I woke up to find Seraphina sitting in the chair by my window.
Not Mira. Not a servant. Seraphina. The vampire who'd threatened me on my first night here.
"Jesus!" I bolted upright, clutching the sheets.
"Wrong deity." She smiled lazily. "But I appreciate the enthusiasm."
"How did you get in here? Lucian said he'd post guards."
"He did. They're outside. Very diligent. Very dead." She saw my face and laughed. "Relax. They're just sleeping. I slipped them something. They'll wake up in a few hours with headaches and wounded pride."
I grabbed the knife from under my pillow. Again. This was becoming a habit.
"Oh, put that away." Seraphina waved dismissively. "If I wanted you dead, you'd already be dead. I'm here to talk."
"At dawn? While I'm sleeping?"
"Best time. You're vulnerable. Honest." She stood up, moving to the broken door that hadn't been repaired yet. "Besides, we don't have much time. Your fitting is at sunset, and I need to prepare you."
"Prepare me for what?"
"For the fact that half the court is going to be at that fitting, watching you, judging you, waiting for you to fail." She turned to face me. "Nadine's workshop is neutral ground. During the day, it's safe. But at sunset, when the vampires wake up? It becomes a battlefield."
My stomach dropped. "Why didn't anyone tell me?"
"Because Lucian's trying to protect you. Trying to shield you from how vicious we actually are." She moved closer. "But I'd rather you know the truth and survive than stay ignorant and die."
"Why do you care if I survive?"
"Because you're entertaining. And because Lucian hasn't cared about anything in three hundred years. Watching him care about you is the most interesting thing that's happened in this castle since..." She paused. "Well. Since Elise." He cared about me?
There was that name again. The ghost I was constantly being compared to.
"Everyone loved her," Seraphina continued. "Elise was sweet. Kind. Gentle. Everything a human should be. She made Lucian happy in a way I'd never seen before." Her eyes fixed on me. "You're nothing like her."
"I know."
"Good. Because we don't need another Elise. We need someone who can actually survive this world." She pulled something from her dress. A small vial filled with dark red liquid. "Drink this."
"What is it?"
"Insurance." She set it on the bedside table. "It's vampire blood. Specifically, my blood. If you're injured..really injured, near death, drink it. It won't turn you, but it'll heal you. Keep you alive long enough to get help."
I stared at the vial. "Why would you give me this?"
"Because Kira already tried to kill you once. She'll try again. And next time, Lucian might not get there fast enough." Seraphina headed for the door. "The fitting is at sunset. Wear something nice. And for god's sake, try not to look terrified. They can smell fear, remember?"
She left as silently as she'd arrived.
I sat there, staring at the vial of blood on my bedside table.
Vampire blood. Insurance against death.
I picked it up. It was warm. Warmer than I expected. Like it was still alive somehow.
I tucked it into the desk drawer with the stolen parchment and the nightshade extract. My collection of secrets was growing.
---
Mira came to wake me an hour later, looking frazzled.
"The guards were drugged," she said, helping me dress. "Someone got past them last night. The king is furious."
"It was Seraphina. She just wanted to talk."
Mira's hands froze. "Lady Seraphina was in your room?"
"Yes. She gave me advice about the fitting tonight."
"And you're still alive?" Mira looked genuinely shocked. "Lady Seraphina doesn't give advice. She gives warnings right before she kills you."
"She seems to like me."
"That's even more terrifying." Mira finished braiding my hair. "The king wants to see you. Before the fitting. He's in his study."
My stomach flipped. After last night..after that almost-moment between us..I wasn't sure I was ready to face him.
But I didn't have a choice.
Mira led me through the castle to a part I hadn't seen yet. The corridors here were different. Less cold. More lived-in. There were paintings on the walls. Books on shelves. It felt almost... normal.
We stopped in front of a heavy wooden door.
"Knock first," Mira whispered. "And don't touch anything. The king is very particular about his space."
She left before I could ask what that meant.
I knocked.
"Come in."
I opened the door and stepped into chaos.
Books everywhere. Stacked on shelves, piled on the floor, spread across every surface. Maps pinned to the walls. Papers covered in notes and diagrams. It looked like a scholar's study, not a vampire king's lair.
Lucian sat at a desk by the window, writing something. He looked up when I entered, and my breath caught.
He looked tired. More human than I'd ever seen him. His hair was messy like he'd been running his hands through it. His shirt was untucked. There were dark circles under his eyes that hadn't been there before.
"Cassia." He set down his pen. "How are you feeling?"
"Like your sister tried to kill me last night."
"Half-sister. And yes, I heard." He stood up. "I'm sorry. Kira's... difficult."
"Difficult is one word for homicidal."
His mouth twitched. "Fair." He moved around the desk. "I wanted to talk to you before the fitting. Warn you about what to expect."
"Seraphina already did that."
His expression darkened. "When?"
"This morning. She broke into my room while your guards were drugged."
