I nip at his bottom lip, just like I did in the memory, and a whimpering groan flees his lip.
“I can’t believe this is happening,” he murmurs breathlessly as he splays his fingers around my waist.
I’m too far gone in a hunger frenzy to reply. Too far gone from reality to even recall what the point of drinking from him was to begin with.
So far gone that, when he grinds his hips against mine, I moan instead of panicking.
He repeats the movement again, guiding my lips back to his for a passionate kiss. When he thrusts his hips against mine, I mimic his movement and rub against him. We both groan in unison and repeat the movement again. Then I jerk away, only to rip his shirt apart.
A throaty moan escapes his lips as I lower my lips to his chest and drag my teeth across his chest. He threads his fingers through my hair again and pulls me closer as his hips move against mine, his hardness pressing against me.
“I don’t even know what I’m doing …” I whisper dazedly as I bite and nip along his chest, making a path toward his neck.
“That’s okay. Just keep doing it,” he practically begs. “In fact, bite harder.”
More than ready to give him what he craves, my lips part—
A giggle tickles my ear. “You think this is going to break the curse? Newsflash. Even if you break it, you’re as good as dead.”
My eyelids snap open, and I jerk my head up. “Did you hear that?”
Rhyland blinks dazedly at me, blood and bite wounds marking his chest and neck. “Hear what?”
Another giggle. “You’re done. The curse will soon be over now, and this time it won’t reset.”
Whack.
An invisible force smacks me upside the head so forcefully I swear my brain vibrates against my skull.
“Raven.” Rhyland reaches for me as I tumble sideways.
Then darkness consumes my mind.
Rhyland
“No, no, no, no, no.” I cradle Raven’s head in my lap. Her eyelids are shut, her skin as pale as the snow outside, her lips stained crimson with my blood. She looks deader than the undead. Even her chest isn’t moving. But that doesn’t mean much since vampires only breathe out of instinct. “Please, please open your eyes. We just completed the first step. That’s farther than we’ve ever gotten before.”
There are three steps to the curse, and even after centuries and centuries, we’ve never gotten this far, never gotten to the point where she wanted to drink my blood and let the blood frenzy consume her. Then, the instant she completes the first step, she blacks out. I’d worry the curse reset, but no smoke has appeared and we’re still here, in the Land of Moonlight.
No, something else caused the blackout.
I smooth my hand over her head. “Raven, come on, sweetheart. Open your eyes. We still have a long ways to go. We’ve never gotten this far before, so maybe that’s a sign we’re going to make it out of this. You need to wake up in order for that to happen.”
When she remains silent and lifeless in my arms, I try a new tactic—speaking through our thoughts.
“Raven, can you hear me?”
Nothing.
“Raven, please, wherever your mind’s stuck right now, just fight it and come back, okay? Don’t give in.” I move her off my lap and onto the pillow so I can send for Kingsley and maybe Ava.
I may not be a huge fan of the witch, but she’s very powerful and might be able to help with this. The only reason we bring her with us when we leave the castle is to protect us and cast spells when needed. Well, that and Raven’s mother is friends with her mother, and both witches are aware of the curse—everyone who was at the original crowning party is aware.
“We have a huge problem.” Kingsley storms into my tent as I’m climbing off the bed.
He takes one look at me, shirtless and covered in blood and bite marks, and his brows lift as he staggers to a halt. “Fuck, did she just complete the first step?”
“I think so.” I cup the back of my neck. “But then she passed out, and I—”
“Shh …” he hisses, raising his hand as he sniffs the air. Then he mouths, “We’re not alone.”
When I steal a whiff of the air, the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. He’s right. How did I not notice? Then again, how the hell could I notice anything else when Raven was feeding off me like that … the way her teeth felt sinking into my flesh? Nothing has ever felt that good since… well, since before the curse.
I reach for the knife tucked into my ankle holster and climb back onto the bed beside Raven, ready to attack any creature who comes near her. “I can’t tell what it is by the scent, but my senses are a little hazed over right now. Are you picking up anything?”
