Page 6 of Red Queen

“General Alexandru,” I say abruptly, the name carving itself out of the night. “We need him.”

“Your former betrothed? After all that has transpired?”

“Precisely because of that,” I say, my resolve hardening. “He knows Catarina’s weaknesses. He could be key to my reclamation.”

“Then to Alexandru we shall go,” Nadia says.

I swallow. “He’s back in the hall?—”

“No.” She shakes her head. “He left in the midst of the fight.”

Her words lift something in me. If he did that, then he’s not on Catarina’s side. He might not be on my personal side, but he’s no traitor to the crown. I know it. “Then?—”

“We go. Now.”

The frigid air stings our skin as we emerge into the inky blackness of the wintery night. We stand for a moment, our breaths materializing in white puffs before being swallowed by the darkness. The castle looms behind us, an ominous silhouette against the lesser darkness of the sky. Its spires pierce the heavens like accusations.

The crunch of snow underfoot is the only sound as Nadia and I make our way toward the stables, a shadowy structure barely discernible in the gloom. Our horses snort and shift restlessly as we approach, their eyes reflecting the pale moonlight.

I hoist myself onto my steed with a grunt, my body protesting every movement. Beneath me, the horse shifts, sensing my urgency, my need to escape this place of treason and mutiny. With a nudge of my heels, we set off, galloping into the obscurity of the forest that surrounds my once-unassailable stronghold.

The wind howls. It’s a mournful dirge that seems to resonate with the wrath inside me. Ice coats the trees, each branch a fragile glass sculpture that quivers at the touch of the breeze. The cold bites at my exposed skin.

Nadia and I ride hard through the night, until the castle is nothing more than a dark memory on the horizon. Just as dawn threatens to break, we reach the outskirts of a small village, its cottages huddled together like frightened children.

We dismount at the inn and make our way inside. The building is a welcome haven from the stinging cold. The heat from the hearth sears my cold flesh, but I welcome the pain. It’s a distraction, however fleeting, from the exhaustion that cloaks me, heavy and suffocating.

“Rest now, Eleanna,” Nadia says softly, guiding me to a chair. “I will see to our needs.”

I nod, my eyelids heavy. But sleep is a luxury I can’t afford—not while Catarina sits upon my throne, not while my people suffer under her tyranny.

“Tomorrow,” I whisper to the flickering flames cast by the fire. “Tomorrow, I’ll rise anew.”

There will be more battles; there will be bloodshed. I will face down the devil himself if it means reclaiming what is mine. Let the war come.

And as I sit in the dimly lit inn, plotting the restoration of my reign, I know one thing with unyielding certainty: the Sagori vampire family will once again kneel to no one. My father’s legacy will be honored, and I will have my retribution. For now, I must endure, harness my fury, and prepare for all that awaits.

The first light of dawn filters through the window, casting lengthy shadows across the wooden floor. The weight of the future bears down on me—a future fraught with danger and darkness. But it is my future to command, and I will seize it with both hands, whatever the cost.

For now, I must remain strong until I reach General Alexandru Amanar’s fortress and have to face the man who once owned my heart.

Chapter

Two

Alexandru

Iclose my eyes as I lean against the window in my rooms, the night shifting to pre-morning as the coolness sinks into me.

Eleanna, the would-be queen has fallen.

Even now I can’t bring myself to believe it. She’s too intelligent, too hungry, too damned stubborn to fall.

She disappeared, according to one of my spies. In the middle of the battle, after our eyes locked. After I left.

Eleanna, Queen of the Sagori vampires. The long, flowing red hair. That lithe body my hands remember even if I try and forget.

Eleanna might be without a throne, but she’s out there. Every beat of my blood says so.

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