Page 364 of Halfblood Deceived

But if they succeeded…

Oh, he would savor his daughter’s fear. He would make her pay.

It was a risk, but one he was willing to take.

“Very well,” the fey prince granted. “On one condition.”

“Name it,” the vampire prince said.

“No secrets that can hinder this mission. If you cross me, I can promise I’ll make you pay for it on my way down.”

The vampire laughed. “We have a deal. Champagne?”

The fey shrugged. “Why not?” He snapped his fingers, and one of his sentinels—who also happened to be his daughter—approached to serve them both.

The vampire raised his glass. “To the impending punishment that we shall bring upon our rebellious children.”

The fey clinked his glass against the vampire’s. “Tell me about this plan.”

He did.

And so, Nicolai Dragomir and Fane Briarwood planned the downfall of their children—Sebastian Dragomir and Aylana Briarwood.

Their halfblood rebels.

Are we still friends?

DIANA

Dyson drove Diana, Kamilla, and Aella to Hecate.

Kamilla had arranged for a staff meeting before re-opening the club to the public after almost two weeks of repairs. Goddess only knew how much money Kamilla had lost. And all because Diana almost killed four of her coworkers and put a hole through the roof.

Brittany did that, not you; she reminded herself, but it still felt hollow.

She felt tempted to kick the door open and bolt far away from the still-moving car.

Dyson turned to give her a look as if he knew exactly what she was thinking, which very well could be the case. He’d been her friend for almost a decade now. He’d trained her along with Kerian.

Diana took a deep breath and ran a hand through her short hair. She’d done that plenty of times now. So much she was sure her messy-on-purpose styling was utterly ruined. Not that nicely styled hair would make her coworkers less afraid of her. It hadn’t stopped her from caring more than usual about the clothes she wore—tennis shoes, jeans, and a long-sleeved cotton shirt. Not her usual boots or a tank top that displayed her biceps.

Dyson parked the black, armored sedan in the back of Hecate with his usual smooth efficiency. The man rarely allowed copilots, but he had a soft spot for Diana. She’d claimed there wasn’t enough space in the back seat where Kamilla and Aella sat, but that wasn’t true.

“Ready?” Kamilla asked.

Diana chewed her already raw lip. “Um…”

Aella moved to the edge of her seat so she could squeeze Diana’s shoulder. “It will be alright. I will be with you the whole time.”

“You don’t have to do it if you’re not ready,” Kamilla said. Her voice was gentle and knowing.

Diana took a deep breath. She’d rather fight a dozen gargoyles all by herself with a ballpoint pen than go in there. But she had to because she couldn’t let a psychopath keep her away from a place she loved and people she cared about.

“I’m ready,” she lied.

Dyson extended his massive fist toward her. “You got this, Diana.”

She fist-bumped him. “Thank you.”

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