Page 76 of The Court of Truth

ADRIANNA

Iwatch in slow motion as my sister throws her arms around Raiden, leaving the vampire stunned and frozen in place, unable to reciprocate.

I know deep in my heart that her coming is important.

I know deep in my heart that she needs to be able to make her own decisions.

I know deep in my heart that her mental abilities are on par with, if not greater than, Flora’s.

But the reality is: all of that is buried deep. Deeper than deep. And all I can see in front of me is my little sister. I’ve protected her from the world my whole life, and as much as I hate it, Raiden now stands here, protecting her from me.

“Let’s go,” I breathe, my throat dry with worry as I slip through the gathering and head outside. I can’t go back on my word and I have to trust in Raiden as I promised, but the idea of entering into any kind of battle with my sister nearby leaves me exposed and vulnerable. I can’t even fathom how I’m supposed to focus.

One thing is for sure: the faster and harder I fight, the quicker it will all be over.

How the hell am I supposed to differentiate between being a big sister and the queen? It’s impossible.

“Everyone who can use their speed to get to the city faster, please do so. Everyone else, convene with the defense leaders to figure out your role,” I order, turning to make eye contact with Beau and Raiden.

“Are you okay?” Kryll asks, planting his inked hand on my shoulder, and I calm just a little.

“I don’t know, but now isn’t the time for me to take a minute to decide. We need to act, and we need to act now.”

“How about we all stay together, and I transport us to the outskirts now?” Brody hollers, cutting through my thoughts, and I nod, internally berating myself for forgetting he can fucking do that.

The world shifts without a single moment being wasted, and the familiar cobbled streets appear underfoot. The silence and awkwardness from the castle remain where we left it as the shrieks and cries of our people echo around us.

Everyone moves into action as I grab two daggers from their sheaths, but before I take a single step, I find Raiden among the crowd. His eyes aren’t on mine, and if he senses my stare, he doesn’t acknowledge it, but I can’t be mad.

His attention is solely focused on Nora.

Despite the chaos ringing out around us, she stands tall and ready to move, as if she’s been in this situation a million times before.

I take a deep breath, tucking the sight of her into the back of my mind before I turn toward the trouble. Raiden was right. If anything happens to her, it will be his fault, and his trip to join her will be imminent, but not before I find a way to bring her ass back from the dead and give her a stern talking to.

“I’ll take to the skies for better coverage, but it sounds like the bulk of the noise is coming from the east,” Kryll states, pointing in the direction where it definitely sounds louder. I don’t get a chance to acknowledge his words, though. He’s gone before I can form a single thought, nevermind words, and I take that as my cue to rush the streets.

Footsteps pound behind me, following my own, and it doesn’t take long for the source of the screams to come into view.

Crimson stains every face, vampire or not, dead or alive, frenzied or scared.

Everything is a blur of limbs. Ravaging vampires pound the cobbled streets as shop doors are flung open and lifeless bodies pile up, creating a river of blood that streams toward us.

My fingers tighten around the steel in my hands and I take off toward the massacre without waiting for anyone else. Fire burns in the dark sky as Kryll’s wings flap above, raining Hell down on the danger in the distance while we focus on the imminent disaster.

The slice of my blade piercing through the first vampire’s throat rings in my ears, fueling the adrenaline coursing through me as he crumples to the ground. I don’t have time to waste, moving on to my next target. Then the next, and the next, but with every splatter of blood I add to the pool, it seems like another dozen vampires appear.

Fuck.

Buckling down, a snarl tears from my lips, my wolf begging to make an appearance, but I’m not ready to fight in this kind of situation as anything other than myself. My wolf hates my choice of wording, snarling that we’re one and the same, but I swallow the feeling down and charge toward the next vampire before he sinks his elongated teeth into the victim in his grasp.

Slicing both blades into his neck, I twist, relishing in the gurgle that rasps from his throat, feeling him go weak before he collapses to the ground. I leave the daggers where they are, rushing to catch the villager before they fall.

“Are you okay?” I rasp, watching wild eyes blink up at me as they nod softly.

“I think so,” the woman whispers, eyes filled with unshed tears, and I pull her to her feet, stroking her arm soothingly.

I want to stay and comfort her, but I can’t. There are others to save. Shuffling her toward the edge of the street, I shield her in a dark alcove away from the mess, attempting a reassuring smile as I take a step back, but before I can run back into the carnage, she grabs my arm, making me pause.

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