CHAPTER 4

It was odd enough that the entire noble court was witness. Normal Fledglings didn't have an audience for their first awakening. Certainly not the whole Covenant.

Lord Quispe, as was his wont, was attired in a tailored black three-piece suit. He looked me over, frowning, which was about par for the course. I could tell he didn't think much of my plain, comfortable clothes-dark trousers and a blue tunic-even though there was no dress code set for tonight, since I would be stripped down to nothing for the rite anyway.

"Could you not have put on something more suitable, considering the solemnity of the occasion?" he asked, his voice oozing disapproval.

I chewed the inside of my cheek. "It's not like I'll be wearing them for long anyway, Father," I reminded him. His scowl made it clear that was not an acceptable response, but before he could say anything, Priestess Elowen emerged, wearing her usual crimson ceremonial robes.

“There you are, child,” she said, warmly clasping her hands in front of her. “Are you ready for your Rite of Ascension, Lavinia?”

"Ready as I'm ever going to be, I think," I replied with a nervous smile.

My father's frowning told me that wasn't the correct response, either, but he was less quick to chide me in front of the Priestess.

The Priestess nodded, seemingly willing to humor me. “All will be well. You will look back fondly on this day,” she lamented with a nostalgically cinched breath.

I smiled and nodded, but somehow, I doubted it.

"Where are the Princes?" I asked, looking around.

The Priestess gestured to the more shadowy part of the hillside. My breath caught in my throat as I took in the sight of them. They were, by far, three of the most massive, towering vampire forms I had ever seen, and the only one who could rival them was my father when he chose to display his full, aged power.

They were all so different, each intimidating in his own way.

Zilo's essence pulsed with a pale, just about silvery-white glamour, shining faintly in the twilight, a dramatic contrast against the deepening blue of the sky.

The aura Klaus had was dark, almost obsidian-gray, a deep shadow moving with terrifying stillness.

But Zack's was a light gray, almost silvery color pulsating like moonlight, but with a cutting edge to it.

Already, I could see the Blood Moon rising in the sky, heavy with arcane energy. I was actually starting to feel…excited? It was hard to tell the difference between the finer shades of excitement and sheer terror, considering how fast my heart was pumping adrenaline through my veins.

The entire room fell dead silent. It wasn't just because they were a good deal larger than any of the other males, or even the intensity in their gleaming, golden-red eyes. It was something about how the air changed when they approached, crackling with the same electricity that had overwhelmed me on the night of the binding. As solid as my agnostic tendencies usually were, it was impossible not to believe there was some higher power that had chosen these men.

And yet, it was unlike the cold sense of fear my father instilled. I didn't know what it was, precisely, only that it left me wanting for breath and in a state of disbelief that the three of them actually belonged to me.

For an entirely different reason, I was intimidated by my own awakening. My nascent Dhampir gifts weren't about to stack up against the three of them.

In a few more moments, the three of them will be after me.

Pride was literally the only thing that kept me from rolling over and playing dead. It was bad enough Zack acted like I was some burden. I wasn't just going to go falling into his arms and make it easy for him. This was probably the one time he was actually going to chase me in any capacity, and I intended to make the most of it.

“There is no need to be nervous, dear,” the Priestess said with a knowing tone. Obviously, I wasn't about to waste my time denying this, as my fear was probably clear enough.

"I'm just not really sure how to make it happen," I admitted.

The Priestess looked at me for a moment as if she didn't understand my meaning, and then she laughed softly and amusedly. "There is nothing to make happen, child," she said, smiling. "It's not a test you're being graded on; it's just something that happens from the core of your being. And when you are ready, the power will awaken for you, no effort required."

I nodded, as doubtful as I was. The Priestess seemed so certain, though, it almost made me feel silly to harbour any doubt. “Right. And the Blood Moon should activate it, right?” I asked hopefully.

“Now that the Blood Mark has begun, yes,” Elowen replied. “A female Fledgling's powers are woken by the blood of her chosen consorts.”

I nodded, since I knew my father was getting irritated by all my questions.

"Shall we begin the preparations?" asked the Priestess, looking between them. She and Lord Quispe looked at me expectantly, until I finally caught on to what they were driving at.

I turned to look back at Zilo, Klaus, and Zack one final time. They were perfectly still now, their enormous forms exuding patience and threat. Still too far away to discern their faces clearly, the concentrated attention of their golden-red eyes was palpable.

Taking a shaky breath, I reached for the hem of my tunic. With the entire Covenant watching, I stripped off my comfortable clothes. My skin felt shockingly exposed in the cool night air, made even colder by the sheer power emanating from the Princes. My father averted his eyes with a stiff gesture of disapproval, but the Priestess simply offered a comforting, neutral gaze.

I stood naked, waiting. The instant the Blood Moon's crimson light touched the earth below, the Hunt would be on.

Suddenly, the Priestess spoke in the abysmal silence. "The Blood Moon arrives. Go, Daughter of Quispe. Claim your power, and let the Mark own you."

The full, red moon finally broke through the clouds, casting its light on the clearing below us. It illuminated a circle cut into the grass—the Sanguine Circle, already glistening with some dark, sticky substance I didn't want to think about.

Go.

I ran down the hillside, my bare feet slapping against the cool earth. When I reached the circle, I didn't pause at the edge. I stepped over, sinking my feet into the slippery, warm goo. The second I was inside the circle, a strong, sharp heat burst through my veins. It wasn't a gentle tingling from the Marks; this was a roaring, agonizing fire.

I cried out, falling to my knees. The air around me cracked and shimmered. I felt something tearing inside my head, trying to break through a wall I never knew existed.

The Priestess's voice, cool and imperious, cut through to me. "Princes! The Rite of Ascension begins! Claim thy Lady!"

I looked up, the pain overridden by a surge of adrenaline. The three huge auras of Zilo, Klaus, and Zack no longer stood afar. They moved, fast, closing in on the circle.

My mind, desperate to be free from the pain and the fire, finally fractured. And in that instant, I heard it—a sound in my mind, a thought that wasn't mine. "RUN." It was Zack. Raw, urgent, underscored with real concern. Contrasting the hunter-prey-scenario, a sharp and sharp immediacy confusing my terror. I didn't question it. Fighting the pain, I scrambled out of the Sanguine Circle and ran toward the woods.