Page 156 of Treasured

Then I glimpsed Sebastian. My wonderful, sweet, dark vampire. My pity for the queen dissipated like smoke on the wind. Whatever happened to her, she still wanted to kill us.

My fangs ached. I wanted blood. I needed it. My head shifted, and I stared at my husband. My prince, bound and broken and—

He moved.

It was small, a twitch of his leg. Hope ran through me.

I had to keep her talking. For both of us.

“What happened to them?” I asked.

She told me. Every dark, dirty detail, she shared them all. Nicolas, the Freedom Revolution, the entire twisted affair. By the time she was done, horror swam in my stomach.

All the pieces fell into place. The queen’s hatred, her disgust towards humans, even the Favorites. Beneath all the cruelty was just a female suffering from a broken heart.

Then the most incredible thing happened. The Tether tingled. A feather-light caress brushed against my mind. Warmth flooded the bond.

Keep her talking, darling.

I nearly wept at the sound of Sebastian’s voice in my head. Thank all the gods. I might not have been a warrior, but I could talk.

“I’m sorry that happened to you,” I said slowly, carefully choosing my words. “No one deserves to experience the pain of heartbreak.”

“Sorry?” Queen Marguerite scowled. Shadows swarmed off her. “I don’t want your apologies. I don’t want anything from you.”

Time was running short; I could feel it in my bones. Soon, she would grow tired of this.

“What do you want?” I asked, desperate to keep her talking.

Darkness flashed through her eyes. “I want power.”

“Maybe we can help you?” I said feebly. Inside, I tried to summon my shadows, but they were still just out of reach.

She scowled. “If you want to help, you’ll be a good little Fledgling and stay still.”

I swallowed, and alarm pulsed through me. “What?”

Shadows swirled above the queen’s hands, forming a long, thin dagger. A strangled scream clawed its way out of my throat. Queen Marguerite plucked the weapon out of the air.

“Please,” I said. I wasn’t above begging, it turned out.

How had things gone so wrong?

Queen Marguerite tapped the blade on my cheek. It was cold, and I didn’t try to contain my shivers.

“I don’t need you,” she said icily. “I don’t need anyone. All I need is for my ruby to work again.”

A tear slipped down my cheek.

The queen noticed it, laughing.

“Oh, goodness.” She gathered the tear on the edge of her dagger before licking the blood off the blade. “It’s time you learned your lesson, Luna. I will always win. There is no escaping me. I am death.”

Then she lifted the shadow dagger, and I knew the end had come.

Your Blood is Mine

SEBASTIAN

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