“There is one way,” Sabrina says, “But it could end very badly for both of you.”
My heart leaps. “Please. Please tell me. I’ll try anything.”
“Follow me.” When I start after her and Cassius follows, Sabrina raises a palm. “Cassius, stay with Tobias. Eloise and I need some girl time.”
He lifts his chin in silent support, and I follow Sabrina from the room. She leads me down a hallway to a closed door with the same type of lock Cassius used to bring me into the Star, a blood lock. When she opens the door and flicks on a chandelier, the scent of ancient books wafts over us. My eyes widen at walls of leather-bound tomes shelved from floor to ceiling in a library worthy of the Beast’s castle. There’s a desk and chair at the center of everything, but there’s nothing on it. I don’t think she comes in here much, judging by the layer of dust on everything.
“In vampire tradition, mating is sacrosanct.” She searches the shelves, her pointed red nail tapping gently against her chin. “Very specific laws exist for how a mating bond must be made official, how it can be broken, and who can interfere with it.” As gracefully as if she were leaping over a puddle, she jumps into the air, snags a book from a shelf no less than ten feet up, and lands softly despite wickedly high heels. Her dress settles back around her legs. The book she holds is massive. As large as her entire torso. But she rests it on the desk as if it weighs nothing and opens it to a table of contents handwritten in a language I don’t know.
“What language is that?”
“Vampiric Romanian. It predates the modern version of the language, but all vampires brought into the royal bloodlines learn it. Valeska can definitely read it, although I doubt she’s ever paid any attention to this book in particular. The only reason I’ve read it is because when you are a vampire mated to a dragon, you become an expert in mating law.”
I take a step closer to the book even though the writing on the page means nothing to me.
She flips to the back, her gaze winding down one page and then the next. When she reaches the bottom of the third page, she taps a finger to the margin, her full red lips spreading. When her green eyes meet mine again, her smile is positively wicked. “Yes. There’s a way, but it won’t be easy.”
“I don’t care about easy. If there’s a way to get Damien back, I’ll do it.”
She straightens. “Do you remember how I told you that if I challenged Valeska, I couldn’t challenge her for Damien but I could challenge her for her hive?”
“I remember.” It was only a few minutes ago, but I sense what she’s really asking is if I follow her logic. “And I understand.”
“Do you? I can’t challenge Valeska for Damien, Eloise, because he’s not my mate or a citizen of my coven. But you, as his mate, can.” She taps the page of the book.
“I can.” I stare at her incredulously. “I. Can. That’s your answer?” I give a bark of a laugh that holds no humor. “I know I said I’d do anything, but how does it help if I’m dead?”
She bites her bottom lip and gives me an impish grin. “But that’s the best part. Vampire law has a very special challenge designed to protect valuable mates from being pillaged by stronger vampires. It’s called Provocationem Ad Mortem.”
“But I’m not a vampire. How exactly is this good news for me?”
“Because this trial is very old and designed to level the playing field between competitors.” She turns around and opens a cabinet behind her, drawing forth an ornately carved wooden box with a pattern on the lid that looks as if it’s been stained by spattered blood. “Every coven has one of these, although I’ve never actually seen it used. It’s the stuff of legends.” She pops the lid to reveal a red velvet lining, three oddly shaped dice that appear to be made of bone, a set of two octagonal mirrors, and a larger rectangular mirror. “You won’t fight Valeska directly, Eloise. That would not be a fair fight. You will both complete challenges, side by side, based on old magic—magic designed to test you equally. The box is enchanted to challenge you to the extent of your abilities, but the magic won’t assign you a task it deems impossible for you to accomplish.”
“So what’s this challenge entail?”
“That’s the beauty of it. It’s different every time. According to the law, your chances are as good as hers. The dice determine who goes first and what the challenges are. It’s all detailed in the book.” She examines one of the dice. “You both complete the challenges and the box declares a winner once you’ve finished.” She indicates the larger rectangular mirror. “The best of three wins Damien.”
“She’ll kill me the moment she sees me,” I say flatly.
“She can’t harm you or Damien once you’ve challenged her. Not until and unless she wins. The magic will protect you.”
“Her winning seems probable,” I say.
Sabrina shakes her head. “Maybe not. Three challenges. Each fair and matched to your abilities, Eloise. You’ll have a real chance.”
“And Valeska has no choice but to participate?”
She nods. “It’s vampire law. Once she accepts your challenge, and she must accept, you are both magically bound to complete the trials.”
“And if I do this, she can’t have me killed while I’m competing?”
Sabrina shakes her head. “It’s forbidden. And the best part is, you’ll be allowed to see Damien. She can’t keep him from you while you’re participating.”
“So all I have to do is go to Night Haven and challenge her? It sounds too easy.”
Sabrina’s face falls, her hands coupling in front of her hips. “Unfortunately, going to Night Haven and gaining access to the queen to challenge her is not quite as simple as it sounds.” She stares, unblinking, at me. “You’ll have to gain access to Valeska herself to challenge her. It must be done by you, face-to-face. That means you must not only gain access to Night Haven but stay alive long enough to get the words out in her presence. Night Haven is secured by blood, the same as the Star of Lamia.”
“Can Cassius take me?”
