Since the fall of DuMoir Castle, the small town of Crimson Glen had been overtaken by vampires—at first by the rebel vampires who didn’t want any rules. However, the princes and nobles, tired of hiding in the forest, had moved in too. In no time, the vampires had killed half the town’s residents, and enslaved the other half—to feed on later.

The town was a mess, but it was exactly where I had to go.

It was two hours after sunset, and the town was starting to come alive. As I walked down Main Street toward the town’s square, I saw as the vampires left their new homes and started partying. They looked drunk as they loitered in the streets. A few of them had blood slaves in their arms. They laughed, they chatted, they snickered—all loudly. It felt like walking into the French Quarter of New Orleans during Mardi Gras: a never-ending party.

But instead of alcohol, the residents here were drunk on blood.

I hadn’t walked one block before the vampires noticed me. Besides a few known faces from the castle, most of them were rebel vampires who had lived with Lark and Remi in the village. But even if I didn’t know them all, they knew me. They all knew who I was.

The farther I went, the more vampires noticed my presence. They stopped and watched me. Some even followed me, but always keeping their distance.

I saw the town’s square. I hadn’t been here much, but I knew that once upon a time, the train that took humans to visit DuMoir Castle left from the station off the square.

One block from the square, I turned left. Halfway down the block, and with at least a hundred vampires tailing me, I halted in the middle of the street, facing a modest townhouse.

The front door opened and Dorian stepped out, his eyes wide. “What are you doing here?”

Aston, Gray, Cain, and Patrick appeared behind him.

“Hello, my brothers,” I said.

“We heard rumors you had died,” Cain said.

“That Morda had killed you,” Patrick added.

“I heard it had been the werewolf alpha,” Gray objected.

I smiled. “As you can see, I’m alive and well.” My smile faded. “Where’s Nolan and Phelps?”

“Gone,” Patrick said, his tone upset.

“Nolan was killed by a werewolf, and Phelps by a witch,” Cain said.

Hell.

“What are you doing here?” Dorian repeated his question.

“I want to know what you are doing here.” I glanced to my sides, to the vampires forming a wide arc around me. “I thought you were princes. Why are you hiding like this?”

Patrick scoffed. “Have you really been out of the loop, or are you pretending again?”

Again … so they knew I had feigned losing my memory months ago? That was okay. That was in the past.

“I know the castle was taken from us, disgraced by witches and werewolves. I know the princes of DuMoir Castle are hiding among rebel vampires who couldn’t care less about them.”

Dorian growled. “Do you think we had a choice? We have been roaming in the forest, trying not to succumb to our primitive instincts. We only joined the rebels after they had sacked this town.”

“We had no other choice,” Cain said.

Behind me, growls echoed.

“I’m attacking DuMoir Castle,” I told them. “Tonight. Join me.”

“How?” Aston frowned. “How can you win against the witches and werewolves?”

“I’ve got the allegiance of the Blackmarsh and Bluemoon covens, and I’m hoping to get yours too.”

A short vampire with massive arms stepped forward. “When they came into the town, they knew what they were getting into,” he said. “They live here, but it’s by our rules.”

“I thought you guys didn’t have rules,” I teased.

“We have only one,” he said with a snarl. “These vampires—” He jerked his chin toward the princes. “—have no title and are now imprisoned to this town.”

What the hell?

“I think you’re about to lose your one rule, because not only will they come with me, but you will too.”

Short and Stocky laughed. “My vampires won’t follow you.”

I cocked an eyebrow. “Your vampires?” I quickly found Lewis and Holden in the back, as if afraid of defying the rebels. “I recognize a lot of my vampires in the bunch.” I beckoned them forward. “Come join us. I’ll protect you.”

As expected, Lewis and Holden were the firsts to push through the crowd and stand behind me. Another dozen joined us.

Short and Stocky glared at us. “That’s only a handful. I can still squash you.”

“Once I give my order, you won’t be able to,” I said. I knew I was pushing his buttons, but it was freaking fun.

“Order?” He spat. “What makes you think we’ll obey you?”

“If you don’t, I’ll make you.”

He growled, along with his vampires. “I would like to see you try.”

They attacked.

The vampires lunged at me, and the princes appeared by my side to help me.

As stronger princes and trained vampires, my side could fight like this forever. We would eventually win, but this time, we didn’t have days. We had to finish this ridiculous fight now.

I felt the magic of the amulet rushing through my veins as I wrapped my fingers around Short and Stocky’s throat and threw him to the ground. As a vampire, I had been fast and strong, but now with the power of the amulet, I was on an entirely new level. The vampires didn’t even have time to react before I overpowered them.

So that was why Lord Reynard had been so damn powerful. It was a blessing Alex hadn’t known how to access the amulet—he probably didn’t even know there was an amulet inside Lord Reynard’s pendant.

I put down vampire after vampire, until even the princes stepped back and stared at me, their eyes wide.

Finally, the attacks stopped and the vampires hung back, apprehensive.

“You cannot defeat me,” I said with a growl. “Now that you’ve seen what I can do, join me. I’m marching to DuMoir Castle to claim it back right now!”

“Even with your abilities, that’s suicide,” a vampire said.

“It won’t be,” I said. “We have two witch covens on our side, and we’ll have more allies as soon as we get to the castle.” We were wasting time here. “Say you’ll join me now.”

Ninety percent of the vampires joined me. Most seemed reluctant, but I knew that once they saw our team winning against Morda and her witches, they would understand this was our time. We wouldn’t lose.

Lewis stood tall beside me. “Lead us, my prince.”

A confident grin spread on my lips. “Let’s go to war!”