LydiaThe vampire with the shaved head brings Jesse and I back to camp dressed in some ill-fitting clothes he had with him in a backpack. The vampire I attacked lies on the ground, blood soaking the front of his shirt. The earth beneath him is a dark red, almost black. I’m shocked that he’s still al
LydiaJesse’s death has left me numb with shock. I can barely sleep and eat. The memory of her being decapitated replays in my mind nonstop. The scent of her blood lingers, refusing to leave me alone. I don’t know what the Blood Takers did to her body, but my best guess is that they dumped it somewh
RainerIt took me several days to track down the Blood Takers. They kept moving and seemed to travel in a pattern anyone would call confusing. They’re not travelling in a straight line. They’ve been turning left and right into different territories, keeping to the woods and out of sight.I finally f
EmoryI’ve never been to Sardonia before. Queen Olga has been asking for me to visit her kingdom for years. So far, Kane and I have managed to put off the visit as we’ve been busy recuperating after the war with Scarlett Thunder and raising our son. Although, I have met Queen Olga a few times when s
“Some might say delusional,” she replies. “And yet, we all worshipped the same Goddess at one point in time. We may have more in common than we think.”I glance at Kane and then back at her and say,“I know that. At the end of the day, we all want similar things—safety, love, and friendship.”“You ar
KaneThe dining room feels intimate with the short table that could only accommodate a dozen people. Queen Olga tells us that they use this dining room for family and friends only. The nobles that live in the castle dine in another more spacious room. The table is made of stone and is connected to t
LydiaI watch warily as Randal comes over with a plate of food. His smile is wide and friendly like we’ve known each other for years. His overall niceness is unsettling compared to the usual treatment the feeders receive from the other Blood Takers. I don’t know what to make of this man.“Hello, Lyd
CoitI haven’t been back to Nightfall since Lydia’s abduction. I try to keep in touch with the Nightstone family, as we’re all in this crisis together, but the guilt has made it difficult. It’s easy to blame myself for what happened to Lydia, and I can imagine her family blames me too. I’m more than
MichaelThe emissary to Red River–the real one–isn’t anyone I recognize. He’s tall and pale blond, his red eyes gleaming in the brightly lit ballroom where he and his posse of royal Red River guards have gathered. He scans the group before him–myself, my father, and my uncle, and smiles faintly, hi
I listen intently, watching a myriad of emotion play over her face as she knits her fingers together. “We spent an entire summer sneaking around,” she says softly, closing her eyes. “He’d find me in the garden, in the library, sometimes going as far as to sneak into my room at night. We couldn’t st
FayeStill in the library, I listen intently as Emelda discloses far more than I expected her to.There was a point in Emelda’s life as a vampire that she’d accepted she’d always be alone. Her bed would always be cold, her skin unblemished by a loving touch. She’d never know love again, and for deca
Faye“It really is gorgeous,” Emelda says the next morning while walking with me to the library. She runs her thumb over the massive sapphire ring and smiles faintly, raising her brows. “I think it’s a family heirloom, too. You should expect a load of fine jewelry to follow.”“You know I don’t care
FayeKing Kane is a slightly terrifying man. His presence is all consuming–like he sucks the light out of the room. He doesn’t look his age, like all vampires. The only indication that he’s a senior vampire compared to his son is the faint gray glow around his temples where his dark hair is starting
MichaelI watch Faye run a comb through her hair, over and over. The golden strands shine like golden silk in the pockets of sunlight shimmering through the curtains. Beyond the glass, knee-deep snow covers the castle grounds in a blanket of pure, untouched white. Deep inside, I feel a flicker of m
I shake my head, sniffling, trying to pull my tears back into my eyes but fail miserably. They trickle down my cheeks, freezing to my face. “We would have been caught.”“I wouldn’t have cared. I still don’t!”“You were getting married–”“I’ve been betrothed since I was a child,” he says hotly, gritt
Emelda“Why are you out here?” Cole asks, his hand moving up my back as he presses me closer. “You’re freezing.”“I wanted to check on Ravenfell–”“I was on my way–”“It’s not your responsibility–”“I was on my way to find you,” he cuts in, taking a breath. I open my eyes, breaking out of the haze
Finn leans against the fireplace while Cassidy stokes the fire, but everyone is waiting for me to start talking. That’s why I came here, after all. To share news from the castle about our duke and our friends. “Lowe is likely going to survive,” I say to the group, ignoring the shuffle of feet as pe