369

“I was a child,” I whisper, my ears burning with a painful emotion. “I wasn’t a threat to you or anyone else.” I look down at my trembling sister. “Arabella isn’t lying, is she? She’s finally telling the truth. She did all those horrible things to me because Father told her to listen to you. As simple as that. After all, who could defy our father?” Meeting Terrence’s gaze, I see the utter lack of remorse, and I wet my lips. “So why did you do it?”

The betrayal hurts, but not as much as it could have had Terrence managed to convince me to accept him as my mate or had he gotten to me before Robert and I ever met.

“Fine.” Terrence’s eyes sharpen. “No more playing pretend, then. I knew who you were the moment I first laid eyes on you. The reincarnation of Jean Sanguinite. My family was her records keeper. My ancestor was her most trusted advisor. The Sanguinite bloodline retained my family as their advisors over the next centuries. Even when the clan decided to erase the shameful mark Jean left on our clan by mating with an animal, we were duty bound to preserve the truth. We hid it all away, the records, the scrolls, her legacy. It passed from father to son, including the prophecy that spoke of Jean’s rebirth, born from the womb of the weak, the true Queen who would unite a continent under her rule. My father never paid attention to the prophecy, but I found it interesting, and when I met you, I realized it was coming true. Your mother was weak. A powerful healer, but a weak vampire. And you, Charlotte, would have gone on to become powerful, too. I had to intercede.”

He sounds so confident, so cocky.

My phone is vibrating, but I don’t dare look down, knowing he’ll break it if he sees it. Moving my finger, I accept the call without looking at the screen.

“So this is about some wackadoodle prophecy?” I hiss. “You messed up my life because of some stupid writing on a piece of paper?! You didn’t even know that the prophecy was about me or that I was Jean’s reincarnation—”

“I knew!” Terrence spits out the words. “I had Jean’s portraits. I knew what she looked like as a child, as a woman. The prophecy was that you would reunite with the animal Jean kept by her side. Did you think I was going to let that happen? I had to be the one to stand by your side. I had always been intelligent; I was ahead of every child my age. I had to be the one to rule this continent, the clans. It was my destiny! So, I knew I had to isolate you from the clan. I had to make you lean on me, trust me. I was going to become your whole world. You would be weak and helpless, and I would be the one to protect you, to guide you. And once the time was right, I would show the prophecy to everyone, a version of it. With the prophecy and your portrait as proof, the clans would submit to you. And I would rule them all. I was going to wipe out those filthy, infested animals, or keep them at our feet, where they belong!” Spittle is flying from his mouth. “But these idiots ruined everything! The drugs started to work, and I had wrapped things up in Tallinn. It was time for Beruth to honor his word. Instead, he brought her to stand before me! Your father wanted this bitch as my mate! He thought he could control me if Arabella were mated to me! All my years of work, undone. He’d hidden my letters to you and let this crazy creature think I wanted her! As if I could desire something so mundane! She’s got nothing to offer aside from her looks, and even there, she doesn’t compare to the regal queen I chose!”

Arabella is crying now, hysterical sobs, and my whole body is trembling in a combination of horror and rage.

He’s crazy. He’s absolutely fucking nuts.

“You’re the one behind the drugs and the murders,” I snarl. “You killed Robert’s friend!”

“Which one was he?” Terrence looks like he couldn’t care less. “All those animals are the same. I have to say, though, I am disappointed in you, choosing to go down the same path as Jean, getting into bed with a flea-infested mutt, when you could have had me. I have single-handedly destroyed seven wolf packs. I perfected the recipe for a drug that is going to put us on top of the food chain. We will become the apex predator, thanks to me!” He lets out a shuddering breath in an obvious attempt to calm himself down. “Anyway, you’re here now. I’ve made preparations. The clans are arriving as we speak. I will announce the truth, show them the creatures who now serve me, and we will declare you as my mate.”

He steps toward me, his hand coming to cup my face. “You have been making a string of bad decisions, Charlotte. I cannot let you take any more missteps now. You will take the Ersa root after this meeting; it will return you to the way you were. I think that will be better. I’ll take care of everything. You are merely going to be the face of this clan; I will make all the decisions for you. Once that Alpha is dealt wi—”

My hand moves of its own accord, and Terrence stumbles back, clutching his left cheek.

“Nothing is going to happen the way you think, Terrence,” I say coldly. “Did you think I would just sit here and let you do all this? Willingly ingest a poison so that your plans can come to fruition? But that’s exactly your problem, isn’t it? You live under the delusion that everyone will just fall in line with your scheme. That you are entitled to me. You will never make any decision for me. Ever. And I will not stand in front of anyone and feed into your lies.”

Terrence snarls. “You slapped me? I have put everything into you, and this, and us! You think you can raise your hand to me and I won’t punish you?”

“I’m not the scared seven-year-old you remember,” I sneer. “I’m not weak any longer. And you are dealing with not one but two adult vampires.” I grab Arabella by the arm, pulling her to her feet. “You think you can take on the both of us, Terrence?” I ask coolly.

I’m not a fool. I may not be able to hold Terrence off for much longer, but I know my mate is on his way. I can feel Robert’s fury and urgency vibrating within me. I won’t go down without a fight, and I will never let Terrence win. I haven’t forgotten the way Robert mourned his friend. I want revenge. I want Terrence to pay for the suffering he put my mate through.

“A vampire and a healer, you mean. And do you think I’m an idiot?” Terrence suddenly laughs. “I’ve known you’ve had a call connected to someone all this time. Is the wolf Alpha coming? Is he bringing his pack? Because I’ve made preparations for him, as well. As the clans arrive, they will witness a spectacular massacre. In fact,” he raises his head toward the front entrance, smirking, “it seems that it’s already begun!”

That’s when I hear the sounds of fighting coming from outside.

I begin to run toward the noise, only to be seized by Terrence. “I don’t think so.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, I elbow him in the stomach with all my might before crashing my fist into his nose. He stumbles back, gripping his face, and I flee. Throwing open the doors, I see something that is the stuff of nightmares. Wolf shifters fighting against hairy, deformed creatures that look like they ascended from hell. The creatures are vicious, and wolves are falling.