Between her and her rogue sidekick, they’d terrified me into complete compliance.
As I stood before her office door now, I raised my trembling hand and knocked lightly.
“Enter,” came the silky voice from within, dripping with false sweetness that made my skin crawl.
The heavy oak door creaked open, and I stepped into Arabesque’s office, the sound echoing like a death knell in my ears. The air was thick with the scent of something noxious and vile, something I’d grown far too acquainted with lately.
Dark magic.
I kept my gaze downcast, my eyes fixed on the carpet. The flickering light from the fireplace danced across the room, casting shadows that seemed to twist and writhe on the walls. Arabesque sat behind her mahogany desk, her presence as imposing as the furniture.
“Come closer, Serafina,” her voice was honey-smooth, drawing me closer despite my every instinct screaming to flee.
I obeyed, my feet moving as if pulled by an unseen force. Each step felt heavier, anxiety curling in my stomach like a living thing. Once I stood before her desk, I flicked my eyes up. Leaning back in her chair, she steepled her fingers as she studied me.
“You look fragile, child,” she murmured, her tone dripping with false concern. “Not been sleeping well? Or is that little cut on your arm hurting?”
I swallowed hard, the action painful in my dry throat. My hands trembled at my sides, and I clenched them into fists, trying to hold back my anger, my outrage, and my fear.
“I’m fine,” I lied in a whisper.
“Good, because I have some news that requires your full attention.” She paused, letting the silence stretch between us like a taut string. “You’re to be married.”
The words hit me harder than any of Amabel’s slaps.
“Married?” I parroted like a dummy.
“To a groom from King Lucian’s court,” she continued, her tone devoid of emotion, but her pale green eyes gleaming with triumph and amusement. “As part of a truce between us. For one year, you will be a bride, and in return, we will have peace.”
Dread seeped into my bones. A year was a long time, but I knew Arabesque’s games. She needed the vampires misdirected or out of her way for whatever she was scheming with the rogues, and I was the pawn she was willing to sacrifice to make it happen.
Still, I recognized this for what it was: an opportunity to escape. Maybe my only one. It was a chance to protect those I cared about, even if it meant sacrificing myself to a husband who may be as bad as Arabesque. Or worse.
Still, I’d begged for a miracle the other night, and now one was waving in front of my face. All I needed was the courage to grab it.
Carefully, though.
And my brain wasn’t up to being as careful as I knew it needed to be. Not after so much siphoning, starvation, and sleeplessness. Not with the fever and dizziness that accompanied this awful wound on my arm.
Still, I was going to do my best.
And may the Moon Goddess take pity on me for once.
“What are the terms of the marriage contract?” I asked quietly, needing to know every detail if I was going to turn it to my advantage. “Thefullterms.”
“I send a bride from my household, and King Lucian reciprocates with a groom. Both parties must cohabit as a married couple for one year. Should either of you perish during that period, the contract dissolves with your demise.”
“And at the end of one year?”
“You will be free, of course.” She shrugged, the gesture elegant and dismissive.
Free, I scoffed silently.
I knew the lie for what it was. She had no intention of letting me go. She would find a way to bring me back, to continue draining me of my magic and my will.
“Is there anything about what ‘cohabit as a married couple’ looks like?” I asked, squinting with suspicion.
As much as I wanted out of here and to save Josslyn and Brumous, thelastthing I could endure was being a vampire’s breeder or bleeder.
