Chapter 46

Forty-Six

O ne hour late to the ball.

The party was in full swing, and the room smelled sweet, like lavender and honey, but it tasted like rotten wishes.

Quinn hated it. Jevon's plan for utter destruction was to take the jubilance floating through the air, turn it sour, and make it decay.

The anticipation of it all caused Quinn's hair to fade into a shade of midnight black as terror danced along her spine. Bad luck fizzled in her stomach, and she knew, despite her best-laid plans, something would go wrong. But even knowing that, Quinn marched on. She had to follow the plan and see it through. If she didn't, people would die.

So, with no other recourse, Quinn swallowed her fear and walked on.

As she reached the top of the stairs, the music crashed to a halt, and a footman announced her presence. "Quinnevere Ashelle, the prince's personal guest."

Her attention snapped to the footman. What in all the fucking mirrors did he just say? Personal guest? Where the fuck was Emrys, and what did he mean by that fucking title? He couldn't be going through with this suitor ball, could he? And he certainly was not going to choose her, right? That was a terrible idea. She would make an awful princess. Truly terrible . Besides, they had far bigger issues to deal with than a foolish marriage proposal.

Every eye in the room latched onto her as they, too, heard the title the footman had given her. Personal fucking gues t.

Quinn felt naked, despite wearing a ridiculously large ballgown that fell off her shoulders in a wave of golden fringe. The dress looked like stars crying molten teardrops. The golden bodice clung tightly to her curves with its embroidered crystals and translucent lace set to a pattern of mermaid scales while the sleeves swam with cerulean tassels.

It was beautiful, but danger lurked beneath its pristine elegance. A scalpel was sewn into a pocket, and the paintings were fastened to her leg.

"Quinny!" Seren whispered, gripping Quinn's arm and keeping her from walking down the stairs. "I know you have a plan, but it's not going to work. Fighting will only make him stronger. Jevon's power feeds on chaos."

Quinn gulped. If Seren were telling the truth, the plan would definitely not work. Quinn planned on using the vampires to fight back until Giselle could set off the glitter bombs, and the gang could get the humans to safety.

In the chaos, they were meant to get ahold of Jevon's mirror, but if his powers fed on chaos then the whole plan was doomed —because she had been planning on chaos, too.

However, her one advantage was that Jevon didn't know. He thought she was compelled and doing his bidding.

Quinn grazed her fingers against the handrail and methodically stepped to a four-four rhythm, and her dress danced with every movement. Quinn swallowed as her slippers clicked against the marble. A crowd of eyes tracked her, but only the chestnut ones mattered. Emrys had finally come into view, and he took a subtle step forward, signaling to everyone on the dance floor that he was paying extra attention. His jaw was set in a hard line, but his eyes sparkled with an emotion she couldn't quite place . . . maybe desire.

She shook out her shoulders, trying to release tension. But it didn't work because everyone else in the room was focused on her—Quinn, the poor, pathetic orphan with very little to her name. The girl who'd captured the prince's attention, and in the crowds' minds falsely so. There was nothing special about her. Nothing worthy of the golden prince's heart.

A young, twenty-something girl in a pink dress whispered to her friend, "She's not even that pretty."

"Yeah, she has a lovely enough face, but she is so skinny," a girl in green responded.

The crowd found her wanting and whispered unkind words as she passed, jealousy, confusion, and resentment coating their poisoned tongues. Their words caused a surge of shame to rupture through her core, and she was left feeling exposed, vulnerable, and dumb—the way she felt reading. Especially because while the prince showed her favor and would possibly choose her to be his bride, they had no idea that it was all for show, all fake.

Because Emrys was all show.

And it was that fakeness that killed Quinn. Because, for once in her life, she just wanted to be truly chosen. Not for her family connections, necklaces, or council tattoos. Or her ability to hunt down a killer. She just wanted to be loved and seen for who she was, not what she could do for someone. She wanted to be worthy of more than quick kisses and useful skills.

Nothing about the moment felt happy.

She was a porcelain doll on display, ready to be toyed with or broken. That was it. But those jealous whispers would never know it.

