“I’m not keen on lessening our numbers given the wild state of things we’ve seen so far,” Second challenges.
“Are you keen on sentencing her to desiccation or suicide? Because those seem like her only options here.”
Second rolls his eyes at me. “Obviously not, Veya.”
I raise my eyebrows at him. “So …”
We step back into our bedroom, and Second rearranges his featherbed. “Let’s ask her what she wants. Night Kingdom, or with us to Goreon.”
“She was banished. Can’t imagine bringing her with us is going to win favors,” I say.
“Let’s sleep. We need to be at our strongest tomorrow. We can figure out Penny then,” Emmanuel says and disappears before we can respond.
He’s not wrong.
We rest fitfully in our doorless room; no other threats will be arriving during daylight, so we don’t bother with the effort of switching. As the sun sets, we find Penny and Charlotte waiting amongst our travel cases in the entryway.
“Penny,” I say, and she turns to me, cheeks flushed with a meal in her belly. “You have two options. You can go to the Night Kingdom with one of our guards, or you can come with us to Goreon Castle.”
Penny pales, shaking her head vigorously. “No. Please. The king’s men took my daughter and turned me when I refused to hand her over—” Her voice breaks, and she inhales deeply, gathering herself. “I have nothing left in Goreon City and no desire to go back.”
“I understand,” I say, her sorrow edging its way into my heart.
I eye the young guard Second lectured before our departure, his kind eyes softening at Penny’s words.
“Theo.” The guard’s gaze darts to mine. “Please escort Penny back to the wall and see that she is settled in Prosperity until our return.”
“Yes, my queen,” he says with a swift bow and hightails it out of the front door to ready his horse for them.
Second eyes me, tamping a smirk as I choose to send Theo back to safety.
Within the hour, our party is packed into the carriages, Penny and Theo headed in the opposite direction.
In my travel dress, with a dozen stakes stitched into the bodice of my corset, I’m stuck upright with wood encasing my ribcage. As the carriage rattles along, I savor every stiff jab against my bones from the stakes that will stab the hearts of my enemy.
I peer out of the window during the last stretch of our journey. The night doesn’t hide the ramshackle human towns covered in snow or the posturing wealth of vampire estates lit with torches and boasting cleared, private drives. We edge into Goreon City toward the stronghold, hooves clopping on frozen cobblestone shining under fire lamps, and my nerves whip and snap.
Second looks at me as we come to a stop in front of Goreon Castle.
“Be bold and be brave, my queen.”
I swallow, heart racing. “With all that I am,” I promise him.
Second flashes a rare smile and opens the carriage door into the swirling snow.
It swings wide, and I glimpse the shadowed stone steps ascending to the giant iron doors of the Goreon stronghold.
I’m finally here.
CHAPTER 6
KADE
Two Hundred Years Ago — Goreon Kingdom
RHETT CARRIES HIS WEEPING mother into our house while Riot holds the door.
The entire Central outfit files in through the foyer, forty Hunters filling our space beyond capacity.
