Chapter 29
Ambrose watched Lila absolutely destroy the strigoi atop her, watched as his skin melted from his bones, before hardening into nothing more than a blackened carcass. Her power—it made his cock twitch. She was so incredibly fierce and powerful, and she was slowly realizing what he’d known all along.
Once she stood, Lila took a step toward the surrounding strigoi, ready to show them the power she’d just unleashed on their leader. She was still far from the center of the labyrinth, but Ambrose could only hope this little test Nostro was conducting would be over with soon.
As Lila’s knuckles made impact with the first strigoi’s gut, a rumbling under the grand floor threw her off balance, knocking her to her feet. But she wasn’t the only one—all the strigoi had been thrown down.
Another rumble, and the entire room shook, the stone walls vibrating as though they’d crumble at any moment. The crowd surged, screams echoing all around Ambrose, just as an even louder boom ruptured the room.
Without thinking, Ambrose dove from his perch. He shifted midair, splaying his wings out just shy of hitting the dirt-covered labyrinth floor beside Lila.
What is that? she asked as he lifted her to her feet and held onto her arm.
Nothing good. . .
Take me to Nostro.
Ambrose did as she asked—he would always do as she asked—and pulled her into his arms just as his wings flapped like thunder in a storm.
“Is this your doing?” he asked the Maggot Lord as they softly landed on the platform. Nostro, too, had shifted into his monstrous form, a gangly beast of all teeth and claws. Somehow, it was even more terrifying than his regular appearance.
“You think I would destroy my own tower, ruin the spectacle I hosted, and terrify my people enough to run for their lives in pandemonium?”
Ambrose thought, then shrugged. It wasn’t something the Lord wouldn’t do.
“If not you,” Lila said, not letting either of the men answer each other, “then who—or what—is coming?”
As if summoned, another rumble shook the room, and Ambrose held Lila tighter, keeping her in his grip.
A vampire ran up to Nostro, and as he said something in his ear, Nostro’s eyes widened.
“Here?”
“Yes, Lord Nostro. She’s coming from the top and working down.”
She?Fuck.
Nostro turned to Ambrose and Lila, his bushy eyebrows scrunched in concern, but Ambrose already knew what he’d say. “It’s Drusilla. She’s here . . . and with an entire strigoi army at that.”
Another rumble shook the hall, as more screams echoed.
“I need to attend to my people—”
“Of course,” Ambrose rushed out. “What do you need of us?”
“I need you to get the Sun Child out of here, Draven. I will meet you shortly.”
“How will you find us?”
He turned to Lila and smirked, before lifting up his hand. Under his thumb was a small tattoo in the shape of a sun. “Lila and I have a Concord. I will communicate with her once I leave here to find you.”
Another rumble echoed throughout the room, and dust began falling from the ceiling just as Rebekkah soared onto the platform.
“Are you all right?” she asked Lila, grabbing her by the arm to steady herself. “I was in the stands, I tried to get here sooner but the crowds pushed me to an exit. Nostro, it’s bad out there. The strigoi are rushing the tower, turning so many, and Drusilla is leading them here. Now.”
Lila bit her lip and turned to Nostro. “Do you want me to try—”
Nostro lifted his hand, cutting her off. “No, dear. I want you to leave. We don’t know the state of these strigoi. Hurting them may be hurting innocents, and healing them may be healing monsters like the one you just fought. Until we know more, you cannot help us.”
Lila tightened her hand on Ambrose’s and he knew how she felt—defenseless, useless . . . all feelings he had felt so many times. Once they were out of there, he would make sure she knew she wasn’t.
Boom!
Ambrose tucked Lila into his wings the same moment the entire room erupted. He crashed to the stone below him, his ears ringing, as dust cascaded from above, making it hard to breathe, hard to see.
Lila, Lila are you all right? he feverishly asked.
Yes. But I can’t hear anything. Even through the Concord, the ringing is just so loud.
He needed to get her out of there, needed to—
Someone tugged on his arm. Ambrose growled and tightened his grip around Lila as he readied to swing at the person, but thankfully, before he did, he saw the dark cranberry hair, as Rebekkah reached for him.
She was coughing, and probably couldn’t hear just like he couldn’t.
Tell Nostro we’re leaving, he ordered and he felt Lila nod against where her head pressed into him. He rose to his feet, bringing Rebekkah up with him, and held her next to Lila, splaying his massive wings.
He said—
But just as Lila began speaking, an eerie, familiar cackle rose above the ringing in his ears.
Drusilla was here.
“Draven? I thought crows ate maggots. What a splendid surprise for me.”
Ambrose huffed a laugh. “In my experience, crows prefer the taste of spider blood as they rip off their legs—one by one.”
