Chapter 15 #3
Instinct tightened my grip. I took over the next turn, steering us in a wide circle. Lorcan jerked his startled eyes to mine, and I whispered the cadence while my back was turned to Rasimir and the Drachvi.
“One, two, three…One, two, three…”
Lorcan recovered quickly, taking over the lead on the next turn. “Thank you,” he said softly.
I gave a slight nod.
We finished the dance and immediately launched into another. Rasimir observed from his throne, his chin propped in his palm. The music changed, the rhythm more sedate. Overhead, the nighttime sky deepened to black. The reflection of the thousands of orbs in the chandeliers glittered in the windows.
Lorcan stared down at me, a slight furrow between his brows.
The female acrobat tumbled through the air above him.
My gown swung wide, and the world seemed to slow.
Caught in Lorcan’s gaze, I sank into his grip, my body finally moving without conscious thought.
It was a surrender of sorts, letting myself be led.
Trusting him to keep us from crashing into anyone else.
His fingers spanned the small of my back.
The dragonstones on my dress trailed narrow ribbons of ruby light.
The lines between Lorcan’s dark brows deepened, and his low voice flowed through my mind.
Don’t fight me.
Before I could fully absorb the warning, he stopped and pulled me into a kiss.
I went rigid.
Lorcan stroked his tongue deep, his voice in my head thrusting just as thoroughly. In a few seconds, werewolves are going to crash through the windows. Rasimir is expecting them. He wants you to prove yourself in front of the court.
My gasp was lost in the give and take of his tongue and the scrape of his fangs against my lips.
Long fingers slid through my hair and cupped my head.
Lorcan bent me backward, one hard forearm like steel against the small of my back.
His taste was different from Vander’s. Darker but not unpleasant. And he was warm.
No, hot . Lorcan burned like fire, every bold caress sending heat crackling over my tongue and down my throat. I’d been wrong to think him cold.
You have to drink, Corinthe , he said in my mind. Don’t be afraid.
His lips left mine. Cheers burst around us as he pulled me upright.
We stood alone in the center of the dance floor.
Courtiers applauded our kiss with flushed cheeks and bright eyes.
But a weightier regard turned my head. Rasimir observed from his throne, his hands resting on the arms and one leg slung over the other. He didn’t look pleased.
Glass exploded along the wall. Shouts rang out as dozens of wolves leaped through the broken windows and charged across the ballroom. Courtiers hissed, baring long fangs. With a sweep of its head, one werewolf sent a man flying into a pillar.
Rasimir jumped to his feet. “We’re under attack!” He swung toward the knights positioned at the doors. “Remove these vermin from our presence!”
The knights sprang forward, drawing their swords as they ran. More knights poured through the doors behind them. Overhead, the female acrobat released a terrorized shriek as she flapped toward the musicians’ balcony. Growls ripped through the air. Everywhere, vampires and werewolves clashed.
A furry shape shot past me, and I spun to see a wolf slam into Lord Seldare. The impact took them to the ground, where they bit viciously at each other. Seldare roared. Shockwaves warped the air. Before they reached me, a growl at my back made me whip around.
Lorcan battled with a werewolf on the edge of the dance floor.
The wolf’s eyes glowed a deep yellow as it lunged at him repeatedly.
Lorcan’s fist flew, striking the wolf in the shoulder.
The beast recoiled, shook its head once, and charged forward again.
Crouching, Lorcan sprang into the air, leaping over the wolf and landing behind it.
Someone tackled me from behind. Pain exploded in the back of my head, and the floor rushed up. I sprawled on my stomach with the taste of blood in my mouth. As my head spun, fiery pain streaked down my back and hot, rancid breath blasted into my ear and seared my nose.
The monster inside me scrabbled to the surface.
My fangs ripped through my gums as I flipped onto my back, swinging a fist as I turned.
My knuckles glanced off a werewolf’s fang.
My skin tore open, and my blood splattered over the wolf’s snout.
Yellow eyes filled my vision as the beast plunged its jaws to my neck.
Gritting my teeth, I slammed my fist into its throat. The impact lifted it off my shoulders, giving me a look at the stump where one of its paws should have been.
Recognition barreled through me. I battled the same wolf Vander had chased earlier in the day.
And it was out for blood. From the way wet spread down my back, it had already drawn it.
It lunged at me again, its saliva splashing my face.
I threw up an arm, a scream of rage breaking from me as I landed another punch to its throat.
The claws of its good paw sank into my shoulder, sending more fire down my arm.
It coughed, the sound like a dog’s bark.
I brought up both knees hard and bucked the wolf off me.
I got a split-second reprieve. And it was enough.
My feet hit the floor, and the werewolf struck, its front legs on my shoulders and its jaws in my face.
Standing on its hind legs, the wolf’s head loomed above mine.
As it drove me backward, the throne swung into my line of sight.
Rasimir sat with his fingers laced under his chin and his gaze fixed on me.
Vander started forward, and Rasimir lifted a hand, his lips rounding in an unmistakable No .
Vander stopped. His freckles stood out on his pale face, and his hands twitched at his sides. But he stayed put, his features falling into indifference.
My back slammed into something hard. A pillar. More fire streaked down my spine. My shoulders burned as I thrust out my arms, my hands buried in the fur of the werewolf’s chest as I struggled to fend it off. It snapped its jaws in my face, its yellow eyes rolling. It meant to kill me.
And Rasimir was prepared to let it happen. His entire court would either watch me triumph or die.
Well, I wasn’t fucking dying tonight.