Quinn tried to calm herself and not focus on them. Counting had worked in the past, so she sucked in a breath and listened to the clicks of her heels. Click: one, click: two, click: three. Breathe. You can do this. Click: four. Breathe. Click: five.

It helped keep her emotions in check—sort of—but her hair was still a solid black. At least it was better than a sea of colors.

Reaching the center of the room, her heels stilled, and she stopped eight feet away from her prince. Silence stretched between them as they locked eyes. Even with all the pain and the fakeness, she couldn't help but seek comfort in him. And maybe that was enough. Because although it wasn't real, he had chosen her.

Perhaps the Playboy Prince wasn't capable of being real. Perhaps this was all he could give. And maybe, just maybe, that could be enough for her—at least for now.

Emrys wore a perfectly tailored tuxedo and gold cravat—matching her. Again.

In three long strides, he reached her and tilted her head up to meet his brilliant eyes—the color of the forest bark just before sunrise.

He was so beautiful, this stupid, glorious vampire.

Sound faded away—the music, the chatter, and even the clicks of glassware were gone, and only he existed. The world stilled for a perfect moment, and it was just the two of them in a blur of color. Tension licked her insides, and it wasn't just coming from the fear and anticipation of the soon-to-be fight; it was also coming from her desire for him.

Because as much as she denied it, she needed this man in so many ways.

"A dance, Miss Ashelle?" Emrys held out his hand.

A dance would give them a moment alone among the sea of revelry. It would be the best moment to warn him.

"Why, yes, of course." She smiled and slid her fingers into his.

Quinn sucked in a breath as he pulled her into a tight hold, and in his arms, her hair morphed back into its typical red—her hair liked him just as much as she did. Emrys's scent was intoxicating and calming. He smelled of sandalwood, cinnamon, and safety .

With his eyes, Emrys asked the question, Are you okay ? And then she heard it in her mind.

No , her insides screamed. Where have you been?

Confined to the castle , his words rang in her head. Compelled to stay. I've been so worried about you. Jevon—

"I know," Quinn whispered right before he spun her out and then pulled her back in. Their steps were perfectly in sync because they had trust and a true partnership. Jevon plans to break the Accords in front of all of New Swansea and take control of the city. Quinn sucked in a breath. He also wants to destroy you . . . to expose you as a vampire in front of everyone.

How do you know all of this?

They froze in the middle of the dance floor, their eyes on fire for each other. Skirts swooped around them, and the sounds of clicking heels and the strokes of violin bows cut through the sizzling air between them.

She inhaled sharply, afraid of her next words . When I traded my soul to the mirror, I also traded for duplicates of every painting in that mirror, and I gave him fakes.

His body tensed, and his face paled. Oh, Quinn, your soul—

You couldn't have protected me or taken my place.

He squeezed her hand. I'll fix this. We will find a way to fix it.

Quinn simply nodded. She didn't believe she could be fixed. A deal was a deal. That's how mirrors worked. But she smiled at him because he needed it.

Moving back into the rhythm of the dance, they twirled as they continued their conversation.

If you have the real paintings, does that mean you can now compel the vampires?

A soft smile rose on her lips. I didn't need to compel the rest, but yes, I am compelling Seren. Jevon plans to start his terror during the midnight bells. We need to get as many people out as possible before then.

The dance ended, and Emrys kissed her hand. "Miss Ashelle."

"Your Royalle Highness. "

Without hesitation, Seren swooped in and stole Quinn from his fingertips. Quinn flashed a fake, desperate glance back as she was pulled into the crowd. "Why did you do that?"

"You need to keep up appearances, Quinny," Seren said. "Jevon controls nearly all the vampires in this room, and I think a few of them are start—" She cut herself off and smiled at a party guest passing nearby. "Smile. They can hear your heart beating. You're having a good time."

Quinn heard the hidden message in the words, too. They hear any command you make or anything you say.

Glancing around the room, she noticed the sheer number of people staring at her. She couldn't tell if they were staring out of envy because they thought she would be chosen as Emrys's bride or because they were vampires watching to make sure she didn't step a toe out of line.

