Chapter 21 #2
The words were delivered with such casual certainty that Nadi felt her carefully constructed world crumbling around her. She forced herself to remain still, to keep breathing, even as panic clawed at her chest.
“In fact, I must say,” Mael continued, his voice pitched so low that only she could hear it over the music, “you’ve done remarkable work.
The deception was flawless. If it weren’t for some very specific intelligence from someone who used to know you, I would never have suspected anything at all.
” His hand slid just a little bit higher.
Around them, other guests continued their polite conversation, completely unaware of the deadly revelation taking place in their midst. The quartet played on, their melody sweet and haunting in the torchlight.
“What do you want?” Nadi asked, abandoning the lie. If Mael knew, there was no point in maintaining the charade.
“What I’ve always wanted.” Mael’s hand on her leg tightened just slightly. “Order. Stability. A future that serves the interests of all our people rather than the obsessions of a few.” He paused. “And you, of course…”
“I don’t understand.” She sighed.
Chuckling, he leaned forward, his breath warm against her ear.
“Don’t you? You came here for revenge against the family that destroyed yours.
But Lana and I had nothing to do with it, and revenge is such a limited goal.
So much effort, so much sacrifice, all for the satisfaction of ending a few lives.
Think bigger, Nadi. Think about how much more change we could do together in this world. ”
Nadi felt trapped, hyperaware of how easily he could snap her neck before she could even attempt to shift forms.
His hand slid just the slightest, little bit higher, angling between her legs. Her cheeks went warm despite herself at the strength in his touch. “I’m offering you something better. Safer, kinder,” Mael continued. “Something that could benefit both our peoples in ways you’ve never imagined.”
“Which is?”
“Partnership. Alliance. A true joining of vampire and fae bloodlines.” His voice carried genuine passion. “Imagine it, Nadi. No more hiding in the Wild, no more cowering behind walls. No more wearing this false face of yours. A new order where your people have not just a voice, but real power.”
The proposal was so audacious that Nadi found herself momentarily speechless. “You’re talking about… integration? Freedom?”
“I’m talking about evolution, Nadi. My mother’s ways are dying—we both know it.
The walls between our peoples, the ancient hatreds, the senseless conflicts—they serve no one anymore.
” Mael’s golden eyes gleamed in the torchlight as he squeezed her thigh, just a little harder.
She would be lying if she said her heart didn’t quicken at his touch.
“But together, we could build something the likes of which this world has never seen.”
Despite herself, Nadi felt a flicker of something that might have been hope.
How many times had she wondered what the world might look like if the fae reclaimed their rightful place?
How many nights had she dreamed of her people walking free under the open sky?
“And what would this partnership entail?” she asked carefully.
“Marriage, of course.” The word was delivered simply, matter-of-factly. “A union between the eldest Nostrom heir and a representative of the fae clans. A symbol of the new age we’re building.”
Nadi’s breath caught. “You want me to marry you. As… as myself?”
“I want you to help me create a future worth living in.” Mael’s hand moved to cup her face gently, his thumb tracing her cheekbone.
“You’re remarkable, Nadi. Intelligent, resourceful, deadly when necessary but capable of restraint.
You could be so much more than just another assassin.
Besides… it’s clear you don’t have a problem with vampires…
” He smirked. “I am so much better than my brother.”
The touch should have repulsed her, but there was something tempting in it, a gentleness that belied his massive frame and fearsome reputation.
“And what about your brother?” she asked quietly.
Mael’s expression grew sad. “Raziel is… damaged, you know that. Beyond repair. Mother made sure of that.” He paused, studying her face carefully.
“What was done to him was beyond cruel. But I see how you look at him. There’s genuine feeling there, isn’t there?
Despite everything he’s done, everything he represents. You have a big heart, Nadi.”
The observation was too accurate, too perceptive. Nadi felt exposed under his knowing gaze.
“He doesn’t have to die,” Mael continued softly. “If something unfortunate were to happen to him during tonight’s festivities… well, accidents do occur during times of chaos. But you would be protected. Cherished. Given the power to make real changes for your people.”
“You’re asking me to let him die.”
“I’m asking you to choose a future over the past. To choose hope over vengeance.” Mael leaned back slightly. “Because if you continue down this path of revenge, if you refuse the hand I’m extending? Well. Let’s just say that tonight will end very badly for everyone involved.”
The processional music swelled, and Mael straightened, his politician’s mask sliding back into place. “Think about what I’ve said. When the moment comes, you’ll have a choice.”
With that, he moved away to take his position near the altar, leaving Nadi sitting frozen in her chair. Around her, guests leaned forward in anticipation as the bridal party began to appear at the pavilion entrance.
Nadi’s mind raced through the implications of everything Mael had revealed.
They knew who she was. Lana and Mael both.
They knew why she was here. But instead of exposing or eliminating her, they were offering her something she’d never dared to imagine—a chance to be part of something larger than revenge.
The offer was seductive. Partnership instead of domination. Integration instead of war. A future where the fae could reclaim their place in the world without having to destroy it first.
But it would mean betraying Raziel. The man who had become… what? Her ally? Her lover? Something more complicated and dangerous than either of those simple terms could encompass?
She caught sight of him across the pavilion, still standing near Lilivra’s mysterious litter. Their eyes met, and she saw the question there—tense, furious, on the edge of panic—was everything all right? She managed a slight nod, though her stomach churned with the lie.
Raziel’s gaze flicked to Mael, then to her. Then, he headed toward the backstage entrance. Wait. What was he thinking?
Oh, no… he had seen Mael touch her. And now he was going to double down on the attempt on his brother’s life, when the rational choice was to simply run.
Fuck.
