Liora's POV
"Wait."
Theron's voice stops us at the throne room doors.
Cassiel's hand tightens on my arm. I turn back slowly, my heart pounding.
Theron hasn't moved from the center of the room, but his eyes are still locked on me. Every vampire noble watches with rapt attention, like they're witnessing something they've never seen before.
"She doesn't leave yet." Theron's voice is cold again, the vulnerability from moments ago buried deep. "If she's going to be my sacrifice, we do this properly."
He moves toward me with that liquid grace, each step predatory and controlled. When he's five feet away, he stops and begins circling me slowly. Like a wolf circling prey.
I force myself to stay still, even though every instinct screams to run.
"Let me make the rules very clear," Theron says, his voice cutting through the silent throne room. "So there are no misunderstandings."
He completes his circle, stopping in front of me. This close, I can see he's even more beautiful than I first thought. Perfect in a way that seems wrong. Like something carved by an artist who forgot to add flaws.
"Rule one." His silver eyes bore into mine. "You will stay in the east wing. That is your prison. You do not wander the castle. You do not explore. You do not go anywhere without explicit permission. Break this rule, and I will make your remaining nights very uncomfortable."
"Uncomfortable how?" The words slip out before I can stop them.
His jaw clenches. "Do you want to find out?"
I bite my tongue. Keep quiet, Liora. Stop challenging him.
"Rule two." He leans closer, his breath cold against my face. "You do not speak to other vampires without my consent. You don't befriend them. You don't ask them questions. You exist here as a ghost until your thirtieth night."
"Why? Afraid they'll tell me something you don't want me to know?"
The nobles gasp. Cassiel makes a small sound of distress.
Theron's eyes flash with rage, but underneath it I see something else. Fear. "You have a death wish."
"I'm already dying. What difference does it make?"
We stare at each other, the air crackling with tension. His hand twitches like he wants to grab me again. Or strangle me. I can't tell which.
"Rule three." His voice drops lower, more dangerous. "You will not attempt any intimacy with me."
Heat floods my face. "I wasn't planning to—"
"Yes, you were." He cuts me off, his silver eyes seeing too much. "I can smell it on you. That reckless desperation. That need to feel alive before you die. Whatever fantasies you have about seducing the vampire prince—forget them."
The court snickers. Heat burns in my cheeks, but I lift my chin.
"That's disappointing," I say, keeping my voice steady. "I had 'seduce a gorgeous vampire' on my bucket list. You're really going to make my final month boring, aren't you?"
The words are out before I realize what I've revealed. My final month. My bucket list.
Theron goes completely still. His nostrils flare slightly, and I remember he can smell the blood sickness in me.
"Your bucket list," he repeats slowly.
"It's nothing. Just a stupid—"
"You came here planning to seduce me because you're dying anyway." His voice is dangerously soft now. "You thought what? That you'd have one last adventure before the end? Feel something before your heart stops?"
"What's wrong with that?" I challenge. "What's wrong with wanting to experience things before I die?"
"Because I don't bed my meals." His words are cruel, calculated to hurt. "I don't touch them. I don't give them comfort or pleasure or anything that might make them believe I care. You're food, Liora Ashborne. Nothing more."
Each word is a slap. The court watches with hungry eyes, enjoying my humiliation. I should look away. Should accept his cruelty and stay quiet.
But I notice what he's trying to hide.
His hands are clenched so tight his knuckles are white. His jaw muscle jumps with tension. And when his eyes meet mine, I see the truth he's desperately trying to conceal.
He's lying.
The hatred, the cruelty, the cold dismissal—it's all a mask. A performance. He's pushing me away with every weapon he has because he's terrified of what might happen if he lets me close.
"You're lying," I say quietly.
The throne room erupts. Vampires shout in outrage. Someone calls for my immediate death. But I only see Theron, watching his careful control crack.
"What did you say?" His voice is barely above a whisper.
"I said you're lying. You do care. That's why you hate me so much." I take a step toward him despite the danger. "You're afraid of me."
In a blur of motion, Theron moves. His hand wraps around my throat—not squeezing, just holding—and he backs me against the nearest pillar. His body cages mine, cold and impossibly strong.
"I am not afraid of you," he hisses, his face inches from mine.
"Yes, you are." My voice comes out breathy from the pressure on my throat. "Because all those other women? They were scared of you. They cried and begged and made it easy for you to hate them. But I'm not scared. And that terrifies you."
His grip tightens slightly. "You should be scared. I'm going to kill you in thirty nights. I'm going to drain every drop of blood from your body. Do you understand that?"