He sniffs the air as he draws his sword from his waist holster. “It’s definitely a vampire.”
I cock a brow. “Are you sure you’re not just smelling us?”
He rolls his eyes as he circles the room with his sword aimed out in front of him. “I’ve been stuck smelling both of you for centuries. I know your scent like the back of my hand, and this isn’t it.” He takes another whiff of the air. “No, but I definitely know this scent.” His shoulders heave as he sighs. “Nadine, I know you’re out there, so you might as well come out.”
I groan. “Please tell me you’re fucking with me.”
“I wish I was, but unfortunately, the bitch is back.” He keeps his sword out but lowers it to his side.
“Hey, I take that offensively.” Nadine enters through the flap of the tent with her typical smirk.
“Good. I meant it offensively,” Kingsley says with an exhausted sigh. “Why the hell are you here? You’re not part of this anymore.”
“Actually, I am, in case you’ve forgotten.” She ambles into the room, her high heels scuffing the dirt. “And maybe I just came here to pay my roots a visit. After all, Raven isn’t the only one with moonlight blood in her.” She pushes past Kingsley and makes her way to the foot of the bed. She tilts her head to the side as she assesses Raven passed out on the bed, then me, kneeling in front of her, my chest branded with teeth marks. “Looks like someone finally passed the first step. Perhaps if you weren’t interrupted, you might have made it to step two.” She touches her finger to her lips. “Such a shame.”
My eyes narrow into slits. “Did you do something to her?”
She gives a lazy shrug. “So what if I did?”
I rise to my feet with my knife in hand. “Why would you do that? You may have just set us back.”
She flashes me one of her infamous bitchy smirks. “Who says I even want to break the curse?”
I inch toward her, growling lowly, “Do you enjoy being stuck in this hell where you don’t get to be chosen as queen?”
She pokes me in the chest. “You and I both know being queen will never happen because you took that chance away from me.”
“Like you were ever supposed to be queen.” I get in her face. “I know you somehow rigged that Eternal Reading.”
She smiles sweetly. “Careful, Rhyland. If Fate hears you question his decisions, he just might curse you to a worse life.”
I laugh lowly. “Like there’s anything worse than this.”
“Oh, things could get a lot worse.” As her gaze flicks to Raven, I grip the knife tighter. “You could be forced to live this life repeatedly without the love of your life.” She rolls her eyes. “Although, after what she did to you, I still don’t get how you can be in love with her.”
“It wasn’t her fault,” I grit out. “I never should’ve left her that night and went to dance with you. I should’ve stayed with her.”
“I would’ve chopped off her head if you did,” she bites out. “And then kept you alive just to watch you suffer.”
“You’ve already made everyone suffer by pretending like this curse doesn’t exist,” I seethe. “Every life cycle, you choose to act like you’re not part of this instead of helping us succeed—you choose to live this life.”
“That’s beca
use I love watching you all suffer,” she growls. Then she quickly collects herself and moves back, smoothing her hands over her blonde hair. “Besides, I don’t think I was dealt a bad hand in this. Every life cycle, I get to help torture my pathetic, backstabbing little sister until she’s announced queen. That only lasts for about a week, though, and then everything goes back to normal.”
“Nothing is normal about this, Nadine.” I shake my head furiously. “We live the same vampire damned life over and over again, watching Raven suffer while the rebellions grow and torment the land. You may be pissed off about what happened that night at the crowning ceremony, but you need to get over it and start realizing this curse will eventually end, whether because we break, because the queen decides to just kill us all, or because the rebellions take over and we all end up getting slaughtered.”
She shrugs, leaning against a beam. “That’s not my problem.”
“Yes, it is.” My hands ball into fists. “You’re part of this, too.”
