It doesn’t take us long to reach the stone pathway that winds its way up to the castle. As the gravel path bleeds into stone, Lissandra stops. A cool wind tousles her long hair and leaves a chill over my skin. I wrap my arms around myself, trying not to shiver. Looming above us are the dark walls of the castle, the only light coming from the moon that shines through a bank of silver cloud.

“This is where we must part. I cannot be seen entering the castle with you all. Whatever you do, you must play down your feelings for one another. She hates other people’s happiness and will destroy it the moment she sets eyes on it by whatever means possible. She wouldn’t think twice about murdering a common woman. If I am worthless, they’re nothing but cattle to her.”

“I understand. Thank you, Lissandra. I hope after this is done, we will have time to get to know each other properly.”

“I’d like that,” she replies. Her eyes flick to Rhain and Ezra, who are standing quietly behind me. “Be the men she knows, the Dark Knights everyone fears, and not the men you truly are. It is the only way any of you will survive the next few days.”

Rhain and Ezra move to stand next to me. From the set of their jaws and their guarded looks she has hit a nerve. Who were they before I met them? I guess I am about to find out.

“We shall,” Rhain says.

“As you know, the Queen believes you have been hunting a pack of wolf-shifters. I have informed her that Devin arrived back early because you became separated. She hasn’t asked to see him, content that he is her Punisher once more. He is far more valuable to her in his current state in the South tower. He is quite… formidable. It will be different for you both. Stick to the story, no matter what happens.”

“Thank you, Lissandra,” Ezra says.

She takes a step back. “You’ve surprised me. I am glad you have found Accacia. Maybe we truly can overthrow Queen Adrielle. Take care of each other, and get Devin out.” With that, she swivels on her heel and leaves us behind.

We all watch her climb the path upwards. After a while we can no longer see her, the black of her dress and dark hair lost to the surrounding darkness of the castle.

“We should go. Queen Adrielle will be calling a gathering shortly like she does every night. We must be in attendance,” Ezra says. He pulls me against his chest quickly, wrapping his strong arms around me tightly, then lets me go. “Like Lissandra said, Rhain and I will have to act a certain way inside the castle. The men you will experience within those walls are not the men we are.”

“I know that.”

“We will be unrecognisable. But never lose your faith in us. In what we have,” Rhain says, his indigo eyes turbulent.

“I won’t.”

“Then let us go save our brother,” Ezra says.

* * *

The castle itself is quiet. A deathly silence hangs over us as we walk along the eastern terrace. Torches are alight at intervals, and I feel the heat of the flames as we pass them by. Neither Rhain or Ezra have said a word to me since we stepped inside the castle walls. Their silence only adds to the unease I feel.

“Where is everyone?” I whisper as we step out into a small courtyard.

As if answering my question, a tall man, taller than Ezra, steps out from an archway up ahead. He has the whitest hair and the brightest, bluest eyes I’ve ever seen. He looks young, no more than twenty, but at the same time has this way about him that tells me he is far, far older than that. There is something strange about him, he’s both compelling and repellent. I don’t know whether I want to touch him or run away screaming. As the man with glacial eyes approaches, I step back.

“Ether, it’s been many years,” Ezra says. Rhain steps closer to me, his arm brushing against my own. I feel the tension leaching from him. Is he afraid of this man? Even Ezra moves closer to my side.

“Indeed, it has.”

“To what do we owe the pleasure?”

Ether folds his arms across his chest. “Your absence has meant that Gabe, Mihr and I have been called to take your place at the Queen’s side. Now her favourites have returned we are free to leave. Or at least once the Jubilee ball has taken place.”

Favourites? They were not hers to favour. I bite down on the words I want to say, my anger spitting like a hog roasting over a fire.

Ezra shrugs. “I care not. It’s about time Clan Vitae pulled their weight. Whilst you and your brothers were here relaxing, we were in the desert plains hunting a rogue pack of wolf-shifters. They are all dead now.”

