Chapter 1
It had taken me about twenty minutes to clean the blood from my face and neck and pull one of the leather jackets from the closet. I didn’t particularly care about my blood-soaked appearance.
The blue shirt beneath my coat was spattered with droplets of blood, while dark, drying streaks ran down my neck and across my chest.
The Hunter’s blood was still fresh, coursing through me. I felt strong. Alert. Almost unnaturally focused. Ready to kill.
Once I was safely back in my room, Morgana had left to gather everyone in the Council chamber. She hadn’t seemed particularly upset or even bothered by what I’d done. She hadn’t questioned my brutal attack on the Hunter or said a word about it.
But it hadn’t been an attack.
It had been cold-blooded murder.
The scent of the Hunter’s blood still clung to me, keeping my senses sharp and my thoughts focused.
On some small, lingering human level, I felt a flicker of guilt over what I’d done. But then I remembered that Paris was now in the hands of the Hunters. In William’s hands.
My guilt disappeared rather quickly.
The Hunter had been far too dangerous to leave alive.
Now, I walked stiffly down the hallway toward the double doors of the Council chamber, two Drydalien guards flanking me on either side. Queen Delphine had sent them to provide additional protection. I didn’t particularly like having extra security surrounding me, but I understood why it was necessary.
We had been preparing to leave. Paris had gone to check the caves, making sure the passage was safe before we moved.
And then William himself had taken him.
My Mate. My Maker. My bonded Soul.
The thought alone made something inside me tighten.
But how had William found us? Was he still using my blood to track me? Was that how he’d managed to find our hiding place?
My still chest ached, a searing sensation spreading through it as I approached the doors. I could already hear Cole and Morgana speaking inside.
I pushed the doors open and stopped short at the sight of so many people gathered around the table.
Morgana, as expected, occupied the seat at the head of the table. The high wooden back of her chair had been carved into the shape of a pair of deer antlers, their silhouette illuminated by the grand fireplace behind her. She now wore scaled red armor, her blond hair slicked back into a high ponytail braid that fell the length of her spine.
Cole sat to her right, dressed in black training leathers, while Jon occupied the seat to her left.
Priestess Carmen had arrived as well, seated beside Queen Delphine. The Queen’s crown, fashioned from crystal and twisted branches, glistened in the dim firelight.
Sam sat immediately to Delphine’s right, with Maggie beside her.
Maggie looked exhausted, her face tired and drawn.
“Diana, come in.” Morgana gestured to the empty seat beside Jon. It was the only one left in the room. “We’ve been waiting for you.”
I didn’t move immediately. My eyes swept across the room, searching the faces gathered around the table.
“Where is Azuria?” I asked.
Morgana raised an eyebrow.
“Still beneath the temple,” she reminded me. “Under Deydalien guard.”
I nodded and finally moved forward, taking the empty seat.
“Would someone please go and get him?” I asked calmly. “I’d like to speak with him.”
Morgana and Jon exchanged a glance.
“We could speak to him,” Jon explained, “but the magic Paris put in place is still active. Azuria won’t be allowed to leave the prison unless he’s dead. We’d have to go down to him.”
I nodded, already considering the alternative.
“Then we should go to him,” I said, preparing to turn back toward the hallway.
“Why?” Morgana asked. “There’s no possible way he could have escaped or had anything to do with this. He’s been our prisoner for quite some time.”
“They were here for him,” I explained. “For Azuria and me. Paris just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. And now…”
I trailed off, struggling to find the words.
Morgana raised an eyebrow. “And now what?” she demanded.
I shook my head.
“I’m sorry, Morgana. You’re my sister, and I love you, but William has Paris. And I… I have to—”
Morgana planted both jeweled hands on the table and rose to her feet.
“Diana.”
Jon raised an eyebrow at his Mate, seemingly taken aback by her sudden change in temper.
“You’re a Vampire now,” Morgana reminded me, her voice surprisingly calm.
I nodded, confused by where she was going with this. “I know.”
“That means I am your Queen, and you are my subject.” Her tone hardened. “And I forbid you from doing anything that would put yourself in danger.”
I stared at her.
“Morgana—”
“I will have you placed under guard if I have to, Diana. I mean it!” She exhaled sharply before lowering herself back into her chair. “We cannot afford to lose anyone else. I cannot lose anyone else. Paris knows what he’s doing. Besides, Knox and Ambrose are already tracking them.”
A sarcastic laugh escaped me.
“Your solution is Knox and Ambrose?” I asked incredulously. She had to be joking. “What possible use are they to us? Knox wants me at the Nest, and Ambrose—”
“I would appreciate it if you didn’t slander my name.”
