Fenris.
We need to go check on our mate again, Fenris. You know she hasn’t been feeling too well.
“I know,” I said, exhaling deeply. “I lost track of time; it’s almost like night jumped out at me. I’ll head there now.”
I closed the parchment before me and called to the retainers outside my door.
No answer.
I frowned and called out again.
Still nothing.
I stood, whispering to myself that if I walked over to the door, I’d have their hides. I took a few steps away from my desk when my vision spun rapidly. Swaying on my feet, I grabbed hold of my oak desk to keep from falling.
What was this?
The door opened.
I blinked several times to clear my vision.
From the gait, I could tell it was Roman. Thank the Dawnfather. I didn’t know what was happening, but he could help check on Lumina for me.
“Roman, I need you to check on the Duchess. She’s been down. I’m about to head to her chambers. I just need to collect myself.”
“There will be no need for that.”
“What?”
“There’s no need to check on Lumina,” he said, slowly approaching my desk. “She’s not here anymore.”
Did I hear him correctly?
I shook my head to get rid of the daze, but it was useless. My head throbbed, and my insides coiled into tight knots. “What do you mean she’s not here anymore? Where did she go?”
“I got her out. I think you’ve had her long enough. Let someone else try their hand.”
Wait. What?
“R-Roman, what did you do? Where is she?” I moved a step forward but staggered three steps back. My feet felt like they belonged to another.
Through my hazy vision, I could see Roman’s evil smirk. “Don’t move, Fenris. Your meal was drugged, that’s why you can’t stand on your own feet. I also instructed that wolfsbane be added in as well. I don’t know why you didn’t feel the effects immediately, but it should be coming on soon. For Lumina, it was her tonic, and concerning her whereabouts, well, she’s off to the highest bidder.”
As soon as he was done talking, a sharp pain shot through me. I doubled over, clutching my chest. My breathing became erratic, and I fell on one knee.
“Ah, I see,” he said. “So my theory was correct. The bond you shared with her kept you safe from the effects of wolfsbane, and now that she’s unconscious, you’re feeling it… Interesting. Maybe I should find myself a Velari.”
His laughter surrounded my study.
“Where is Lumina, Roman?” I asked through clenched teeth. “Where is my mate?”
“She’s on her way to the Valemont estate.”
My heart stopped.
“I had to plan it really carefully, because I knew that despite the recruitment and training going on, I would only need to worry about the guards within the manor, courtyard, and the gates.” A sadistic smile appeared on his face. “I’m sure by now you’ve figured out why they haven’t come to your aid.”
His tone carried a hint of nonchalance, and he spoke like he just described the weather to me. Aegor Valemont was my greatest enemy. Roman knew this. Why would he go this far?
“WHAT?!”
My voice vibrated off the study walls. Rage rose within me and crawled up my chest. I grabbed the desk again, pushing myself up. In a beat, Roman darted over to me, and I felt an object run down my back. Pain exploded in that spot.
A raw cry tore from my throat.
My head snapped to him, and I saw a silver dagger in his hand. The very one I had gifted him when we were younger.
“You’re a walking corpse, Roman!” I snarled. “Do you understand?! You’re finished!”
“You mean just like my father?!” he barked. “Your miserable father killed mine and then took me in like that was supposed to justify what he did!” He glowered, his face molding into an ugly expression I’d never seen on him before. “I never forgive Fenris, and I never forget. I was just biding my time. Waiting for the right chance to get back at him.”
He swore.
“Unfortunately for me, your stupid father died before I could get my pound of flesh.” His eyes burned with vindictive fury. “So, you were the next best thing. The rumours about Lumina? I spread them.”
Forced air erupted from my throat, and crimson splattered on the floor before me. “You bastard!”
Roman smiled. “The wolfsbane is tearing you down, which would make it easier for me to kill you. No more Velari magic to protect you. And after you’re dead, I’ll leave this estate with my lover.” He spun the tip of the dagger on his index finger. “Aegor needs a Velari. He has offered me wealth and lands. He even promised me a castle if I brought him Lumina. She’s the only Velari out in the open, so I took her.” Then he dipped his head and whispered in my ear. “What he offered is more than you’ve ever given me.”
I coughed again, and droplets of blood sprayed on the side of my desk. “So you had to drug, poison me with wolfsbane, and stab me with silver because you’re too much of a coward to face me at full strength?”
“Not a coward, just smart,” he said calmly. “I’m no fool, Fenris. Of course, I knew that if I didn’t weaken you, I wouldn’t stand a chance.”
“Lumina was right,” I grunted, squeezing my side as pain travelled through my body. “She always told me she didn’t like you. But I constantly brushed her off. I should have listened to her.”
Roman shrugged. “Maybe you should have. But thank the gods you didn’t, or none of this would have worked. Anyway, I’d leave you to expire on your own, but you know me. I’m not one for leaving loose ends. Plus, I need to be sure you can never come after me. Don’t forget, Fenris, I gave you Lumina, and mate or not… I have every right to take her away.”
With those words, something broke inside me. The very thing I had feared the most, what I had fought tooth and nail to prevent, had come to pass—and worse still, it had been done by the hands of someone I trusted. That realization shattered my control.
Lorkan released an earth-shaking growl that vibrated my insides.
LET ME OUT, FENRIS, NOW!
I did.
My bones shifted and cracked. Claws replaced fingernails. Clothes ripped apart as my body expanded. Fur exploded on my skin. My face contorted as my ears stood atop my head and a snout subsumed my mouth and nose. Teeth gave way to fangs. My eyes flashed golden-yellow before settling on bright red.
I stood up on my hind legs, massive, towering. Rage barred my vision from seeing Roman clearly.
“No,” he muttered, shock plastered across his face. “You weren’t supposed to shift.”
He stepped back and transformed, padding on all fours—a huge, inky-black wolf, head low, a guttural growl rumbling in his chest.
He lunged.
I met him halfway, catching him by the throat. My claws dug into thick fur, but his momentum drove me back into the heavy oak desk. Parchment, books, and a crystal decanter crashed to the floor. The silver in my blood screamed at me, my muscles felt like wet sand, but the Alpha in me roared louder.
I pivoted, using Roman’s own weight to slam him against the bookshelves. A yelp. He twisted, jaws snapping for my forearm. I let him. His teeth sank in, but I brought my other fist down like a hammer on the side of his skull. Once. Twice. I heard a crunch.
The grip on my arm loosened. Roman staggered, shaking his head. I didn’t hesitate. I grabbed him by the scruff and the flank and, with a final, convulsive surge of strength, hurled him across the room.
Roman hit the leaded glass of the study window. It shattered outward in an explosion of shards and moonlight. He tumbled into the night, another yelp, this time sharper, swallowed by the rustle of the forest.
Silence.
I stood there, swaying. The fight had lasted less than a minute. My office stank of blood. I took one step toward the broken window, then my legs gave out. I hit the floor hard, my breath a jagged wheeze. The silver was on fire in my back, the wolfsbane a poison in my chest. I blinked once, the shattered window blurred into a smear of silver and black.
“Lumina.”
Then, nothing.