Page 86 of House of Darkness
Estrella shrugged. “Maybe you are—I don’t know you well enough to say. But my lover and master trusts you, which means you must have goodness in you.”
Ylva brushed her fingers thoughtfully across her lips, then looked at me. “I see why you like her, little Tsarling. She’s an idealist like you.”
I shrugged. “I don’t deserve her.”
Ylva grinned at that, then refocused on Estrella. “What he doesn’t know, little morsel, is that I’m an idealist too.”
“Do you know why my sister, Emma, doesn’t have my same ears and tail?” Ylva continued.
“She was turned, not born,” Estrella replied cautiously.
“Correct. I found her in a snowdrift while leading a hunt. She was an acolyte, left to freeze by her master because she was infertile and therefore deemed useless.” Ylva smiled gently, knowingly. “I saved her and killed that asshole. Sisterly love is one of the strongest loves one can have—you’re fortunate to have it.”
Her words sank into my gut like lead, making me think of my own sister. I hadn’t seen her since my coronation. It would be strange to have a love like that with her, but for a moment, I wondered if, had things been different, we could have tried. Unfortunately, thingsweren’t different.
“Are you with us, then?” Estrella asked.
“Of course. Let’s get these bastards,” Ylva replied with a wink. She tilted her head toward me. “But you’d better have a hell of a pep talk ready to convince my soldiers to go die so theycan’thunt.”
Chapter 43
ESTRELLA
Idid it. I convinced the war countess to back Roman. Her soldiers were among the most brutal and effective killers in the world, capable of swaying the outcome of the coming war. It was the most significant thing I had ever achieved.
Snow danced from the sky in fluffy clumps, peppering my furry jacket, a gift from Ylva. I wouldn’t need it once we crossed the mountains, but it was essential until then. I shuddered, not from the cold but from the weight of the moment. On a rickety platform of frostbitten wood, Roman stood to my right, clad in similar furs and leather. Ylva stood beside him, her armor barely covering her legs and chest, her torso still painfully visible in the glistening light. We stood shoulder to shoulder, overlooking the largest gathering of vampires I had ever seen.
Lumbering men and women filled the clearing, armed to the teeth with blades, their chainmail gleaming in the snow. A brutal anticipation vibrated through the icy air, sending goosebumps crawling up my arms as their stares burned into their countess and tsar, like well-trained hounds poised to lunge.
Roman squeezed my hand before dropping it to step forward. His wings were tucked away against the cold, but his presence wasintimidating nonetheless. His powers unfurled like ink against the snow, spilling over the dais and those gathered beneath him. Muscles rippled under the thick fabric of his Fjällräv furs and leathers, and the helmet he wore, adorned with the snarling teeth of a fox, echoed the fangs he bared.
I knew he had battled over what to say that would convince these warriors to lay down their lives for this cause. My breath hitched as I awaited the most important speech I’d likely ever hear.
“Let there be no mistake, vampires and vampiresses. Today, we march toward war. We march toward bloodshed that will soak the very grounds of this country. Many of us will march for the last time, and those destined not to return will find honor and glory on foreign soil.”
A rumble of approval coursed through the crowd. Fjällräv customs revered those who fell in battle above all else, closely followed by acolytes who died in childbirth. Any Fjällräv vampire aspired to die in battle, to be immortalized as a hero by their House.
“This war is not about who sits on the throne. If it were, I would gladly step aside to save my fellow soldier. This war is for progress itself. It’s about finding community and ending the senseless violence so we, and our children, might know peace and prosperity. So we all can find happiness, regardless of status. This isn’t about humans versus vampires; it’s about removing the leeches that hold us back so we can heal. Together.”
Silence fell after he finished, broken only by the clouds of icy breath escaping the warriors’ mouths. Then, it happened. One soldier raised their battle axe high and roared, the sound cutting through the crisp air and settling in my bones. One by one, soldiers followed suit, raising their weapons and chanting words that were foreign, yet I understoodcompletely. They were ready for honor, death, and bloodshed.
The thunder of footsteps over frozen ground echoed like a drumbeat to their chanting symphony, reverberating through my soul, bringing warmth to my fingertips. Roman bared his teeth in a smile and then struck his armored chest with his fist.
“Lead the charge, Your Highness,” Ylva urged. An air of confidence enveloped her, as though she were truly in her element.
Roman shook his head. “I’ll have to ride with my acolyte. She won’t be able to keep up and doesn’t know how to ride a horse. Lead your soldiers, Ylva.”
She dipped her head and leaped into the crowd, her soldiers parting to grant her access to the front. I turned to Roman, my brows furrowing. “They won’t be on horses?”
He smiled back. “They’re faster on foot.”
With that, a sable horse was brought forward. Roman lifted me effortlessly and placed me in the deep-set saddle from our vantage point on the platform before slipping in behind me. “You can lead the army, Roman. I can figure this out.”
His hands gripped my thighs as he shifted, his length pressing against my backside. Heat rushed to my cheeks at the contact, even through the thick furs. “I quite like it here,” he purred, his breath tingling against my ear. He pressed a kiss to my neck, silencing any remaining argument I had.
Ylva reached the front and faced her army. With a cat-like yowl, she turned and began to jog. Weapons clanged against one another as the unit followed their countess’ lead, surging across the frostbitten ground like an avalanche of metal, furs, and fangs, moving with shocking speed. Roman clicked his tongue, urging the horse forward,and the animal broke into a brisk trot to keep pace with the vampires surrounding us, its nervous whinnies and harsh panting filling my ears.
With each shuddered step, we closed in on the violence to come, a brutal satisfaction built within me at the promise of death to those who had wronged me.