A plume of silky red smoke curled into existence beside me. Ambrose appeared in the empty seat, interrupting me as casually as if he’d been there all along.
“Looks like I haven’t been the only one keeping busy,” he mused, looking me over.
I frowned, taking in his appearance. His red hair was impeccably groomed, braided neatly down his back. His green eyes traveled around the room, taking in the gathered faces.
Sam and Jon both scowled at him.
“Well, well,” Ambrose drawled. “The Hunter bastards have switched sides.”
His laughter echoed through the chamber.
I glared at my Vampire sister, who was returning Ambrose’s amusement with a look that could have cut through steel. She finally sighed and leaned stiffly back in her chair.
“I invited him,” she explained.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” I demanded, staring at her in disbelief.
Jon raised an eyebrow.
“Are you seriously—after everything he—”
“Diana.” Ambrose lifted a hand, interrupting me again, and gestured toward the woman seated beside him. I hadn’t even noticed her until then.
She appeared to be around my age, perhaps a little younger, with brown hair and matching brown eyes. There was no mistaking that she was a Vampire.
“Allow me to introduce you to my Mate, Kyra.”
I blinked.
Morgana let out a short, incredulous laugh.
“What?” she asked, looking between Ambrose and the woman beside him. “Since when?”
Ambrose shrugged.
“About two months ago, I believe.” He glanced at Kyra, then back at us. “Like I said. We’ve been busy.”
“And you’re here because…?” I asked bluntly.
Ambrose sighed.
“We haven’t heard from you in months, Ambrose. Not a word,” I continued, unable to hide my frustration.
He shrugged again.
“Yeah, well, I haven’t heard from any of you people either, have I?” he retorted. “Not one of you bothered to call and check on me while I was recovering. I’m guessing Paris didn’t mention any of that.”
I frowned, confused.
“He told me he’d had you transferred out,” I reminded him, recalling my surprise when I’d learned that Paris had seemingly disowned his own brother. I had never intended to come between them. At the time, I hadn’t even planned on surviving.
“After he’d beaten me to a pulp,” I added.
Ambrose shrugged.
“You deserved it,” I reminded him coldly. “Didn’t you?”
Sam shifted his gaze between Ambrose and me, clearly trying to follow our exchange.
“My brother is missing, taken by your bloodthirsty family,” Ambrose reminded me with a weary sigh, waving a hand as though dismissing the subject altogether.
Then he stopped, glanced toward Jon and Sam, and rolled his eyes.
“Is it even safe for these bastards to be within the walls of this city?” he wondered aloud, looking around the table. “The Hunters took Paris. How do you think they managed to gain access to the tunnels?”
“Because they had my blood,” I reminded him with a sigh. “I had blood drawn at the airport the day we fled from Azuria. I… I still had Paris’s blood in my system.”
Ambrose abruptly pushed back his chair and stood, leaning forward across the table. His sudden movement made me shrink back slightly, but I forced myself to keep my back straight as he glowered down at me.
“You took his blood into your system while you were still Mortal, and then you allowed your fucking, bat-shit-crazy family to take your blood?” he hissed. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”
I glanced toward Morgana, who was already shaking her head.
“What does he mean by that?” I demanded.
Ambrose gave a bitter laugh.
“Because of your inability to refuse my brother, or even defend yourself when necessary, Paris is now in the hands of the Hunters, and they have your blood.”
I shook my head.
“What the hell are you talking about?” I snapped.
Morgana was glaring at Ambrose now, too.
“William will use your blood to desensitize Paris to it,” he explained. He then glanced toward the Vampire seated beside him. “I met Kyra the night…”
His eyes returned to me across the table.
“I was suffering from silver poisoning, and I can barely remember what happened. I remember you were there, though. I’m guessing I must have hurt you somehow, because Paris threw me through my bedroom window.”
Sam leaned forward.
“I’m sorry. What?” he demanded.
I waved him off.
“You deserved it,” I reminded Ambrose.
He laughed and nodded.
“I’m sure I did.” He straightened, smoothing down his clothes. “And I sincerely apologize. Paris could have done considerably worse than throwing me through a tower window.”
I nodded in agreement.
“You’re right,” I told him sarcastically. “The tower wasn’t nearly high enough!”
I sighed. I knew I needed all the help I could get. If Ambrose and his Mate were here to help me find Paris, then I would have to put aside my personal feelings and tolerate their presence.
But then another problem occurred to me.
“Morgana, we can’t Bond again.”
My thoughts shifted rapidly as I turned away from Ambrose and focused on my sister.
“My blood is now a liability. It could get any one of us killed.”
Morgana frowned.
“I doubt it’s quite that serious, Diana,” she assured me.
