Page 100 of Wicked Fate

"I’m sor—" she began, but her plea was cut short.

Ryker plunged his dagger into Raven's chest. Her face didn’t change at all, and she didn’t even try to fight Ryker. Blood bloomed across her cream dress.

I expected Ryker to do more because I felt his sense of betrayal and need for revenge, but then something drifted into me that I hadn’t expected. Heartbreak and remorse. He still cared about Raven.

Instead of twisting the knife like the vampires had done to me, Ryker released his dagger and stepped back, and she slid down the wall and to the floor.She’s incapacitated and won’t harm more of us now. I’ll leave her life in Fate’s hands.

We’re in,Xander linked.There aren’t any guards.

I shuddered, realizing that part of what Raven had just told us was true.

Raven said most of the guards are outside.Ryker watched as blood trickled from the corners of Raven’s mouth.So let’s get down there. Gage, they’re outside targeting you all and searching for the rest of us.

Fuck yeah they were, but I heard a walkie-talkie go off. They were just informed that the palace has been breached, and they’re heading back inside.

We had to move fast.

Ryker tore his gaze from Raven's slumped form, guilt and doubt settling uncomfortably in our bond. Yet, he squared his shoulders and moved with purpose.

"The vampire guards are coming back. We need to move fast," he barked.

Briar's silent tears streamed down her dirt-smudged face as she stared at Raven. Her shoulders shook with each suppressed sob, but she didn't make a sound. I squeezed her arm gently, pulling her away from the blood pooling on the floor.

The rest of the group was eager to move.

Ryker led our group through the corridor, following Raven's directions despite what he'd just done. The irony wasn't lost on me, but it wasn’t something I’d say. We were trusting the information of someone we couldn't afford to question now. But keeping the royals in the basement made sense.

Everyone’s sadness ebbed, and our anxiety strengthened. Two sets of stairs led to the basement.

The air grew colder with each step, and the unmistakable copper scent of blood made my stomach lurch. The metallic tang overpowered even the musty dampness of the underground space.

Ryker paused at the bottom of the stairs, his body tensing. His face hardened into stone.

The fact that we’d made it down to this level without issue had the hair on my neck rising.

A narrow hall stretched before us, and the pressure of magic around me made me feel as if I couldn’t breathe. Still, I moved forward, knowing that we had to end this now. We rounded a corner, and the passage widened into a cavernous basement.

My breath caught in my throat.

In the center of the room stood a witch. Black inky energy swirled around her body like a living storm, and her eyes appeared soulless.

The twenty-three royal wolf shifters lay arranged in a perfect circle around her, their bodies unnaturally still. Tubes ran from their arms, necks, and legs and connected to ornate glass containers that pulsed with dark red liquid. Their faces were ashen, drained of life. A strand of the witch’s magic connected to each of them.

We found the royals,Briar linked, and I heard the gasps of the wolf shifters behind us.

My eyes were drawn to movement in the corner of the room.

There stood Ambrosia. Even surrounded by death, her beauty was timeless. Her maroon lace dress seemed to show off the cruelty in her eyes. Her long chestnut hair waved over her shoulders, accentuating her curves.

Beside her stood another witch—one who looked like an older version of the real Adara. No magic swirled from her, indicating the vampires weren’t cloaked again… at least, not yet.

The vampire queen scowled, the hate in her eyes somehow shining even brighter. "Impossible. You’re dead.”

Her words rang in the air as my mind raced. How many times had she assumed we were dead, only to be disappointed? I'd lost count.

Vampires are returning to the mansion in groups,Kendric linked.We're delaying them as long as we can, but you need to hurry.

Panic and rage emanated from Ryker, stealing the little breath I had left. Just when we’d thought we had an edge, the vampires changed their strategy to compensate.

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