My insides clanged. The way she said it, it was as if Kaden had gotten drunk and broken a vase rather than butchering one of her friends.
She let her hand trail down Adriel’s abdomen as her gaze drifted to the princess.
To Sorsha’s credit, she did not cower before thevampire. She held her head high, the picture of regal poise as Mirabella examined her.
“Beautiful,” Mirabella simpered. “Though I prefer brunettes.”
Her gaze snapped to me, and it was all I could do to keep my hands from curling around one of the hickory stakes hidden beneath my gown.
Mirabella’s nostrils flared, and I glimpsed the serpent that lay behind those big doe eyes. “I remember you,” she whispered, her voice turning sharp. “You are thehuntress.”
Inwardly, I winced.
She narrowed her gaze. “You staked Jeremiah and Ignatius.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Adriel’s hand twitch, and I remembered how he’d used his earth-wielding power in Dorthus to bring the walls of the king’s chambers crashing down.
Nervously, I eyed the huge buff-colored stones that formed the surrounding walls. “My apologies,” I choked, unable to think of a better reply.
There was no sense in lying. To an old vampire, blood was as distinct as a fingerprint. And judging by the clan that flocked to Mirabella and the casual power she wielded with a glance, Mirabella was averyold vampire.
“No matter,” she replied, wrinkling her nose. “But I am curious why Kaden would sendyouas an offering. His fearsome huntress.”
“Lyra,” I bit out.
“Lyra.” Mirabella savored my name, tilting her head like a cat watching a fly beat its body against a pane of glass as it tried to escape. “A beautiful name for such a brutalfemale. Though I suppose there is beauty in violence. At least there is when one dies by my hand.”
My stomach plummeted, and for an instant, I wrestled with how much to tell her.
The plan had already gone awry. We were supposed to infiltrate the manor posing as mortal blood bags, steal the hands, and be done with it. It now seemed unlikely that Mirabella would let us out of her sight, let alone give us access to the crypt where she hoarded her treasures.
“He is . . . very sorry,” I rasped.
“I doubt it. The Dark Prince does not concern himself over a slight such as that.” She narrowed her eyes, studying me more closely, and it was all I could do to hold back a shiver. “No. Kaden wants something. If I didn’t know better, I would guess he is using the three of you as a mouth-watering distraction while he slithers into my home like a snake.”
For a moment, the room was silent apart from the rapid drumbeat of our hearts and the distant whimper of one of the vampire’s mortal pets. I didn’t know what to say.
“Take them to the cells,” Mirabella ordered, her voice suddenly cold.
My chest constricted as the other vampires started to move, and I jumped as an icy hand clenched around my arm. Ripping the panels of my skirt aside, I palmed one of the stakes sheathed at my thigh and rounded on the male holding me.
“Wait,” said Adriel, his low, urgent voice halting the nearby vampires.
Mirabella’s eyes flashed. “The pretty one speaks.”
I glanced from Adriel to Sorsha, and one look at their faces told me they saw no other option.
“Kaden is in trouble,” I blurted. “He’s being held captive in Dorthus.”
A triumphant smile stretched Mirabella’s features, and my stomach roiled.
“He knows about the deal you struck with Semphrys,” I accused. “That it was one of your vampires who betrayed us.”
Mirabella’s nostrils flared, and I wondered if I had made a mistake in accusing her outright.
“I have been around a long time,” she said. “Over the years, I have acquired many friends. I am loyal to none but my own kind. Kaden knows this.”
“The prince may overlook the slight,” Sorsha said. “If you give us what we need.”
