is over in less than five seconds. I consider grappling. Instead I laugh again like a madman.
The next moment, Toussaint erupts from the darkness, his fangs shining, his aim precise.
Hortense blurs in the snake’s path, positioning herself in front of Jae, her eyes wide with warning. “Non,” she commands. “Tu ne vas pas lui faire mal.”
Toussaint coils back with a resentful hiss.
I always suspected that damned serpent loved Hortense more than he loved me.
My uncle steps forward, his expression unreadable, his eyes glittering. The scene before me is almost comical. My clothes are covered in dried blood, the remnants of my white masquerade costume a mockery of everything that followed. My face is pressed into a silk carpet that cost more than most men earn in a year of honest work. A vampire holds me in a vise. A giant snake thinks to avenge my honor.
Last night, I loved and lived. Tonight, I dance in a ring with Death.
My emotions roll through me once more, punishing in their severity. Near impossible to control. Like tongues of fire licking at pools of kerosene.
“Get off me,” I demand in a low voice, struggling to maintain my composure. Again Jae waits for my uncle’s permission, ever the sheep in need of a shepherd.
The instant Jae eases his grip on me, I elbow him away, refusing Odette’s assistance as I rise to my feet. I take a deep breath, hating the force of habit. How the air filling my lungs no longer calms me. “What did Celine give you in exchange for turning me?” I ask my uncle.
He says nothing.
My hands flex with rage, unsettling in its potency. “I already know what you did. I want to hear you say it. What price did you exact from the girl I loved in life?” My words stab through the darkness with vicious precision, causing both Odette and Arjun to wince.
“Good,” Nicodemus says. “You are angry. Let the anger console you. I hope it one day grants you purpose.”
Madeleine frowns as if she wishes to say something. Jae glances her way and shakes his head. They’re all sheep. Every last one of them.
“But you will need to hone it first,” Nicodemus continues. “At present, it is the anger of a spoiled boy, not of a man.” His smile is derisive. “Are you angry you were not permitted to die on your own terms, Sébastien?” He scoffs. “Who among us is granted such a bounty? It was Celine Rousseau’s choice to make a deal with me. Her sacrifice granted you the power to overcome death. She deserves your gratitude, just as I deserve your respect.”
Bitter laughter rushes past my lips. “Don’t think to evade my question, Monsieur le Comte.” I move toward him in a fluid motion, my face a hairsbreadth from his. “What did Celine give you?”
“A chance for you to learn from your mistakes and begin anew. She offered her memories of your time together in exchange for a fresh start for you both.” Nicodemus’ eyes narrow. “Honor her choice. It is the least of what she deserves.”
I want to taunt him for pretending to care about Celine. To lambast him for forcing a decision upon her, under duress. My uncle does not bargain with anyone unless he is certain he has the upper hand. But I see no point in baiting him. I know what Nicodemus wanted. It is the same thing he wants from any mortal unfortunate enough to form an attachment to any of us: complete surrender. The veins along my forearms flex, my fingers resembling claws. I need to destroy something before these truths destroy me.
“Forget and be forgotten,” I manage to say.
My uncle nods.
Another tense moment passes in silence. Something rustles in the shadows on the other side of the room. It is likely Toussaint, but my neck stretches in its direction anyway. Madeleine’s eyes become slits. Boone pushes away from the wall, a feral gleam in his gaze.
Each of us is itching for a fight. Itching to tear something apart with our bare hands, like the killers we are.
“Well, this has been un rendez-vous charmant,” Odette says, drawing out the French with her particular flourish. “But if there are no objections, I’d like to shed a bit of light on all this gloom.” With that, she strikes a match and begins touching the flame to all the candles throughout the chamber, the scent of sulfur infusing the air. “I must say I’m unsurprised that your first worry is for