A Court of Bones & Sorrow (Lunaria Realms #2)

Chapter 25

Chapter Twenty-Five

Samara

I woke up with a start, the memory of hungry, vacant eyes, sharp fangs, and long, jagged claws plaguing my nightmares. Strigoi. We’d been attacked by Strigoi. I’d done my best to fight them off, but they’d overpowered me—fed on me. Vail hadn’t been able to get there in time . . . but Draven had.

Draven had found us.

“It’s okay. You’re safe.”

Speak of the devil.

I looked to my right to find Draven leaning casually against a wall. His posture was relaxed and almost bored, the same way he stood when attending the Sovereign House masquerades or all the meetings the Moroi Prince was expected to attend. His leisurely facade was ruined by the ominous, black cloak still wrapped around him, splattered with blood, and the whip coiled at his hip. I stared at it for a long moment. It only looked like one whip, but I was sure I had seen two earlier.

His hood was pulled down, revealing his black-and-silver-streaked hair braided back away from his face. I met his eyes, lapis lazuli blue cracks winding their way through the red. He hadn’t released his bloodlust, which meant he was still expecting a fight.

“We’re at the cabin.” My head snapped to where Vail was standing to my left. I was pretty sure he hadn’t been significantly injured during the fight, but I still methodically searched his broad frame, looking for any hints of injury.

“You’re okay,” I said with a relieved sigh and took his hand. Vail pulled me to my feet before directing me slightly behind him. My relief quickly turned to annoyance, and I stepped forward so I was at his side, Draven only a few feet away from us. “He saved my life, Vail. I’m not saying we have to tell him our deepest, darkest secrets, but I’m confident he’s not going to hurt me.”

A wicked grin lit up Draven’s face. “And what would I have to do to get you to tell me such deep, dark secrets?”

I matched his carnal smile with one of my own. “I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours.” He stiffened, and I laughed. “Thought so.”

“How did you find us? Tell us,” Vail asked. He didn’t push me behind him again, but I could feel the tension rolling off him.

“I don’t take orders from you,” Draven drawled.

“Fine.” Vail shrugged. “I wouldn’t have believed anything you said anyway, but maybe after I beat the shit out of you, something akin to truth will dribble out of your broken jaw.”

“Try it.” Draven bared his teeth and I felt . . . something. Did the ground tremble?

I glanced down and saw that the cabin had no floor. It was just four walls and a roof over a fairly flat, dirt surface. Given that we were in Velesian territory, it made sense. They didn’t like being apart from the earth, even when inside.

“There it is.” Vail narrowed his eyes at the prince. “You have magic. More than just the blood magic of the Moroi.” His steel-grey eyes fell to the bare floor. “It’s earth magic, isn’t it? Is that what you used to sneak up on me in that alley?”

Draven’s face went carefully blank. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Maybe you’re just not as skilled as you think.”

“Enough,” I snapped. They continued to glower at each other, but they ceased with the threats. Good enough. I glanced at Vail. “How much time do we have?” Before Rynn shows up and we all go sneaking around a forbidden lake looking for a lost Fae crown. I left that part out but trusted Vail to understand what I was asking.

“You were passed out for two hours while you healed. I gave you some of my blood to speed it up, but the Strigoi tore through a lot of your flesh and you lost a lot of blood.” Vail’s voice turned raspy as he admitted how badly I’d been hurt. “We have less than an hour now.”

Shit.

My eyes softened as I looked at Draven but I kept my voice strong and steady. “You’ve been trying to play both sides since you arrived at House Harker. Telling me and Kieran you care about us and only want to protect us but in the same breath saying we can’t trust you. We can’t continue like this. Either you’re with us or you’re not. Decide.”

“It’s not that simple.” Pain flickered across his face along with something that looked a lot like fear.

“Make it that simple,” I pushed. He had followed us here, and while I was grateful for him saving our lives, I couldn’t let my feelings for him risk everything. All that mattered was keeping the other half of the crown out of Velika’s grasp. Once we secured it, we’d have to figure out how to rescue Carmilla and get the second half of the crown.

“And if I refuse?”

