Page 40 of Crown of Blood and Vengeance

“That’s the signal.” Finally, we were done waiting. I could feel my predatory nature rising, ready to tear through anything between me and Serenity. “Let’s move.”

Dimitri grabbed Rose’s wrist, his usual smirk replaced by deadly focus. “Stay close to me. I’ll get you to the crypt.” Valentin’s mate wasn’t going to get so much as a scratch on his watch.

The sound of claws scraping stone echoed through the night as they collided with invisible forces—the demons Stevehad warned us about. Trystan’s enormous white form launched through the air, his pale fur gleaming like frost in the moonlight as his jaws snapped at what looked like empty space.

My skin tingled and the hair on the back of my neck stood straight up, a primal warning honed over centuries. The Unseelie blade in my grip transformed, its steel darkening to deep midnight blue then blazing with silver runes that spiraled along its length. The ancient metal sang with bloodlust as it sensed demonic presence. I pivoted and swung in one fluid motion, more instinct than sight. Golden sparks exploded through the air like shattered stars, the sword’s magic tearing through dimensional barriers.

To my left, Enzo moved with lethal grace, his centuries of combat training evident in every calculated strike. His silver daggers flashed in deadly arcs, finding invisible targets with uncanny accuracy.

Dimitri, true to form, fought with savage enthusiasm, launching himself at unseen enemies with reckless precision. He kept Rose behind him like a shadow, his movements a deadly dance ensuring no demon could get near her. “Come on, you invisible bastards,” he taunted, his hands tearing through the air as golden sparks erupted where he struck. His grin was all fangs. “Let’s make this interesting. Though I have to say, killing things I can’t see?” He spun, catching another demon. “Really ruins my reputation for looking good while I fight.”

Sulfurous black blood sprayed in an arc, sizzling where it hit the ground. Something massive crashed down with a bone-shaking thud, the impact sending tremors through the earth. An unearthly shriek cut off mid-howl—one less demon, though I couldn’t see the corpse. The sword pulsed in my hand, its blue glow intensifying with each kill, the elder magic burning away demonic corruption that tried to seep into our realm.

Wolves launched through the air, their massive bodies colliding with invisible forces. Savage growls and bone-chilling snarls echoed off the walls as claws ripped through flesh we couldn’t see. Blood sprayed in crimson arcs, splattering against the ground like rain. The metallic scent of it filled my nostrils, mixing with the sulfuric stench of hell. A wolf’s yelp of pain pierced the chaos, followed by another’s desperate whimper as something unseen tore into them.

I fought my way toward Trystan, who thrashed his massive head back and forth, his jaws snapping at something I couldn’t see. Strings of bloody saliva flew from his muzzle. The hellhounds were there—I could sense their presence by the way the air seemed to ripple and burn, could hear their otherworldly growls beneath the wolves’ snarls. That’s where I needed to get to.

I inched closer and closer toward the front door of the crypt. I heard footsteps running up next to me. I swung my sword, but not fast enough. Something sharp penetrated my shoulder, and white-hot agony exploded through me. The pain burned through my veins with savage intensity, radiating from the wound in pulses of agony—yet somehow, it was almost welcome compared to the insidious crawl of parasites that had tormented me before. This was honest pain, a clean suffering that didn’t corrupt from within. My strength deserted me, and I sank to the ground.

It wasn’t like a normal blade wound—this was something darker, something that seemed to burn at my very essence.

My vampire hearing caught the demon’s footsteps through the haze of pain. I swung again, hard and desperate. Black blood sprayed across my face, burning like acid where it touched my skin.

“Death to demons!” Steven’s battle cry pierced the air as he charged forward, his sword slicing through demonic flesh. More black blood erupted, drenching my face and chest in itscorrupted essence. The foul liquid seared my skin, choking me with its sulfuric stench.

A wet gurgle echoed through the crypt, followed by the thunderous impact of the demon’s body hitting stone.

Steve grabbed my arm, hauling me to my feet as my legs threatened to give out. “You’ve been stabbed with a hellish blade.” His face went pale as he examined the wound. “It’s powerful enough to kill a vampire—possibly even you.”

“Get me to the crypt,” I panted. “There’s probably something in there that can cure me. Head toward Trystan.”

Someone screamed in agony—a sound that made my blood freeze. I whirled toward it just in time to see Dimitri fall to his knees, his hands clutching his gut where dark blood poured between his fingers. His face was a mask of shock and pain, skin already turning ashen gray. Then he toppled over, his body hitting the ground with a sickening thud that seemed to echo in my skull.

“Dimitri! No.” Rose’s voice cracked as she dropped to her knees beside him, magic crackling uselessly at her fingertips.

“No.” Blood bubbled from his lips as his hand shot out to grab Enzo’s ankle. “Save Rose.” His eyes, already glazing over, locked onto Enzo’s with desperate intensity. “Get her…to the crypt.”

His head slumped to the side.

Fuck. Dimitri was either dead or dying. As a born vampire, he wouldn’t heal from a wound like this—wouldn’t miraculously spring back to life like the rest of us. My chest tightened as Gianna’s face flashed through my mind—her smile, her absolute faith in me to keep him safe. Damn, what would I tell her? How could I face her and say I’d watched her mate die?

Rose cried out but Enzo scooped her into his arms and drawing on vampire speed as he headed straight toward us.

Wolves surrounded Dimitri’s body as if to guard him.

The crypt. It was our only chance—there had to be something inside that could save him before he was fucking gone forever. Gianna’s face flashed through my mind again, twisted with grief and hatred. She would never forgive me for letting him die.

I gritted my teeth against the searing pain, forcing the words out. “Steve... get me... to the crypt.” Each word was a battle as the hellish blade’s poison burned through my veins.

Steve grabbed my arm, his grip iron-tight, and hauled me toward the crypt. The night air filled with the wet sounds of tearing flesh as his sword found invisible targets, dark demon blood spattering across the moonlit ground in abstract patterns. The metallic stench of blood mixed with the sulfuric reek of demon essence.

Enzo materialized at the crypt entrance with Rose, her face ghost-white but determined. She pressed her trembling hands against the ancient stone. Symbols blazed to life beneath her touch, spreading like silver fire across the surface until the entire wall thrummed with power. Stone groaned against stone as a section moved aside.

Steve shoved me through the opening, his body twisting in the same motion to meet an unseen attack. His sword sang through the air, more black blood joining the carnage. Trystan lunged to Steve’s side, massive jaws snapping and tearing at the invisible demons. The alpha’s pristine white fur was now a grotesque canvas of black demon ichor and crimson blood, but still he fought with savage grace.

My head was swimming, reality tilting at odd angles. The poison from that blade was different from the shadowweavers, but I could feel it draining me just as it had Dimitri, like ice spreading through my veins. I staggered, my hand sliding against the cold stone wall for support. “Tell me that there’s something in here to heal...” The floor rushed toward me as mylegs failed, but Enzo’s grip kept me from hitting it. “To heal Dracula...and Dimitri.”

Rose’s form blurred and doubled as she moved through the crypt, her figure fading in and out like a ghost.

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