Ether raises a white eyebrow. “They must have been quite the pack, given it’s taken you this many moon cycles to deal with them. Perhaps you are losing your touch?” Ether turns his ice-cold stare to me. I meet his gaze, determined not to look away even though it makes me feel sick to look at him. He takes a step forward, his eyes narrowing. My heart crashes in my chest. What the hell is he?

Ezra steps in front of me. “This woman is mine,” he growls.

“Brother,” Rhain warns.

“Be quiet, Rhain. Ether is not touching my plaything. She is mine to do with as I see fit. I have plans for her.” Ezra looks at me, his face void of emotion. “The wolf-shifter pack stole her from the flatlands, and I took her back. She’s my property now,” he snarls. “If you want her, you need to go through me first.”

Ether steps back, laughing. He holds his hands up. “I have no desire to take your plaything to the Shadowlands. I was merely interested in the ring she is wearing,” he says, pointing to my hand. I attempt to cover it up. Shit.

Rhain grabs my hand roughly. “What, this piece of rust? Why would this interest you? Is it of value?”

Ether’s gaze fixes back on the ring. “I’ve seen a similar one on another woman.”

“So what? What do you know?”

Ether’s gaze flicks back up. He catches my eyes and I see a glimmer of understanding there, a fleeting warmth, before it is gone.

“You’re right, just a piece of rust. Nothing of value here,” he says, the ice of his gaze raising goose-bumps over my skin.

Rhain drops my hand, but steps even closer. I can feel the slight graze of his fingers against my arm before cold air replaces the warmth. That brief touch, his apology for grabbing me so roughly.

“The Queen wishes to speak with you now,” Ether says, turning on his heels. I feel a sense of relief now that he is moving away from us. Breath whooshes out of my mouth in a rush, and the sounds of life around us fill my ears. The castle is no longer as silent as death. Did this man bring the silence?

Ether stops in the middle of the courtyard. “Don’t delay, Queen Adrielle is not in the best of moods.”

“We will visit the Queen once I have deposited this woman in my apartment,” Ezra says offhandedly. His words are relaxed, but he is not. The tension is thick and cloying, the danger very real.

“That would be unwise, the Queen wishes to see her too. Don’t piss her off. I’ve had enough of cleaning up her rages.”

“Enough. Isn’t that what you thrive on, Angel of Death?” Rhain scoffs.

Ether says nothing in response, he merely exits the courtyard through an arched doorway and disappears from view.

“Lights damn it,” Rhain swears under his breath.

“Angels of Death?” I whisper. Is that why I felt so uncomfortable in Ether’s presence?

“He is a member of Clan Vitae. But he is the least of our worries. The Queen wishes to see us, all of us. We can’t take, Ci… Dawn,” he corrects.

“Not here,” Ezra hisses.

Approaching us are two women, who both glance warily at us. They stop a respectable distance away and curtsey. “Knights,” they say in unison, before giving us all a wide berth and rushing off. I can’t help but notice the dread they show. I want to tell them they’ve no need to fear Rhain and Ezra, that they are good men, but here, in this place, they are not.

Ezra waits for them to leave before speaking. “There is no way around this, brother. We go now to the Queen.”

Rhain’s face is tight, but he doesn’t try to protest.

* * *

The room we enter is a vast hall with high vaulted ceilings. Along the walls are strange black flames that seem to produce light and suck it from the room at the same time. Ezra and Rhain are walking in front of me, the sounds of their steps on the stone floor echoing around us. Even though I can’t see anyone, I know there are people standing in the shadows, watching. We are no doubt surrounded by people from Clan Lux. Vampires like Rhain, Ezra and Devin. I am scared, terrified in fact. This is their territory, their castle. I sense their malevolence. The clan members in this room, they are not our friends.

We reach the front of the hall, where on a raised platform is a throne made of human bones. They are stark white against the black stone of the walls. The seat is empty. Rhain and Ezra exchange glances.

