Page 28 of House of Crimson Hearts
White blinding light burst from the heart of the door and expelled everything and everyone out of the vicinity. I was flung, pushed, propelled out of the castle grounds. Further and further. Flung through the air like a rag. Yanked away from the door by a shimmering boundary pushing and pulling me away.
Until I was so far from the door, I could no longer see it.
There, the magic rested, sealing the door and the heart of the Montague territory behind a boundary that none of us have crossed in thirty years.
* * *
My story ends, and I come out of my memories, finding myself back in my eldest daughter’s Whisper Club, the entire room stony silent. At least the story had the impact I needed.
I clear my throat and continue.
“Those thirty years are almost over. And that is why I’m here. And why I need us to work together. As a city, we must unlock that boundary and open the door because what lays behind it is the keeper of all of our fates.”
Chapter9
OCTAVIA
“Those thirty years are almost over. And that is why I’m here. And why I need us to work together. As a city, we must unlock that boundary and open the door because what lays behind it is the keeper of all of our fates,” Mother says.
She pauses and I know what comes next is the bomb she’s been waiting to drop. I tense.
Mother takes a deep breath. “During these trials, there will be a strict peace accord. There will be no war, no fights between our species under pain of death.”
There it is.
Mayhem erupts through the club. Nobles are jeering and gasping in shock. The hunters are drawing weapons, confusion ripples through the dance floor, the humans are scrambling to leave. My mother has to be on drugs. This is insane if she thinks any of the hunters will buy this. Hell, I’m not even sure I buy it. Working together for some random door that no one but her knows about? She’s lost her mind. But she also needs to get a grip on this situation before my club ends up destroyed because a riot breaks out.
The Chief marches onto the stage. But Mother raises her hands, a gesture of peace, and several of her guards step up to the perimeter of the dance floor. The hunters move fast; stakes drawn, their bodies form a tight circle in front of the vampire guards.
Red tenses like she’s going to pounce. I grab her on instinct, my fingers pressing in above her elbow.
She glances back at me when I hold her in place.
“What the hell are you doing?” she snaps.
“Don’t. This is… dangerous,” I say under my breath.
Her features crinkle. “Exactly. I need to go help them.”
“You could be hurt.”
She tries to shuck me off her but I hold tighter, hard enough to bruise. “What in the actual fuck do you care?”
“Because…” but words fail me. How was I planning on explaining?
“Descriptive, Octavia. Well done for using your words.”
My nostrils flare. “If someone is going to kill you, it will be me. And until then, I don’t want you injured.”
She shakes her head at me, I’m not sure if she’s furious or suppressing a laugh. “You’re the most fucked up vampire I’ve ever met.”
This time Red spins into me and holds her stake right over my scar. “Now get the fuck off me, before I give you a scar that’s even more permanent.”
I lean into Red. Her pupils are blown. “So feisty, and yet your body is your traitor.”
“Just the remnants of a dream I had last night,” she growls.
“You’re dreaming about me?”
