Page 116 of Queen of the Crimson Throne

I flipped through the worn pages carefully—although the journal was hundreds of years old the parchment was still fresh. It had likely been spelled to resist aging.

Luka and I sat shoulder to shoulder as we read the book in silence, taking in every page until the writing ceased. I flipped through the empty pages at the end, but there was nothing more. No damning information. No shocking reveal. The journals contained as Silas had promised—the story of Astira and his grandmother. I was about to slam the journal closed in frustration when a sliver of gold writing glinted in the firelight.

I elbowed Luka as I tugged at the paper, causing an entire page to come loose. It was a folded-up square that had been worn with time—unlike the rest of the journal.

I opened up the paper to reveal the scrawled script. Where the journal had been practiced and perfect writing, not a smudge in sight—this paper was a mess. It was the same handwriting, but notes were scrawled in the margins. Lines were crossed out and written over.

Blood.

Spell.

Bloodthirsty monsters.

“Holy stars.” I continued to scan the page. “These are the notes she used as she tried to figure out how to create vampires.”

Luka leaned in close as we continued reading. The writing was all nonsense—scrawled notes. Details about trials and failures in her experimentations.

I flipped over to the back to find more of the same, except—at the bottom, there was a note that was written more cleanly than the rest.

Dragons blood was circled several times over next to a note that read,to ensure the spell can never be undone.My blood ran cold as I read the final note.If anyone tries to reverse the spell, all creatures created after the original will die.

45

LENNOX

All creatures created after the original will die.

My head spun as I read the words over and over again, ensuring what I was reading was correct. Did this mean what I thought it meant?

I carefully folded the paper back to its original shape. If someone were to successfully undo this spell, all vampires would die? My heart ricocheted in my chest.

If that was true, why did Astria want this hidden? If someone was looking to cure vampirism, shouldn’t we use this information to stop them? Or did Astria want all vampires to die? Was she still holding a grudge against the family she cursed?

“I need to step outside for a moment,” I murmured.Air. I needed air.

I pulled my cloak tight around me, shoving my hands into the deep pockets as I embraced the sting of the cool air in my lungs.

Luka followed me out wordlessly. The minute we were outside I felt his magic surround me as he placed a silencing bubble around us.

“Did you interpret the message how I did?” I asked.

“That if someone cures vampirism all vampires die?” His tone lilted at the end of his word. “Yeah I got that.”

I twisted my loose hair in a coil at the back of my head before releasing it again. “None of this makes sense.”

“I know.” Luka kicked at the snow with the tip of his boot.

If someone cured vampirism, Luka died.

The thought clouded my mind.

If someone cured vampirism, Luka would no longer exist.

Things between Luka and I were complicated. But no matter what we were, I didn’t want him to die. If he died—I flashed back to the feelings I felt in the forest all those months ago—when we were simply friends. Barely friends. The panic that surged through me as I saw him slowly dying in front of me. That wasthen.My feelings for him were nowhere near as strong as they are now. The idea of losing Luka—I struggled for breath. My palms were sweaty despite the chill in the air.

Before I could register what was happening, Luka was wrapping his arms around me. He squeezed me tight as if he was trying to squeeze the fear out of me. I looped my arms around him in return.

“It’s okay. I’m here,” he murmured into my hair. “I’m here.”.

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