Chapter 51

Elouera

The blade of my silver knife pressed into the soft skin beneath Stirling’s chin, drawing a small drop of blood. But he didn’t even flinch.

In the quiet, candlelit dressing room, the tall Northern Lord stood still, his amber eyes slowly looking down at me. His scent of cedar, cold earth, and winter air filled the room, mixing with the sweet smell of wild honey and rain that still lingered around me.

“Put the knife down, little prince,” Stirling said in a deep, rough voice. “Or should I say, whatever you’re pretending to be these days?”

I refused to lower the knife. My fingers gripped the handle tightly, but deep inside, another painful wave of heat hit me.

My knees almost gave way. The tiny drop of Catalyst-7 I had swallowed in the maintenance tunnels was still fighting against my body. A sharp pain tore through my lower stomach and spread to my back like fire. Cold sweat covered my neck and chest, hiding beneath the stiff lace collar that covered the golden mark Jace’s fangs had left on my throat.

Fight it, I told myself as my body began to weaken.

I had to stay strong.

I had survived six years of Holden’s poison. I wasn’t going to give up now.

I forced myself to take a deep breath, slowly pulling air through my clenched teeth.

Then something strange happened inside me.

The terrible nausea that usually came with the catalyst never arrived. The burning fever that had once brought me to my knees in the Grand Conservatory no longer took control of my mind. I didn’t fall apart or become a frightened Omega who could barely think for herself.

Instead, the pain in my stomach slowly began to fade. The sharp cramps eased until only a cold, empty ache remained.

The tiny dose was working.

My body was slowly building resistance to the poison.

But as the artificial heat began to lose its power over me, another feeling rose inside me—something cold, fierce, and dangerous.

Pure anger.

My thoughts suddenly became clear. The confusion in my head disappeared, and I opened my eyes to stare straight into Stirling’s amber gaze. Even my hand stopped shaking.

Holden believed he had created a living weapon that he could use to destroy the empire. He thought he could control me whenever he wanted. He was waiting for the perfect moment to fill my lungs with Night-bloom vapour and watch me suffer.

He expected me to be a weak, terrified girl who would beg for her life while his mercenaries slaughtered everyone in the court.

But he had made one mistake.

He had no idea what I was becoming.

He had no idea that I was slowly becoming resistant to his poison. He didn’t know that the very weapon he had created to destroy the Sunfall family was about to be turned against him.

“You’re not going to kill me, Lord Vance,” I whispered.

My voice was no longer weak or rough. It was cold and sharp enough to make Stirling tighten his jaw.

“If you wanted me dead, you would have brought Callan’s guards with you.”

Stirling narrowed his amber eyes, a dangerous look crossing his face.

“You’re playing a dangerous game, girl. You’re going to get everyone in this palace killed. The Northern House will never support an impostor.”

“I am not an impostor,” I replied quietly, moving closer and pressing the knife a little harder against his throat. “I am the daughter of the woman your Lords betrayed thirty years ago. And if you think Holden plans to share this kingdom with the North after burning down the capital, then you’re an even bigger fool than Callan.”

Stirling froze.

“What are you talking about?”

“The wine in the lower barracks,” I said, my anger growing colder and stronger. “Holden poisoned every barrel delivered to the guards tonight. By midnight, every Alpha and Beta guard protecting these walls will be infected with the same poison that ruined the Gala.”

I leaned closer.

“Holden isn’t planning to take control of the kingdom through politics, Stirling. He’s planning to slaughter everyone.”

The dressing room fell silent.

Through the thin velvet curtains separating us from the bedroom, I could hear Jace’s footsteps outside the main door. He was still pacing back and forth, keeping his usual eight-foot distance from me.

Stirling looked at me properly this time. His eyes moved across my face, taking in my determination and the fact that I wasn’t afraid of him.

Slowly, the proud, cold expression on his face disappeared. He was beginning to understand the danger.

“He’s going to infect all the guards at once,” Stirling whispered in horror.

“Yes,” I replied.

A small, dangerous smile appeared on my lips as I finally lowered the knife from his throat.

“He thinks I’ll be the first to lose control when the poison spreads. He thinks I’ll fall into a violent heat and beg him to spare my life.”

I opened the small amber vial of pure Catalyst-7 hidden in my palm and held it up to the candlelight.

“I’m going to drink the rest of it,” I whispered.

Stirling’s face turned pale.

“You’ll kill yourself!”

“No,” I replied, gripping the vial tightly. “I’m going to force my body to absorb enough of the poison to become completely resistant to his gas.”

I stared at the liquid inside the vial.

“When Holden lights his burners at midnight, he’ll expect to find a helpless Omega waiting for him. But instead, I’ll walk straight through his poisonous smoke and tear his heart out with my bare hands.”

Before Stirling could reach for me or stop me, a loud knock suddenly came from the large mahogany door leading to the bedroom.

It wasn’t Jace’s usual knock.

A proud, commanding voice rang out from the other side of the thick wooden door.

“By order of the High Council, open this door! We’ve found the apothecary’s master ledger in the lower vaults!”