Page 152 of Treasured

Tears ran down my cheeks as I twisted, trying to see him one last time.

It hurts, I said.

Those stone coffins came closer.

I love you, I told him. So, so much.

I slammed into the ground. A sickening crack. Pain all over. My back, my wings, my legs, and my heart all broke.

Black spots appeared in my vision. An anguished roar filled the air.

Then I didn’t hear anything else.

I Learned My Lesson

MARGUERITE

They were fools to think they could ever defeat me. Fools to think they could take on the Wearer of the Blood Ruby and win.

Even now, Sebastian dove toward the ground. His wings were tight against his back, and the wind carried his weak cries of pain to my ears. The Fledgling had landed in the middle of the tombs, which seemed oddly perfect. Blood slowly leaked out of her back, staining the snow, but she wasn’t dead.

It took far more than a simple fall to kill a vampire, even one as newly Made as her. Nevertheless, she’d be in severe pain. The knowledge that she was hurting brought me no small amount of joy. It served her right. The last time we’d met, she threw me into a wall.

Revenge was sweet, indeed.

I’d chosen Hoarfrost Hollow well. This was the burial ground of the Firsts, and it seemed only right that I would bleed my daughter-in-law dry and feed my ruby in this place where power ran through the snow.

Hoarfrost Hollow was a sacred spot of death.

Snow billowed up around Sebastian as he landed next to her. Even from here, I could hear his anguished cries. Such a weakling. Had he always been like this? I didn’t think so. Even after I killed that first human, he hadn’t been so emotional.

A few months with the Ipothan girl, and she’d broken him beyond repair. He used to be my best prince. My weapon. I used to be able to tell him to do anything, and he did it without question.

For over three centuries, he had obeyed me. But now, he had gone the way of the other princes before him. All of them eventually stopped listening to me. Why couldn’t anyone do what they were told? Was it so difficult to listen to my commands?

The next time I Made a prince, I would be more careful. I would pluck them from infancy and raise them as my own so they would have no ties to humanity. When the time came, I would Make them, and they would serve me into eternity.

But first, I had to deal with this mess.

Gathering shadows in my palms, I descended. The princess was still unmoving, her hand pale in my son’s grip. Even from here, I heard him whispering for her to get up and fight.

Ridiculous.

They couldn’t win.

I landed on top of one of the stones, balancing on one foot as I looked at the pathetic scene below me. I’d left my feast for this?

They hadn’t even put up a fight. Not really.

A vicious snarl ripped out of Sebastian. “Don’t come any closer.” He stood, spreading his wings and covering his broken wife from view. Tears tracked down his face, confirming what I already suspected.

He was too far gone.

I snorted. “What are you going to do, Sebastian? Do you think you can somehow take me on just because you broke the bond between us? I’m too powerful. No one can stop me. Not even you.”

He gathered shadows in his hands. He was wrong if he thought those would help him. Nothing would save him now. Even that radiant gleam from their Tether had died off. The only unnatural glow came from the strange moon in the sky. I wasn’t sure why it was red, my Fortune Elves hadn’t told me it was coming, but that was a problem for another time.

I clucked my tongue. “You made a mistake, Sebastian.”