I looked back at her. Her eyes were wide, her expression almost bewildered by my concern. Jon had turned his attention toward her, too.
“Paris can handle himself,” she continued. “We can’t… We simply can’t afford to lose anyone else.”
I shook my head.
“He wouldn’t just let himself be taken without finding some way to warn me,” I reminded them.
Morgana nodded. “He was Silvered and bound. My Trackers confirmed as much.”
I sighed and pushed back my chair, rising to my feet.
“So, what are you saying?” I demanded. “That you’re not going to look for him?”
Morgana sighed, but before she could answer, Ambrose spoke.
“He’ll come back, Diana,” he assured me. “He wouldn’t just leave you.”
I scoffed.
“You don’t know anything about that. And I don’t trust you, Ambrose,” I reminded him bluntly. “But… can you find him?”
Ambrose stared at me for a moment. There were a great many things that needed to be said between us, but this wasn’t the time or place for any of them.
Finally, he nodded.
“Yes.”
I sank back into my chair.
“Then track him.”
I felt strangely lifeless. Disconnected. I reached into the darkness between us, searching for the familiar presence that had always been there, but found nothing.
No voice. No warmth. No connection.
I was completely alone.
I turned toward Morgana.
“Does silver affect the Bond?”
She nodded grimly.
Ambrose sighed and glanced toward Kyra.
“About my Mate…”
Morgana rose to her feet.
“She may stay with us,” she assured him. “I hope this is genuine, Brother. We need you.”
Ambrose nodded before bowing his head to her.
“I have a great deal to make up for. I know that.”
His gaze briefly shifted to me. I knew what he was thinking. I didn’t need blood or Mana to understand that much.
I gave him a small nod.
“We’re wasting time,” I pressed.
Ambrose nodded and pushed himself to his feet. I watched as he turned toward Kyra, bending to kiss her goodbye. She smiled up at him, holding his gaze for a long moment before finally lowering her eyes to mine.
“Be back before sunrise,” I warned him.
Ambrose raised an eyebrow.
“If you can’t find a trail, or if you lose his scent, come back home.”
“I can handle myself,” he reminded me as red mist began to shimmer around him, gathering into a bright, pulsing aura. “The Bond, as you well know, manifests itself in peculiar ways. Kyra will know if something happens to me.”
“I’m sure you can handle yourself,” I replied dryly. “But we need every person we can get, and we can’t afford to lose anyone else.” I glanced toward Kyra. “Besides, your Mate will worry if you’re still gone after sunrise.”
I knew that feeling all too well. Every time Paris had been away from me for too long, I’d been sent into a blind panic. The last time I’d tasted his blood felt like a lifetime ago. He’d been weak. Wounded. And now I couldn’t even reach him through the Bond.
Ambrose looked down at Kyra, who was already watching him.
“She’s right,” Kyra agreed.
It was the first time I’d heard her speak. Her voice wasn’t what I’d expected. It was deep and slightly raspy, with a roughness that seemed at odds with her otherwise delicate appearance.
Ambrose sighed and nodded.
“I’ll be back before sunrise.”
With that, the red mist enveloped him, and he disappeared without another word.
Jon abruptly shoved his chair back and strode out of the room.
“You should have warned me, Morgana,” I accused her. “If Paris were here—”
Morgana lowered her hand from the table with a weary sigh.
“That’s precisely the problem, Diana,” she reminded me, looking directly at me. Her platinum-blond hair shimmered beneath the dim candlelight of the bone chandelier overhead. “He’s not here. Ambrose is. He can track him. Paris and Ambrose may have had a falling-out, but their Blood Bond hasn’t been severed. They’re brothers, Diana. That connection is still there.”
I sighed and glanced toward Kyra, who had remained unusually quiet throughout the exchange.
“I’m sorry, Kyra. I didn’t mean to—”
The petite, dark-haired Vampire offered me a gentle smile.
“Ambrose has told me everything,” she explained softly. “I understand your resentment toward him, Diana. But he has changed. And he genuinely wants a second chance with you, as his sister.”
I couldn’t hide the surprise that spread across my face.
“If you can give the rest of us a second chance, Diana, why not Ambrose?” Jon asked before I could respond.
I turned toward him sharply.
“You were quick to forgive when—”
I shot to my feet, planting both hands flat against the table. Light and Power gathered beneath my palms, illuminating the polished surface as anger surged through me.
“Not that it’s any of your business, but Ambrose tried to force a Bond on me. He tried to take my blood.”
Jon fell silent. His expression shifted from irritation to genuine shock, and for once, he seemed unable to find the words to respond.
“Paris put him through a window for it,” I added.