I swallowed before steeling my nerves. “Then we’ll make the choice for you. ”

“I’ll happily carve into the Marshal.” Draven pulled a blade from somewhere beneath his cloak, and Vail unsheathed the curved dagger he kept at his hip in response.

“What about me?” I stepped forward and gripped Draven’s hand, moving it until the blade was at my throat. Vail let out a rumbling growl at my back, but I ignored him, and thankfully he didn’t interfere. For now. “Will you cut through me to get to him?”

Draven paled and yanked the blade away. “I would never hurt you.”

“I know,” I said quietly. It was probably foolish of me, but I did trust Draven. Even more foolish of me was that I wanted him, and that desire I felt was so much more than just a passing fancy. I liked him.

I liked it when he was being a charming prince, I liked it when he was being a devilish rogue, and . . . I loved it when he was just being Draven. I suspected the latter was a side only Kieran and I got to see.

“Please, Drav,” I begged. “Give us a reason to trust you.”

Slowly, he reached up to stroke my cheek. “I’ve tried so hard to figure out a way to keep the two of you safe. I thought the best way to do that was to stay away.”

Me and Kieran. I thought about how he always kept a careful distance between us when we were in public and how he had pushed Kieran away so cruelly. I was still pissed off about how he’d handled things with Kieran, but I also believed he must have felt he had no other option.

“I know,” I said softly. “Tell me why. What are you keeping us safe from?”

We stared at each other for a long moment, and I could see the conflict he was battling within himself.

“Okay.” He rubbed his face with clear reluctance before sliding the dagger back into sheath on his thigh. “I’ll tell you what I can, but you have to understand that there are some things I can’t speak of.”

I cocked my head at how he emphasized two of the words. Magic of some kind. It had to be. I nodded. “Tell us what you can.”

“You already know my mother has half of the soul crown and about her allies.”

“Yes,” I confirmed. “She has the half to bind a soul and is looking for the other piece to see souls, and she has an alliance with the Seelie Fae, who are the wraiths that plague our lands. They’re using some type of spell that requires Moroi blood to regain their original shapes.”

He looked at me for a long moment, a slight crease forming along the corners of his deep blue eyes, and then he winced. His hands flew to his head as he let out a sharp hiss.

“There are some things I can’t speak of.”

Something about what I’d said was related to that. Could he not even think about it without pain? What the fuck type of magic was that?

I reached out a hand and rested it on his forearm as we waited for him to continue, scared if I said anything else, it would only cause him to have more thoughts that would hurt him. I glanced over my shoulder at Vail, who was still studying the prince but had put his dagger away. His expression was unreadable, though if he was swayed by the pain Draven was in, he wasn’t showing it.

After a couple of minutes, Draven straightened. I started to pull my hand away, but he rested his hand over it, keeping it trapped on his arm. I let him have it.

“Velika came into possession of the crown—half of it anyway—shortly before I was born. At first, she didn’t understand how to use it, but she figured it out. Luckily for all of Lunaria, without both halves, the crown is only capable of half of its potential.” I watched as his expression closed off until his feelings were hidden behind an emotionless mask that made dread pool in my gut. “But there are many wicked things she can do with that half . . . things she learned how to do by experimenting on me and those close to me.”

“But she’s your mother,” I half whispered as the dread continued to grow.

Draven gave me a small smile that broke my heart. “She wishes she weren’t. There is no one the Moroi Queen despises more than her own son.”

“Why?”

He winced painfully. Clearly, this fell under things he couldn’t speak of.

I squeezed his arm. “It’s okay.”

“What did she do?” Vail asked. “How does the crown work?”

“I’m not sure how the crown worked for the Fae, but for us, it seems there has to be some connection between who wears the crown and the person they want to bind. Velika is currently limited in only being able to control those whose blood she has taken and who have taken her blood in return. Because I am her son and of her flesh and blood, she has no restrictions in controlling me. I can fight it, but I will always lose.

“My mother had no interest in raising me. I always had caretakers,” Draven continued in that monotonous voice, as if he was speaking of what he’d had for breakfast and not the horrors his own mother had inflicted upon him. “For the first five years, I rarely saw her. Then she started showing up to check on me. They were short visits, and she always left disappointed.”