“It has been, what, ten moon cycles?” a voice says from the shadows in the corner of the hall. “You have been busy, my Dark Knights.”

Rhain and Ezra immediately drop to their knees, their heads bowed. It gives me a direct view of the woman walking out of the darkness. The woman that is Queen Adrielle. She is exquisite. Long, raven-dark hair hangs in perfect waves down her back. Skin as flawless as cut glass glows in the strange light. She is tall, with an hour-glass figure. Perfectly proportioned, perfectly sculptured. Frighteningly beautiful. Yet I can feel the putrid evil pouring from her even from where I stand. My instinct is to run, but I am a deer caught in headlamps. I cannot take my eyes off her. She approaches me, her black chiffon dress swirling about her as she moves. It reminds me of the darkness gathering in my dream. The ring burns on my finger, and I bite down on the pain.

“I see you’ve brought a plaything. Which one of you does she belong to?”

Ezra stands. “Me.”

“Yours?” Queen Adrielle screeches. “Since when does the cold-hearted Ezra have a plaything?”

“Her blood tastes good. The rest, well, it’s not worth much.” He shrugs, casting me an uninterested look.

The Queen laughs, a high-pitched cackle. She stops in front of me. “No, she’s not exactly attractive.” Her cold, black eyes meet mine. I am staring at the woman who murdered my parents, cursed the clans of Ever Vale and murdered Ezra’s family. There is no kindness in her gaze, nothing but obsidian darkness and hate.

“I’m disappointed, Ezra, I thought you had better taste.” She steps back, placing a hand on his chest. “Drink,” she orders. His head snaps up.

“You don’t wish to?” Her eyes narrow. He opens his mouth to speak but she places a finger over his lips. “Rhain, get up,” she says.

Rhain stands. “My Queen?”

“According to Ezra, this woman’s blood is delicious. Would you like a taste?”

A smile pulls at Rhain’s lips, it covers the twitch in his jaw. A twitch that tells me he is not happy about this turn of events. I have a feeling I am being used as a pawn in this game the Queen has decided to play. I watch as she removes her finger from Ezra’s mouth.

“From this moment on, whenever Rhain wishes to feed, he shall feed from this woman and you shall let him.”

Ezra simply dips his head in acknowledgement.

“Feel free,” Queen Adrielle says to Rhain. She takes a seat at her throne, crossing her long, slim legs. A look of pure malice ripples across her face. She flicks her wrist, and from the shadows members of Clan Lux step out. There are about twenty of them, and all of them have their eyes on me. They look hungry.

Rhain stalks towards me. Gone is the man I know, replaced instead with this predator who is looking at me like I am a nice plump steak. Behind him I see Ezra watching us, watching the other vampires around us. He pretends to be relaxed, but I can tell by his stance that he is far from it.

Rhain stops in front of me. He is so tall to my now shorter frame that I must tip my head back to look at him. My hair tumbles over my shoulders, revealing a large expanse of flesh across my neck and chest. I watch as his teeth drop from his mouth. Rhain has not bitten me yet. In our lovemaking he has still not acted upon that impulse, so to have him bite me here, taste my blood in front of the Queen, in front of Ezra, these vampires, makes my heart trip sadly in my chest. I had wanted the first time to be special, private, between us. Instead, we have a room full of blood-thirsty vampires and an evil, sadistic bitch watching us.

“And make sure it hurts,” Queen Adrielle sneers from her spot on the throne.

Rhain looks into my eyes. His are void of emotion, but I know he is in there, that he cannot say or do what he wants because of the situation we are in. I take a deep, even breath and slowly blink my eyes, trying to tell him that it’s okay.

He grasps hold of my hand, bringing it towards his lips. As he does so he very gently presses the pad of his thumb into my palm before sliding his fingers upwards, touching the ring of my middle finger. No one will have noticed that small act of defiance, or what it means. Rhain is telling me the only way he knows how that he is still the man I love, that this cold indifference is all an act. Then he bites me, hard.