Page 146 of Treasured

The moment my vision adjusted, my breath caught in my throat.

For one long, eternal moment, I stared at our surroundings. We were not alone. Far from it, in fact. Sebastian’s shadows had deposited us in the middle of the banquet hall, where a lavish feast was taking place. It had all the markings of a lively party, but now, it was as quiet as a graveyard.

We stood in the middle of the room, surrounded by hundreds of blood-thirsty vampires. Their eyes drilled into us from all sides. There were no humans, fae, or witches in attendance. Just vampires. Creatures of the night who desired nothing more than death and bloodshed.

The air seemed to hold its breath in terrified anticipation.

A chair scratched the floor. A hitched breath came from the head table. Queen Marguerite stood. She gripped a goblet of wine, her black hair perfectly coiffed into a lavish up-do. Her low-cut gown was scandalous by Ipothan standards, the onyx velvet absorbing the light. Wisps of shadows hung around her, but what caught my attention and held it was the ruby around her neck.

It was wrong. Dimmer, somehow. Lackluster.

Sebastian cleared his throat. His wings snapped behind him, and he stepped forward. “Queen Marguerite Montquartier, Ruler of Vampires and Wearer of the Blood Ruby, we have come to challenge you for the throne.”

A collective intake of breath ran through the room. An eternal moment passed where everyone seemed frozen in time. Not even the wind dared blow.

Then, glass shattered.

I Would Not Let Them Win

MARGUERITE

We have come to challenge you.

My son had said the words calmly, but he might as well have shouted his betrayal from the rooftop. The remains of my wine glass were at my feet.

I stared at the pair of traitors. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from her. That twisted, horrible, newly Made, library-loving bitch. She stood next to Sebastian, holding hands like love-sick teenagers. Their wings were flared, and they flaunted their blessings from the moon goddess.

I despised her. My hatred for her was a deep, dark, bottomless pit. Even her name was horrid. Luna. Who named someone after the moon? Ridiculous.

Silence was as loud as any symphony as everyone waited for my reaction.

The gods-damned audacity of these two traitors, arriving in the middle of a feast to challenge me, was shocking. Not since Nicolas’s betrayal had anyone hurt me so deeply. I would make them pay, just like him. The ruby pulsed at my throat, a single throb that reminded me of its fading presence.

I will feed you, I assured it.

The Fledgling’s blood would surely be a strong enough sacrifice to ensure my ruby would never dim again. I would enjoy the process, bleeding her right to the moment of death, then allowing her to heal. I would do it again and again. Pain, torment, and agony would become all they knew. They would suffer for centuries for this.

But first, we had business to take care of. A challenge to the throne could not be ignored, even by me. There were laws in Eleyta, after all.

“Everyone, get out!” I demanded.

My command broke whatever trance the attendees of my feast had been in. All at once, they flung themselves to their feet. Dishes rattled, chairs slammed onto the floor, and cries erupted around me. Those who could shadow did. Others disappeared in a blur as they ran out of the banquet hall. Doors slammed, and footsteps echoed until utter silence filled the space.

The two challengers were statues. Slowly, I approached. Glass crunched beneath my feet. My shadows writhed. They sang a melancholy tune of death. I inclined my head, releasing my wings.

They thought to flaunt their blessings in front of me?

I would do the same.

“I’ve been searching for you,” I said, circling them. “I looked for you all over Eleyta. Tell me, where were you hiding?”

Sebastian stared straight ahead, refusing to meet my gaze. “We have come to challenge you for the throne,” he repeated, his voice cold.

So that’s how this was going to be?

“What a pair you make,” I crooned, ignoring his words completely. “What a perfect, beautiful pair.” I smiled. “I’m going to enjoy breaking both of you.”

A tremor ran through the Fledgling. What a weakling. One threat, and she quaked in her boots. Sebastian had broken our Maker bond for her?