It didn’t escape my notice that he hadn’t mentioned his father once. Most people assumed Velika’s consort, Lucian, was Draven’s father. The Sovereign House had never confirmed one way or another. I always thought it strange since Draven didn’t look like either of them with his strange, black-and-silver hair and vivid blue eyes with their secondary bloodred coloring. Both Velika and Lucian were fair-haired with pale skin.

“One of the people who helped raise me was an older Moroi woman. She was always kind to me. Some of the others were distant, but Selia would read me a story every night.” His lips curved into a soft smile. “Pretty sure she made up most of them on the spot, because they didn’t always make sense, but it was something I looked forward to every night before falling asleep.”

“My parents would tell me stories too,” I said. “It was nice. I’m glad you had someone like Selia in your life.”

Draven’s smile died, and I nearly wept at the loss because I knew I wouldn’t like what was to come.

“When I was eight, my mother came for one of her visits. She had this . . . maniacal smile on her face.” Draven shuddered beneath me and gripped my hand tighter. “When Selia arrived, my mother said we were going to play a game. . . and handed daggers to me and Selia.”

Unease swirled in my gut. It didn’t feel right to make Draven relive this. As if sensing my thoughts, Draven looked down at me. “It’s okay. You need to know what the crown is capable of.”

I nodded reluctantly. He was right, we did need to know, but that didn’t stop me from feeling sorrow about what Draven had experienced at the hand of someone who should have done everything she could have to protect him.

“She told Selia to slit my throat,” Draven said, the barest hint of sadness leaking into his voice. “She told me my options were to defend myself or allow myself to get slaughtered and that she didn’t really care one way or another.” A hand cupped my jaw, and I met Draven’s stare. “I appreciate how murderous you look right now, Sam, but you cannot ever go after Velika. Promise me.”

“I won’t,” I said evenly .

Draven narrowed his eyes. “You promise you won’t go after her? Or you won’t promise me anything of the sort?”

When all I did was smile at him, he swore and looked over my shoulder to Vail for support.

I glanced back just in time to see Vail shrug. “Trust me when I say it’s impossible to get Samara to agree to anything she doesn’t want to do.”

I turned back to Draven, not saying anything to counter Vail’s words because they were the truth. Velika’s days were numbered. I may not be the person who ended her life, but I had no doubt I would play a hand in it all the same. The sooner the better.

Seeing the resolution on my face, Draven sighed and dropped his hand away, admitting defeat, at least for now. I had no doubt he’d do everything in his power to keep me away from Velika, not because he cared about his mother’s life, but because he cared about mine.

“What happened?” I finally asked, knowing I wouldn’t like the answer but needing to know regardless.

“Selia and I both refused to hurt the other, which was exactly what my mother had wanted. She’d wanted to test just how strong the abilities of the crown were.”

“She waited all those years for a bond to form between the two of you,” Vail said, stepping closer to me. I stepped back enough so I could see both men. The prince to my right and the Marshal to my left. “Selia likely loved you like her own child at that point. Velika wanted to find out if the soul crown’s magic could override that.”

“She placed that infernal crown on her head and ordered Selia to kill me, and it was like a switch went off in her mind.” Draven squeezed his eyes shut. “The woman who had raised me and read me stories every night plunged a knife into my chest. The only reason I didn’t die was because she didn’t hit anything vital. I tried to fight her off, and in the process, I stabbed her in the throat. It was enough to get her off me, and I scrambled away, bleeding from my own wound while I watched her bleed out on the floor. Even while dying, she attempted to crawl across the room to get to me. To kill me.”

“Drav,” I rasped, not knowing what to say. He opened his eyes to look at me, and they were so hollow.

“Velika didn’t stop there.” Draven’s hands clenched into fists at his sides. “A day later, I had a new caretaker. I was so traumatized about what had happened to Selia that I didn’t even want to speak to this one. I thought maybe if my mother thought I didn’t care about her, then she wouldn’t do that again, but I severely underestimated her cruelty.”

“You were eight years old,” I said softly. “No child should understand that level of cruelty, or any cruelty for that matter.”

