The creature stopped, lifting its head and twitching to the side. Its neck unnaturally turned in my direction.
Red eyes and blood-drenched fangs belonged to only one type of monster.
A vampyre.
And in my settlement.
The Lich King hadn't dared attack any of my colonies. There was no point in angering me. I could not be killed, and I had learned over the years never to be captured.
Some of the twisted were intelligent and held on to their sanity, but I could tell by the weird twitching this monster was anything but sane. I dashed forward, shoving my blade up through its chin, extending the shadow weapon until it pierced the creature’s skull.
It twitched once more, and then I yanked the blade out.
The vampyre fell backward off the bed.
I looked at the creature it had been feeding on and stepped back in shock.
What is this?
The grip on my shadow blades loosened as they dissipated in my hand.
Glancing around, I searched for someone in the shadows, wondering if this was some sort of trick or trap laid just for me.
The human female had long ebony hair and a star-shaped birthmark around her eye just like Deirdre.
This can’t be… who is this?
Did she have a twin? A sister?
Upon closer inspection, I noticed she wore the colors of King Henry’s house, and I wondered if I had taken the wrong woman.
Was this an imposter, or was the female in my castle the fake and the true child of prophecy lay dead in front of me?
CHAPTER NINE
Deirdre
I paced backand forth in front of the door, my hands clammy, my heartbeat thumping too quickly. It had been hours since Liora left.
Where was she?
With a transporter rod, it wouldn't have taken more than minutes to go back to my home. When Liora had returned with food, I gave her exact directions from my home to the opposite side of the mountain where we had fought Kane.
I tugged at my hair, yanking on the strands. What if something happened to Boots and that's why she hasn't returned?
What if Kane learned of what she was doing for me, and not only did he torture Liora, but I was going to be next?… Was I foolish to ask for such a request? I bit at the hangnail on my thumb, ripping it out along with the skin.
Images of shadow blades stabbing Liora raced through my thoughts.
How many innocents would die because of my choices?
No, Kane couldn’t be that cruel. Could he?
I remembered how he’d stood by as I drowned in the pond.
Everything I knew about the immortal fae king had transformed over the years. Growing up, I thought he was this magical, handsome king, destined to be mine, until he’d denied me and proclaimed he hated all humans… And now…I wasn’t sure which truth I believed anymore.
“Arghh.” I screamed into the empty room, frustrated about my magic being inaccessible and furious that I had failed to escape Kane…
