Chapter 174

Charles

As I hung up, the car slowed to a stop. My mind raced. There was no way that Astarte was supplying Sean with elixir, even if she was carrying out a great deal of the ritual used to create them, so it had to be the other Alpha Shadow.

However, there was a good chance that they weren't a witch. Astarte wouldn't have shared that title with another witch. The power of a name would compel her not to, so whoever the other Alpha Shadows were, they had to be of other races. More importantly, at least one of them had to pass for a shifter, so it was possible that at least one of them was a werewolf with a close tie to a witch or contracting out to a witch.

There were only a few covens who would even think to help a werewolf, knowing how Astarte felt about them. At least the list was short, but it was all a problem I'd have to deal with after I figured out what the hell was going on in Silverlight.

We passed the welcome sign of the small town of Silverlight. It used to be a Lycan outpost during our more tumultuous years with the vampires. Now, it was just a border town where lycans and vampires could mingle, trade, and more or less conduct their business in peace. It was a peaceful town usually. The weathered timber buildings huddled against the fading light beneath the thick cloud cover. Even from this distance, the tension crackled in the air like static. Vampire guards, clad in midnight black, patrolled the perimeter, their crimson eyes flashing. They were older vampires. They didn't tend to let their young out during the daylight hours, even in the winter when the light was the weakest. The shadow of the mountains added to the darkness of the day. Walking in opposing rotations were the Lycan Enforcers, grim-faced and watchful.

The whole situation seemed too clean and too convenient, given the timing with Astarte, Blood Moon, and the ongoing issues within the Clans.

Stepping out of the car, I breathed in the crisp mountain air, carrying the musky scent of pine and fear, yet there was no blood in the air. That was a good sign. A pair of Enforcers approached. Their dark gazes met mine and told me more than I expected.

The larger one, scarred and grizzled, spoke first, his voice a low rumble. "No casualties, Your Majesty. We've stood down as you commanded."

"Any thoughts?"

"It seems that he wants to speak with you. That's all."

"Has he said about what?"

"No, but he has enough vampires in the city to call it a hostage situation."

A wave of icy suspicion washed over me. There were only a few reasons why a vampire coven of any level would be holding Silverlight hostage. They needed something from me personally, but what?

"Where?"

"The town hall."

I headed in that direction, scanning the area for some sign of what this vampire cover leader could want. I opened the door, and my teeth ground together as the heavy oak door shut behind me. The scent of old wood and stale magic lingered in the air, but none of that irritated me more than the sight of the man, the vampire, sitting at the long table of the hall as if he had every right.

It was High Vampyr Lucian. He was, essentially, king of all vampires and a close relative of Astarte's husband, Set. I wasn't exactly sure how close, but I knew that Lucian attended the anniversary every year the same way I did. He looked almost no different. His long silver hair still hung in an almost sparkling sheet. The power that had only grown over the centuries he'd been alive lingered in the air.

Watch yourself with him. I heard my father's warning. He is a fair man, but he is also ruthless.

Ambitious. Haughty, and so many other things. Something was off about his presence being here. I walked forward until I reached the other side of the table to meet Lucian's crimson eyes, like smoldering embers. Time seemed to warp, the air crackling with unseen tension.

"Prince—" his lips twitched, his eyes flickering with something warm and fond. "No, my apologies. King Charles. So glad you could arrive."

His voice was as gliding, alluring, and beguiling as ever.

"Surprise, indeed," I retorted, my voice laced with steel. "I wasn't expecting you to be on the other side of the hostage negotiations."

His smile, when it came, was a razorblade flash in the gloom. "Hostage negotiations? What makes you think this is a negotiation?"

"My father said you were a fair man. I don't think violating our treaty was ever something he thought you were capable of. "

"How bold of you to accuse me of a violation when it is you and your kind who have fallen from grace. I wonder what your father would think of you if he were here."

I snarled at him. "You're testing my patience."

"You attacked first. I am simply… how do the humans put it?" He chuckled. "Ah… matching your energy."

The next instant, the world dissolved into a whirlwind of snarls and fangs. Lucian, faster than a viper, was across the hall, his inhuman speed a blur in the dim light. My claws ripped through the air, blocking the blow aimed at me. The impact sent tremors up my arm and pushed me back. Fuck, if I got injured, how the hell was I going to explain that to Grace? Lucian had centuries on me and far more backup. I could hear the Enforcers coming in, battling through Lucian's attendants. I conjured shield after shield, but he broke through them, one after another.

Lucian was a storm, an ancient predator honed to a razor's edge. His blows were like sledgehammers, his fangs inches from my throat. His fist slammed into my chest as he caught me just a second before I could guard. I tasted blood, my own, metallic and hot. Yet, the pain only fueled my rage, and the fact that I was still alive made me think.

Lucian was furious, seething. If he'd wanted, he would have killed me right then, so why didn't he?

As I dodged a swipe from his clawed hand, I pushed that thought away.

Not why didn't he, but why couldn't he?

I was on the verge of having to retreat or do something drastic. But then, his body jerked, stuttered, and faltered. His eyes went hazy, giving me just enough time to catch him off guard. I tumbled him to the ground, slamming him down with enough force to stun him before pinning him.

"Stop!" I growled, but I realized that I didn't need to. Every vampire in the room had gone still the moment Lucian hit the ground. The hall reeked of blood and ozone. Lucien lay sprawled beneath me, his hair spread out like a silver curtain on the ground, with my knee in his back. Black liquid oozed out of his mouth, and my heart lurched. It was just like Set before he slipped into his coma.

What the hell was happening? His retinue stayed at a distance.

"I don't appreciate the lies or the excuses, Lucian."

Lucian snarled, his teeth and lips stained grey and black.

"Your father," he hissed, his voice a strangled rasp, "didn't make deals to back down."

"You son of a—"

"And yet his own son would betray his words and call for an attack on my people after decades of peace."

I backed off at that. "I haven't ordered an attack on anywhere, least of all your people."

Lucian rose in a flash, snarling down at me. The black liquid dripped from his fangs as his eyes turned obsidian.

"Don't lie to me, lycan! I have left one of your assailants alive as proof."

I narrowed my eyes, searching his face. There was fury, but it was righteous. His whole demeanor was trembling with anger, so I nodded.

"Then we are both in the dark. I would not betray my father in words or deeds. You know this. Bring your proof so we can both get answers."

Lucian sneered at me before turning and jerking his head in one of the vampire's directions. She darted off before I heard her return.

"Move it, lycan," she snarled. Footsteps stumbled through the crowd before the man was thrown forward. I didn't recognize him immediately, but I crouched down, scenting the air.

His scent was vaguely familiar, and as I looked down at him, waiting for him to look up at me, a sense of dread started to form in my stomach.

"Lift your head." He curled tighter, so I let my power surge forward, darkening my voice with a compulsion. "Lift your head."

His head snapped up, and in just a moment, things clicked into place. I knew this man. Lucian knew how I knew this man; this was more of a trap than I had first realized, and there was no way I was going to get back to Mooncrest tonight unless the moon shined Her light on me and made this all blow over quickly.

"Ryon, what the hell are you doing here?"