“I learned very quickly.” Draven’s expression hardened. “By the time I was ten, I’d lost track of how many people she’d ordered to kill me, and I . . . started defending myself. Towards the end, I would attempt to slit their throats as soon as my mother walked in with that crown. Seemed like the least painful option for all of us.”

“You did what you had to in order to survive,” I argued. “All of these needless deaths lie at your mother’s feet.”

Draven shrugged. “Doesn’t help with the screams I hear every time I sleep.”

“Has she used the crown’s magic on you?” I asked. “Is that why you serve her despite everything she’s done to you?”

“That’s part of the reason.” The muscles along his jaw flexed as he clenched his teeth. “I can fight against it, but only for a short amount of time. Less than a minute usually, until the pain becomes too intense.”

“Is there any way to block the magic? Or better your odds of fighting it?” Vail asked.

“The crown has to be worn for the actual binding, but after that, you have to obey her, crown or not. The binding does fade and has to be renewed occasionally.” Draven’s lips twisted into a grimace. “The House bloodlines seem to have a greater resistance to it.”

“Why does it work on you then?” Vail voiced my question before I could.

“I’m not entirely sure, but I think it’s because she’s my mother and her blood is my blood,” Draven said. “She hasn’t exactly shared her thoughts about how the crown works, but I’ve been able to piece it together over the years.” He swallowed before inhaling deeply. “For a while, she had someone of a House bloodline held captive and she tried to use the crown on them. She was frustrated by the results.”

“Who?” I asked sharply. Someone from a House bloodline being killed or going missing would have been a big deal.

“Dominique’s father didn’t die in that attack,” Draven said quietly.

“Oh fuck,” I swore before shaking my head. “But they found the bodies!”

Draven looked away. “They found the bodies of her mother and sister . . . and part of her father’s leg. Everyone assumed he’d been torn apart trying to keep his wife and daughter alive.”

I rubbed my face. How was I going to tell Dominique that while she’d been grieving the loss of most of her family, her father had still been alive? Aniela had been close to him as well. Her own parents had died at a young age, and Dominique’s had raised her after that. If they’d known he’d been alive, those two would have done anything to save him.

But they hadn’t. So he’d died alone.

“What did your mother do to him?” Vail asked.

The muscles along Draven’s jawline tensed at the reminder that the monster who was responsible for the death and torture of our own people was his own damn mother. I shot Vail a look that said to tone it down. It wasn’t like Draven had a choice in who his parents were.

Vail’s grey eyes darted to mine, and a crease formed between them before his lips flattened into a hard line and he returned his attention to the prince.

“She would spend hours working on him every day. Trying to bend his will to her own. Sometimes, she would force me to stand there and watch . . . Other times, she would order me to inflict physical pain on him to see if that would weaken his mind enough for her to seize control.” Draven held Vail’s heavy stare even as a hollowness entered his eyes. “He fought it with everything he had. Until his mind shattered and all that remained was bloodlust.”

“You mean . . .” I stared at Draven in shock. The House bloodlines did not become Strigoi.

Draven gave me a pitying look.

“Fuck,” I muttered “She can turn us Strigoi.”

“What happened after he became Strigoi?” Vail pushed. I glanced back and forth between them, not understanding why Vail was being so hostile about this.

The prince raised his chin, defiance in his gaze as he focused on Vail. “I did what I hope anyone would do for me if I became a mindless killing machine under the complete control of Velika.”

“You killed him.”

“I saved him,” Draven countered.

“Death isn’t saving someone.” Vail’s eyes flashed silver.

Red bled into Draven’s eyes, and for a moment, I thought he was going to go for Vail. I eased forward, ready to get between them, when the red vanished and Draven’s charming prince mask fell back into place.

“You’re right,” he drawled. “I should have let Dominique see her father one last time. I’m sure she would have appreciated it right before he tore out her throat. ”

“Enough,” I snapped. Both men looked away from each other. Something was bothering Vail, even more so than usual, but I didn’t understand what. Everything that had happened to the former head of House Salvatore was fucked up, but it hadn’t been Draven’s fault. And Draven was right, killing him had been a mercy.

