Page 54 of Queen of the Crimson Throne

“Declan Hale, Captain of the Blood Court Royal Guard,” Luka introduced the harpy.

“Hale?” Caterina questioned. “As in the same Captain Hale of the Twilight Court Royal Guard?”

Declan stiffened, his face pinching. “That would be my father.”

Caterina sighed deeply, and her smile softened. “I thought so, you look so much like your mother.”

“You knew my mother?” Declan stumbled.

“I did.” She looked at us all, then back at him. “Later, dear, the two of us should talk, but not now.”

Declan swallowed, his wings rustling behind him..

“So now that we’re all acquainted, why don’t you all have a seat?” Caterina clapped her hands, the sound clearing the tension radiating in the room. “Pour yourself a drink and wecan talk. I don’t see the point in delaying this any longer.” She took her seat behind her desk.

“Luciana has filled me in on what has led you here. And indeed, I was working with Braham and Nol to find Astria’s journals.” I knew this was likely—but still, the confirmation rocked me. And by the looks of everyone else in the room, the confirmation shook them too.

“Your brother and father initiated the search. They only came to me in the last few months before their—deaths.” Caterina closed her eyes and took a breath before continuing.

“Your father had always been obsessed with history. One of the summers you spent here he found an ancient text detailing a time when vampires tried to reverse the effects of vampirism. In their failure, they created monsters—uncontrollable monsters that were half vampire half beast, Dhampirs they were called.

“After years of failed trials, they concluded what they needed to make the transformation successful was Astria’s original spell. It was unclear how they came to that conclusion, but regardless they ran with it. They scoured the continent for Astria’s spellbook. And that is where their history ended. We assumed they never found the spell, considering vampires still exist. Your father took an interest in this—leading him to discover Astria had kept journals during that time. This sparked the idea that if he could find the journals and if they did contain the key to reversing—or curing—vampirism he could use it as a bargaining chip with the Blood Court.”

“What do you mean a bargaining chip? What did he want from the Blood Court?” Luka asked.

“It was my impression all he wanted was for the tensions to be eased between the Star and Blood Court. To ease the tensions between the Blood Court and all of Lethenia. Maybe he had alternative motives, but that’s what he told me. And I know Braham—I believed his intentions were true.”

“Did he ever find the journals?” I pressed.

Caterina shook her head. “Not thatI know of.”

“Wait,” Luce interjected. “How did you get involved in all this?”

“I caught him snooping in the archives for the journals.” She smiled softly. “Braham was a terrible liar. It took little convincing for him to tell me what he was looking for. He had gotten so far as to convince himself the journals were somewhere in the Blood Court—he believed they were in the possession of the family of the original vampires.”

“You mean the family of Astria’s former lover?” Luce interjected.

Caterina nodded. “That’s when he enlisted Nol to help him.”

“Nol wasn’t helping him the entire time?” It was Kara who asked the question this time.

“Not at first, your father wanted to involve as few people in his quest as possible. But you know Nol, his love for knowledge knew no bounds. Your father would have been stupid not to ask for his help. And Braham needed a way to get into the Blood Court without raising suspicions.”

The air in my lungs froze. “That’s why he proposed the arranged marriage.”

Caterina’s face was solemn. “We didn’t know if Nol would have to marry her—it depended on how long it took to locate the book. But Nol was willing.” I thought it was strange Nol agreed to an arranged marriage without fight. I had figured he felt it was his duty as heir—but it was so much more than that.

He and my father—and Goddess knows who else were playing a game. Unaware of the consequences it would have when they failed to complete it.

I stood from my chair as I tried to wrap my head around the information she had given us, pacing around the room as I spoke, “So you’re telling me I got wrapped up in this entire disaster—this entire mess of an arranged marriage even though it was all a sham in the first place? Nol never intended on marrying into the Blood Court, but because he was murdered Ilost the one choice I had left because of a scheme my dead father and brother were cooking up.”

I couldn’t get air into my lungs.

“Lennox.” Caterina’s voice was soft. It reminded me too much of my mother.

Too much, this was all too much.

“I need—” I gasped. “I can’t—” I bolted from the room, ignoring the voices calling out after me. The walls were a blur around me as I tried to make sense of my surroundings.

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