Moonlight Prince (Vampire Girl #4)(52)

Lucian yawns, then motions to the guard. "I grow tired of this fight. Find the girl. Once you capture her, the rest will surrender."

The golden soldier nods, then marches for battle. The earth seems to quake with each of his steps, so heavy is the armor. I've never seen the like.

"Another gift from the Darkness?" I ask, pointing at the soldier.

"In a way," Lucian says, his eyes cold. "In a way."





PART III


—Arianna Spero—


Something comes.

The ground shakes in its wake.

A soldier, larger than any normal man.

Clad in golden armor.

He comes for me.

Yami, now free of the bolt, hisses at the new foe.

The soldier doesn't react. He doesn't fear a dragon. Or perhaps he can't fear. Perhaps he is Fae, doing whatever Lucian wants.

Yami weaves around me protectively, baring his teeth. I raise my swords.

And then we fight.

The soldier is slow, clumsy in movement, using a giant sword as his weapon. I dance around him, slicing past his defenses. But my strikes do nothing against the armor.

Fine. We'll try something else.

I jump back and Yami roars, blasting the soldier with blue flame. He doesn't even try to dodge. The fire hits him, and I raise my hand, shielding my eyes from the overwhelming light. In battles that move so quickly, it seems forever that Yami smothers the enemy with flame. Finally, when he seems too tired to keep breathing fire, he stops, his head dropping, his breath heavy and loud.

I look up. Through the black smoke. Through the burning grass.

Impossible.

The soldier still stands. His armor is scorched, black from the fire, but not melted, not torn apart.

Yami screeches and jumps forward, clawing at the armor. But it won’t work.

I try to warn him.

But I'm not fast enough.

Yami's attack does nothing.

The soldier swings his blade down. Down on Yami's neck. And my dragon falls, dematerializing into dust.

No.

How can we win now? How can we win without Yami?

The foe walks forward, his head turning to face me. He has only two slits for eyes, and yet I feel anger in them. A deep rage.

And then I get an idea.

I dash forward, screaming with fervor.

The soldier swings his giant blade, striking for my body.

I leap into the air, over his attack.

And I land on top of him, wrapping my legs around his giant neck. I drop my swords and grab his helmet with my hands. It is hot, burning my fingers, but I ignore the pain, pulling, pulling. I yank the helmet off and throw it to the side.

I jump down, avoiding his strikes, and I grab Spero from the ground.

Then I leap forward.

My blade aimed at his head.

And then I see his face.

His face.

And I can't do it.

I can't end it.

I lower my blade, missing on purpose, and turn to face him.

Before me, clad in scorched armor, his face red with tears, stands Ace.

"Why?" I whisper.

His voice trembles with pain. "Because he wants to lift the curse. Don't you see? He wants to lift the curse. And when he does, I can be with Patricia."

"So for love then," my words are cold. Heartless. They must be. Because if I allow myself to feel, to fully feel, then this betrayal will break me. "I understand," I say. "I do not agree. But I understand."

"I'm sorry," he says.

"I know."

Then he looks past my shoulder. "No!" he yells.

I'm not sure why. Perhaps he changed his mind. Perhaps, though he wished to win, he did not wish to cause me harm. Either way, it doesn't matter. His warning comes too late.

I turn.

And something hits me on the head.

Pain.

Dullness.

Fading.

I collapse.

My consciousness begins to fade.

It's over. I've lost.

Levi stands over me, grinning. He leans down, brushing his lips against my neck. "I believe we were interrupted last time, my princess. But now, I can finish draining your succulent blood."

He bites into me.

And as I fade into darkness, the last thing I see is Ace.

Weeping.

***

My feet drag though dust.

Someone is pulling me.

I open my eyes, and my head feels like it's about to explode. Everything is too bright. Too loud.

Men and women shout in the distance. The battle. It feels far off.

The person dragging me let's go, and I fall face first into mud. I push myself up, trying to make out my surroundings. I'm under a canopy, an orange tent. Torches hang on wooden posts, giving off bright light. People sit before me in ornate chairs. Three of them. My vision steadies, and I make them out. Niam. Asher. And Lucian.

Ace walks over to stand by their side. He still wears the fire-kissed armor, but his face is uncovered. It's red, dirty, his hair a brown mess, but he no longer cries.

Levi stands by me. He must have been the one to drag me. I remember what he did, and my hand shoots to my neck. I feel bite marks there, and an ache deep and pulsing.

The Prince of Envy walks forward, addressing the other leaders. "We have her, father."

Lucian doesn't look at his son. Instead he studies the bread in his hand. "Then we have won," he says. "We must let the enemy know we have captured the Midnight Star."