He straightened his glasses. “That would be lovely, actually. As payment, I can ward the house for you. I do magical tech work—defensive enchantments. I can make sure nothing gets in.”
Nadia looked at me, waiting for permission I had no right to deny.
My jaw tightened. “I don’t trust easily. One wrong move, and you’re gone.”
Ezra nodded quickly. “Understood.”
Outside, the city shone faintly beyond the trees. Behind us, the manor loomed like a carcass dressed in finery. I could feel eyes watching us from its windows.
The Sovereign Court hadn’t lifted a hand to stop me. They hadn’t needed to. They’d already proved their point: I came when they called.
I adjusted my coat, scanning the horizon. They’d taken their first piece. I’d take everything else.
Let them watch. Let them wait.
I’d burn their house to ash soon enough.
Chapter 17
Nadia
Cristian didn’t stop moving until every lock clicked into place. The door. The deadbolt. The chain. The sound was strangely comforting. It meant we were safe.
My heart was beating like a drumline, but when I looked at him—shoulders taut, eyes scanning every shadow—something inside me eased. I didn’t question his will to keep me safe. And that was… new. Trust wasn’t exactly my spiritual gift.
Lena sat on the couch, wrapped in a blanket. Her mascara had gone full raccoon, and she was clutching a wineglass like it was the last lifeboat on the Titanic. Her voice came out hoarse. “Why didn’t you kill them?”
Cristian blinked once, slow and steady. “They’re almost impossible to kill.”
Lena’s brows pulled together. “You didn’t even try.”
He stayed infuriatingly calm. “It’s… complicated.”
I stepped in before she could push further. “You said you’re stronger than them. Faster. So why can’t you?”
Cristian exhaled, the sound heavy. “Because strength doesn’t matter when they’re bound together. The members of the court share life force, and that constant exchange makes them nearly impossible to destroy. And if one is killed successfully, the restbegin to rot from within until the energy is replenished by adding another. And if more fall, the rest collapse.”
Lena rubbed her temples. “So… kill them all at once?”
His gaze hardened. “I can’t. One of them is my brother.”
That stopped everything.
Cristian’s expression didn’t change, but something in his eyes did—a flare of old grief or anger, I couldn’t tell. “He’s low in their ranks,” he said. “Dependent on their shared power. If I kill any of them, he’ll be the first to die.”
Realization hit me. “So, they want you to join their fucked-up vampire MLM? Drink the juice, join the cult, make them even more powerful?”
His lips twitched. “That is a crude summary,” he said dryly, “but not inaccurate.”
My stomach sank. “Then why can’t they just use someone else? Why you?”
Cristian shook his head. “Most vampires cannot survive that kind of bond. They drain more than they give. The court knows I would strengthen the link, not weaken it. I am the power they want to keep them eternal.”
“That’s…” I searched for the right word. “Super messed up.”
He gave a humorless half-smile. “An apt description.”
A quiet voice broke in from the corner. “You’re not wrong.”
