throne room in chaos around me. How long have I been passed out?
I hadn’t moved from the spot where Gavin had changed me. Our group of friends, who survived the river’s surge, had made their way past the rock rubble barricade Samira created to block the castle doors; they now danced around me, fighting off the guards by tossing their silver daggers and using their invisible, protective hedge to ward them off. They all looked haggard and had dark brown sacks with them, hanging over their shoulders. I scanned my surroundings for signs of Gavin or Scarlet. Scarlet was nowhere I could see, but I could hear Gavin yelling.
Samira’s watchmen flew over and around me, their bodies bouncing everywhere as our friends tossed them about. Shouts and grunts filled the room while they battled their way toward me, and I heard Gavin call out to me. I caught sight of Samira sitting leisurely in her throne chair, tapping her nails on the armrest and watching the scuffle in front of her with wry amusement.
“Cam!” Gavin darted toward me, ducking and dodging the fight that swarmed around him. He scooped me up into his arms and looked around frantically, as if searching for someone. “Josh, I need you!”
Josh? Oh thank God.
“Hang in there, baby,” he put his forehead to mine, “we’ve got you now.”
“Audrey? Gabe?” My voice cracked; the room echoes reverberated as I heard myself speak. I could feel a headache brewing, felt my mouth parched and throat aching. Aching for blood.
Josh’s face came into view, and I grasped hold of his hand as he leaned in to let his eyes roam over my face. “Not long now,” he said. “Come on, we have blood from the reserve.”
He rose up and exchanged looks with Gavin, and I knew they were talking about me. My headache throbbed harder against my temples and my head rolled back when the pressure became unbearable. My skin suddenly missed the cool stone floor. My vision was blurry one second and then clear the next. And the restlessness didn’t leave me.
Gavin adjusted me in his arms and carried me with Josh toward the others. We passed through their protective bubble and I was safe again. But my thirst still wasn’t quenched.
“Someone tell me …” I managed to mumble, but everyone was busy taking guards out and inching their way to the center of the room, closer to the front entryway, moving in unison in the same protective circle they’d formed when we first arrived. Gavin kneeled down and kept me on his lap to reach for one of the brown sacks, looking up every few seconds to keep an eye on our surroundings.
“Gavin,” I tried again, “what’s happening?”
He pulled a bag of blood from one of the brown sacks and spoke in a lower whisper, “If you don’t drink this, the headache and burning will worsen. And you need strength.” He lowered the bag to my hand. “I’m so sorry.”
“Audrey …”
“She’s safe for now. She’s with Gabe in the haven. They missed the flood, Cecile sent them there before …”
I took the blood from him, my eyes closing when I recalled Cecile’s death.
“We’ll go get them, don’t worry.”
The room started to quiet, only a few low groans from the immobile guards filling the space, backdrops for the sound of Samira’s claw-like nails, tapping away. Gavin stood again, keeping me tight against his chest, the others all turning to look to one another before turning their attention to Samira. Lifeless guards were scattered everywhere, some of them breathing but incapacitated from the silver knives in their hearts.
“Are you satisfied?” Samira cocked an eyebrow.
“Are you?” Gavin shot back, his voice low and vicious.
“What is it you want now, Mr. Devereaux? You have your pet back, your blood, your friends. You wish to destroy me and lift the curse?”
The room fell silent, our tiny flock locked together in a tight formation, all facing the queen. “Nothing would give me greater pleasure,” Gavin said. “But we have some things to take care of first.” He glanced at Josh. No doubt they exchanged thoughts of some sort; their eyes were full of unspoken hate. “Drink,” Gavin whispered, peering down at me. I looked at the bag. I craved it, but I stuffed the craving down, determined to wait. “You can end this right now, Samira,” Gavin growled. “Lift the curse and let everyone walk.”
“I’m afraid I cannot do that.”
“I think you can. And you should, if you ever want to see