“And will we turn Aurelia?” I ask gently.
“She’ssixteen,” Del snarls. “She has too much human life left to toss it away. She’snotturning.”
“Why didn’t you just break them out?” Charlotte asks. “You had access.”
He pins Charlotte with a look that has me reaching for the blade at my thigh. “I would lose the position of second and my life. The greater purpose, my ultimate mission, had to be more important. It justhadto be—” His voice breaks, and I wonder if he’s still trying to convince himself he made the right decision for so long.
Second rescues him. “We need to take the girls as far as we can toward the Night Kingdom tonight. They’ll have to finish the journey during the day, but we have human guards at theborder to receive them. So, who stays with the pyre, and who’s going toward the wall?”
“Queen Veya needs to stay, and so do I,” Del says. “We can’t alert Nerian to our absence.”
My eyes find Em, and he nods. My assassin will stay by my side.
“If absences are noted by the king, Second leaving for the Night Kingdom wouldn’t be frowned upon,” I say. “I can tell Nerian there was a stirring to deal with.” I look at Second. “And I’m not sending you alone with innocents to defend. Charlotte goes too.”
Charlotte strokes Aurelia’s hair. “More than happy to.”
“Good … that sounds good,” Del says, staring into the fire like he’s reviewing the plan in his head and searching for holes.
We linger in the parlor for a few hours while the girls sleep. Finally, Aurelia stirs in Charlotte’s lap, and Del rushes to her, kneeling down beside them.
“Aurelia,” he whispers, and her eyes flutter open.
“Hi,” she squeaks, her high-pitched voice chirping through a sob.
“You’re out. You never have to go back there. You’re safe now,” Del comforts, his hand rubbing her arm.
Aurelia sits up, dark hair falling around her shoulders, lilac eyes bright and flitting about the room. Her focus lands on Charlotte beside her.
“Thank you for choosing me,” she says.
Charlotte’s perfect smile lights up her face with honest joy. “I’m thankful for that, too.”
The girls awaken around us. Second’s choices, Hannah and Samantha, sit up and huddle against one another, eyes jumping from one vampire to the next, chests puffing in fear.
“You’re safe,” Del says quickly, and they settle instantly at the sight of him.
Amelia stirs, eyes wild in her sobriety as she takes in a room of vampires, but, like the others, she finds Del and relaxes.
They trust him.
“You can trust these vampires,” Del says to the girls.
Amelia’s gaze lands on Emmanuel as he kneels down next to the settee.
“He’s right. You will trust me, Amelia,” he says to her.
Her brown eyes latch onto his. “All right,” she says firmly.
“Good.”
My siren is the last to wake, and I crouch before her. “Sophie,” I say as she opens her eyes, and the boldness of emerald gleams so much brighter now. “Welcome back,” I tell her.
Her eyes shift to Del, the tension in her shoulders softening, and then her focus homes in on me. “Make me a fucking vampire,” she commands.
A small smile plays on my lips. “It’s not a life I would have asked for,” I tell her. “Are you sure? We can get you to the Night Kingdom if you’d prefer.”
“I’ve had enough humanity. I’m certain.”
