“Is it?” Nadi moved farther into the room, her movements fluid. She was savoring this—the fear beginning to creep into Volencia’s eyes, the way the vampire’s breath had quickened slightly. “Your family has made a career of underestimating the fae. I suppose it runs in the blood.”
Volencia’s hand drifted toward the satchel, where Nadi could see the grip of a gold-inlaid pistol protruding from the leather. “Afaeshapeshifter. Of course. How resourceful, to make that part of your cover. May I ask which clan you represent? The terms of your employment? I’m always interested in acquiring new talent.”
The casual assumption that Nadi could be bought made her smile widen. “Oh, lady. I’m not for hire. At least, not by you.”
“Everyone has a price.” Volencia’s voice took on that hypnotic quality Nadi had noticed at family dinners, the same commanding tone that suffered no disobedience. “Name yours. Wealth? Territory? The lives of your enemies? I can provide all of that and more.”
For a moment, Nadi felt the pull of her vampiric influence, the way it tried to wrap around her mind like silk threads. It seemed Raziel got it from somewhere, his was just a far more impressive manifestation. But her fae nature provided protection, just like with him.
“You’re right.” She took another step closer, letting Volencia see the hunger in her eyes. “Everyone does have a price. In this instance, however, you’re already in debt to me. A debt that you accrued eighty years ago.”
Something flickered in Volencia’s eyes—perhaps the first hint of genuine concern. “Eighty years? I don’t recall any…you’ll have to be more specific.”
Nadi tilted her head, considering. She was in no hurry now. This moment—this perfect, singular moment when Volencia still didn’t accept what was about to happen to her—was to bepreserved.
“The Iltani warehouse. Seventh district. A family of fae smugglers who thought they could operate in your territory without paying proper tribute.” Nadi’s voice remained conversational, almost friendly. “Ring any bells?”
Recognition dawned slowly across Volencia’s features, followed by what might have been amusement. “Ah. That unfortunate business. Yes, I remember now. Talien Iltani and his little enterprise. Such a shame. He showed promise.”
The casual dismissal of her father’s death made something dark and joyful unfurl in Nadi’s chest. Perfect. She wanted Volencia to be exactly this callous, this dismissive. It would make what came next so much sweeter. “We were just trying to survive.” Nadi kept her tone deceptively mild.
“Yes, well, one has to be careful when one is dealing with Luciento. Oh! But you killed him, didn’t you?” Volencia grinned, her perfectly painted red lips curling in pure disdain. “How utterly wonderful. Now, tell me—that useless runt Raziel. Does he even know what you are?”
Nadi laughed quietly. “My mother’s name was Essira. My brother Kaen was sixteen. My younger sisters, Meri and Lissa, were twins.” She turned the knife over in her palm, admiring how the blade caught the lamplight. “Would you like to hear how they died? I have such vivid memories.”
“How touching,” Volencia’s tone dripped with false sympathy, but Nadi could see the unease creeping into her posture. “Though I fail to see how ancient history is relevant to our current situation.”
“Oh, but it is.” Nadi took another step closer, close enough now that she could smell Volencia’s expensive perfume, could see the slight tremor in the vampire’s hands. “You see, I watched my entire family die, then spent the next eighty years learning to kill. Learning to hunt. Learning to become the kind of monster that could infiltrate your city and get close enough to your precious trained Serpent.” She paused, letting her smile turn genuinely warm. “But most importantly, I learned to enjoy my work.”
“But you didn’t kill him, did you?” Volencia’s political instincts were reasserting themselves, her voice taking on a calculating edge. “My son still lives. In fact, unless I’m very much mistaken, you’ve grown rather fond of him.”
“That doesn’t change what he did. What you ordered him to do.” Nadi’s grip on the knife tightened, her pulse quickening with anticipation.
“Doesn’t it?” Volencia smiled—an expression both knowing and desperate now. “Tell me, child, when you look at Raziel now, do you still see the monster who destroyed your family? Or do you see the broken boy who was shaped by forces beyond his control?”
“Both,” Nadi answered honestly.
“Both,” Volencia repeated, confusion flickering across her features. “How complicated. You know, I think I’m beginning to understand why my son has been behaving so strangely lately. You’ve given him something he’s never had before—someone who sees all of him and chooses to stay anyway.”
“Oh, I didn’t stay for him.” Nadi’s eyes glittered with dark joy. “I stayed for this moment. Right here. Right now. You see, killing your son would have been too easy. Too quick. But killing you?” She sighed in contentment. “This is going to besomuch better.”
Volencia’s composure was cracking now, fear finally breaking through her aristocratic mask. “You’re stalling, aren’t you? Trying to work up the courage to do what you came here for.”
“Stalling?” Nadi laughed again, she couldn’t help it. The woman was scrambling for options and failing. “I’m savoring the moment. I wanted to make sure you knew who I was. The names of the lives you took that are now ending your own. I wanted to see that fear in your eyes. I wanted to watch you realize that all your power, all your influence, all your centuries of cruelty haveled to this—dying alone on the floor at the hands of a ‘savage’ fae.”
“Killing me won’t bring them back,” Volencia tried once more, her voice gentle now, almost motherly. “It won’t undo the pain or fill the emptiness inside you. All it will do is make you a murderer.”
“With all due respect, I’m already a murderer. You made more than one monster in your life.” She turned the knife over in her palm one final time. “I’ve killed dozens of your people over the years. Guards, enforcers…anyone who served your interests.”
“Ah, but those were soldiers in a war. Combatants who knew the risks.” Volencia spread her hands in a gesture of openness, but Nadi could see her muscles tensing, preparing to lunge for the gun. “I’m just an old woman trying to protect her family and maintain order in a chaotic world. Killing me would be different. It would be personal. Petty. Beneath someone of your obvious intelligence and skill.”
“You’re right. Thisispersonal. Thisispetty. Thisisbeneath me.” Nadi let her smile turn radiant. Indulgent. “And I’m going to enjoy every single second of it.”
Volencia finally made her move, lunging for the pistol in her satchel, but Nadi was already there. The blade flashed in the lamplight as it found a space between Volencia’s ribs, sliding up and in with the precision of someone who’d spent decades practicing for this exact moment.
The vampire matriarch’s eyes went wide with shock, her mouth opening as if to speak. But no words came—only blood, dark and thick, spilling over her lips to stain the pristine white of her blouse.
“This is for Talien,” Nadi whispered, her voice filled with savage joy as she twisted the silver blade deeper into thematriarch’s heart. “And Essira. And Kaen, and Meri, and Lissa. And every other fae whose life you destroyed.”
