A knock woke me up. Startled, I rolled and almost fell to the ground.

Where was I? What was happening?

In a flash, my mind caught up and I remembered everything. I was back in the Silverblood coven, in my bedroom, with a servant in my bed, and I probably only slept a couple of hours since I was now required to go to back to normal daylight hours.

The knock came again, and Keeran showed up in front of me, still wearing the loincloth-skirt-thing. “I’ll get it,” he said.

I started protesting, and then remembered he was supposed to be my servant.

I had time to run around the love seat to the bed before Keeran opened the door, revealing a witchguard on the other side.

Keeran stepped to the side.

“What is it?” I asked.

“Princess Morda requests your presence for breakfast in thirty minutes,” the witchguard said. Without ceremony, she marched away and Keeran closed the door.

I sat at the edge of the bed. “Breakfast,” I mused, surprised.

Breakfast with Morda and her inner circle was an honor only a few witches experienced. Of course, I wasn’t one. Until now. I wondered why she had invited me. It was probably because I had succeeded and brought back the coven’s heart. Now, she wanted to show the other witches how benevolent and fair she was by being kind to me and inviting me to events, like breakfast with her.

I felt sick at the thought that I was one more pawn in Morda’s game, and I confess I considered not going. But I couldn’t refuse her. Not yet.

Feeling like I was going on another mission, I turned to Keeran and said, “Let’s get ready.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Let’s …?”

“Witches take their servants to breakfast. You’re my servant now, so I have to show you off.” I gestured to the small bag on the side of the bed. “I got you some clothes. Nothing much but better than …” I pointed a finger at him. “That.”

I took a shower first and got dressed. Knowing Morda liked her witches to be well dressed, I choose a long but casual black dress. While I applied some makeup and brushed my long hair, Keeran took his turn in the bathroom. When he emerged, his short hair was brushed back and clean, and he wore the gray pants and white shirt I had gotten him. My mouth fell open. He was miles away from the man who had been in a loincloth last night. That man had been broken, cowering, hurt. His shoulders had sagged, and he couldn’t lift his chin to look at me. I was sure he still felt all that inside, but the man standing before me now? He looked handsome, imposing, and strong.

I smiled. “You clean up well.”

His golden cheeks gained a faint red tint. “Are you sure you want me to go?”

“It’s more like I need you to go,” I said, beckoning him to come to me. Once he halted in front of me, I hooked my arm on his. “Are you ready?”

“Can I answer that honestly?”

Right. He hated witches. He feared them. Of course, he wasn’t ready. To be honest, I wasn’t feeling ready either. But if we waited any longer, we would be late, and Morda would show off her short temper. Living in the Silverblood mansion was an endless game. And right now, I was a big player.

Only until tonight, though, because tonight I was leaving.

“Let’s go,” I said in a low voice.

Breakfast with Morda and her inner circle was held in a private dining room inside Morda’s quarters. An elegant room with off-white stone flooring, light gray walls, and a long glass table housing twenty chairs.

When we arrived, most of the witches were standing around the table, and their servants stood by the walls, all waiting for Morda, who, it was said, only came in once everyone had arrived.

I immediately saw Soraya, Liliana, Adya, Polina, and Vera. They all wrinkled their noses at me.

Two witchguards burst into the room through an archway and positioned themselves by the wall, their enchanted escrima sticks in hand. Not five seconds later, Princess Morda walked in, looking powerful in her long, fluffy, dark gray gown.

“Please, sit down,” she said in her firm tone.

Only after Morda took the chair at the head of the table did the other witches sit . Soraya sat to her right; Adya sat to her left. The rest spread out on the long table. I ended up in the middle, squeezed between Liliana and Polina.

Male servants, dressed in gray pants and sporting naked chests, brought out the food and set it around the table. There was everything to choose from—sour bread, sweet bread, cakes, pancakes, waffles, eggs of all kinds, bacon, ham, salami, smoked salmon, croissants and other pastries, fruits, porridge, and more. As for drink, there were at least eight kinds of juice, coffee, tea, sparkling water, and even wine and champagne. It was a feast.

Imitating the other handful of servants in the room, Keeran came forward and served me: a piece of cake, a slice of bread with blueberry jelly, some smoked salmon, an apple, and grape juice.

Everything looked delicious, and I was ready to dig in.

