Chapter 6

Nobody moved.The knife remained buried in Vladimir’s chest, and I stood before him with my fingers wrapped around its handle. I could hear my own heartbeat, loud and uneven, but the silence around us was even more terrifying.

Thousands of people had watched me stab their prince.I had expected him to fall. I heard most did if you went straight for the heart.

Instead, he stood there, staring at me.I swallowed.Then I made the mistake of looking down.

There was no blood running down his clothes. Not a single drop stained the brilliant gold and black of his uniform. The blade had gone deep enough that I should have felt it give way, yet his expression hadn’t changed.

What was he?A sudden shout broke the silence.

“Seize her!”

The command came from somewhere near the royal platform. Several guards rushed toward me, their armour clattering as they pushed through the stunned crowd. Their faces were twisted with outrage, and their hands were already reaching for their weapons.

“On your knees!” one of them barked.

I barely had time to react before two guards seized my arms.

They wrenched me away from Vladimir, forcing me down so roughly that my knees struck the hard ground. Pain shot up my legs. One of them twisted my arm behind my back while the other grabbed a fistful of my hair and forced my head down.

“How dare you raise a weapon against the royal bloodline?” he snarled.

I struggled against their grip.“Get your hands off me!”

A sharp blow landed between my shoulders, forcing the breath from my lungs.

“Silence, human!”

Human.

That was all I had ever been to them. Something beneath them. Something they could hunt, own, and destroy whenever they pleased.

But apparently, stabbing a vampire was unforgivable especially when the vampire happened to be their prince.

A third guard approached with a pair of heavy iron restraints. The sight of them made my stomach turn.

“No!” I jerked against the hands holding me.

The guard caught my wrist and began forcing the metal around it.

Then a voice cut through the arena.“Stop.”

It wasn’t loud.It didn’t need to be.Every guard froze.Even the man holding my hair released me so quickly that my head snapped forward. The one fastening the restraints stepped back as if the metal had suddenly burned him.

I lifted my face.Vladimir was still standing exactly where I had left him.

His gaze moved from the guards to me. Then, slowly, he looked down at the knife sticking out of his chest.

He wrapped his fingers around the handle.

My breath caught.He pulled it free.

There was no struggle. No sign of pain. The blade slid out as easily as if I had stuck it into a piece of fruit.

He held the knife between two fingers, examining it for a moment before turning his attention to me.

I couldn’t look away.

He was supposed to be bleeding. He was supposed to be hurt.Instead, he looked bored.A chill travelled down my spine.

The crowd had begun murmuring, but the moment Vladimir raised his eyes, the noise died again. Nobody dared to speak. Nobody even seemed willing to breathe too loudly.

He handed the knife to the nearest guard.

“Keep it.”

The guard accepted it with both hands.

“Your Highness, this human has committed an unforgivable crime. By royal law, she must be executed immediately.”

Vladimir’s eyes shifted toward him.The guard went pale.I had never seen anyone look so terrified while standing perfectly still.

“Did I ask you?”

“No, Your Highness.”

“Then be silent.”

The guard lowered his head.

I stared at Vladimir, trying to understand what was happening. He had just been stabbed in front of the entire kingdom, and he was more concerned with silencing his own guard than punishing me.

Perhaps he was waiting for a better moment.Perhaps he wanted to make an example of me.Either way, I was in trouble.

A heavy hand closed around my upper arm, pulling me to my feet. My knees nearly buckled, but I managed to steady myself. The guards stood on either side of me, waiting for their prince to give the order that would decide my fate.

I looked toward the crowd one last time.

I didn’t know what I was searching for. Maybe a familiar face. Maybe some sign that Debby was alive and had somehow made it back.There was nothing.Only strangers staring at me with horror, fascination, and disgust.My throat tightened.

I had wanted to win the money and go home to Emma. I had wanted to survive the games.

Now I had probably destroyed any chance of seeing my sister again.

Vladimir stepped closer.The guards immediately released me and moved aside.

He stopped in front of me, close enough that I had to tilt my head back to meet his eyes. I forced myself not to step away, even though every instinct in my body was screaming at me to run.

His gaze dropped briefly to my hands.I realised they were shaking.I curled them into fists.

He noticed.Of course he did.

“Your Highness,” the guard with the knife began again, more cautiously this time. “What is your command? Shall we take her to the execution chambers?”

Vladimir didn’t look at him.“No.”

The single word landed like a sentence.

The guard hesitated. “But, Your Highness—”

“She’s mine.”

My stomach twisted.Vladimir finally turned his head toward the guards.

“My prize. My responsibility.”

Nobody argued.I almost laughed at the absurdity of it. I had stabbed him, and somehow that had made me his property. I couldn’t decide whether I had just been spared or condemned to something worse.

“Your Highness, she attacked you,” another guard said. “Allow us to deal with her. The crime cannot go unanswered.”

Vladimir’s expression remained unchanged.

“I’ll deal with her.”

The guard bowed immediately.

“Of course, Your Highness.”

I felt sick.

Deal with me.The words sounded worse than execution. At least death was something I could understand. Whatever Vladimir had planned, I couldn’t begin to imagine.

He held out his hand.For one foolish second, I thought he expected me to take it.

Then his fingers closed around my wrist.

I tried to pull away, but his grip tightened just enough to remind me that I had no chance of escaping him.“Walk.”

I planted my feet.

“No.”

The word escaped before I could think better of it.

Several guards looked at me as if I had just committed another crime. One even reached for his sword.

Vladimir slowly turned his head toward me.

I regretted speaking almost immediately, but I refused to take it back.

“You can’t just take me wherever you want,” I said, my voice trembling despite my efforts to control it. “I’m not your property.”

For a moment, he said nothing.

His golden eyes held mine, and I had the horrible feeling that he could see every thought passing through my head.

Then he leaned closer.“Try me.”

Two words.

That was all it took.My courage faltered, but I hated him too much to let him see it. I lifted my chin and glared at him.

He straightened and pulled me toward the royal entrance.

I stumbled after him, forced to match his long strides. The guards hurried to clear a path, while the crowd parted before us. Nobody cheered now. Nobody called out his name.

They simply watched.

I could feel their eyes following me, wondering what would happen to the human who had dared to spill the blood of a prince.

Except there had been no blood.

That thought frightened me more than anything else.

As we passed beneath the enormous stone archway leading away from the arena, I twisted around for one last look at the place where I had last seen Debby.

I wanted to believe she was alive.

I needed to believe it.Vladimir gave my wrist a sharp tug, forcing me to face forward.

“Eyes ahead.”

I glared at him.

He didn’t bother looking back.

The arena disappeared behind us, along with the thousands of people who had watched me make the worst decision of my life.

I didn’t know where he was taking me. I didn’t know what he intended to do with me.

But one thing was certain.

I had entered the hunting games hoping to win my freedom.

Now I belonged to the most dangerous vampire in the kingdom.And I had a feeling the real nightmare was only beginning.