Liora's POV
The world outside the carriage window turns strange.
We left the open fields an hour ago and entered a forest that doesn't look like any forest I've ever seen. The trees are wrong—too tall, too twisted, their branches reaching toward each other like they're trying to hold hands. Or strangle something.
And there are flowers everywhere.
They glow.
Actually glow, like someone trapped pieces of the moon inside them. Blue-white light pulses from their petals, turning the forest floor into a carpet of eerie luminescence. It's beautiful and terrifying at the same time.
I press my face against the cold glass, watching the glowing flowers blur past. We're moving faster than horses should be able to run. Like the carriage itself is eager to reach the castle.
My chest tightens. I cough into my hand, tasting copper. When I pull my fingers away, they're spotted with blood.
Not now. Please not now.
I wipe my hand on the velvet seat, hiding the evidence. The darkness will cover it. No one needs to know how weak I'm getting.
Hoofbeats sound beside the carriage. I look out and see Cassiel riding alongside on a black horse that's almost invisible in the shadows. His eyes meet mine through the glass, and he nods. Like he's checking on me.
Why would a vampire care if I'm okay?
The carriage suddenly slows, then stops. I sit up straighter, my heart pounding. Are we there? Is this Nightshade Castle?
But when I look out, we're still in the forest. The glowing flowers surround us, casting strange shadows on the trees.
The door opens.
Cassiel stands there, his expression serious. "Come out, Liora. We need to talk."
My legs shake as I climb down. The ground feels soft beneath my feet, like moss or something living. The glowing flowers are everywhere, so close I could touch them.
"What are those?" I reach toward one.
Cassiel catches my wrist, his grip gentle but firm. "Don't. Moonflowers. They're deadly poison. One touch can kill a mortal in minutes."
I yank my hand back. "Then why are they everywhere?"
"They only grow in vampire territory. They're a warning." He releases my wrist, studying my face in the blue glow. "You've crossed into our world now. Everything here can kill you."
"Including you?"
"Especially me." But he says it sadly, like it's something he wishes weren't true.
I wrap my arms around myself, suddenly cold. The forest feels alive around us. Watching. Waiting. "Why did we stop?"
"Because I need to understand something." Cassiel moves closer, his voice dropping. "In the square, you said you were dying. What did you mean?"
I debate lying. But what's the point? "Blood sickness. Advanced stage. My father thinks I have two weeks left, maybe less."
"Does he know you accepted the Selection because of this?"
"Yes. He wanted me to fight, to beg, to make them force me." I laugh bitterly. "I'm tired of fighting. I've spent my whole life fighting to be good enough, healthy enough, brave enough. And where did it get me? Dying at twenty-four with nothing to show for it."
Cassiel is quiet for a long moment, his expression thoughtful. "Most sacrifices arrive terrified. They beg for mercy. They cry the entire journey. But you're different."
"Because I'm already dead?"
"Because you're not afraid." He tilts his head, studying me like I'm a puzzle he's trying to solve. "That makes you dangerous."
"Dangerous? I can barely climb stairs without coughing blood."
"Not that kind of dangerous." A small smile touches his lips. "You're dangerous to the prince."
My breath catches. "What do you mean?"
"You'll understand when you meet him." Cassiel glances back toward the carriage. "But I need to warn you—don't tell him about your illness. Not yet."
"Why not?"
"Because knowledge is power. Even for the powerless." He meets my eyes, and I see something like sympathy there. "The prince is complicated. Powerful. Dangerous. And he's killed two hundred ninety-nine women before you. But he's not what you think."
"What is he then?"
"Trapped." Cassiel's voice is barely a whisper. "He's been trapped for three hundred years, forced to kill women who don't deserve to die. It's destroying him piece by piece."
Something in my chest aches. "Then why does he keep doing it?"
"Because he has no choice. The curse—" Cassiel stops himself. "I've said too much. Just remember: keep your illness secret. And whatever you do, don't let him push you away."
"Why would I want to get close to someone who's going to kill me?"
Cassiel's smile turns sad. "Because maybe you're the one who can finally break his chains."
Before I can ask what he means, he helps me back into the carriage. The door closes, and we're moving again, faster than before. The glowing moonflowers blur into rivers of blue light.
I press my hand against my chest, feeling my heartbeat. Too fast, too irregular. The blood sickness is progressing. Every coughing fit takes more out of me. Every breath gets harder.
Two weeks, Papa said. Maybe less.
Will I even survive thirty nights?
The forest grows denser. The trees press closer. And then, through a gap in the branches, I see it.
Nightshade Castle.
My breath stops.
It rises from blood-red cliffs like something out of a nightmare. Black towers reach toward the sky, sharp as claws. Windows like empty eyes stare out into the darkness. The whole structure seems to absorb light rather than reflect it, a hole in the world shaped like a castle.
It's the most terrifying thing I've ever seen.
It's also strangely beautiful.
The carriage rolls toward massive iron gates covered in spikes. They stand open, waiting. Like a mouth ready to swallow me whole.
We pass through, and the temperature drops. I can see my breath in the air now, white puffs of frost. The courtyard inside is enormous, lit by blue torches that burn with cold fire.
And there are vampires everywhere.
They stand in the shadows, watching the carriage with glowing eyes. Dozens of them. Maybe hundreds. All beautiful and terrifying and hungry-looking.
The carriage stops.
Cassiel opens the door and extends his hand. "Welcome to Nightshade Castle, Liora Ashborne. Your final month begins now."
I take his hand and step down, my legs barely holding me. The courtyard feels too big, too exposed. All those eyes watching me. Judging me. Hungry.
"Come," Cassiel says gently. "The prince is waiting."
He leads me toward the castle entrance. With every step, my heart pounds harder. This is it. I'm about to meet the vampire who's going to kill me.
Prince Theron Nightshade.
The doors swing open, revealing a hallway of black marble that seems to stretch forever. Torches line the walls, their blue flames casting dancing shadows.
We walk in silence. My footsteps echo too loud. Cassiel's make no sound at all.
More vampires watch from doorways and alcoves. They whisper as we pass, but I can't hear what they're saying. Their eyes follow me like I'm prey.
Maybe I am.
Finally, we reach massive double doors carved with symbols that hurt to look at. Guards flank both sides, their faces expressionless.
"The throne room," Cassiel murmurs. "Remember what I said. Keep your secrets. And don't be afraid of him."
"How can I not be afraid?"
"Because fear is what he expects. Show him something different." Cassiel nods to the guards.
The doors swing open.
And I see him.