Which meant, as my shadows seeped into my mouth, I had justrisked my own impaired judgment by absorbing the rest of his whiskey and had seconds before it affected me.
Before he noticed his lack of alcohol, I luscelered out of the hall and ordered the servants on standby to ignore any demands for more and to remove any from his rooms. It might do nothing. He might leave and find more. But at least I tried to do the right thing by this kingdom and Lucille’s father.
My head felt light. My movements were jerky. I didn’t remember the last time I was this compromised.
I staggered to the arena, knowing I had a responsibility to inform my warriors of the new dangers, seeing as the king wasn’t in his right mind to. All I had planned was to give them a debrief and stand in the shadows until my system metabolized the alcohol. As a Seraphim, it wouldn’t take too long. Maybe a few hours. I didn’t predict any consequences from my intoxication. Maybe that should’ve been my first warning regarding my judgment. Well, besides steadying myself on Rune at every step.
Chapter
Thirteen
Lucille
Wind whistled through the enclosed arena, slipping between the high arches and cutting through the voices of the military. The doors leading to the castle banged shut at my back. Ronen paused in front of them, his hand lingering on the handle. He stood there in his black-and-gold uniform, staring at the sandy ground.
What was he doing?
Rune nudged him, and he moved toward the dais with his hand gripping her neck. I lost them among all the bodies until he got to the steps. Then hestumbledstepping up them.
Something was wrong. Ronen didn’t stumble. Was he hurt?
The Dreads on the dais only spared him a glance before averting their attention toward us. But Alexei approached him, whispering something in his ear that Ronen ignored. He walked to the front of the raised platform, his steps uncoordinated.
“Is he okay?” Aspen asked beside me.
“I don’t know.”
A lightning bolt slammed through the arena, gaining the attention of anyone not already watching and murmuring about their general.
Ronen didn’t immediately speak like he normally did. He searched through the silent crowd, eyeing every member until his gaze landed on me and held. It never lifted, moved, or blinked. I was his sole focus. I shot glances to the left and right of me, hoping no one noticed. Surprisingly, they didn’t. But not because he had finally averted his gaze. No. They were staring at the shadows bleeding from his body and drifting off the dais.
Alexei tilted his head toward Ronen and snapped something at him. His shadows jerked to a stop. They curled and twisted on top of each other, moved left and right, but never forward, like an imaginary barrier stopped them.
Ronen’s Dreads calmly backed a step away from the darkness. Alexei and MJ eyed the shadows whipping around their feet, then shared a meaningful look.
“Warriors,” Ronen barked. “Starting today, no one is allowed to move around the Redemption Circle alone, and there will be a curfew. The demon infection has mutated. Souls who are bitten experience changes exponentially faster, and blood-banded end up as piles of liquified flesh, with the potential of your soul never cycling to Heaven or Hell. Stay together and don’t get bitten.”
Fear erupted through the arena, paling faces and prompting questions and demands.
Alexei grabbed Ronen’s shoulder, getting into a heated conversation with him. Ronen swayed. Alexei held him tighter.
What was wrong with him? What were they saying?
I stepped forward, and Aspen grabbed my arm. “Don’t, Lucille.”
I glared at Aspen, but his flaming blue eyes weren’t on me. They were focused on Ronen.
“He needs…”
Unending desire, want, and blistering possessive anger melded together in a potent emotional cocktail, seeping into my head and heating my body. Ronen’s addictive essence wove through the emotions, caressing my senses. Or… attempting to? It was like the parts of him that wanted to connect with me kept missing the mark. He felt off. Wrong.
Frowning, I looked back at him. Alexei’s hand shifted from Ronen’s shoulder to his neck, blue eyes igniting. But Ronen didn’t see. Hismurderous expression was focused on Aspen while mine was on the line of shadows shooting toward him.
I stepped in front of Aspen as MJ shifted in front of Ronen and erected a wall of fire, cutting off my view.
Then there was pain, and through the wobbling fire Ronen’s dark form fell, knees cracking into the wood before collapsing flat. His shadows dissipated, and something awoke inside me. Something I had only felt one other time when Ronen almost drained himself to kill Lilith.
I was vengeance.
