Page 148 of Treasured

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Bitter, biting, frost-ridden cold slammed into us the moment we emerged from the Void and landed in the middle of Hoarfrost Hollow. We were the first to arrive. I was certain the queen was toying with us, but we’d take any advantage, including a moment alone. Power ran through my veins from when we’d connected with Marius. It twisted around my shadows, and I could’ve sworn my fingers sparked a few times.

We were as ready for this fight as we’d ever be.

This location was as bad as they came. The wind slammed into us like a wall of ice. The air smelled of death and decay, and the ground hummed with old magic. Nothing was comforting about this place. Between the snow and the crimson moon, we might as well have been standing in a frozen pool of blood.

There were no trees in Hoarfrost Hollow. There was no life at all. A dozen standing stones covered in thick layers of translucent ice were the only things present. Each was a coffin carved of the whitest rock. They stood two dozen feet from the next, forming a circle of death around us.

Fear washed through the bond, and Luna pressed against my side. What are those?

I curved my wing around her. Tombs.

She sucked in a breath. Whose?

The First vampires. They were placed here long ago, after the Bloody Night.

Even now, vampires still whispered about how those first moon-blessed beings lost all sense of morality. Their control slipped, and they murdered hundreds of humans. Their actions nearly doomed all vampire-kind to death. Thank the gods, the Firsts were entrapped and entombed in these coffins.

Damn, she said.

The wind whistled around us as if agreeing with Luna’s silent assessment.

I would have replied, but shadows swirled in the air. My heart squeezed. Oily, centuries-old magic crawled over me. The Maker’s bond might have been gone, but I would never forget how the queen’s shadows felt.

“She’s coming,” was all I could say before a cackle broke the silence of the night.

The queen emerged from the shadows alone, which was standard as per the rules of the challenge. The only exception was Tethered partners, for obvious reasons.

Predatory hunger filled my Maker’s gaze, causing my stomach to churn. She’d exchanged her gown for a formfitting pair of obsidian fighting leathers, which conveniently showcased the ruby at her throat. She wore knee-high boots, and two wooden stakes were strapped to her thighs.

“So glad you could make it,” she said, sarcasm dripping off every word. “I would hate to miss the opportunity to see my lovely daughter-in-law bleed.”

Neither of us spoke as the queen approached, her feet moving silently over the snow. Beneath our gloves, the Tether pulsed and vibrated in time with my shadows.

“This is a fitting place for a fight, don’t you think, Sebastian?” The queen came to a stop a few feet away from us.

I growled, “This fight was going to happen regardless of the location, Your Majesty.”

She chuckled. “Is that so?”

I nodded, but it was Luna who said, “Yes. Your power has grown unchecked, and you are terrorizing the people of Eleyta.”

Queen Marguerite’s mouth twisted into a villainous sneer. Her eyes glinted with pure evil, and violence rippled off her in waves. She stepped towards my wife.

Automatically, I drew shadows from my palms and snarled in warning. The queen knew the terms of the challenge. No touching until the fight officially began.

She tutted. “Don’t worry, Sebastian,” the queen said, never taking her eyes off Luna. “I’m just here to look.”

“Don’t,” my wife sneered. “I hate you.”

The queen scoffed. “You hate me?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

My brows practically hit my forehead. Did the queen honestly not know?