Cassius shifted behind her. “Chaménos.”
“This is the forest that is sacred to you?” She had expected something different; the atmosphere here seemed rather gloomy.
Cassius paused. “Yes. Or it used to be.”
“What do you mean?”
Cassius spurred his horse on, the silence following. “Nothing sacred lies here anymore.”
Thalia’s mind whirled. But perhaps the uneasiness that seemed to hang in the air like a spider from its web kept her lips sealed, as did the caution with which all the Vampyrs were now treading. If she didn’t know better, she’d think they were scared. Indeed, Lord Damien and another Vampyr, one with green eyes, kept glancing at each other.
She didn’t want to consider what might be in this forest if the very creatures who hunted there moved with such trepidation.
After a moment of silence, Thalia asked, “How far until we get to … Irenbis, isn’t it?”
“Yes, the capital of House Lorenzia.”
Thalia recalled the information her old governess had taught her. There were five Vampyr courts, each of which ruled a different area of Vaccarium. Each court had a leading House, run by a lord, and a capital city. She could still remember her and Ariadna giggling to each other about the names of the courts, about how important and powerful they sounded. Ariadna was so bold in proclaiming that she’d marry a Vampyr. Thatshe’dbe the one to bring Agripa into a time of true peace between their realms.
Just like that the memory vanished, replaced with the image of Ariadna’s severed head. Her golden hair, almost the same shade as Thalia’s own, soaked in crimson. Thalia had screamed, her hands slick with her sister’s blood, trying to fix her torn-out throat—screamed as the entire throne room erupted in chaos and gore rained down over her as if the very sky had opened up to drown out her pain.
Thalia sucked in a breath loud enough that everyone froze. Wood snapped in the distance, and the Vampyrs tensed.
After a moment, the entourage continued on quietly. At least the strangeness pulled her from her panic. Thalia pushed down the sudden nausea rising in her gut along with the fear.
Cassius shifted behind her, taking in a sharp inhale of breath.
The bastard probably could smell her anxiety, down to the very sweat sliding down her spine. Another sickening reminder of what he now was.
“How long until we reach the realm?” she finally asked when she was sure she wouldn’t vomit all over the side of Cassius’s horse.
“You mean my realm?”
It seemed as though Cassius’s loyalty had changed as quickly as he had. The thought sent a white-hot pang through her stomach.
“Yes, your realm,” she spat a little too loudly, and the Vampyrs ahead of them all stopped short once more.
Cassius’s horse paused, and he stiffened. She caught Keegan’s golden stare, warning flashing in his eyes. A noise echoed deep in the forest. A sort of groaning as if the very trees were trying to break free of their roots. Thalia’s stomach clenched, and the Vampyrs all lifted their chins. She could have sworn Lord Damien scented the air before they all began moving cautiously forward. Thalia swallowed.
Cassius shifted behind her, and she became acutely aware of how close they were pressed together. As if her body could still recall the way they’d lie together. How they’d sneak out of the palace when her mother’s back was turned. How Cassius would spend hours showing her exactly how it felt to be alive.
But Cassius had spun a web of promises so pretty that Thalia hadn’t even realized she’d been consumed by his lies until she’d nearly gotten bitten.
“In the next day or so,” Cassius said quietly, picking up their conversation. “It will take a few more days of travel to reach House Lorenzia.”
I’m going to marry into the House that’s near the forest!
Thalia could practically hear Ariadna’s voice in her head. Even though Ariadna was only three years older, she knew her duty to the crown. And she loved the woods, almost more than she loved her family. But that was before her proclamation became reality. Before she was engaged to a Vampyr. Before she’d been ripped apart.
Thalia squeezed her eyes shut, trying to suck in another sharp breath. Cassius stiffened as she got out, “What side of the continent is Irenbis on again?”
Cassius huffed out a humorless laugh, almost as though he were trying to dispel the tension in her body. “Trying to figure out its exact location to report back to your mother?”
That snapped her out of it. Thalia’s spine threatened to break as she treaded carefully. “It’s been a while since humans and Vampyrs have interacted. Our information is surely outdated. Shouldn’t I know about the city that’s to become my new home?”
“Your new home? Are you that eager to start your new life? Here I thought you resented the deal your mother forced you into.”
Thalia forced herself to relax, to not stiffen further. “Considering I have no other option, what’s the point of wallowing in self-pity?”
