Page 29 of Wolf Queen Ruin
“Luna knows what she needs to know.”
“How convenient for you.”She stepped closer, her winter roses scent enveloping me.“Why aren’t we engaged yet, Damien?After two centuries of understanding between the Cross family and mine?”
I blinked hard.Something wasn’t right.My thoughts suddenly felt viscous, as if trying to form in thick honey.My mind began to blur at the edges.
Blood Truth.
The ancient serum, banned by the Vampire Council for centuries, was designed to compel honest answers while leaving the victim aware of their betrayal.Vivienne had spiked the damn wine.To do this to a fellow vampire was unthinkable.
Yet I’d been careless.Overconfident.
Fucking distracted by Luna and my worry for her while she was with Marcel.
Vivienne recognized the moment I understood, her perfect lips curving into a triumphant smile.“There it is.I was beginning to think you’d never notice.”
I gathered my mental defenses, my mental walls, focused on a single memory to anchor reality, but all I could think about was Luna.
“The Blood Truth serum is forbidden,” I managed, my voice steady despite the compulsion clawing at my barriers.“The Council would have your head.”
“Only if they find out,” she countered.“And who would tell them?You?That would require admitting you were weak enough to be drugged in the first place.”
She knew me too damn well.
“Now, let’s try again,” Vivienne continued.“Our families expect our engagement.When will it happen?”
The compulsion squeezed tighter, a vise around my thoughts.I redirected, found a partial truth that might satisfy without revealing everything.
“Our alliance is unnecessary.It serves no purpose other than political maneuvering.”My voice sounded distant, fighting through the thickening fog in my mind.
Her eyes narrowed.“And the wolf?Luna Rookwood?What is she to you really?”
“A means to an end.”
Not a lie, but not the complete truth either.The serum detected the omission, twisting painfully in my veins.
“What end, Damien?Why are you really here tonight?”
The artifact display beside us blurred as I fought the compulsion.But the serum was powerful, crafted to unravel all defenses.
“Elliot is in the advanced stages of The Wasting,” I heard myself say, my horror mounting as the words escaped unbidden.
Vivienne’s eyes widened.The Wasting was rare, a magical deterioration that consumed a vampire from within, a kind of torture few could withstand.Or cure.
“And you believe something in Selene’s collection can help him?”
“Not directly.”My jaw clenched, my teeth grinding as I fought to stop the words.“We’re tracking…the Shadow Fang.”
“The Shadow Fang?”Genuine surprise flickered across her features.“That’s a myth, Damien.A legend vampires tell fledglings.”
“It’s real.And it’s the only thing that can save him.”
Her fingers traced my jawline, the touch amplifying the serum’s effect.“And how does your little wolf fit into this desperate quest?”
The compulsion burned now, like acid in my veins.“Her daughter…is dying.She’s in a magical coma.Luna needs the Shadow Fang…to save her.Our interests…align.”
“For now,” Vivienne said, satisfaction gleaming in her eyes.“How convenient.But there’s more, isn’t there?I can see it in your eyes, darling.What aren’t you telling me about Luna Rookwood?”
My mental defenses fractured further.Memories surfaced unbidden, like Luna’s laughter during our etiquette lessons; her unique, often sunny perspective; the fierce protectiveness in her eyes when she glanced in the direction of the patients’ ward; the electric current that passed between us whenever we touched, even casually.