The werewolf expected me to keep shoving at its chest. Instead, I let my knees buckle.
As I dropped down, its momentum jerked its body forward.
My face landed in its hairy, matted underbelly.
Fur blinded me. More fur entered my nose and mouth.
The scent of dirt, musk, and sweat gagged me.
But something sweet flowed in rivers just under the surface.
Aim for the soft bits , my mother’s voice whispered in my memory.
I plunged my fangs deep.
The werewolf howled above me. Claws scrabbled at my shoulder, raising stripes of fire.
I bit deeper and shook my head, growls spilling from me as hot blood pumped down my throat.
A punch of sweetness followed, and satisfaction spun through me.
I’d hit an organ. Something vital the beast couldn’t live without.
Fangs locked around flesh and muscle. I drank faster.
The claws on my shoulder slowed…and then stilled. The werewolf shuddered.
A forest stretched behind my closed lids.
I plunged into it, my claws kicking up soil and leaves.
Scents spoke in my sensitive ears, deep greens and pops of red whispering for me to run faster.
And I could, my body sleek and powerful.
The forest’s song sped through my veins as I flew over streams and fallen logs.
Birds scattered. Lesser beasts fled my path.
A howl warbled in my throat. A pounding drum joined the forest’s song.
My heart racing, I stretched my legs, flying over the forest floor. Black flickered between the trees.
No matter. I could outrun it. I could run forever.
Corinthe! Lorcan shouted in my head.
Snarling, I ignored him and ran faster. Seconds later, the voice came again, sharper and more insistent.
Corinthe, you have to pull back.
The drum pounded harder. Now its beat smothered the song. My strides faltered.
Pull back right now, or I’ll put you over my knee and blister your ass!
I wrenched my head up, a roar of outrage in my throat.
Light stabbed at my eyes, and I jerked my head down as I blinked against the pain.
I knelt on the side of the dance floor with the werewolf on its side in front of me.
Ropes of pink intestines spilled from a wide gash in its stomach.
Blood stained my skirts and soaked my bodice.
Courtiers ringed the ballroom, their eyes locked on me.
Silence hung heavy in the air. Werewolf bodies littered the ground, their blood spreading over the broken glass.
Lorcan stood a short distance away with the male acrobat locked tightly against his chest. The acrobat sagged in Lorcan’s grip, his head lolling as Lorcan fed from his neck.
Confusion pummeled me as I struggled to catch my breath.
The acrobat was no threat. Werewolves had attacked, and yet Lorcan had chosen the glomarid as his prey.
The acrobat’s wings were wilted and faded.
His head sagged farther to the side. With a final sucking sound, Lorcan dropped the man to the ground.
The acrobat struck hard and rolled onto his back.
His mouth gaped, and one bloodless wing bent under him at an awkward angle.
His wide blue eyes stared sightlessly at the twinkling ceiling.
Power hummed under my skin. My vision wavered, growing clear as crystal. Around the ballroom, color sighed and shifted, reds and blues inviting me to run. A thousand drums shivered like rocks skipping over a lake.
Heartbeats. Vampires. Hunger cramped my gut. I leaned forward, something loosening inside me.
A rustle of cloth jerked my attention to the throne. Rasimir rose, and every line of his body was clearer, the colors of his clothing sharp enough to cut glass. Vander was a shadow on my father’s heels as he crossed the floor, his green eyes fastened on me.
The power in my veins rushed as I stood. The werewolf twitched and then started to transform. By the time Rasimir reached me, a nude man lay at my feet, his stomach ripped open and his lips tinged blue. The stump at the end of his wrist was scabbed over. His chest was still.
Rasimir kicked the corpse out of the way and grasped my chin. Power surged through me, the scent of the forest thick in my lungs. My lips peeled off my teeth as a growl vibrated my throat. My fingers twitched with the need to fight—to shred . I blinked, and my vision sharpened again.
“Good,” Rasimir murmured, his green eyes assessing. “Perhaps you’re worthy of my name after all.” He tightened his fingers on my chin, and he dropped his voice to a whisper wreathed in menace. “But sheath your claws, Daughter, lest they get you into trouble.”
Vander was a forbidding presence over Rasimir’s shoulder. The courtiers’ stares pressed against my skin. Drawing a ragged breath, I lowered my gaze.
Rasimir let another tense moment pass. Then he released my chin and beckoned to Lorcan. Heads turned as Lorcan stepped over the dead acrobat and crossed to Rasimir’s side. Lorcan’s solid black gaze traveled over me before he bowed to Rasimir.
“Majesty.”
Rasimir smiled. “My prince.” He took Lorcan’s hand, then turned and grabbed one of mine. Lifting our joined hands, the king raised his voice. “We gathered tonight to celebrate the happy news of my daughter’s betrothal. Our enemies tried to ruin our evening by robbing us of an heir.”
Around the ballroom, courtiers booed and jeered. A knight drew his leg back and kicked the pale body of the transformed werewolf sprawled at his feet.
“We are stronger together!” Rasimir cried. “So let us join our houses as quickly as possible. Instead of three months, we’ll celebrate the wedding of Princess Corinthe and Prince Lorcan in two weeks’ time.”
A cheer went up. My heart thumped faster, stolen power rising and falling under my skin.
As the merriment continued, panic sprouted new wings in my chest. Lorcan and Vander wanted me to kill Rasimir and save Nocta.
I wasn’t certain I had it in me. I wasn’t even certain it was possible.
But I was sure of one thing: No matter what happened, I had to escape this wedding.
And now I only had two weeks to do it.