"Of course she did." He rubbed his face. "Is there anyone in this castle who knows how to follow my orders?"
"Apparently not." I moved closer, looking at the papers on his desk. They were covered in neat handwriting. Lists. Names. Locations. "What is all this?"
"Research. On the Order." He picked up one of the papers. "Every stronghold. Every member. Every person they've ever recruited. I've been tracking them for three hundred years."
"That's... obsessive."
"Yes." He didn't sound ashamed. "But it's also how I've stayed alive. Know your enemy. Know them better than they know themselves. Then destroy them."
I looked at him. Really looked at him. This wasn't just revenge. This was his entire life. His purpose. Everything he'd done for three centuries had led to this.
"What happens after?" I asked quietly.
"After what?"
"After you destroy them. After you get your revenge. What happens then?"
He was quiet for a long time. Then he said, "I don't know. I've never thought that far ahead."
"Maybe you should."
"Maybe." He set down the paper. "The fitting tonight. There will be vampires there. A lot of them. They're going to test you. Push you. Try to make you break."
"Why?"
"Because if you break before the wedding, I can't marry you. And if I can't marry you, they can kill you without consequences." His eyes met mine. "You need to be strong tonight, Cassia. Stronger than you've ever been. Don't show fear. Don't show weakness. And whatever happens, don't let them see you bleed."
"What if I do bleed?"
"Then they'll smell it. And some of them won't be able to control themselves." He stepped closer. "I'll be there. I won't let anything happen to you. But you need to play your part. You need to be the Lightbringer. The queen. Not the scared girl from the dungeon."
"I am the scared girl from the dungeon."
"No." His hand touched my face, gentle. "You're the woman who blasted my sister through a wall. Who trained until she could barely stand. Who's still standing here even after everything this castle has thrown at you. That's who you are, Cassia. Don't forget it."
His touch sent electricity down my spine.
"Lucian." My voice came out breathless. "What are we doing?"
"I don't know." His thumb brushed my cheekbone. "But I know I can't stop thinking about you. Can't stop wanting to protect you. Can't stop..
He stopped himself. Pulled back. "This is dangerous."
"Everything here is dangerous." I was beginning to actually get terrified
"This is different." He turned away. "You should go. The fitting starts in a few hours. You need to prepare."
"Prepare how?"
"However you need to." He sat back down at his desk, already looking at his papers again. Shutting me out. "Just... be careful tonight. Please."
I left, my head spinning.
He'd almost said something. Almost admitted something.
And I'd wanted him to.
That was the problem.
---
Sunset came too fast.
Mira dressed me in a simple black dress. No jewelry. No decoration. Just plain black fabric that made my skin look pale and my dark hair look darker.
"You look like a widow," I said, staring at my reflection.
"You look like a queen," Mira corrected. "Now come on. We can't be late."
We walked through the castle as it came alive around us. Vampires emerging from their chambers. Servants lighting torches. The whole place transforming from sleeping tomb to living nightmare.
The seamstress's workshop was crowded when we arrived.
At least twenty vampires filled the space. All beautiful. All deadly. All watching me like I was dinner.
Nadine stood in the center, my dress draped over a mannequin. Even unfinished, it was stunning. Deep red velvet. Low-cut. Dangerous-looking.
"There's the bride," someone called out. Laughter rippled through the crowd.
I lifted my chin and walked forward. Don't show fear. Don't show weakness.
Lucian stood by the window, Dorian beside him. His eyes found mine across the room, and something passed between us. A warning. A promise.
I can't protect you from this.
I know.
"Well?" Nadine gestured to the dress. "Let's see if it fits."
I moved behind the screen to change. My hands shook as I unbuttoned my dress.
"I heard the Lightbringer can't even control her power," a female voice said from the other side of the screen. "She almost destroyed the east wing last night."
"Pathetic," another voice agreed. "And Lucian wants to marry this? He's gone soft."
"Maybe she's good in bed," someone suggested. More laughter.
My face burned. I stepped out from behind the screen in the red dress.
The room went silent.
The dress fit perfectly. Hugged every curve. Made me look dangerous. Powerful. Like someone who could burn the world down.
Nadine smiled. "Perfect."
"It's red," a vampire woman said, her voice dripping disapproval. "Brides wear white."
"Boring brides wear white," I said. My voice didn't shake. "I'm not boring."
"You're arrogant." The woman stepped forward. "Arrogant and weak. You don't belong here."
"And yet here I am." I met her eyes. "Wearing red. Marrying your king. Becoming your queen. Whether you like it or not."
She moved fast. Vampire-fast. Her hand wrapped around my throat, claws digging in.
I felt blood. Hot. Trickling down my neck.
The room erupted in chaos.
Lucian was there in a heartbeat, ripping the woman away from me, throwing her across the room. "Touch her again and I'll rip your throat out!"
But it was too late.
The vampires had smelled my blood.
And their eyes were all turning red.