Chapter 3

3

SELENE

“ G o,” I whispered to Hector. My raven clutched my shoulder tighter, clearly agitated by my command. But he always listened, even when he hated my orders. So only a moment passed before he pushed off my shoulder and vanished into the clouds.

An evening wind rustled my cloak, but the rest of me remained frozen, my legs burning from where I crouched beside the ruined stone wall. Whoever stood behind me had a rough, deep voice, and he smelled of blood. Clearly, he was a vampire. And he had no idea who I was, else he’d know no weapon, not even a wooden stake, was a threat to me.

No need to give that away just yet.

I wet my lips, grasping for an excuse as to why someone would be out here. “Apologies if I’ve caused any alarm. I was curious about these ruins, and I—”

“Don’t bother. I know who you are, Princess Selene of Troy .” He spit my kingdom’s name like it was a curse, and he pressed the blade harder against my neck.

Fuck .

If he knew who I was, then he must have encountered my mother. Closing my eyes, I steadied myself, calming my breathing and the whirlwind of thoughts tearing through my mind. I called upon that side of me we’d trained since birth—the noble who would never be cowed by a threat. But most importantly, she would reveal any emotion to an enemy.

Cold, aloof, blank-faced. Like a shard of impenetrable ice.

I cracked open my eyes, embracing the Selene I’d forced myself to become. “If you know my name, then you’re a fool for thinking your feeble weapon can intimidate me.”

He huffed what sounded like a laugh. The wood scraped against my neck, but then it vanished. “Very well. Stand and face me. But I’d warn you against trying to run. I’ve come bearing a gift from Zeus, and you won’t want to leave it behind.”

His words shot a spike of fear through my heart, but I kept my face blank. Rising from my crouch, I turned toward him. The vampire I’d seen on the palace steps stood before me now, his heavy cloak rippling around his legs. He’d removed the hood, revealing a tousled head of curly silver hair and eyes the color of blood. He gave me a measured look and lowered a wooden sword with a tip so sharp it could penetrate a vampire’s heart.

“You’re Selene,” Ares said. “The secret daughter of the High Queen of Troy. You are…older than what I expected. How long has she been hiding you away?”

“Thirty years.” A beat passed. “Where is she?”

His lips lifted in the corners. “I’ll tell you where to find your mother, but I need you to answer some questions first.”

I didn’t like this. Not one bit. But I couldn’t walk away, either. And he knew it. He and Zeus must have taken my mother captive, and if I could give the right answers to these questions, perhaps I could convince them to let her go. According to the treaty, monarchs couldn’t enter another kingdom without an invitation, but she’d done nothing else out of bounds. She hadn’t stolen humans or killed anyone, two of the greatest crimes.

And if they wouldn’t let her go…

I scanned the length of him. Ares was several feet taller than me and powerfully built. And as an Olympian, he would be much older—nearly two hundred years older, in fact. He probably thought he could best me in a physical fight, but he knew next to nothing about me. High King Ares did not understand the weapon my mother had built.

“How many questions?” I eventually asked.

“Just three.”

Expression still blank, I nodded. “All right. I’ll answer your three questions, and then you’ll tell me where my mother is.”

“Good.” He sheathed his sword and folded his arms over his cloak. “First question. Did you enter the city, or did you wait in the ruins with your raven?”

My mouth went dry. He could have asked me anything, and yet he’d chosen this question. That meant the answer was important. They wanted to know if I’d crossed the city walls, too.

I knew what my mother would want me to say. Still, I hesitated, if only from that protective instinct all vampires had for those we loved. It went far beyond what mortals felt. When we cared for someone, we would rip apart the fabric of the world to save them.

But I’d agreed to do what she’d asked. It was my duty.

“I waited here. She said it was too dangerous for me to go with her.” I forced out the words, hating myself a little bit for it.

“Then why did she even bother bringing you to Olympia?” he countered so quickly it caught me off guard.

“Is that one of your questions?”

A long moment passed, then he shook his head. “No. Do you worship Gaia?”

I blinked at the unexpected turn in the conversation. “What?”

“You heard me. The Thirteen Crowns recognizes Erebus as our only god. That includes Troy, even though your monarch is a Titan. So my question is, do you worship Gaia?”

“No.”

Another lie. This one was much easier to speak. As much as Troy still secretly worshiped the Titan god, I didn’t bother. To me, she was just a vague idea, a symbol of a world long since gone. Duty had become my religion far more than anything else.

“I have one more question for you, then.” He edged in closer, lowering his head so that our eyes were level. It took everything within me not to recoil from his close proximity. “Who is your father?”

I gazed back at him, unblinking. Inside, I wanted to scream. My mother had hidden my existence from the world, partially to protect me from the machinations of the Olympians and partially to obscure the identity of my father. No one could know who he was, least of all someone like Ares. He would tell Zeus. Together, they would track him down.

