Lena moved first. She drove her elbow into Viktor's ribs — useless against a vampire king, but it surprised him enough to loosen his grip. She tore free and grabbed the artifact from her bag.
"Aunt Adara said it needs sacrifice," she shouted to Arian. "So take mine!"
"Lena, no!" Arian lunged, but she'd already cut her own hand and pressed it to the sphere.
The artifact woke up angry. It didn't just glow.