After Lyra and her father were reunited, I gave them a few minutes to embrace and talk privately before I pushed her for the answers she promised. It felt bitchy considering the long years they had been separated, but with Carver’s life on the line, I can’t risk wasting time.

Lyra explained where and how we could get to Morana’s, which path’s were the most risky and the best time to go. I’d listened intently before escaping back to the sitting room with the my two consorts in tow. I try to keep my mind from panicking, but it’s almost impossible. I slam my hands down on the table, the sharp impact echoing in the silent room, and stand up. Marius jumps at the sound, but Lucian- always cool as an undead cucumber- just watches me, his dark eyes intent.

"Where are you going?" Marius asks, looking like he has an idea already and he's hoping that he's wrong.

"To get Carver back," I tell him, confirming his fears as I pull on my coat and tug my hair out from under the collar. "You're coming with me. Get ready."

"What, why?" Marius asks, eyes wide.

"Because I can't break into Morana's mansion alone, dumbass?"

"No, I mean, why are you doing this right now?" Marius corrects himself, standing up. I can't tell if he's getting ready to go or to tackle me before I try to leave. I'm not worried about him. I can kick his ass if I need to. But I really do need his help with this. So I turn to nail him and Lucian both with my hardest stare.

"Because I'm tired of sitting here while he's in danger," I tell them, my jaw tight. "Because every minute that passes I keep thinking about what she might be doing to him- What she might be making him do. And I'm fucking tired of it. This ends now."

"Aura, you can't-"

"Just shut up and get ready," I snap, turning away to check the silver knives strapped to the holsters at my hip and thigh. "You can't stop me from going and we all know you aren't going to let me go alone, so just skip the whining and let’s get to it."

Lucian stands up and I freeze for a moment, watching him. Marius might not be able to stop me, but Lucian probably could. I try not to let him see my nerves, drawing myself up as tall as I can and staring him down. I know he must be missing Carver too. They may not be as close to another as they are to me, but they're still friends. Brothers. The worry has to be eating him up, even if he won't show it.

"This is foolish," he says, smoothing his shirt. "Carver would not approve."

"Yeah?" I say, sounding more confident than I feel as I wait for his judgment. "So?"

"So," Lucian replies, and catches my eye with a faint smile. "I hope you have a decent plan in mind."

I smile back at him, relieved.

"You bet your sweet ass I do. I'll tell you on the way."

* * *

Not much later, I saunter up towards a man guarding a door in Morana's palatial estate. We've stayed mostly out of sight so far, but Carver is behind that door. Which calls for some improvising.

I've throw a small glamour over myself. It's a vampire ability I'm still getting the hang of. Glamours make you appear irresistibly beautiful to humans, which is convenient for feeding. It doesn't work on vampires except to make your face seem a little off. It's enough to make someone who doesn't know you well mistake you for a stranger, which is all I'm after. Morana might have told her guards to keep an eye out for me, but none of them have seen me for more than a minute or two in person.

"Hey," I say casually, and the guard's head jerks up from where he'd been focused on his phone. He shoves it into his pocket quickly as I approach, but I glimpse a familiar actor on screen before it disappears. "I'm new. Where do they keep the food around here?"

"There isn't any," the guard says with a frown. "I mean, there is. But that's for the bosses. Newbies hunt with their sires. Didn't they tell you that?"

"Yeah, my sire is kind of a dick," I lie, shrugging, then switch subjects, gesturing towards the guy's phone. "Was that Matthew McConaughey on your phone?"

The guy clears his throat, looking a little embarrassed.

"Yeah, uh, I'm kind of behind on TV. You lose track after a couple of decades, you know? My friend said this detective show is good."

"Have you seen the one with Bryan Cranston making drugs yet?"

"No?"

"Oh my God, you are in for a fucking treat my friend. Hold on I think I can get it on my phone. One episode and you'll be hooked man."

As I pull the guard away to watch Frankie Munez's dad descend into meth-fueled madness Lucian and Marius slip past and through the door separating us from Carver.

"Wait, what, that can't be the end of the episode?"

The guard, who I now know is named Glen, grabs my phone to check that there isn't secretly another ten minutes hiding behind the credits.