None of us would want to live on as Strigoi, especially ones that could be used as weapons against our families.

A thought occurred to me. The wraiths might have been behind the attack, but someone would have had to take Dominique’s father back to the Sovereign House and help keep him under control.

“Are all the rangers who serve the Sovereign House blood-bound to Velika? Or are they aware of what she’s doing and serve her anyway?” I rasped.

Each House had their own rangers whose fealty they claimed. But there was also a loyalty that all rangers had for each other because they spent so much time in the wilds, more so than most Moroi. It was common for units from different Houses to team up together for missions.

It wasn’t just Dominique’s family that had been killed in that attack. All the rangers traveling with them had perished as well. For the Sovereign rangers to see that carnage and continue to serve Velika . . .

“The Sovereign Marshal and most of the high-ranking rangers know what Velika is up to and support her. I’m sure they’re blood-bound to her as well because my mother is not a trusting person. Not after—” Draven winced as his words were cut off. “The crown cannot compel loyalty or emotion. Its effects are temporary although I think how long it lasts varies per person based on how strong-willed they are or how much magic runs through their veins. I suspect that will change if she gets her hands on the other half of the crown.”

“So you are not under her control right now?” I asked .

“No.” Frustration flared in his eyes. “ Her control of me is tenuous and really only works if she’s physically near.”

“Then why haven’t you run?” I half shouted. “Just don’t go back! We can find the other half of the crown before she does and keep it out of her reach, then we’ll figure out a way to take her down. You can be free of her once and for all.” Draven remained silent during my outburst, which only increased my anger. “What else, Draven? What else are you hiding?”

He flinched. My beautiful and wicked prince flinched .

“You think I haven’t run away before? The wraiths can always find me and drag me back, and then I’m punished for my insolence,” he said with a grim acceptance that made me want to shake him. “My usefulness is running out. I thought maybe . . .” He looked away from me again and out the window. “She knows you were investigating the wraith outposts and wants you under her control. Since you’re a Harker, she won’t be able to use the crown on you. I thought that if you agreed to marry me, it would appease her, and between the two of us, we could protect Kieran. It would have bought us a little more time.”

“Time for what?”

“To get out of Lunaria.”

“There is no getting out of Lunaria, Drav.” I shook my head. “The ocean surrounds us on all sides, and we have no means to build a boat that can travel far.”

Attempts had been made, but enormous sea monsters dominated the waters off the shores. I didn’t even know if it was possible to build a boat that was capable of withstanding their attacks. It didn’t matter though since that was far outside of our capabilities. There was also the problem of us not knowing what lay beyond Lunaria. Who knew how long we would have to sail for before we reached land again?

“There is no stopping what’s going to befall Lunaria,” Draven argued. “You and Kier have to get out. ”

“What about you?”

“Like I said, the wraiths will always find me, and they won’t let me go. I’ve already accepted that my days are numbered.”

“Well, I don’t!” I hissed and gripped his face in my hands. “And I’m pretty sure Kieran doesn’t either!”

“Personally, I’m fine with it,” Vail said calmly.

Draven laughed under his breath as he pulled away from me.

I glared at Vail, but he just gave me a dispassionate look. “He’s still our enemy, an unwilling one, but an enemy all the same. He already knows too much. We should kill him now, and if he cares about you as much as he claims, he’d do it himself.”

“Absolut—” I started, but Vail cut me off, his calculating eyes falling on Draven.

“The Moroi Queen can command you to answer her, can she not? Which means anything you know, she will know.”

“Yes,” Draven admitted, his expression shuttered. “I’ve gotten good at dodging her questions and answering as vaguely as possible. Sometimes there is enough wiggle room to mislead her, but if she suspects I’m hiding something, she’ll continue to question me until I give her what she wants, and she definitely knows I’m hiding something when it comes to Samara.”

I thought about how Draven had practically raced to House Harker after the temple incident.

“You knew it was us in the badlands,” I said slowly. “You haven’t returned to the Sovereign House because Velika will question you as soon as you do.”

“She’s not particularly happy with me at the moment,” he said tightly. “I received a letter ordering me to bring you to her.”

