C H A P T E R T W E L V E
Altair
T he room is thick with the scent of blood and fear.
I stand at the edge of the shadows, letting them ripple around me in dark, undulating waves as they whisper and coil, wrapping themselves around the man strapped to the chair. He’s human, but he’s lasted longer than most—his breath comes in ragged gasps, but his eyes still gleam with defiance. That’s fine. I like it when they last.
“You know who wants her dead. After all, it’s your fault she’s now a target. Perhaps you should have left her alone,” he laughs, his voice hoarse but mocking, as if he knows something I don’t. His lips curl up into a twisted grin, teeth stained with blood. “Doesn’t matter what you do to me now. Everything is already in motion.”
I don’t respond immediately. I let the shadows creep higher, their cold touch crawling up his legs, wrapping tighter and tighter, until I hear his bones creak under the pressure. He grunts in pain but refuses to scream. His defiance amuses me—for now.
The shadows are eager, hungry for more, whispering dark promises in my ear as they dance along his skin, teasing the edge of his endurance. I’ve held back with him, just enough to keep him conscious, just enough to keep him talking. But the patience I’m exercising is a fragile thing.
“And when they learn you have failed, who will come for her next?” I ask, my voice soft, almost gentle—a stark contrast to the raw power thrumming in the air around me. I need to know. I know deep down who has sent him, but I need him to confirm if there will be more. “I might consider ending this quicker if you tell me.”
His eyes flash, and a rasping chuckle bubbles from his throat. “F-fuck you.” He pauses, spitting blood onto the floor, and his eyes meet mine again. “Vampire scum.”
The shadows react to my irritation before I even lift a finger, tightening their hold on his limbs, slithering around his neck like a noose. His body jerks involuntarily, and finally—finally—he lets out a strangled cry of pain.
“Speak clearly,” I murmur, my hands clasped behind my back as I watch him squirm. “Or I’ll make sure your death is very slow, and very painful.”
“You think this is about pain?” he gasps, his body trembling as the shadows close in tighter. “You think anything you do to me matters? I'm already dead.” He laughs again, weaker this time, but there's still a hint of madness in his silver tinted eyes, a flicker of twisted satisfaction that makes my jaw tighten. “They'll come for her. She'll come for her.”
Atha.
I take a slow step forward, the shadows responding to my unspoken command, swirling and gathering, tightening around him in a violent, cold embrace. Atha. A powerful sorceress, a queen in the human realm—one Olwyn has never been told about. She’s the one pulling the strings from the shadows, the one who’s sent this assassin, and will likely send more.
She knows the prophecy—she’s the one who foretold it after all—and she knows that the path Olwyn is on could lead to peace between vampires and humans, and that is the last thing Atha wants.
She had her subjects keep Olwyn hidden and neglected in Avantra, hoping to use her for her own gain when she was ready. But Atha lost all control when I found Olwyn.
Atha wants to keep us at war, wants to see the bloodshed and the strife continue because it feeds her. Peace between our worlds would undermine everything she’s worked for, all her control.
She is ruthless. She’ll do whatever it takes to ensure her vision of the world remains unchallenged. The proof of it is scarred upon my face.
“Where is she?” I ask, my voice sharper now, my control slipping ever so slightly.
His chest heaves, sweat and blood dripping down his face. His mouth opens, but instead of the answer I want, he gives me a wild grin, teeth bared in a sick, gleeful expression. “You're too late. She’s already marked. Her fate's sealed.”
The shadows react before I do, slipping into his mouth, silencing him. For a moment, I consider letting them finish him here and now, to drown him in the dark. But no. That would be too easy. He’s playing a game, and he thinks he’s winning.
I reach out, brushing a hand against the edge of one of the shadows. Instantly, they retract, pulling away from his face and slithering back into place around his body. He coughs violently, sputtering blood onto his lap, his chest heaving as he gasps for air.
“I’m losing patience,” I warn, leaning closer. “Tell me where Atha is, and I’ll make sure your death is clean. A mercy, considering what I could do.”
For the briefest second, something flickers in his eyes—fear, maybe. But it’s gone as quickly as it came, replaced by that same twisted grin. “You’ll never get the chance,” he whispers. “Olwyn belongs to her .”
My jaw tightens, and the shadows pulse in response to the fury building inside me. But still, I keep my voice calm, controlled, even as the anger coils like a serpent beneath my skin. “ Where ?”
The man’s laughter fills the room again, low and broken, each chuckle followed by a cough of blood. “You’ll find out soon enough.”
I don’t let him finish the laugh.
The shadows surge forward, enveloping him completely in a crushing wave of darkness. He gasps, his eyes wide with terror, but I don’t stop. I let the shadows squeeze, tighter and tighter, until there’s a sickening crack. His body jerks once, and then goes limp. His head lolls forward, blood dripping from his mouth.
For a long moment, the room is silent, the shadows receding as I step back. I let out a slow breath, willing the anger to ebb away, though the man’s final words still echo in my mind.
She belongs to her .
I curl my fists, feeling the raw power of the shadows still humming through me. I thought I could protect Olwyn by keeping her here, keeping her knowledge limited. I now fear I’m no better than those who hid her away. Everyone, including me to some extent has thought they could use Olwyn as a pawn in their game.
They were wrong.
I’ll find Atha, and when I do, there won’t be any mercy.
As I turn away from the lifeless body slumped in the chair, my thoughts drift to Olwyn, alone in her chambers, unaware of how deep this danger truly runs. Of how much worse it’s going to get.
But I’ll protect her. No matter what it takes. No matter who stands in my way and who I need to root out of my kingdom. But first, I’ll start by being honest, as much as I can.
She doesn’t belong to her .
She belongs with me.
And Gods help anyone who dares to think otherwise.