“Not anymore.” She smirks at my confusion. “Didn’t you wonder how I snuck in here without you noticing and knocked my little sister out?” She steps toward me. “Or how I snuck into the castle? Or did you not figure out that was me yet?” Her smile broadens. “By that stupid, stunned look on your face, I’m guessing you didn’t.”
In one swift movement, Kingsley and I have our swords aimed inches away from her throat.
“How did you do it?” Kingsley demands. “The creature sneaking around the castle was invisible.”
Her lips curl into a grin. “Magic.” Then she elevates her hand in front of her. “Now get out of my face so I can take my sister to the queen. It’s time for the curse to come to an end.” Sparks shoot from her fingertips and shower over me and Kingsley.
We’re launched back, through the air, and out the sides of the tent and into the snow. The impact sends my knife flying from my fingers and into a snow pile several feet back.
“Shit.” I scurry to my feet and race back toward the tent, but an invisible force sends me sailing backward again.
As I leap to my feet, Kingsley rushes toward the tent’s entrance, but then he hits the invisible wall and soars backward, landing on his ass beside me.
“She’s put some sort of wall around the tent,” he growls as he jumps to his feet. “I don’t know how. Vampires aren’t supposed to be able to do that.”
“That’s because she’s a witch and a vampire now.” When he gives me a skeptical look, I add, “I’ve been living with Wiccan powers for all this life cycle; I know what magic looks like.” I move toward the tent with my hand raised. Once I feel the invisible wall, I come to a stop. “I can feel the magic channeling off the shield she put around the tent. Dammit, she’s really powerful.”
The snow crunches under Kingsley’s boots as he moves up beside me. “How can Nadine be a witch? She’s a vampire.”
“How do I have Wiccan powers?” I point out. “Because she wanted me to have them this life cycle.”
“You think she gave Nadine witch powers this time around, too?” Kingsley questions with a raised brow. “I think we would’ve noticed that a while ago. It’s not like Nadine would hide something like that.” He rolls up the sleeves of his shirt, then lines his palm to the invisible shield. “She’s the kind of vampire who would show that off.”
“I know.” I pace back and forth. Knowing Raven is locked in the tent with Nadine is driving me to the brink of insanity. I need to get in there somehow, but my powers are too weak. “Maybe she was created recently and that’s why.”
“Which would make her one of the created.” When the shield zaps his hand, he jerks back, wincing. “Fuck, that hurt.” He shakes out his hand while eyeballing the entrance. “If she is, that only shows how bad the rebellions are spreading.” He storms off in the opposite direction.
“Where are you going!” I call out. I sure as hell am not leaving this spot.
“To get Ava and see if she can get through the shield,” he shouts, zooming off toward the far set of tents.
“Fuck!” I growl out to the iridescent sky. How can we go from finally, finally completely step one to this? It’s situations like this that remind me how much we’re not in control, and that makes me feel so hopeless.
But I won’t give up.
I’ll never give up until that damn curse is broken.
I turn around and search the snow for my knife, only to realize another strange occurrence is going on.
The land is empty, quiet, still. Where are my guards? They should’ve been here by now, ready to protect Raven and me. Either they’re knocked out like Raven, gone, or something even more grave. Which means the current vampire king and queen are more unprotected than we have ever been.
Raven
I know I should get up and go home, but I can’t find the willpower to budge. Seeing Rhyland dancing with Nadine like that, all smiles and touches, right after he drank my blood, is making my chest ache.
The fey queen was right. Well, at least about Rhyland hurting me.
“Raven, sweetheart, what’re you doing out here by yourself so close to the forest this late?” Kingsley asks as he appears in the dark, striding across the castle grounds toward me. “Especially with the fey queen out and about?”
I sit up and shrug, quickly wiping my eyes with the back of my hand before he can spot my tears. “I just needed a breather.”
He stops in front of me and crouches to examine my face. Then he frowns. “Rave, what you saw on that dance floor between Nadine and Rhyland … it didn’t mean anything.”