“I’ve heard so much about you,” Vera said from across the table.

“Oh, me too,” Polina said, turning to me. “What a feat! You went to the most powerful vampire coven around and succeeded.”

“Tell us about it,” Adya asked.

And just like that, I lost my appetite. I glanced at Morda, and sure enough, she was watching me. “I don’t think our host would appreciate hearing the gory details over such a nice breakfast.”

Morda tsked. “Oh, go ahead. Give them all the juicy details.”

I hadn’t even told her the juicy details. In fact, I couldn’t tell them all of the details. They couldn’t know how Drake had claimed me, how we got close, how I ended up falling in love with him, how I was willing to sacrifice everything for him.

Staring at me, Soraya leaned on her elbows and steepled her fingers. “So?”

I took in a sharp breath. “There’s nothing much to tell. I was accepted for the tour and was prepared when the vampires attacked in the ballroom. However, Lord Reynard was killed.”

“That’s quite intriguing,” Morda muttered. She nodded at me. “Go on.”

“It all became a little chaotic because the vampires weren’t expecting it.” So far no lies. But they all started now. “I was taken with the other blood slaves saved for later, but soon realized I wouldn’t be able to look for the coven’s heart if I was locked away. So, when one of the princes wanted a new blood slave, I did my best to be chosen.”

“So you were bitten by a vampire?” Liliana asked.

“How was it?” Adya asked.

“Did it hurt?” Vera asked.

“No, no,” I added quickly. Also a lie, but I had only been bitten by Drake because I had allowed him to. “To my surprise, the prince only wanted company.” For some reason, I didn’t want them to assume I had been bitten or raped by the vampires. However, Morda’s frown told me she wasn’t happy about that. Whatever. “I had some freedom with him, which was perfect. The princes had instilled a ten-day mourning period following Lord Reynard’s death, so the castle was quiet. It was easier to roam around. I sneaked into Lord Reynard’s office and found out where he was keeping the coven’s heart.” The rest was mostly the truth. I told them about finding Lord Reynard’s treasure room, about being attacked by Sarki, about killing her, and the fighting. “With the heart’s power, I was able to fight my way out of the castle. The vampires pursued me, but I escaped.” I stared at Morda. “A few hours later, you found me.”

“Wow, that is quite the tale,” Liliana said.

“I can’t believe you did all that,” Adya said.

“Quite the hero,” Polina said.

Wait … did they? … No. They didn’t. They couldn’t. What, now I was some kind of legend for having survived DuMoir Castle and bringing back the heart? That was crazy.

“Thea,” Morda started. “We should meet later and discuss some things about the vampires.”

My stomach clenched. What did she want to know? Did she doubt me? Did she see through my facade? “Of course,” I forced out, feeling incredible vulnerable.

She glanced to the wall behind me, and I was sure she was looking at Keeran. Then, she returned her cool gaze to me and asked, “Was the servant I sent you enough to satisfy you? Or should I send another man? Or perhaps men?”

“No, no,” I sputtered. “No need. I’m quite well with Keeran. In fact …” I cleared my throat and forced my fake bravado out, the same one I had used so many times on Drake. “I was wondering if I could keep him to myself. You know, at least for a while.”

I did not intend to touch him, but if he stayed by my side, he would be safe. At least until I left tonight—if I didn’t convince him to run away with me.

A wicked smile stretched over Morda’s lips. “Because you brought the heart back, I’ll grant you one reward. Do you want Keeran as your reward?”

“Yes,” I said, no hesitation.

She stood from her chair and took two steps back. “Come here.” Dread filled me. Slowly, I rose from my chair and went to her. She looked at Keeran. “You too.”

Keeran’s face paled, but he held his head high as he approached us. “Yes, your highness?” he asked, bowing to her.

Morda grasped my wrist and Keeran’s and joined our hands. His eyes locked on mine, and I was sure mine reflected the apprehension stamped on his. Morda placed both her hands over ours. A bright light shone from her palms, warming my skin and sending a jolt over my arm, to my chest.

I gasped and Keeran coughed.

Morda dropped her hands. “Done.”

“Your highness?” I asked, confused.

