The guard inclined his head but didn’t apologize. “We’ve encountered a situation, sir.”
“Of course we have,” I muttered, gesturing for him to speak.
“There have been reports of creatures crossing into our territory,” he said, his tone clipped. “Random appearances concentrated near the border.”
“What kind of creatures?”
“Hellhounds,” the guard replied.
Hellhounds. My shadows hissed in response, as if they could sense the threat. Those feral beasts didn’t wander into civilized territory on their own—not without a reason. My illusions of my territory being an impenetrable fortress had always kept wild magical creatures at bay. The fact that they’d broken through now was troubling.
“Multiple guards engaged them in combat,” the guard continued. “They’re struggling to keep the civilians safe.”
My mind raced, and my first thought was Vivian. I didn’t want to entertain the idea that she might be in danger, but the bond was tense, stirring my protective instincts.
“Send someone to check on the imprisoned vampire in my wing,” I said coldly, masking my urgency.
The guard nodded and left without question.
I turned to the other guard. “Mobilize our best defenders. Secure the border and eliminate the hellhounds immediately. No collateral damage. Understood?”
“Yes, sir,” he said, hurrying out the door.
My gaze shifted to Eldora. She met my eyes, her expression calm but alert. “Alert the civilians,” I said. “Shelter in place until the situation is resolved.”
She nodded and stood gracefully. “Consider it done.”
When the room cleared, I dragged a hand over my face. My illusions had failed. My defenses, ones I’d relied on for years, were faltering. My powers were slipping through my fingers, and I couldn’t ignore it any longer.
The thought chilled me to my core. My family’s curse was a legacy I’d always feared, a shadow that loomed over me even in my most confident moments. For generations, our magic had been unmatched, but it came at a cost. Madness. Weakness. Death. Every member of my bloodline eventually succumbed to it, their power consuming them from within.
Was this the beginning of my end?
The door burst open again, and I shot to my feet. “What the fuck now?”
The guard who’d been sent to check on Vivian looked pale, his breathing uneven. “The prisoner is missing.”
My shadows coiled tightly around me, reacting to my rising fury.
“What do you mean,missing?” I growled, stepping toward him.
He flinched but held his ground. “Her room was empty. There’s no sign of forced entry. It’s as if she vanished.”
My mind raced. Had the hellhounds been a distraction? Was this part of a larger scheme? And why now, when everything else was already slipping through my grasp?
“Double the patrols,” I ordered. “Find her. I don’t care if you have to tear apart the entire estate. Find her!”
“Yes, sir,” the guard stammered before rushing out.
My enemies were circling, and now Vivian—my wife, my prisoner, my biggest distraction—was unaccounted for.
A storm brewed within me, darker than anything I’d felt before. This was no coincidence. Someone was testing me, chipping away at my foundation piece by piece.
And I’d make them pay for every fucking second of it.
34
VIVIAN
