a care in the world. The fools.”
“The food is rioting.” The other guard chuckled, apparently enjoying the view as the ghouls feasted on the Rimians’ bodies. I was utterly disgusted, staring at the bastard who referred to them as his food.
I hadn’t seen such wretchedness in a very long time, and I had a hard time stomaching it—the irony wasn’t lost on me, since my own species used to feed on the flesh of incubi and succubi. But we’d evolved since. I needed to get out of here. Derek and Sofia needed to be told about this. Whatever this was, it wasn’t normal, and it couldn’t possibly be sanctioned by the Reapers.
I looked away from the sneering guard and found myself peering into the eyes of a ghoul. My heart stopped, as I saw my reflection in its big, beady black eyes. One of the four fiends had spotted me, and I was suddenly defenseless. The only thing I could do was bite and inject all of my venom into it, but… what would that do?
Without hesitation, I tried to slip away, but the ghoul caught me. In a flash, everything I’d wanted to say and do, everything I’d experienced and everything I’d wished I’d experienced fluttered before my eyes, as cold hands closed around my body.
My neck snapped, and the same death that had swallowed the Rimians devoured me in an instant.
Esme
“How did Darklings get inside the palace?” Danika asked.
She sat on her throne, next to Acheron’s, while Corbin, Valaine, Kalon, Petra, and the captain of the golden guards stood at the bottom of the platform that elevated the Lord and Lady Supreme over the massive room.
Tristan and I had hidden behind one of the pillars, watching and listening as the emergency council meeting took place, unbeknownst to anyone else inside the palace. Secrecy had shrouded the whole affair, keeping it out of the reach of all the other nobles and servants who dwelled here, who called this place their home.
I took comfort in knowing they couldn’t see or hear us, but the uneasiness refused to let go of me, as if this could all go south in the blink of an eye. As if we had absolutely no control over the situation.
“We’re not sure, Your Grace,” the captain of the golden guards said sternly. “But I will investigate and—”
“Wrong answer.” Danika stopped him. “You shouldn’t have set foot into this meeting without an answer. You’re relieved of your duties. The master commander will appoint a new captain of the golden guards, first thing in the morning.”
The captain was stunned. “Your Grace, I beseech you to—”
“Enough!” Acheron snarled. “Get out! Now, before I have your underlings escort you into the basement!”
Dread took over the disgraced Aeternae, who offered a curt bow and practically flew out of the room, leaving several confused golden guards behind, by the door. Acheron pinched the bridge of his nose, clearly frustrated.
“Your Grace, if I may?” Petra said, abnormally serene given the gravity of this situation. Danika gave her a brief nod, allowing her to speak. “The Darklings are a complicated and difficult issue, as you well know. I doubt the blame for tonight’s incident rests solely on the shoulders of an incompetent head of security.”
“No, but since I have no Darklings around to punish, I’ll take it out on the next best person,” Danika replied dryly. She was one fierce lady, and I couldn’t exactly fault her for her judgment. Chances were I would’ve done the same, had I been in her diamond-studded shoes.
“Your Grace, what do we do, going forward?” Valaine asked. “What if I’m not the only one they’re targeting?”
Danika and Petra exchanged glances, and no one else seemed to notice. My stomach clenched, and I couldn’t figure out why. Something about this felt off. As off as everything else that had caught my attention until now.
“You’ll have two golden guards with you at all times,” Corbin said to his daughter, his brow furrowed beyond repair. He was angry. He was seething, just beneath the surface, working so hard to keep his temper under control. This was his daughter they’d tried to kill. His wrath would’ve been justified.
“I don’t need bodyguards,” Valaine replied, hands balled at her sides.
“Clearly, you do,” Kalon interjected. “For the first time in a long time, your father and I are in agreement, Val. You need protection, whether you like it or not.”
“They didn’t kill me, did they?”
“That’s because you had Tristan by your side!” Acheron cut in.