“I’ve bonded you two,” she said, as if it were the most normal thing in the world. “Now, you two can’t be apart for more than a short time, otherwise the servant will hurt, and no other witch may touch your servant without being burned.” I gaped at her. By all that was sacred, what had she done? “You’re welcome,” she said with a smile.

“T-thank you, your highness,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

Ignoring Keeran and me, Morda faced the other witches at the table. “We’ll soon have a meeting where I’ll inspect each of you.” She stared at the witches, me included. “I’ll use my magic for a pregnancy test. If you’re not all pregnant by then, you’ll be punished. No, actually, I might execute you.”

A chill ran down my spine.

After dropping a bomb like that, Morda picked up the hem of her gown, spun around, and sauntered out of the dining room.

Whispers rose from the table along with the witches. Some of them gathered, all talking about the upcoming pregnancy check.

Meanwhile, my heart thundered in my chest. Pregnancy check? By all that was sacred, how would I get pregnant? If I had to, there was only one man I would sleep with, and right now, he was too far away.

Keeran stepped closer me. “Thea, about this bonding spell …”

“Not here,” I whispered. We couldn’t risk anyone hearing us. “Let’s go back to my bedroom.”

We left Morda’s chambers and walked by one of the groups in the hallway. At first, I didn’t pay any attention to them—they were probably worried about getting pregnant and letting out their frustrations—but then I noticed Ebby, a weak witch I hadn’t seen in a while, was right in the middle and her eyes were full of tears.

My step faltered.

“What are you doing here?” one witch asked her, her voice dripping with disdain.

“I-I was just walking by,” Ebby said in a trembling tone. I hadn’t been close to her, but I remembered she being even weaker than I was before I left for my mission. She had always been teased and bullied by the other witches. It seemed nothing had changed.

“Why?” another witch asked. “There’s only Princess Morda’s chambers on this side of the mansion.”

“She must have tried to sneak in.”

“Maybe she tried using a spell to sneak in.”

“Maybe she was trying to cast a spell to have Princess Morda like her.”

“Morda is too strong to be affected by a spell like that. It must be something else.”

One of the witches poked her in the shoulder. “What did you do? Which spell did you use?” She pushed Ebby back again, causing her to trip on her feet.

I clenched my fists and stepped into the group. “Excuse me,” I said, my voice loud and clear. The witches stared at me with confusion and reservation across their features. They practically idolized me. I had to use that to my advantage. I flipped my hair and lifted my chin high. “Would you mind if I have a word with Ebby? I need to discuss an important matter with her.” The witches exchanged nervous stares. “I hope that is okay,” I insisted, putting a hard edge to my voice.

“S-sure,” one of the witches said. Together, the witches scurried away.

I hooked my arm on Ebby’s and pulled her farther down the hallway, away from everyone else.

“Are you okay?” I asked her in a whisper.

She stared at me with her big green eyes. “Why do you care?”

I flinched, not expecting that reaction from her. “I was trying to help.”

She wiped at her eyes. “I don’t need your help.” She humphed before scurrying away.

I stared after her. Poor girl. She was probably so used to everyone picking on her, that she didn’t know what to do when someone was kind to her.

Shaking my head, I resumed my walk with Keeran close on my heels.

Once we were safe inside my bedroom, Keeran took a vase-like position along the wall, and I sank on the love seat, trying to process all that had happened in such a short time.

What now?

Now that Morda had bonded me to Keeran, I couldn’t run away without him. And if I didn’t run away, Morda would perform the pregnancy test on me and I would fail it. She would kill me.

I wasn’t ready to die.

I looked at Keeran. But I also wasn’t ready to sleep with another man. I guess I would never be. My heart, body, and soul belonged to Drake.

Unless …

“Thank you,” Keeran said. He was still against the wall, but his eyes were full of emotion. “I know you told Morda you wanted me to stay with you to protect me from the other witches.” He pressed his lips together. “I’m sorry it backfired. I’m sorry you’re bonded to me now.”

“It’s not your fault,” I said. “But I need a favor from you.”

He took two steps closer. “Anything.”

My mind set, I rose, grabbed a notebook and pen from the drawer in one of my nightstands, sat on the edge of my bed, and wrote a quick note.

I folded the note and handed it to Keeran. “Here.”

Brows curled down, he took the note. “Who is it for?”

It wouldn’t be easy, but it was the only choice I could think of.

Finally, I said, “Drake.”