled, but I knew him well enough to recognize the satisfaction lurking beneath his stoic features.
I slowed my pace, straining to catch fragments of their conversation, but he spoke in a different language, just like my clan did. The messenger departed hastily, and Edmund adjusted his cufflinks before turning to face us.
“Valentino.” His smile didn’t reach his eyes. “How fortunate that you’ve returned from your expedition.”
I could practically taste his insincerity. “It’s nice to see you too, Edmund.”
I took my seat before I ripped his throat out. His time would come, and I hoped my father allowed me to silence the vampire once and for all.
The other council members trickled in. There was a mixture of varying degrees of unease in the air. Those who had walked in without the sharp tang had also quickly picked up on it.
Whatever was going on, I didn’t like it.
Had they figured out what had really happened to Winston? If they had, where did that leave me?
I glanced over my shoulder at Amari, who wasn’t scanning the room as he usually did but was staring at Samara.
She was the one factor we hadn’t accounted for. And Reve. At least he had eliminated himself from the equation.
It would be so easy to remove her from the equation. The very thought made me want to rip my heart out.
The rest of the council members filed in, taking their places with varying levels of agitation. Seth, the bear shifter, kept cracking his knuckles—a nervous habit that grated on my nerves. Nathaniel perched on his chair like the falcon he was, ready to take flight at the first sign of trouble.
I kept my expression neutral, but internally my mind raced. Edmund’s presence before the meeting officially began was unusual. The messenger, the hushed foreign tongue, the smug satisfaction on Edmund’s face—all of it pointed to trouble.
Samara had her purple hair twisted into an elegant knot at her nape. She looked every inch a royal, despite the tension visible in the set of her shoulders. Nicolas hovered behind her like an anxious rodent, his eyes darting around the room.
Once everyone settled, Samara cleared her throat, commanding attention in that quiet way of hers.
“What is the status of the missing council member?”
Samara folded her hands on the table and spoke clearly. “The village was completely deserted. In the forest outside the village, Amari caught a scent, but it led us right to a horde of vacants. They were abnormally fast.”
Several council members turned to the person next to them and started whispering. I watched Edmund’s reaction carefully. Not surprise—but interest. As if it confirmed what he had already suspected.
“They nearly got us, but then we got to the lake, and they didn’t follow us in. I’ve never seen anything like it. Something was wrong with them.”
I leaned forward. “We need to send Miles and Tony back to the area to take care of them. An attack from the air is the best answer. If we attacked them from the ground, they would overwhelm us.” I tapped my fingers on the table as if the meeting was a bore, though every nerve in my body was on alert.
Edmund’s lips curled into a smile. “And we’re supposed to believe this outlandish story?
” He let out a laugh that scraped against my eardrums. “If you were unable to find the demons who lived in the village and the council member, they either went to Earth or they don’t want to be found.
Making up some story about vacants is ludicrous. ”
The bear shifter made a grunting noise. “I agree. There have been no reports of any suspicious activity in those woods outside of what’s normal.”
My jaw tightened. I knew Edmund would oppose anything Samara proposed, but I expected more from Seth. The lines were being drawn, and I was suddenly very aware of how few allies we had in this room.
Samara stiffened but kept her composure. “At least take Miles and Tony and see for yourselves.”
Laughter rippled around the table. One council member crossed his arms. “And fall into a trap? No, thank you.”
Edmund stood from his seat and looked at each council member, deliberately skipping me and ignoring Samara completely. “It’s been five days since we called the council to order. We can vote without Winston. I have a pressing matter we must vote on.”
I stood as well. “This emergency council meeting was called regarding Winston and the vacants.”
My father’s plan was about to be derailed by whatever Edmund was about to propose. Everything had been proceeding exactly as intended until both Reve’s and Samara’s unexpected returns threw our plans into chaos. And I knew what my father would have done in this situation.
But I wasn’t him. I couldn’t shut off my humanity or my feelings for Samara and neutralize her. The idea sent bile creeping up my throat.
Edmund finally looked at me, and the look in his eyes sent a chill down my spine. “Due to the negligence of the Luna family, we have been subjected to horrors and tyrannical rule. Reve Luna could have stopped this once he came into full power, but he abandoned Inferna.”
Many council members were nodding their heads in agreement, and I clenched my fists.
“Someone needs to be held accountable, and seeing as Reve left his position to his sister… all in favor of holding Samara Luna responsible for the atrocities at the hands of Lilith, say ‘I.’”
A chorus of ten other voices agreed, a sickening harmony of condemnation that reverberated through the council chamber.
These were the same men who had bowed to Lilith for centuries, who had never once stood against her tyranny, now falling over themselves to punish Samara for crimes she never committed.
Ten voices against mine. The math was brutally simple. The outcome was predetermined from the moment Edmund had spoken.
Nicolas took a step forward, his body tensing like he was about to pounce, but I shook my head in warning.
Edmund’s face lit up with triumphant malice. “Very well. Take her and anyone who tries to stop our decision to the dungeon.”
Guards flooded the chamber, and Nicolas and Amari immediately closed ranks around Samara. Three against ten guards and ten council members. The odds were not in our favor.
“This is madness!” I placed myself between Samara and Edmund. “She’s committed no crime against Inferna!”
Edmund’s smile widened. “Her family committed treason. Someone must pay the price.”
I snarled, my fangs descending. “You’ll pay for this, Edmund.”
The guards advanced with metal cuffs that gleamed with enchantments designed to suppress power. Before Amari could react, two guards tackled him from behind, snapping the cuffs around his wrists. The sudden restriction of his power visibly pained him, his body convulsing.
Nicolas shifted in a blur of movement, his squirrel darting between the legs of the guards, racing for the door. A lion shifter broke away from the group, transforming mid-leap as he pursued Nicolas down the corridor.
I lunged toward Samara, determined to get her out, but three guards intercepted me. I threw the first against the wall with enough force to crack the stone. The second received an elbow to the throat that dropped him instantly.
“Val!” Samara’s cry pierced through the chaos. Two guards had her by the arms, dragging her toward the door.
Rage clouded my vision. I tore through another guard, my movements becoming increasingly frenzied and less controlled. I needed to reach her. I couldn’t let them take her.
“Enough of this.” Edmund’s voice came from behind me.
I sensed the movement too late. Something hard connected with the back of my skull, sending white-hot pain exploding through my head. I staggered, my vision tunneling.
As I fell to my knees, the last thing I saw was Samara struggling against her captors, her purple hair coming loose, and Amari being dragged alongside her, his eyes meeting mine with a silent promise of retribution.
Then darkness claimed me.