Page 145 of A Throne of Blood & Vengeance

Fifteen minutes later,I found myself in a dungeon very similar to the one I’d been locked in beneath the Sovereign House. Thessalia had summoned a guard to escort me, who was now waiting outside the door to give me the illusion of privacy. He hadn’t spoken much on our walk here, but he’d borne a wary expression when we’d stopped on this level, which told me that Nyx hadn’t magically gotten better after the crown’s magic had changed. It had been a small hope that was now extinguished.

“Is Carmilla dead?”

I looked at the woman in the cell on the right; she’d definitely seen better days. Normally, Tamsen’s hair was a shiny curtain of dark russet brown that hung to her waist. Now, it was a dull nestof tangles. Even from where I stood, I could smell the dry blood on her clothing.

“Yes,” I answered, continuing to study her profile. “Did they not offer you a chance to clean up?”

“House Devereux isn’t exactly known for their hospitality,” she said tonelessly. “Frankly, I’m impressed they let me see to my needs twice a day instead of just giving me a bucket, and I’m even more surprised they didn’t just kill me.” Finally, those sky-blue eyes that were the same as their sibling’s looked at me. “I take it I have you to thank for that? Given it was your Marshal who saved me and brought me here?”

I walked a little closer to the cell and rested my hand on the bars. The iron bit at me, and I dropped my hand. “I happen to be marrying into the family, so to speak. It comes with perks.”

“So you killed your aunt and you’re marrying into the most formidable of the Houses from a fighting standpoint.” She looked away from me. “Should I also assume that you’re here to order my death, considering my House is far from trustworthy?”

I pondered her. Tamsen was . . . tricky. She was loyal to Nyx—of that I had no doubt—but House Corvinus was a problem.

“Why did you run? All this time, you’ve played the game with your asshole parents. Played the role of dutiful Heir.”

Tamsen let out a joyless laugh. “I stayed because I foolishly thought I could just wait it out. That when my parents died, I could fix things. That they could come home.” Her voice broke as she spoke.

For the first time since walking into the room, I allowed myself to look at the person huddled in the dark back corner of the cell next to Tamsen’s. Nyx was sitting with their knees bent, arms loosely resting on them, while black eyes threaded with blue stared at me.

They didn’t say a word.

“My parents quietly issued an order that if Nyx were spotted, they were to be brought back to House Corvinus by any means necessary.”

My gaze snapped back to Tamsen. “Why?”

She let out a chilling laugh. “To get to you. They know of your friendship with my younger sibling—and that Carmilla was looking for you. Nyx was the bait for the trap they planned to set.”

“So you ran to find Nyx.” It wasn’t a question.

Tamsen’s face twisted in rage and heartache. “You were supposed to keep them safe. I got them out of our wretched House to keep them safe.”

Guilt hit me. I didn’t think it would ever stop, but I also knew it wasn’t rational. While Tamsenhaddone everything she could have to keep Nyx safe, so had I. And so had Adrienne.

My throat tightened.

I was trying not to lock away my emotions the way I had when my parents had died, but that didn’t mean I could fall apart here. That wouldn’t help Nyx, and I needed Tamsen to get herself together.

“This is Lunaria. Safety is fleeting,” I said softly before unlocking her cell. “You’re now the Head of House Corvinus. It’s on you to make it so Nyx can come home someday. If that’s what they want.”

Tamsen blinked. “Just like that? What about my parents?”

“According to the reports Thessalia has received, they’re gone,” I growled. “So is Lucian.”

There were likely others we’d find missing as well. People who saw the way the wind was blowing and decided they didn’t want to stick around for it. We only had so many resources. Decisions would have to be made about who to hunt down and who to forget about.

I wouldn’t be forgetting about Lucian anytime soon though.

Outside came the sound of footsteps and then quiet murmurs before the guard who had escorted me walked in, carrying a familiar silver box.

Tamsen cautiously left her cell, as if she was still expecting a trap, and eyed the box as I took it from the guard, who left without another word. I turned towards Nyx’s cell and almost jumped. Tamsen swore harshly when she did the same.

Nyx now stood at the front, just behind the bars, a little more blue in their black eyes.

“I made it hurt,” I told them as I stepped closer. “Not enough, but she didn’t go quietly.”

“Is that a good idea?” Tamsen asked in a strained tone when I unlocked Nyx’s cell. “They’re not . . . Nyx isn’t themself.”

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