"I understand you've killed two hundred ninety-nine women. I understand you remember every single one. And I understand you're drowning in guilt and hoping I'll give you a reason to hate me too."
Something breaks in his expression. Raw agony flashes across his face before the mask slams back.
"Cassiel," he barks, releasing me. "Take her away. Now."
But before Cassiel can move, a woman's voice cuts through the chaos.
"My prince, how bold this mortal speaks."
I turn toward the voice. A vampire woman steps from the shadows near the throne, and my breath catches. She's the most beautiful woman I've ever seen—even more beautiful than Theron, if that's possible. Black hair like silk, blood-red lips, eyes that shine like black diamonds. Her dress is midnight black, and she wears it like a queen.
She's also looking at me like she wants to rip my throat out.
"Who are you?" I ask before I can stop myself.
Her smile is all teeth. "I am Lady Morgana Ashencourt, darling. And I've been waiting centuries for the prince to notice me." She glides toward us, her movements predatory. "Then you walk in, bold as anything, and catch his attention in five minutes."
"Morgana—" Theron's voice holds a warning.
"How dare this mortal speak so boldly to you," Morgana continues, ignoring him. Her eyes fix on me, and they turn completely black. "How dare she challenge you in your own throne room."
Theron's hand twitches toward me. Protective. Then he catches himself and drops it.
That small movement tells me everything.
"Lady Morgana," I say carefully, "I meant no disrespect."
"Of course you didn't." Her smile widens. "Because you're just food. A meal with an expiration date. You'll be dead in thirty nights, and the prince will forget you like all the others."
"Enough," Theron snaps.
But Morgana isn't done. She moves closer to me, and I smell something wrong. Rot beneath perfume. "I'll make sure you understand your place here, little mortal. Before the prince drains you dry, you'll know exactly how insignificant you are."
Theron's eyes flash with rage. He moves between us so fast I don't see him coming, putting his body between mine and Morgana's.
"Touch her, and I'll remove your head."
The throne room goes dead silent.
Morgana's face twists with shock and fury. "You're protecting her?"
"I'm protecting my property." Theron's voice is ice. "She's mine to kill. No one else touches her."
But I see the truth. The way his body is angled to shield me completely. The protective stance. The rage in his eyes when Morgana threatened me.
He's not protecting property.
He's protecting me.
And he hates himself for it.
Morgana's eyes narrow. "Of course, my prince. Forgive my presumption."
She turns and glides from the throne room, but not before shooting me a look of pure hatred. A promise of violence.
I'm going to die here. If Theron doesn't kill me, Morgana will.
Theron turns to face me, his expression back to carved ice. "Cassiel. Take her to the east wing. Lock the door. And make sure no one disturbs her tonight."
"My prince—"
"That's an order."
Cassiel moves to my side immediately, taking my arm. This time I don't resist. I'm too exhausted, too overwhelmed. My legs shake as he leads me toward the door.
But I glance back one more time.
Theron stands alone in the center of the throne room, surrounded by nobles but isolated. His hands are clenched at his sides, blood dripping from where his nails cut into his palms.
And his silver eyes are locked on me with an expression I can't read.
Hunger.
Rage.
And something that might be longing.
The doors close behind us, cutting off my view. Cassiel guides me through dark corridors, up winding staircases, past countless doors and windows that look out onto eternal twilight.
"You have a talent for making enemies," Cassiel murmurs.
"I wasn't trying to."
"No, you were just being yourself. That's somehow worse." He stops at an ornate door. "These are your chambers. They're comfortable, but remember—they're still a cage."
He opens the door, revealing a room that takes my breath away. Four-poster bed with velvet curtains. A fireplace already burning with blue flames. Windows overlooking blood-red cliffs. It's beautiful.
It's also a prison.
"Get some rest," Cassiel says gently. "Tomorrow will be difficult."
"Why?"
His expression turns sad. "Because you'll wake up and remember where you are. And why you're here."
He leaves, and I hear a lock click.
I'm alone.
I walk to the window, looking out at the twisted landscape. The castle sits on cliffs that drop into darkness. The forest surrounds us, glowing with moonflowers. And above it all, a sky that never shows sun.
I'm in the vampire kingdom now. No escape. No rescue.
Just thirty nights until Theron kills me.
I press my hand against my chest, feeling my irregular heartbeat. The blood sickness is eating me from the inside. Two weeks, maybe less.
Will I even survive to the thirtieth night?
Part of me hopes not.
Because after what happened in that throne room, after seeing the war raging behind Theron's silver eyes, I'm starting to understand something terrifying.
I don't want to die hating him.
And that's the most dangerous thing of all.