The memory threatened to surface, and I pushed it away. I remembered the pressure, the weakness, the awful sensation of being drained. And afterward, the emotional confusion that had followed when Paris had offered me his blood.
Again.
My gaze dropped to the table as I remembered exactly what Ambrose had tried to do. He had known Paris had already claimed me. Even if I hadn’t understood what that meant at the time, Ambrose had.
I drew a slow breath.
“But I can’t… we can’t afford to keep looking over our shoulders anymore. I need to know I can trust you.”
Ambrose nodded.
“That’s all I’m asking for.”
“And he needs to be able to trust you, too, Diana,” Kyra reminded me, straightening her shoulders. “Perhaps it’s time for a clean slate. For everyone.”
I sighed and lowered my eyes to my hands. Power continued to ripple from my fingertips, gathering around my palms in faint, shimmering waves.
“Diana…”
I didn’t look up at Ambrose as he slowly rose from his chair. My attention remained fixed on the Power pooling around my hands.
“Does Paris know about this?” he asked curiously.
I shook my head.
“Morgana mentioned that you were powerful,” he continued. “I wasn’t entirely sure what to make of it.”
I’ve polished the passage while keeping Diana’s uncertainty about her Power, her reluctance to accept Ambrose’s help, and the surprise of Kathrin’s appearance. I’ve also tightened the transition into the final reveal so it lands with a little more impact.
I stared down at my hands again. The Power simmered briefly before fading as I lifted them from the table. Beneath my palms, dark, scorched marks marred the mahogany surface.
“I don’t know,” I admitted.
I raised my hands and called forth the shadows, willing them to shimmer.
“You—you can control it like Paris does?” Morgana asked, surprise evident in her voice.
The shadows shifted, turning a bleak shade of grey before dissolving into a thin veil of mist. A moment later, they vanished altogether.
“No. Not at all like him,” I admitted, laughing softly at the thought.
There was no way I could be as powerful as Paris. He was powerful and beautiful, terrible and vindictive, all at once. His command over the shadows was effortless. Mine was little more than an uncertain flicker.
“You’re right. Paris knows what he’s doing. We shouldn’t go after him or interfere with whatever he has planned,” I said numbly, trying to imagine what Paris would want me to do. I’d never considered what I would do if William ever managed to take him. It had always seemed like such an impossibility.
“We should wait to hear back from Ambrose and Knox.”
Morgana nodded before waving her guards away.
“We can remain inside the Temple for now,” she told me. Then she turned her attention to the two Drydale guards who had followed me into the chamber. “Away with you. I’d like to speak with my sister alone.”
The guards bowed and promptly left, closing the doors behind them.
I rolled my eyes once we were alone.
“Paris sent them,” Morgana reasoned.
“I know. Does he really think I can’t handle myself?” I asked.
A wide smile spread across her face.
“Before, when you were first Turned? No,” she explained. “Not without some training, at least. But now? As a full-blooded Vampire? Absolutely. You could be just as Powerful as Paris if you properly honed and trained your abilities.”
I nodded, considering her words.
“Then train me,” I challenged.
Morgana laughed.
“I’m flattered,” she said, “but I’m Queen now, and my time is no longer my own. My own Power has a part to play in this war.”
I nodded slowly.
“Then who?”
She shrugged.
“Ambrose would be your best bet.”
My expression closed like a door.
“No.”
Morgana sighed.
“Diana, you’ve only been back for a day or so. I haven’t had the chance to catch you up on everything that’s been happening. People—Fey from all walks of life—have come forward. They want to help us.”
I frowned.
“What people?”
A delicate laugh echoed through the chamber.
At the far end of the oval oak table, shadows spilled from the empty chair. I couldn’t hide the surprise that crossed my face as a figure emerged from the darkness.
The Vampire seated there was the very picture of perfection. Sleek, blonde hair framed her face, and jewel-blue eyes remained fixed on mine. A knowing smirk curved her lips.
“Hello, Diana,” she greeted me in a voice as clear and delicate as crystal.
Sitting across from me was Kathrin.
My Mate’s Maker.
A couple of continuity and clarity notes:
I kept the distinction between Diana’s ability to summon shadows and Paris’s effortless control. That contrast helps establish that her Power is developing, but she doesn’t yet understand its limits.
I changed “called forth the Shadow to Shimmer” to “called forth the shadows, willing them to shimmer” for smoother phrasing. If Shadow and Shimmer are specific named abilities in your magic system, keep them capitalized and I can adjust the wording around them.
The final line is a strong reveal. Ending on “My Mate’s Maker” gives Kathrin’s arrival immediate significance without explaining too much too soon.
