Zara's POV
"Both of you, sit down."
Prince Adrian's voice was calm, but the six guns pointed at us said this wasn't a request.
Dante moved in front of me slightly. Protective. I felt his rage through the bond, burning hotter than I'd ever felt it.
"What do you want?" I demanded.
Adrian smiled. "Answers? Cooperation? World peace?" He held up the glowing ruby. "But mostly, I want you two to stop running and listen."
"Listen to the man who killed my mother?" My voice shook with fury.
"I didn't kill Elena." Adrian's smile faded. "I tried to save her. But I was ten years old and powerless against my father's orders." He gestured to the guards. "Leave us. Stand outside. Don't let anyone in."
The guards hesitated but obeyed. The door closed, leaving the three of us alone.
"You have two minutes before I break every bone in your body," Dante said quietly. Through the bond, I felt he meant it.
"Fair enough." Adrian sat on the edge of the bed, still holding the real ruby. "Let me tell you a story about two families, a curse, and a conspiracy that's been running for three hundred years."
He pulled out a folder and tossed it at our feet.
"The Blood Moon Ruby wasn't created by a scorned witch," Adrian said. "That's the fairy tale version. The truth? It was forged by the first Queen of Valdoria as a test. She was a powerful magic user who wanted to ensure her heirs would rule with both strength and compassion."
I picked up the folder with shaking hands. Inside were ancient documents, paintings, family trees.
"The curse was designed to find true partnerships," Adrian continued. "Two people who could face trials together, sacrifice for each other, and choose love over power. Every generation, the ruby would bond two people—and if they succeeded, they'd earn the right to rule."
"That's insane," I said.
"That's royalty." Adrian shrugged. "But fifty years ago, my grandfather decided the test was too dangerous. Too unpredictable. He wanted to control who ruled, not leave it to magic. So he tried to destroy the ruby."
"Tried?" Dante's eyes narrowed.
"You can't destroy it. The magic is too old, too powerful. So instead, he locked it away and created a fake story about it being cursed with death. He wanted everyone to fear it, to never touch it."
"Then how did it end up in the museum?" I asked.
"I put it there." Adrian met my eyes. "Three months ago, I discovered the truth. I learned what my father did to your mother, Zara. How he had her killed because she was bonded to the ruby and it chose her to rule instead of him."
My chest tightened. "The ruby chose my mother?"
"And your father—Marcus Ashcroft Senior." Adrian looked at Dante. "Your parents were bonded by the ruby. They completed the first two trials. But before they could finish the third, the King had them both executed."
The world stopped.
I looked at Dante. Through the bond, I felt his shock matching mine.
"Our parents were bonded?" Dante's voice was barely a whisper. "They were partners?"
"Fated partners who were supposed to rule together," Adrian confirmed. "But the King couldn't allow it. A commoner and a princess? He'd rather destroy the kingdom."
"So he killed them," I said numbly. "And now history's repeating itself. You knew the ruby would choose us."
"I suspected." Adrian stood, moving closer. "You're both children of the original bonded pair. The magic in your blood called to the ruby. That's why I put it in the museum—as bait. I needed the ruby to choose its next pair so I could prove my father's crimes and take him down."
"By using us," Dante snarled.
"By giving you a chance to finish what your parents started." Adrian held out the real ruby. "The fake one you've been carrying? It has just enough magic to create a bond, but not enough to complete the trials. This is the real one. And you need it if you want to survive the next twenty-six days."
I stared at the glowing stone. "Why should we trust you?"
"Because if I wanted you dead, you'd be dead." Adrian's voice hardened. "My father is planning something catastrophic. He's discovered a way to use the ruby's magic to open a portal to the shadow realm. He wants to gain immortality, even if it destroys the kingdom."
"The Collector," Dante breathed. "The crime lord hunting the ruby. That's your father?"
"He's been working under that identity for years." Adrian nodded. "Building an army, gathering dark magic, preparing for the ritual. And it happens in twenty-five days—the same deadline as your curse."
My head spun. "So what do you want from us?"
"Complete the trials. Break the curse. Claim your right to rule." Adrian pressed the real ruby into my hand. The fake one in my pocket suddenly went cold and dark. "Then help me stop my father before he destroys everything."
The ruby burned hot against my palm, but this time it wasn't painful. It was... welcoming. Like coming home.
Dante moved beside me, and I felt his presence through the bond stronger than ever.
"And if we refuse?" I asked.
"Then the curse kills you in twenty-six days, my father opens the portal in twenty-five, and the kingdom falls into darkness." Adrian walked to the door. "Not much of a choice, really."
"Wait," Dante called. "How do we know you're telling the truth about any of this?"
Adrian paused, hand on the doorknob. "Because I'm bonded too."
He pulled aside his collar, revealing a glowing mark on his neck—identical to the one I suddenly noticed on my own wrist. And on Dante's.
"The ruby bonded me to someone five years ago," Adrian said quietly. "Someone my father murdered when he discovered we'd completed the first trial. So yes, Zara. Yes, Dante. I know exactly what you're going through. And I'll do whatever it takes to make sure you don't end up like her. Like your parents. Like all the others who've died because my family was too afraid of love and too hungry for power."
He opened the door.
"You have until tomorrow night to decide. Meet me at the old chapel on Raven Street if you want to live. Don't show up, and I can't protect you from what's coming."
Adrian left, guards following.
Dante and I stood in silence, both holding the ruby.
"This is insane," I whispered.
"Completely insane." Dante looked down at where our hands touched the stone. "But I felt it, Zara. When he told us about our parents. Through the bond, I felt the truth of it."
"Me too." Tears burned my eyes. "Our parents loved each other. And they died for it."
"We won't." Dante's hand covered mine on the ruby. "We're going to break this curse, stop the King, and make sure they didn't die for nothing."
The ruby suddenly flared bright red. A voice—ancient, feminine, powerful—echoed in both our minds:
"The first trial begins at dawn. Face your deepest fear together, or face death alone. Choose wisely, children of the fallen. The shadows are already hunting you."
The ruby's light faded, leaving us in darkness.
And from outside the window, I heard something that made my blood freeze.
Howling. Dozens of voices, inhuman and hungry.
Dante pulled me to the window. We looked out at the parking lot.
Shadow creatures poured from the darkness. Monsters made of smoke and nightmare, with glowing red eyes and claws that tore through concrete like paper.
"The shadow realm," Dante breathed. "He's already opening it."
The lead creature looked up at our window. Its mouth opened, revealing rows of teeth, and it spoke in a voice like grinding stone:
"Princess Zara. Guardian Dante. The Shadow King demands an audience. Come willingly, or we'll drag you screaming to his throne."
More creatures appeared. Dozens. Hundreds.
We were surrounded.
And the first trial hadn't even begun.