"I know, right?" I laugh. "Just wait. It gets even crazier in season two. You want to watch the next episode?"

"I don't know," Glen hands me back the phone, looking guilty. "I'm not really supposed to be hanging out like this. I'm on the clock and if I get caught fucking around again my sire is going to kick my ass."

I grimace.

"In that case, I'm really sorry for this."

Before poor Glen can respond, Lucian has an arm around his throat, swiftly and efficiently knocking him out.

"What took you guys so long?" I hiss as soon as Glen hits the floor. "It's been like half an hour!"

"We're having some difficulty," Lucian whispers. He's as cool and controlled as ever, but the tightness around his eyes makes him look as pissed off as I've ever seen him.

"Carver won't leave," Marius explains, eyeing the end of the hall we're on warily. "He's refusing to go."

"Knock his ass out and throw him over your shoulder!" I say as loudly as I dare.

"The fight would draw too much attention," Lucian said, shaking his head. "We're hoping you can convince him. You have a gift for penetrating his stubborn stupidity."

I sigh, rubbing the bridge of my nose to dispel a swiftly growing tension headache and sweep past them through the door.

"Marius, stay here and keep watch. Lucian, with me."

Lucian follows a step behind me, indicating where to go through the mazelike corridors of Morana's private quarters. The whole mansion is hers, but the rest of the court occupy most of it. No one is allowed in these rooms, however, except her and her consorts. Which, in this case, included Carver. I pause to examine a small burn mark on the wallpaper of one of the halls.

"These rooms are full of magical security measures," Lucian explains. "Not all of it vampiric. I swear some of it feels like Fae magic. That burn is from a rune that would have sent anyone who passed it without permission up in flames."

"And Morana hasn't noticed you messing with her security system?" I ask, worried.

"Not so far," Lucian says, though his tense frown says that's more hope than certainty. "I've been very careful. She'll notice if she's paying attention, but hopefully she has better things to think about right now."

It's not the most reassuring thing in the world, especially considering how long we've been here already. I walk a little faster.

The room she's been keeping Carver in is near the back of her suite. The door had been locked and magically sealed and I can see the char of whatever rune Lucian broke to open it still smoking in the wood. I push the door open and hesitate as the smell hits me. There's a scent, like stale, stifled air and the sourness of sweat. The sting of ammonia lingers under it when I inhale too deep. The room beyond is dark, heavy drapes blocking the windows. It's fairly large for a bedroom, with a queen size four poster bed that must have been beautiful once. The sheets are twisted, the blanket on the floor. The wooden posts are scratched and worn. Broken handcuffs still hang from one.

Dirty clothes litter the floor alongside broken glass and bits of wood. What had once been pictures on the wall and decorations on the end tables and vanity, I assume. The vanity mirror has been so thoroughly destroyed that there's only glittering glass dust on the carpet.

A dark shape huddles against the far wall that I at first mistake for a pile of dirty laundry until it moves.

"Careful," Carver says, his voice rough. "Don't get too close to the bed."

I take a step away from the four poster immediately, and jump as I realize there's a pale face grinning up at me from underneath.

"Holy shit," I say a bit too loudly, stumbling into the vanity.

The girl under the bed bares her sharp teeth at me, eyes wild through her tangled black hair. She's thin and filthy and I hear the clink of a chain as she moves, retreating further under the bed.

"She won't come out," Carver says, struggling slowly to his feet. "But she'll pull you under if she gets the chance."

"What the fuck," I whisper. "Is that... Is that Jolie?"

Carver nods and I feel a shiver run down my spine. I hadn't realized she was really this bad.

"You need to get out of here," he says, taking a step towards me. "I already told Lucian-"

He stumbles before he can finish his statement and I rush forward to catch him, my arms around him. My heart stops as I catch the familiar scent of blood. I can feel it, sticky against my fingers.

"You're hurt," I say, pale with fear. "Why haven't you healed? Did Morana do this?"

He shakes his head and pushes me away, turning his back on me.

"Morana hasn't done anything except refuse to feed me," he says reluctantly. "I can't heal if I can't feed. And Jolie becomes... difficult, when she's hungry."

