Chapter 28 Lucian
Lucian
I go to the bedchamber expecting to find Julia asleep.
The door opens into silence. The bed is empty, the covers smooth, the pillows stacked neatly. The air smells faintly of her—warm, sweet, feminine—but it is empty. A glance shows she’s not in the bathing room either.
She’s gone.
My chest goes tight.
No. No, no, no.
I turn on my heel and stride down the hall, the echo of my steps loud against marble. Every instinct in me is already screaming what I’ll find, but I force myself to confirm it.
When I get to the front doors, the guards at the outer hall come to attention as I approach.
“Did anyone leave the Spires tonight?” My voice is low and dangerous.
They exchange a look. Unease flickers in their faces.
Finally one clears his throat.
“Yes, my Lord—a woman. She bore your signet ring and told us that she was your Queen. We thought you had permitted it—”
“You thought?” My snarl cracks like thunder. Both men flinch. “You saw her. You knew she was human. And you thought I would simply let her walk into the Shadow Realm at night, unescorted, by herself?”
They pale, eyes darting to the floor.
“We didn’t dare refuse, my Lord,” the other stammers. “She had your ring…we assumed—”
I bare my fangs, fury burning inside me like an unchecked inferno.
“Never assume! I gave orders that no one was to leave. If she comes to harm, I’ll see both your hides nailed to the topmost spire!”
They bow low, trembling and begin to babble apologies. I pay them no attention—I don’t have time to spare.
I don’t waste another word. Instead, I descend the hill into town fast, every muscle strung tight. My mind races. Julia is alone in the night in the Shadow Realm where anything might happen.
A dozen dangers spring to mind—Shifters who would tear her apart for sport…Fae who would bind her in thorny chains…Necromancers who would bleed her for their rituals. And worse still, the Flesh peddlers of the Carnal Bazaar. The things they would do…Gods, I can’t let myself think about it.
I shove the thought away and try to focus. I’ve given her my blood. That bond should be enough to find her. If I’m still, if I listen, I should be able to feel her life force.
I stride down the road, headed for the gates. The streets are hushed, moonlight bleeding down in red from the eternal sky. I draw a breath, let my senses stretch.
There—so faint it’s barely there, I feel it—a thread. A sweet taste like a piece of candy under my tongue. Julia.
I follow the feeling through the gates of my court, into the wide central hub. My shoes strike the stone in a steady rhythm, my senses locked to that tiny, thin thread of warmth.
The Nocturne Gates rise at the center of the hub, iron arms outstretched, surrounded by the other portals that ring them like the spokes of a wheel. I would have expected Julia to head for the center to try to get home. But that’s not where the tiny thread of warmth is leading me.
If she didn’t try to get home, she must have gone through the gates of another Syndicate’s territory.
I look around, wondering which one took her in.
Each gate hums with its own resonance. I move past the Gilded Warrens, the Briar Court, the Savage Den…
the pulse I feel sharpens. I’m getting closer—I can feel it.
And then, finally, at last I know where she went.
The Carnal Bazaar.
A curse burns in my throat. Of all the places for my lovely one to run to—that cesspit. My hands curl into fists.
The Thirstborn do not deal with Flesh peddlers. Their wares are corruption dressed as indulgence. They take what is sacred—lust, desire, intimacy—and hawk it like meat on a spit. Love should be honored—cherished—not profaned for coin. The demons disgust me.
But Julia is in there…all alone.
I step toward the gate. Its golden letters leer down at me, daring me to enter. The heated scent of the place wafts through the iron bars—smoke…spice…sweat and sex. The sounds of laughter, moans, and chains rattling in rhythm fall mockingly on my ears.
My jaw tightens but I don’t hesitate.
Julia is mine.
And I’ll tear the fucking Bazaar down brick by brick if that’s what it takes to bring her back.