A low growl rumbled from Vail, but he stayed where he was against the wall. We both knew Draven had had plenty of opportunities to snatch me and return me to the Sovereign House, yet he hadn’t.

“I can ignore her written orders, but I cannot go against any commands she gives me in person. If she told me to kill you, I’d fight it with everything inside me, but it wouldn’t be enough. Eventually, my mind would snap the way Dominique’s father’s did. I would become a Strigoi—one who was completely in her control.”

My blood ran cold at the thought of Draven becoming a mindless Strigoi. I refused to let that happen.

“I wish you had just told us all this at the start,” I said softly. “You know we’ll help you.”

“That’s partly why I didn’t tell you. I didn’t want you to waste time trying to keep me alive when you should be focusing on yourself and Kieran.” He paused, eyes flicking to Vail. “And the others you care about. I might be a lost cause, but they’re not.”

“You don’t get to tell me who I deem worth protecting, Prince,” I said steadily, raising my chin a little.

“Apologies, Heir.” He didn’t look the least bit sorry. “There is also a lot I can’t tell you, and I realize all you have is my word on that. I wasn’t sure if you would believe me.”

“I still don’t believe you,” Vail’s grumbled.

“And I still doubt your loyalty to Samara.” Red lines wound their way through Draven’s eyes again, clashing against the deep blue as he cocked his head at the other male. “I would have preferred to share her with only Kieran. Alaric and Roth, I will tolerate, but her interest in you is the first time I’ve truly questioned her judgment.”

“Technically, I’m not with either of you yet,” I said lightly. “And if you keep up the possessive bullshit, it might stay that way.”

Draven’s piercing gaze landed on me, and my heart skipped a beat as more red bled into his eyes. “Want to bet I can change your mind, love? Tell me you haven’t thought about being between me and Kieran. How much we’d make you scream.”

“Too late.” I gave him a breezy smile. “He and Alaric already did a good job of that, and Roth has some . . . interesting ideas for when I return. It seems I don’t really need any more lovers. I’m more than satisfied as it is.”

“That a challenge?” He arched an eyebrow at me, and I arched one back.

“Do you want it to be?”

Draven looked out the window to the lightening sky and then at Vail. “How much time do we have before the next part of your scheme comes into play?”

Silver eyes met red ones. Confliction flashed across Vail’s face before he answered. “Thirty minutes.”

“That’s not nearly enough time.” Draven prowled towards me, and suddenly I felt very much like prey. “But I’ll make it work.”

The whip at his waist uncoiled and wrapped around my wrists before I could react. I exhaled sharply as it yanked my arms above my head and held them there. I looked at where the end of the whip had wound itself around the beams running across the ceiling, then jolted at finding Draven in front of me.

“Not only do we not have time for this . . .” I fought to keep my voice even. “But we were discussing how to keep you safe.” My words probably would have been more convincing if they hadn’t come out so breathy.

I shivered as he trailed a sharp claw along my collarbone.

“It’s Lunaria. Any of us could die at any moment, so we have to seize any opportunity we can, even the inopportune ones.” Draven kept his eyes on mine as he tugged at the lacing that ran down the front of my tunic. “Perhaps after I’ve felt you come on my tongue, I’ll be feeling more motivated to stay alive.”

I opened my mouth to argue, but Draven captured it with his. There was nothing tender or coaxing about it. This kiss was demanding and possessive. I clicked my teeth shut, refusing to let him in, but his fingers finished unlacing the tunic. A second later, he’d tugged my shirt down, unhooked my chest band, and he circled my nipple with a claw. My lips parted in a gasp, and his tongue darted in.

Any remaining protests I had fled as his kiss seared me.

I kissed him back, my tongue playing with his, and I wished I could wrap my arms around him. Feel his hard muscles beneath my fingertips. He laughed darkly against my lips when I tugged hard on the whip.

“You were right earlier when you called me possessive, but that doesn’t mean I don’t know how to share.” Draven spun me around so my back was to him, and I met Vail’s heated stare from where he still stood across the room, watching. Draven kissed my neck before whispering into my ear, “Let’s find out just how much the Marshal and I can make you scream.”