Mirabella chuckled and turned away with a dismissive flick of her hair. “I care little about maintaining the Dark Prince’s favor. Powerful though he may be, he is impotent in his own kingdom. Shunned by the fae, he will never take Anvalyn. And the demon king is loath to claim him as an heir.”
“Semphrys’s days are numbered,” Adriel growled. “When he is gone, the new king will not look kindly on the vampire wretch who betrayed him.”
My skin prickled with unease as the other vampires shifted closer, forming a protective barrier between us and Mirabella.
“Surely a smart female like you would seek to align herself with the prince who will soon rule the Otherworld,” said Sorsha.
Mirabella gave a cruel, mirthless laugh. “Silly girl. You just told me that Kaden is his father’s prisoner. Overthrowing Semphrys and usurping Alfrigg from captivitywould be a stretch, even for him.” She sighed. “No, I shan’t concern myself with the prince’s troubles.”
“Kadenwilldefeat the Dark King,” I snarled, lifting my chin and taking a step closer to Mirabella’s guards. “And when he does, I will be sure he does not forget about the undead viper who refused to come to his aid.”
“And how does he plan to vanquish him, darling?” Mirabella asked. “Semphrys cannot be killed. I am certain of it.”
“Because he gave you the Death Bringer’s hands?” I ventured, fed up with her smugness.
Mirabella’s face rippled with something like surprise, and I felt a swell of satisfaction.
“Ah,” she said, regaining her composure. “So you have visited the Three.”
I inclined my head.
“The Dark King and I have an . . . arrangement,” said Mirabella slowly. “Semphrys intends to destroy the veil between realms, and when he does, I do not wish to have my territory overrun.” That simpering smile returned. “My kin and I need to feed, and we will not survive if his demons devour every soul in the realm.”
“But what if he could be killed?” I asked, blood pounding in my ears. “With Semphrys gone, there would be no threat to the veil. No threat to you or your kin.”
Mirabella tilted her head, the corners of her eyes crinkling with something like pity. “Forgive me, darling, but I do not believe that you and your friends are any match for a demon who has wrapped himself in a cloak of immortality woven from the souls of mortal kind.”
I bit down on my bottom lip, desperate to reveal that I was half witch — a witch of the Coranthe line with a bladethat could end the demon king once and for all. But Mirabella was no ally, and I couldn’t risk her telling Semphrys — if he didn’t already know.
“Give us the hands, or we will take them by force,” said Adriel. There was no trace of a threat in his words — only a cool truth.
Any lesser being would have shivered at the look on the royal guard’s face, but Mirabella tossed her head back and laughed.
The surrounding vampires joined in, which only stoked my ire.
“My, my. Youaredelicious.” Mirabella reached out to stroke Adriel’s jaw, but this time, he jerked out of her reach.
“No matter,” she crooned, puffing out her bottom lip with the hint of a pout. “Your blood does not call to me as hers does.”
The vampire mistress’s scarlet gaze latched onto mine, and I fought back a whole-body shudder.
“Yes, I have a weakness for hunter blood,” she sighed, eyes fluttering closed as she inhaled. “There is something so delightfully taboo about drinking from one who thirsts for your demise.”
I swallowed.
“I am not the sort to hold a grudge,” she said in that simpering, girlish voice. “Resentment makes immortality rather tiresome. I would hate for Kaden to spend eternity rotting in some dreary cell or to see those marvelous wings shredded. Things are so much more . . .interestingwhen he is around.”
The corner of Mirabella’s mouth lifted in a lecherous smile, and I burned with a jealous rage.
Kaden had once alluded to the fact that he andMirabella had slept together. Now that she’d all but confirmed it, I could not wait to be rid of the loathsome female.
“I propose a trade,” she said brightly. “I shall gift you the Death Bringer’s hands, and in exchange . . .” Her eyes locked with mine, smoldering with a rabid thirst that raised the hairs along the back of my neck. “A taste.”
“No,” Adriel snarled with a note of finality, grabbing me by the elbow as if he planned to steer me out of the party and then return to slaughter Mirabella’s whole clan.
But I kept my feet planted, even as my insides thrashed at the prospect of allowing this wretched vampire to drink from me.
Every fiber of my being rebelled at the notion — screamed that this female was poison. And yet, I couldn’t walk away. Not when the Death Bringer’s hands were tucked in a glass case just beneath our feet.