And there she was, trapped in her seat like a total moron.
Nadi wanted to scream.
The processional music shifted to the bridal march, and all attention turned to the pavilion entrance. Lana appeared like a vision in the torchlight, her ivory silk and black lace gown flowing behind her as she began her slow walk down the white-carpeted aisle.
Zabriel waited at the altar, his face radiant with a genuine happiness that seemed to glow even brighter than his bride’s.
For a moment, watching them approach each other with such obvious love and joy, Nadi could almost believe in Mael’s vision of a better world. A world where vampire and fae could stand together as equals, where ancient hatreds could be set aside in favor of something new and hopeful.
The ceremony proceeded with ancient ritual and modern touches. Honestly, Nadi couldn’t focus on a blessed second of it. All the while, she was screaming in her head about what was happening.
Mael knew. Lana knew. That meant Zabriel knew.
Did Volencia know?
No, probably not.
Raziel was going to try to murder his brother now out of spite for her sake. And she had to try to… what, stop him? To save Raziel’s life? Or Mael’s?
This was all so damnably complicated it was going to give her a migraine.
Lana and Zabriel exchanged vows that spoke of love transcending political necessity, of two souls finding each other across the divide of family loyalties.
Nadi wished she could pay more attention, as she had never actually seen a vampiric wedding besides her own before.
And that one hadn’t actually focused on formality—it had been to a human, after all.
But she was still sitting there rigid as a statue, every nerve in her body about to explode because she was ready to snap and murder someone if they moved too suddenly.
When Lana and Zabriel kissed to seal their union, the assembled guests erupted in applause that echoed across the estate grounds.
And finally, she could breathe. For better or worse.
Because that was when the first explosion shattered the evening’s joy.
The blast came from somewhere beyond the main pavilion, a deep rumbling boom that sent shock waves through the ground and extinguished several of the torches. Guests screamed and dove for cover as a second explosion followed, closer this time, accompanied by the sharp crack of gunfire.
Chaos erupted instantly. Vampires moved with inhuman speed toward exits and cover, while humans struggled to process what was happening. Security guards shouted orders that were lost in the pandemonium as more explosions echoed across the estate grounds.
Nadi waited for a split second, watching Lana and Zabriel at the altar.
Instead of fear, she saw grim satisfaction on both their faces—this wasn’t a surprise attack.
This was expected.
Planned.
Part of whatever larger game the Nostrom siblings had been playing.
Fuck.
Well. There went the plan to assassinate Mael. He was working with Lana, which she had been starting to suspect. But now it was confirmed they were working with the fae in attendance. But to what ends? Why attack their own wedding…?
A figure burst through the eastern entrance of the pavilion—one of the estate guards, but moving wrong, too fluid, too wild. More figures poured in behind him, no longer bothering to maintain their human disguises.
Gunfire erupted from multiple directions as the infiltrators engaged the Nostrom security forces.
Guests scattered in all directions, some seeking shelter behind overturned chairs, others rushing toward what they hoped were exits.
The white silk pavilion became a battlefield, its pristine beauty torn and stained by violence.
Lilivra’s guards, ancient-looking things, quickly disposed of anyone who wandered too close—friend or foe—and began to carry out the litter that carried her toward the exit. They seemed entirely unconcerned with the chaos as if it were something they dealt with regularly.
Turning toward the stage, Nadi tried to make it to the front of the room but instantly stopped.
It was pandemonium in that direction. Bodies and bullets criss-crossing between all parties.
She wasn’t going to make it to Raziel. She had to retreat.
Ducking outside of the pavilion, she drew her knives and did her best to gather her wits and get a sense of her bearings.
Through the mayhem, she spotted a familiar figure trying to reach the main house—Volencia Nostrom, her dark gown billowing as she moved with surprising speed for someone of her apparent age.
The lesser matriarch was heading for what had to be a secure room, somewhere she could wait out the attack in safety.
This was it. The opportunity she’d been waiting for.
All the planning, all the sacrifice, all the months of deception.
Mael was off the table. So was Lana.
Raziel was a complicated mess.
But that bitch?
That bitch could die. Right now.
Nadi pushed through the panicking crowd, using her smaller size to slip between guests and around security forces engaged with the attackers. A fae warrior appeared in her path, wild-eyed and bloodied, raising what looked like a silver blade.
“Ui quala vuampi, fi’ti!” Nadi dropped her glamor to her own face, swearing at the fae warrior that she wasn’t a vampire, and calling him a colorful name to boot.
The fae warrior blinked, his silver sword freezing in mid-swing. He didn’t even apologize before moving on to cut down his next target.
Swearing again to herself, she shifted back to the vampiric Monica and ran toward the house. It had cost her precious seconds.
The main house loomed ahead, its white walls now scarred by bullet holes and scorch marks. Volencia had disappeared inside, but Nadi had seen the direction she’d taken. The east wing, where the family kept their private offices and secure rooms.
Behind her, the battle raged on. She could hear Raziel’s voice cutting through the chaos, shouting her name, and part of her wanted to turn back. To find him, to stand beside him, to face whatever came next together.
But this was her mission. Her purpose. The reason she’d sacrificed everything to get here.
The matriarch who had ordered her family’s death was finally within reach.
And Nadi intended to make her pay for every drop of blood she’d spilled.
She reached the main house and slipped through a side entrance, leaving the bloodshed of the wedding behind. The interior was eerily quiet after the violence outside, her footsteps muffled by thick carpets as she followed the route she’d seen Volencia take.
Somewhere in this house was the woman responsible for everything—the deaths, the suffering, the decades of hatred that had shaped Nadi’s entire existence.
Today, that debt would finally be paid in full.