Bran lifts the crossbow. Rorrik moves faster than I can track, and the crossbow is suddenly in his hand. “A gift,” he says, looking at it in mock surprise. “Thank you, brother. I’ve always wanted one of these.”
“You,” Bran hisses. “You killed Elva. You’re the reason my little hostages were freed.”
My mouth drops open and Rorrik winks at me.Rorrikwas the distraction that allowed Tiernon to rescue my brothers? And he killed Elva?
Something wrenches in my chest, and suddenly all I can see is that dark contemplation in his eyes when I told him I couldn’t break Bran’s bond without risking Evren and Gerith.
Rorrik drops the crossbow, and I flinch. But the aether grenades are gone, somehow tucked out of sight.
Rorrik strolls toward Bran, as if he has all the time in the world. The smoke is becoming thicker now, and I let out a choked cough. Rorrik flicks me a single glance before returning his attention to Bran and holding out one hand. “Give me the book and I won’t kill you.”
Bran’s smile is a nasty taunt, and he opens his jacket, revealing thered book I saw the day he badgered me with my brothers. “You mean this?”
Rorrikmoves.
It’s so fast, I trip backward, almost falling from the upper level. Bran twists, his teeth exposed, barely staying out of Rorrik’s reach.
Dropping to my knees, I slide off the marble bench and to the level beneath us. Even an accidental hit from a vampire could easily kill me.
Bran lets out a hiss, and I watch as he lunges to the side, still attempting to outmaneuver Rorrik, who looks bored.
They move so fast, I only see them each time they stop, in new locations across the upper level.
Bran is so much older. But Rorrik’s power is immense.
Another bomb hits the stands beneath me and I clutch the bench as the marble cracks with impact. The vampires pause, just feet away. I need to get out of here while they’re distracted.
I inch back.
“Uh-uh,” Rorrik says, his eyes on Bran. “Stay where you are, little rabbit.”
I grind my teeth but stay put. I know just how dangerous Rorrik is in this mood.
“F-fine.” Bran holds out the book, hand trembling. “Take it.”
Rorrik snatches it, and … I’ve never seen this look on his face before. It’s a look of awe, as if he’s suddenly gotten something he has longed for but never truly expected to hold.
His gaze lifts to Bran, who goes white.
“Arvelle,” Bran hisses, meeting my eyes over Rorrik’s shoulder. “If you let him kill me, my rebels will hunt you until the day you die.”
Rorrik’s eyes meet mine in silent question. I trace a finger over the spot on my neck that has caused me so much pain and give Bran a grim smile. “The bond is irrelevant as soon as one of us is dead.”
Thud.
The sound is sickeningly familiar, and I flinch.
Bran’s body falls to the ground, and Rorrik drops Bran’s heart next to him, carelessly wiping his hand on his black tunic.
Pain sears my neck, making my eyes water. But it’s a cleansing pain, and the moment Bran hits the ground, my thoughts sharpen. My impulses become my own. I still want the emperor dead, but the need to kill him is no longer all-consuming.
“You said you wouldn’t kill Bran if he gave you the book.”
Rorrik’s gaze sweeps over me, dripping with condescension, as if I’m a harmless, doe-eyed fool. “I lied. Move closer to me.”
He just tore out yet another heart, but I comply. Rorrik gives me an approving look that makes me gnash my teeth. But he’s already shifting his attention to a blur in the distance, moving toward us. The smoke clears, and a vampire approaches, close to the spot where I was just standing.
The same vampire who escaped the day Rorrik killed Lucius. The vampire I noticed at the top of the arena.
