25. Jessa

25

JESSA

T he haunted look on Nikolai’s face makes it hard to concentrate as I’m dragged into the Council room. My pulse is still thundering even though I’m trying to quell it.

I’m not sure why he still has that effect on me.

But a larger part of me wonders why he’s even down here. Did he come looking for me? Because he didn’t seem surprised to see me, just relieved and anguished all at once.

“Oh, good.” Brinda’s voice breaks through my thoughts as the guards bring me to a stop before her. My arms are sore from their tight hold, but I say nothing as I look up at the Matriarch. I guess I’m still a threat down here until she clears me so they will continue to treat me as such. “You didn’t die.”

“No, Matriarch,” I say cooly. “I did not.”

She smirks, and I try not to let it rile me. Brinda is definitely not one to underestimate, and though my boldness got me the trial in the first place, I know better than to push her too far.

“And what did you learn?” Her fiery red hair makes her eyes look like they are blazing in contrast. Her lips part into a wide, almost sinister smile. “Something good, I hope.”

"I discovered an imminent and dire threat," I say evenly, meeting Brinda's piercing gaze. "The dark elves are mobilizing to mount a major attack on a vrakken base in just four days' time at sunrise."

I quickly detail the intelligence gathered during my harrowing infiltration. I describe the sprawling war camp I witnessed, with rows of wooden barracks and armor glinting in the firelight. Stockpiles of vicious weapons to be distributed among the forces.

Most critically, I reveal the attack plans I overheard. "They intend to strike one of the bases using the element of surprise right after dawn. I heard the commander pointing out the location himself on a detailed map, and I fear they may know where more than one base is."

Murmurs ripple through Council members. All except Brinda. But as I finish my thorough report, the Matriarch seemingly unconvinced and unperturbed. She leans back, eyebrows raised and palms pressed into the table before her as her eyes rake over me.

"While this is concerning, the threat seems overstated," Brinda says, her eyes boring into mine. "The dark elf forces are currently still camped near Liiandor. And while that does give them easy access to the wildspont, it is unlikely they have uncovered the precise locations of multiple bases, nor could they easily navigate the volatile wildspont." She cocks her head. “Isn’t that right?”

“Yes, Matriarch,” the Council member to her right says. “The dark elves have no experience navigating the wildspont like we do, which makes it incredibly hard to find the locations, especially undetected.”

I do not raise the point that Nikolai was sent to the surface to make sure the scouts were actually doing their jobs – among other things. It’s not like they would have caught dark elves learning the wildspont’s tricks.

Brinda smirks, baring her fangs. "Yes, the inherent unpredictability of the living forest remains our best protection. I sincerely doubt these elves could systematically find and then breach our defenses or find a way to navigate right to where we are even if they did have the locations."

I frown, an insistent spark of frustration flaring within me. "You underestimate their capabilities. I saw the extent of their forces and planning with my own eyes. We cannot afford to ignore this looming danger."

"We appreciate your...enthusiastic efforts, girl," Brinda says patronizingly. "But complex matters of vrakken security will remain in far more qualified hands."

The other Council members murmur in acquiescence, unshaken by my urgent warning. My fists tighten instinctively at my sides in mounting anger, but I dig my nails into my palms and hold my tongue for the moment.

I alone have witnessed the truth of this threat. If only I could make the Council comprehend the true stakes before it's too late. But their minds seem stubbornly closed. I’m not sure what to do, so I remain silent as I wait for the Council to finish with me.

“But,” Brinda's resonant voice echoes authoritatively through the torch-lit Council chamber. "You have proven herself worthy through your efforts and dedication to the vrakken. You still wish to be a vrakken?”

I nod, my mouth drying up at the thought. “Yes, Matriarch.”

A glint dances in her eye as she grins. “Then, we shall move to initiate her Changing without delay."

The other Council members seated around the stone table murmur their assent, their jeweled rings glinting as they solemnly nod.

"Normally a vrakken mate would undertake this most sacred duty," the Council member to her left states, absently playing with the jeweled adornments on his hands. "But as the girl currently has none, we shall make a rare exception and extend the immense honor to our dedicated security." I try not to flinch at the thought, but the Council member only grins. “They do deserve such a reward, don’t they?”

They shift behind me, not yet approaching, and my body is suddenly in self preservation mode. There is a pulsing need to run, an instinct that is telling me to get out of here. But I stay rooted to the spot, determined not to back down.

"Becoming one of us will not be easy, human." Brinda’s voice holds a note of dark anticipation. "The ritual transformation can be...unforgiving. There is a very real chance you may not survive it."

Though a shiver runs down my spine at her words, I refuse to show any reaction or fear. Instead I lift my chin and boldly meet Brinda's piercing gaze. "I am ready for whatever is to come."

Inwardly, exhilaration courses fiery through my veins, setting my pulse racing in anticipation. This is my destiny – to finally become a true equal to Nikolai in body as well as spirit. To stand proudly united without barriers between us at long last.

My short-lived exhilaration fades as Brinda gestures sharply to one of the guards. "You – begin the process. Bite her now."

The burly guard approaches, his heavy footfalls echoing menacingly on the stone floor. Apprehension trickles down my spine as he comes to loom over me, casting me in his shadow.

As my instincts yell at my body to move, to escape this, disappointment and fear trickle in. This isn't how I imagined the ceremony unfolding.

Before I can react, he grabs my head in a viselike grip between his hands, forcibly tilting it to expose the pale, vulnerable curve of my neck. Revulsion and panic spike through me at his domineering touch.

I try not to flinch away as he leans closer, making my stomach churn. He bares his elongated fangs with a guttural snarl.

Primal fear lances through every fiber of my being, turning my blood to ice. And suddenly I realize that the idea of anyone but Nikolai biting me is utterly terrifying and revolting.

I desperately want to scream, to tear myself away by sheer force of will, but the brute's grip on my skull could not be pried off of me if I tried. I’m stuck between a war, wanting to put an end to this but also not wanting to back down. Either way, I cannot move even an inch as he leans in and inhales my scent and I have to suppress a whimper.

He takes his time finding just the right spot, his touch a cruel mockery of what this should be. Any second now, those razor fangs will pierce vulnerable flesh and it will all be over. Revulsion twists my gut, bile rising in my throat.

I can't repress a gasp as his fangs graze the delicate flesh of my neck, precise and surgical in his perverse task. My eyes squeeze shut instinctively, bracing for the violation to come.

The points of his fangs pressing down elicit a sharp pinch. I clench my fists, nails digging into my palms, as the first hints of pain bloom.

Any second now, he will drive those razor-sharp implements ruthlessly into my vulnerable jugular. My frantic pulse throbs under his touch, the drumbeat counting down my final moments as a mortal.

This can't be happening. Not like this, at the mercy of a stranger's cruel whims. Exposed and powerless before the Council's pitiless eyes. Who is to say he’ll stop in time or that they will stop him. Please, no...

But just as the knife-like tips start to pierce delicate skin, the first beads of crimson rising, a thunderous, commanding voice suddenly echoes through the stone chamber.

"Stop!"

The brute's viselike grip on me goes slack. My eyes fly open, hardly daring to hope at the reprieve. A heavy silence descends on the room as all eyes turn to the open doorway. The air crackles with tension, my heart thundering with anticipation as I turn to see who saved me.

But my body already knows exactly who it was.