And they would do everything in their power to destroy him.

So I repeated what she’d told the kingdom all these years, what no one had ever questioned. “A vampire lord named Valerius. They were briefly married. Unfortunately, he died just before I was born.”

His gaze narrowed. “How very convenient.”

“His early death meant I never even got to meet him, so I’d hardly call it convenient.”

“Do you know what I think?” he murmured, leaning even closer. The scent of blood billowed from his lips. “I think every single word coming out of your mouth is a lie. Your father isn’t a random, dead vampire lord. He’s someone else. Someone you and your mother don’t want the world to know about.”

His words cut straight through me, but I stood tall, refusing to crack.

“Feel free to visit Troy to confirm what I’ve said. I can send you an invitation with directions, if you’d like,” I replied, lifting my chin. “Now tell me where my mother is.”

His lips quirked to the side. “So commanding. So cold and regal, like a queen. That’s lucky, since you’re no longer a princess.”

He pulled back and tossed a small brown sack at my feet, the ends tied together with string. It fell with a heavy thunk, and sand rustled inside.

No , not sand.

The scent wafting from it…it was the unforgettable scent of salt air and rose-laced perfume, mixed with the distinct aroma of petrichor and mist. The way Troy smelled just after a snowstorm. The way my mother always smelled.

My stomach tightened as I stared down at it. No, that was impossible. It couldn’t be. There were few things in this world that were permanent. Few things I could count on. One of those had always been my mother. Regardless of how intently she’d prepared me for leadership, I knew I’d never need those lessons. Not when she’d be the High Queen of Troy until the end of all days.

She was immortal. One of the few left in this brutal world. Nothing could kill her.

I pointed a shaking finger at the sack. “I don’t know what kind of trick you’re trying to pull here, but—”

“It’s not a trick. When Zeus discovered Theia was plotting against him, he found a way to make wooden stakes fatal to her—and to you. And since she came into his city uninvited, he felt the need to protect his people from someone who clearly meant them harm.” He drew his sword and pressed the wooden tip against my cheek. “He told me to let you go as long as you swear you aren’t involved.”

My chest burned, and the corners of my vision bled black. And as my lungs struggled to grasp air, Ares shoved his sword harder against my cheek.

“Are you going to swear it?” he murmured in a low, dangerous voice.

The world blurred before me. “You’re lying.”

“I assure you I’m not lying. Zeus killed your mother. And if you’re involved in this, I’m to kill you, too.”

“Involved in what ?!” I shouted the words. Suddenly spinning away from him, I leapt onto the rocky ledge to put some distance between us.

If my heart wasn’t torn into a million pieces, I would relish the shock on his face. He hadn’t expected me to move so quickly, hadn’t expected me to get away from him at all. But besting him didn’t matter—not when my blood was roaring in my veins and pain shuddered through every inch of me.

My mother was dead.

She was dead.

I wanted to rip apart this entire city, then scream at the stars.

“She was plotting against the Olympians. You didn’t know about it?” Gone was the vicious edge to his tone. He seemed genuinely curious.

“She wasn’t plotting anything.” I yanked a wooden dagger from where I’d hidden it beneath my cloak and angled it his way. “I will kill you for this.”

His brow rose. “And break the peace treaty, Selene?”

“The treaty ?” I asked, my voice cracking despite my every attempt to keep a tight lock on my emotions. All my mother’s words echoed in my ears. All her training, all her prepping. I was to stay calm in every situation, no matter how tough, no matter how dire, and no matter how terribly I wanted to crumble into a million pieces and become one with the ground.

But this—this was something I’d never imagined possible.

How was I supposed to keep it together when the most important person in my world was gone ?

Ares reached into his cloak as if he planned to grab another weapon. Before he could draw it, I dove toward the sack between us. My fingers closed around the cloth, and I pulled it toward me. Before I could dash away again, Ares gripped the front of my cloak and hauled me to my feet.

His other hand held his sword against my chest.

I gulped in a breath, the world slowing around us. His eyes went hard, and he began to shove, but—he stopped short, hesitating, a strange expression momentarily crossing his face.

Clenching my teeth, I slammed my boot into his stomach. He grunted, stumbling away. Before he could react, I swung my leg and kicked him in the face, hard enough that the bone in his jaw crunched.

Ares fell to his knees. I angled my dagger, readying myself to make my first kill, but an explosion of distant shouts stopped me short. I lifted my gaze, scanning the city wall. The guards had spotted the fight, and a group of armored vampires were rushing this way, swords raised, bows nocked with wood-tipped arrows.

I looked back at my enemy, on his knees and rubbing his jaw. He’d heal soon and those guards would surround me. I was strong enough to take on a couple of them, but not all.

So I shoved down my thirst for vengeance and spat in the dirt just in front of Ares. “One day, I will make you pay for this.”

And then I ran, clutching my mother’s ashes to my heart.