Page 2 of Crown of Blood and Vengeance

Serenity stared at Angelo, her expression changing in subtle ways only immortal eyes could catch. I noticed the flicker of doubt in her eyes, the slight trembling of her lower lip as she considered Balthazar’s offer against her better judgment. Thensomething hardened in her gaze—a decision fading into resolve. Her shoulders straightened as she made her choice.

“I want to say goodbye to him.”

“By all means, please do.” Balthazar’s smile promised horrors to come.

“Unfreeze him.”

Angelo’s head twitched slightly—just enough movement to show Balthazar had loosened his hold but not enough to break free. The rest of us were still pinned to the wall.

Serenity pressed her palms against Angelo’s chest. Her skin turned an ethereal blue as she drew on her power. She was probably trying to help Angelo, but her power paled compared to the demon’s. It would take an army of angels to defeat him.

She slipped her hand around Angelo’s neck then kissed him. I swear, sparks danced between them, but maybe it was my imagination.

“Time to go.” Balthazar’s voice broke the moment like a cold bucket of water.

Balthazar stretched out his hand to her. The moment Serenity’s fingers touched his, they vanished like candlelight snuffed out.

Unlike us, Dracula’s paralysis broke instantly. “I’ve waited a long time for this, Angelo. Don’t worry. You won’t die right away.” He snagged his fingers through Angelo’s hair and dragged him out of the church into the night, leaving a trail of Angelo’s blood across the stone floor.

My stomach twisted into knots. Dracula would torture Angelo until he begged for death. Angelo was my maker—he was my brother in blood, my confidant through centuries of death. I’d find him if I had to tear New Orleans apart stone by stone, I swear.

A gust of warm wind blew through the church and the thousands of invisible needles piercing my skin melted away. I broke free from the damn wall.

I raced outside, panting. I scanned the churchyard littered with the dead—vampires, Unseelie, and wolves scattered across consecrated ground.

But there was no sign of Dracula or Angelo. They had vanished into the night as if they’d never existed.

“Enzo,” a female voice called behind me.

I braced myself to face Gianna, Angelo’s sister. She stared at me with tears streaking down her face. Her lower lip trembled. She and Angelo had their differences over the centuries, especially when she mated with Dimitri Dragan, but Angelo was her brother and she loved him.

I drew into her embrace. “I promise you I’ll find him.”

Broken sobs caught my attention. I led Gianna back inside the church. Rose Dragan was draped over Valentin’s lifeless body, her shoulders shaking with grief. Dimitri roared as he ran over to his brother—the one he’d always protected—now broken and still.

“Get back, Rose. I can save him.” Dimitri pulled her back.

The mafia kings had broken free too. Trystan had shifted back into his naked human form, and even Keir’s harpies had survived.

I left Gianna’s side. “Your blood won’t heal him, Dimitri.”

Dimitri glared at me. “How do you know?”

“Because Balthazar wounded him. It will take ancient blood—my blood—to cure him.”

The Unseelie king moved closer, his platinum hair catching the moonlight through the broken windows as he studied Valentin. “It might not be enough, Enzo. Dark magic was involved. We need Serenity. She alone possesses the power to heal Valentin.”

I ignored him as my fangs extended. I ripped open my veins and stuffed my wrist against Valentin’s stiff lips. “Drink.”

I drew on my vampire power, compelling him to take my blood. I wasn’t as powerful as Angelo, but I was the strongest vampire here. In ancient times, Dracula had allowed me to feed on him, strengthening my power in ways even Gianna had never experienced.

If I couldn’t save him, no one could.

Nothing happened. He didn’t move.

Disbelief crashed over me like a wave. My compulsion should have been irresistible—it had been to bend countless victims to my will. I stared at Valentin’s motionless form, my certainty faltering for the first time. Had Dracula’s power grown so immense that even my blood-enhanced abilities couldn’t break through?

I clenched my jaw, refusing to accept defeat. Drawing myself up, I focused every ounce of my centuries-old power and spoke again, my voice resonating with supernatural authority.

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