Vlad kept his knife on the rope. “Set it on the ledge and back away. Don’t try anything stupid or I’ll cut the rope.”
Kat swallowed hard when Prince set the ring on the ledge and moved out of reach.
Vlad waited patiently before he snatched the ring and slid it onto his finger, then slowly made a fist. His shoulders sagged and he breathed out a heavy sigh. “So many years. You have no idea how powerful this is for a Mage. The craftsmanship is no longer to be found, and it has become invaluable with time.”
“Put down the knife. We gave you the ring and kept our end of the bargain,” Kat said, keeping her voice calm so as not to provoke him. “We’re not coming after you; I just want to get my sister and go home.”
I’ll hunt your ass down another day, she thought to herself.
Vlad licked his lower lip, his gaze centered on Prince. “You won’t last much longer.”
Kat couldn’t assess what was going on in Prince’s head, but she just prayed he didn’t say anything to set off this maniac.
Prince straightened his back. “I come from a powerful line of Shifters, and I’ll outlive a worthless man such as you.”
Kat sucked in a sharp breath when she saw the blade move. Tiny threads of rope sprang loose.
“Don’t be so sure, my friend. War is in the air. Your puny little pack won’t be able to stop the oncoming storm, and the best part is you animals will end up destroying yourselves, saving us the trouble.”
“Those rumors have been circulating for eons, and that’s all they are. Rumors invented by cowards.”
Vlad smiled fiendishly. “Believe what you want.” He dragged his eyes over to Kat, and her heart nearly stopped. “Your family has caused me nothing but grief for two hundred years. But I’m feeling generous tonight and would like to give you a choice.”
“You said you’d let her go.” Kat stepped forward, caught in a nightmare she couldn’t control.
“And I will. That’s a promise I will keep. If you look to your left on the other side of the divider, there is a rail. Further up is another rope with your father tied to the end. It’s too far away for you to reach in time, but who knows? Maybe you’re a fast runner. But you won’t be able to save both. So what I’m curious to know is who do you love more, your sister or your father? Choose wisely, and we’ll see each other again.”
The sound of the blade cutting the rope was like the threads of her sanity shredding. She felt it all the way in her bones, and without time to process it all, she instinctively ran toward the wall. Kat jumped, her right foot propelling her off the ledge, and she leapt into the inky darkness.
Falling… falling.
Kat held her breath and shut her eyes as the sound of water exploded all around her. Her blood chilled when she penetrated the surface, and she imagined that this was what it felt like to die—so unbearably cold, so quiet. She opened her eyes, desperately trying to see in the murky waters.
Too dark. It’s too dark.
A scream sounded underwater, and she swam toward it as hard as she could. Something touched her—coarse rope and smooth skin. Hair like spun silk enveloped her before she grabbed hold of Nadia’s arm. Kat used her dagger to cut the rope, allowing Nadia to regain use of her hands and legs. When she had a tight grip of Nadia’s waist, she swam upward.
At least, she hoped it was up. She moved toward a faint glittering of light, perhaps from the moon.
Nadia began to panic. Her body moved frantically and her lungs must have been screaming for oxygen. She’d given up whatever air she had left to call attention to herself when Kat had plunged into the water. Even in a chaotic situation, Nadia was always able to think clearly.
Kat’s chest tightened as if an invisible hand were gripping it. The need to inhale became so intense that it became all-consuming.
Almost there, almost there, she repeated in her head, keeping her focused, keeping her alive.
They breached the surface and pulled in a hard gasp of air. Her lungs burned with sweet oxygen. Nadia was coughing as she struggled to catch her breath and stay afloat at the same time. Kat dipped below the water momentarily before surfacing again. She turned in a circle and looked at her surroundings, breathing heavily and trying to calm down so she wouldn’t get muscle cramps.
The bridge stretched over them and they were close to the center. Kat swam in the direction where her father was supposedly tied up. Maybe Vlad hadn’t gotten to him. As they kept swimming, Kat looked up, searching for someone swinging from the ledge, but in her heart, she knew he’d cut the rope.
As they neared the shore, Kat’s tears were carried away by the river. She gasped at one point, wanting to just give up and sink to the bottom, but Nadia urged her on.
When they reached the shore, Nadia flipped onto her back, weak and out of breath. “Thank God, Katarina.Thank God.”
Every muscle in Kat’s body screamed, but that dissipated when she raised her head and saw movement on the other side of the bridge. My God, she’d forgotten about Prince.
She swiftly got up and sprinted in that direction, stumbling over a rock. As she neared him, she began to process what was happening.
Prince hovered over her father—his hands locked together, delivering life-saving compressions. As she reached them, Prince stopped and blew another breath into his mouth.