As the dust cleared, Ambrose found himself looking up at the hag of the Arachnid Estate. She stood in a circular hole she’d torn through the stone at the top of the room, strigoi crawling in all around her, attacking everyone they came across. Drusilla smiled, her wickedness oozing off her red painted lips. “I heard you took something from my dear friends at the Viper Morada yet again. Crushed the collar I worked so hard to get.”
Ambrose bared his teeth. Just thinking about the band of gold around Lila’s neck made him want to rip someone’s throat out. Preferably Drusilla’s.
“But I guess we traded,” she continued. “You may have killed Ciro, but in exchange for your little whore, we got the entirety of the Crow Court. Now, my babies will take over the Maggot Mansion, and guess where’s next?” Another wicked grin. “Isn’t baby Bran hiding out in the Arachnid Estate with that fool, Maronai? I think that’ll be the next stop before returning home. I miss having him as one of my loyal strigoi.”
Lila flinched in his arms, and Ambrose immediately felt her skin heat as he hid her behind his wings. The more Drusilla spoke, the hotter Lila got, to the point Ambrose felt like he was actually getting sunburned.
“He behaved so well when he was enthralled, and brought me all the best meals. He was such a good pet.”
Lila pushed herself from Ambrose’s wings, flaring with heat.
“You fucking witch,” she seethed, radiating, her anger burning through the room.
Ambrose felt his flesh begin to sizzle, small pieces crisping.
“Draven, get her out of here!” Nostro called, flinching back.
Rebekkah winced, but she took a step toward Lila.
“She’s not worth it, not now, mousey. We need to go to the Estate. We need to go to Marcus and Constance.” She took another step toward Lila, grabbing her hand and whirling her toward her.
“Fucking traitor,” Drusilla spit from above.
But Rebekkah ignored her, keeping her eyes locked on Lila’s, even as her skin began to steam. “Mousey, we need to go save those you love. We need to leave.”
Lila,Ambrose said into her mind, and his voice seemed to snap her out of her fury. The heat surrounding her immediately cooled as she blinked back angry tears. In front of him, Rebekkah took a deep breath of relief.
Ambrose turned to Nostro quickly and looked the man in the eyes. “Find us.” Then he stepped forward, took both the women in his arms in one swoop, and flew as Nostro soared and collided with Drusilla, creating the perfect opening for their escape.
Ambrose flew as fast as he could, even as he heard the screams echo from the Maggot Mansion in the open sky. Once they left the tower, Rebekkah got her bearings and soared next to him, eyeing their backs every so often.
Lila remained quiet in his arms, he could see the emotional turmoil on her face.
You didn’t hurt me, love.
She met his eyes. You’re not just saying that?
He shrugged a shoulder. It sizzled, but it didn’t hurt. Just as you’ve told me, you could never hurt me, love. Even if you were simmering in rage and ready to set it on the world. Remember what I said, love. You could tell me you were about to destroy the entire universe, and I would ask to be the last in line, only so I may watch you as long as possible.
She smirked then. You set the fire in me ablaze.
And I want to see you burn the world down. Lila nuzzled against Ambrose’s chest, finding comfort in his arms as she so often did.
But now, as they flew away from yet another attacked vampire manor, Ambrose couldn’t help but feel defenseless. On edge. Fear struck him as he watched the flood of strigoi storm the tower, fear that he would be bitten and changed again, that he would crave nothing but Lila’s blood, that he would covet her until he bled her dry.
His grip around her thigh tightened, his nails pricking small cuts into her skin—thankfully, not deep enough to bleed. She flinched, and he snapped back to himself.
“I—I’m sorry,” he uttered. Shame rocked through him, guilt curled up his lungs, his neck, making it hard to breathe. But Lila kept her eyes on him, wind whipping her hair.
“We still need to talk. Something is up with you, and you need to tell me.”
He swallowed the lump in his throat.
“And we will. But right now, I need your mind on the Arachnid Estate. We’re fast approaching, and if Drusilla’s words mean anything, we need to get everyone out as fast as possible. We need to—”
“Ambrose!” Rebekkah called over the rush of wind. “Look!” She pointed to the horizon, past the dark trees and starry sky, past the village they flew over and past the small settlements in between.
In the far horizon, Ambrose could see the spider-like shape of the Arachnid Estate, could see the legs hold the body of the building up.
Only, there weren’t eight legs like the Estate usually had . . . there were only five.
A cloud of smoke billowed in the air above the Estate, the fallen legs leaving behind rubble and dust as they collided to the ground.
Rebekkah voiced what he was realizing, “The Arachnid Estate . . . It’s under attack.”