Deep down, I know he’s probably telling the truth, but that doesn’t mean it still doesn’t hurt. “Even if it didn’t mean anything, him and I … we can’t ever be together. Not with him being the king and Nadine being the queen.”
He tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. “We can find a way for you two to be together. Even if it’s in secret, you can still see each other.”
“That’s the start to every tragic love story.” I sigh, plucking at the grass. The laughter and singing of fey flows from the forest behind me as they sparkle against the night sky. Add that to the music and chatting buzzing from the castle, the night is bursting with magic. Yet, I feel so broken inside. “I don’t want my life to be like that. To be someone’s little secret until we get caught and I get killed because of it. You know that’s how things will turn out, Kingsley.” I rest back on my hands and stare up at the moon, remembering how Rhyland and I once had plans to travel to the Land of Moonlight. Those plans vanished, though, the moment an Eternal Reading announced him as king. “Rhyland and I … We can’t be together.”
“Raven, please don’t say that,” Kingsley whispers. “My brother … He loves you. You have to know that.”
Tears sting my eyes. “Maybe he does, but it only makes this hurt worse.”
He cups my chin and forces me to look him in the eyes. “I’m not going to let you fall apart. You’re stronger than this.” His gaze wanders over my shoulder as the faerie laughter grows louder—grows closer. “How about we go inside and talk about this some more?” he suggests, standing. “I don’t like being about with so many of them out.”
“Why are there so many out tonight?”
“The extra moonlight is drawing them out.”
“Extra moonlight?” I ask as he helps me to my feet.
“It’s the Land of Moonlight’s solstice tonight, which means extra power is resonating from the moon right now. And all the moonlight creatures.”
“How did I not know this”—I peer up at the moon blaring almost as brightly as the sun does during the day—“when I have moonlight blood in me?”
“It only happens every few centuries or so, and not many creatures know about it.”
“Yet you do. And them.” I nod back at the forest where faeries are dancing and laughing.
“Faeries always seem to know about everything that has to do with extra power.” He loops his arm through mine and guides me toward
the castle.
“Do my parents know it’s the solstice?”
“They might. Although, with everything going on with your sister, they may have forgotten.”
True. My parents have been very distracted since Nadine was announced queen. Not with rushing to make preparation, but as if preparing for an impending doom heading our way.
My gaze falls to my arms, my pale skin glistening in the moonlight. “So, what can I do with this extra power?”
He chuckles. “How about we find out?”
Before I can respond, he quickens his pace, zooming across the grounds, through the castle door, and upstairs to his chambers. But the real miraculous part is how I manage to keep up with him.
“How in the world did I do that?” I ask, staring down at my legs in awe. “I swear, earlier tonight, I could barely walk without stumbling.”
“You’ll get more powerful the further into the night it gets.” He shucks off his jacket and drapes it onto the bedpost.
“Let me guess; it’ll fade by the time the sun rises, right?” I ask, and he nods. Sighing, I flop down onto his bed and stare up at the domed ceiling painted in colors of the night sky. “Kings, what am I supposed to do? I don’t think I can stick around and watch Rhyland play pretend lover with my bitchy sister who could very well chop off my head if she wants to.”
Instead of answering, he pours some blood into two glasses. Then he hands me one while keeping the other.
“I wish I had a good answer for you. I can lie if you want me to. Make up a sugarcoated story that will give you false relief,” he says. “Do you want me to do that?”
I cup the glass in my hands. “You know sugarcoating isn’t my style.”
“I know, but considering how upset you looked earlier, I thought I’d give you the option.”
“I always want the truth, Kings, no matter how much it hurts.”
Blowing out a breath, he downs the entire drink in one, long gulp. Then he sets the glass down, walks over to me, and crouches, resting his arms on my legs. “You want the truth for real?” he asks, and after a bit of hesitation, I nod. “Well, the truth is that you have three options. One, you can secretly keep seeing my brother and risk getting caught by Nadine. Two, you can search for a way to either dethrone Nadine or break the rule that the king must be with the queen. Or three, you can move on.”