Page 1 of Savage Sacrifice
1
LINCOLN
Pain burns through my veins as I fight against the magic that renders me hopeless, locking me in place while my world threatens to crumble around me.
As I await the call of my name and the announcement of my blood kin, all of it means nothing when hers lingers in the air.
Polaris Beauchamp.
Midnight.
Her name echoes off the walls of the assembly hall, my pulse quickening in my ears as her forced footsteps bring her to a stop beside Ben’s lifeless body.
Dead.
Just like Bianca.
Only, she died at the hands of Blaze, while Ben died at his own hands, in a declaration of love for a vampire who didn’t care.
Would I do the same if it were me?
If my name is called next, confirming Polaris is my blood kin, will I act rationally like I told her to, or will I take matters into my own hands?
I hope I don’t have to find out.
My wolf desperately threatens to break free, as though the only reason he hasn’t is because of the magic binding me to this very spot. I try to calm him, but it’s impossible as I see a glimmer of nerves flash in Polaris’s eyes. She gulps, the soft sound audible from here as her attention drops to her wrist.
I spy Blaze bouncing on the balls of his feet off to the side, ready to jump into action if needed, and I make a mental note to high-five the fucker for ending Bianca so perfectly. She was a wolf, sure, one of mine even, but the hold she tried to impress upon Wylder, combined with the drama she continued to throw at Midnight, leaves no inkling of sadness at her loss.
A flicker of a glow sparks along Polaris’s forearm, pulling my thoughts back to the present as my throat dries.
A vine stretches from elbow to wrist, leaves dancing along her skin, glowing like a beacon in the night. It almost looks like ivy, a perfect symbol for the woman that she is; pretty, mystical, secretive, and ready to overwhelm your life with one single root. If you don’t watch your back, I’m certain she’ll coil around your throat, leaving you gasping until there’s no air left.
I glance down at my own arm, envisioning the glow along my skin and preparing for the absolute worst when a cry further down the line ripples through the air.
“No!”
I choke on my breath as my gaze roves over those of us assembled, finding the source of the sound.
I thought I was prepared for the worst, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. This is it instead. I was terrified I’d have to choose between myself and the woman who has my mark on her flesh, but eyeballing between the woman in question and my sister, that’s something else entirely.
Horror vibrates through my body, claiming me as I watch in disbelief as Minnie takes a step forward.
My sister.
My mate.
Blood kins.
It can’t be. It can’t.
Struggling to breathe, my face heats as my hands tremble. I blink, and blink again, hoping for the scene before me to disappear, but it’s not a figment of my imagination. It’s raw, real, and true.
Polaris collapses to her knees, a move I’m sure I would mirror if magic weren’t holding me in place. Tears stream down her face, terror clinging to every inch of her, and it’s as if the world stills.
The room grows dark around the two most important women in my life.
All I see is them.
