Page 19 of The Prince's Curse

But there she was. The love of his life, his soulmate. Alive and free. And he had so thoroughly corrupted himself that he didn’t deserve to look at her, let alone love her.

His entire body shook with his sobs, and he was startled when Sasha knelt and put his arms around him. He spoke in Russian, quiet and calm. “Brother, she is safe. We want you to come home, though you must understand why we cannot trust you. But I swear on my life, Lucia is safe. I have seen her with my own eyes. Touched her hands, heard her heartbeat. She asks for you. She still loves you.”

Kova lifted his bleary eyes and saw Sasha smiling, calm as ever. In those bright blue eyes, he found the tiniest flicker of hope. “Keep me chained. I’ll do whatever you ask.”

Chapter 5

When Nikko burst into his office and said, “We caught Kova,” Julian was certain he was still sleeping.His dreams had been plagued with visions of Brigitte for the last two days, ever since Shoshanna had dug into his mind. They were wonderfully mundane, achingly sweet, and all the more cruel for it.

He stammered unintelligibly through a dozen idiotic questions, then gave up. After grabbing his coat, he ran out of the office, told Olivia he’d be back, and jumped in the car with Nikko.

They drove not to the house in Midnight Springs, but out to the partially gutted building that had once been Elsa Wolfe’s luxurious cocktail bar, FLOW. Since a Shieldsmen raid left it unusable, Elsa had sold the property to Julian for a steal. The fine dining atmosphere was ruined, but they could still utilize the sun-proofed outer windows and sound-proofed interior rooms. Carrigan Shea and his court were defeated, but the Durendal were taking no chances at bringing any enemies back to the compound until they were absolutely certain.

On the way, Nikko relayed the sparse information he had. Kova had attacked Shoshanna and Alistair at home, leaving both of them injured. Rhys and Misha were bringing Alistair back to the compound for medical attention, while Safira and Danielle stayed with Shoshanna. Kova was under control, and Julian was certain that had been a bloody affair based on Nikko’s grim expression.

His mind spun as they pulled into the parking lot of the old office building. The blocky construction and dingy stucco were frozen in time from the nineties, which was precisely the appeal. Elsa had run her upscale blood bar unbothered for several years before the Shieldsmen came along to disrupt business.

Nikko swiped a card at the door to let them in, and they rushed into the foyer. Months later, it still stank of bleach and old blood, the failed attempt to cover the smell of a dozen vampires murdered in the middle of dinner. Some were Auberon, some Casteron, and some Untethered. It was a senseless loss of life; even the vampires who weren’t part of their court hadn’t deserved the brutal execution.

Inside, they followed the sound of low voices and found several of the Nightwatch gathered in the brown-tiled kitchen. Someone had made a token effort to clean up the place, though Elsa’s chemistry equipment still remained in haphazard arrays, with boxes of medical supplies stacked in the corners.

The door to the walk-in freezer stood open, letting out an icy breeze. In that stainless steel cell, a dark-haired man sat chained to a chair.

It had been over a hundred years, but Dmitri Kovalev looked just as he had the last time they saw him. This was the man he remembered with aching grief, the one who had left them a note apologizing for leaving because he couldn’t bear his sorrow any longer.The one who knew Julian’s pain better than anyone.

And by all appearances, Kova had been having a rough night.

Wrists and ankles shackled to a chair, Kova sat with his head hung low, staring at the ground. Blood stained his jaw, and broken teeth lay on the ground between his feet. His head lifted, and he spared a sad, crimson-stained smile. “Congratulations on your promotion. I always thought you’d be a good Elder.”

Paris scoffed, shaking his head. “All that’s happened, and you choose jokes?”

“You’re one to talk,” Kova said mildly.

“Where the hell have you been?” Julian asked.

Kova leveled his intent, red gaze on Julian. One eye closed ever so slightly, tugged out of place by that distinctive hooked scar. “You know she’s winding Brigitte up to come and kill you. She’s a vampire hunter this time. Thinks you killed her poor parents.”

He reeled. Kristina had told them they were together briefly on the hunt, but it hadn’t occurred to him that Kova might actually know her. “What…what can you tell me?”

A sad smile tugged at Kova’s bloody lips. “I’ve known her since a few months after she was born. Reborn, rather. Watched Armina Voss raise her like her own. She goes by Scarlett now.”

Paris threw up his hands and blurted, “Are we so caught up in sentiment that we’re pretending you didn’t abandon us and work for the witch?”

“Paris,” Julian snapped.

“It’s a fair question. I was a fool, but I thought I could convince Armina to let her go.” Kova twisted one arm awkwardly, then flashed a wry smile. “Look at my arms and my chest.”

Julian hesitated, then tugged at his brother’s ripped sleeve. Dark red marks covered his skin from wrist to elbow. Kova didn’t budge as Sasha lifted his shirt to reveal similar marks across his chest. They were neat and precise as tattoos, but the raised texture resembled scar tissue. “She did this to you?” Julian asked.

Kova nodded. “When I left you, I found the witch and I offered myself in Lucia’s place. She made me an offer; serve her and she’d break the curse.”

“You didn’t trust her?” Paris asked incredulously. “You fucking idiot.”

“Despair made a fool of me,” Kova said quietly. “I still lie awake wondering if Lucia was awake all this time, and?—”

“She wasn’t,” Paris interrupted, his voice suddenly cooler as he offered the reassurance. “Shoshanna asked. She only awoke when Shoshanna started messing with Armina’s magic. Even then it was just fragments of dreams. It wasn’t painful for her.”

Kova’s head snapped up, and his expression faltered again, his eyes gleaming as the words sank in. “Good. Thank God for that.”

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