I struggle to suppress a sudden rush of protective rage towards Morana and the unfortunate creature under the bed.

"We'll get you something to drink as soon as we get out of here," I promise, reaching for his arm. "Let's go."

"I'm not going anywhere," Carver replies, pulling his arm away from me. "I have to stay here."

"Carver-" I start to tell him off, but he catches my eye, his own icy with determination.

"I can't leave Jolie alone with her," he explains, pain in his voice.

"Then we'll take her with us," I start to insist, but he shakes his head.

"Morana is the only one with the resources to contain her," he says. "I tried to take care of her for more than a hundred years. She always gets loose, and when she's left to run free, people die. In numbers even Morana has difficulty covering up."

"Then we leave her," I say, a bit sharper than I meant to. "And we come back for her once Morana is gone. We'll figure out a way to contain her then. Hell, if you stop chaining her up in a dark room and start trying to actually treat her issues she might regain some functionality, even. It's not the 1800's anymore, Carver! We don't just lock crazy people up!"

"I don't think this is the right time for a discussion about the progress of mental health care," Lucian adds, watching us from near the door.

"You're right," I say quickly. "We'll talk about it later. For now, Carver, we need to go!"

I stare into his eyes, and I can see the ice cracking. He's tired, and hurting badly.

"Come home with me, Carver," I plead, taking his hand. "I need you to come home."

"I can't," he whispers, his voice breaking. "Aura, chére, she needs me."

"I need you," I say, heart aching. "We'll do everything we can for Jolie, but you don't owe her your life."

Carver looks away, indecisive.

A faint whistle sounds from the other end of Morana's rooms.

"That's Marius," Lucian says, straightening up. "Someone's coming."

"You should leave," Carver says, squeezing my hand, his eyes on the darkness beneath the four poster bed. "Quickly, before you're seen. I can explain the broken security magic-"

"Carver, I'm not leaving without you."

He looks back at me, eyes wide. I meet his stare, holding his hand tight, my jaw set with stubborn determination.

"You leave with me now," I say, "or I will sit right here until Morana herself pries me away. I will not leave without you."

"Aura-" Carver looks startled, searching my face for some sign that I'm bluffing and not finding one. He looks to Lucian instead. "Make her leave, for her own sake if nothing else."

Lucian eyes me, considering.

"He can try," I say, giving Lucian a sharp look. "He might even manage it. But I will put up the longest, nastiest fight I can manage first. Maybe he'll wrestle me into submission before whoever is coming gets here, but I doubt it."

Carver looks between me and the door, clearly torn, then finally gives in with a sigh.

"Aurora you are without a doubt the most stubborn, infuriating woman I have ever met." Carver snarls the words but he moves a little bit.

"Does that mean you'll leave with me?" I ask with a grin.

"Even if I wanted to," he says, holding out his arm. "Morana has me chained here as much as Jolie."

A glowing rune not unlike those I'd seen in the hall burns on his wrist. I have a feeling it'll serve a similar purpose if it's set off.

My mind races, searching for a solution, only to be interrupted by Marius bursting through the door and slamming it behind him.

"We need to go," he says, panting. "There's guards on the way and they saw the unconscious guy."

"You need to leave," Carver insists, taking me by the arms and pushing me towards the window.

"Not without you," I reply, and grab his branded arm. "Lucian. You broke the others. You can get rid of this one, right?"

Lucian takes a quick look at the mark and immediately shakes his head.

"It's too strong," he says. "Morana's poured a significant portion of her personal power into that one, or Carver would be able to remove it himself."

I bite my lip, then pull Carver's arm closer, focusing my magic on the rune.

"Then I'll break it," I declare. "I'm a powerful vampire queen, right? How hard can it be?"

"Well, if you set it off you could immolate both of you," Lucian points out unhelpfully.

"Thank you, Lucian," I say through gritted teeth. "I'm down to take that risk. You up for possible self-immolation, baby?"

"If it gets you out of here faster, anything," Carver replied, looking nervously towards the door. As if on cue, someone slammed into it. Angry shouting filled the hall as Lucian and Marius struggled to hold the door closed.