This was the most annoying part of her plan. She was unable to do anything to help the humans and vampires get out because she was the decoy. The pretty toy on display to make their enemies think that everything was going to plan.

She shivered, and for a brief moment, her gaze landed on an ignition spot for the glitter bombs. Hopefully, Giselle and the Fant?mes were ready to set them off. They didn't want to do it too early and expose the vampires. The plan was to keep the secret and confront Jevon in a private room, but unfortunately, he was nowhere to be seen, and they were quickly running out of time to find him.

"Do you know where J—"

Intoxicated giggles forced Quinn not to say anything else. A couple stood on the opposite side of a room divider.

Seren tensed.

"We could find them, or we could simply enjoy each other's company," Kordelia purred.

"What were you thinking?" Constance asked.

Kordelia whispered something, and the parts that could be heard made Quinn blush .

"As much as that sounds like an enjoyable time, I can feel something dark in the air. Seren is up to something, and we have to be prepared," Constance said.

Kordelia crossed her arms and pouted. "Sometimes, you're absolutely no fun at all."

"Yes, it is terrible that I am the reasonable one." Constance giggled.

"Oh, wicked mirrors, please don't make me watch this," Seren whispered to the ceiling.

Constance immediately pulled away from Kordelia, and her face soured as she faced her twin. "Seren." In an instant, Constance was on her sister, slamming her into the wall with her hand around her throat. "What are you up to?"

"As much fun as this reunion is, I have no time for you, sister ." The last word was a deadly curse. Seren flicked her eyes to a grandfather clock. "You're too late."

Quinn whispered out of the corner of her mouth. "Constance, get out and get humans—"

Midnight bells cut through the ballroom, causing chaos. Dozens of vampires slammed, blocked, and guarded the doors, and it all happened too quickly for her human eyes to see.

The music came to a crashing halt, and fifteen vampires held fifteen humans hostage. Quinn recognized two of the humans. The girls in the pink and green dresses from earlier who jealously commented on her looks. Now, they were at vampires' whims, with silent tears stroking down their faces. Despite how cruel they'd been to her, Quinn felt for them, and she wanted to help them. But Quinn never got the chance.

Because in an instant, all fifteen of the vampires, as if in a choreographed dance, slit the throats of their hostages. The girl in the pink dress fell first, crumbling to the ground like a used tissue paper. The green-dress beauty followed her friend in death, her blood spurting all over the once-pristine floor.

Quinn let out a scream .

The ball went from a glittering tapestry to a decaying catastrophe in a matter of seconds.

A river of gore painted the floor, pouring from the throats of dying humans. It was gruesome and too horrible to look at. They didn't even have a chance to escape, and they had no warning. They were simply gone in the blink of an eye—at the snap of Jevon's fingers.

Quinn's white hair fell into her face and shock dangled in the air like a hangman's noose floating on a wicked wind. A moment of stillness was preceded by utter chaos. Horror stroked Quinn's esophagus, pain burning up like heartburn. "You didn't tell me . . ."

Seren's eyes went wide. "I didn't know."

"Liar," Constance hissed, still holding her sister by the throat.

Constance, Seren, Kordelia, and Quinn were the only still figures in an ocean of mayhem. Humans ran for the exit while Jevon's newly made vampires attacked anyone in sight, ripping out throats, pulling out intestines, and sucking up a brilliant feast. The compelled vampires also joined the fight, forced to kill humans as well. But they did it in a more dignified manner. It was only ten vampires who resisted. Quinn's ten whose paintings she'd rescued from the third Blood Mirror.

In the disorder, Seren freed herself and clutched Quinn's arm, pulling her away from Constance. Blood and guts soaked the ground. They walked over the gruesome floor as Seren tried to say something, but her voice didn't carry over the destruction.

"What?" Quinn yelled.

Seren paused and turned around, her wrist still on Quinn's. "I truly didn't know, Quinn. I never wanted innocents to die." The last bit was a plea. "You have to believe me."

"I don't have time to care about you right now." Quinn ripped her hand free, and she forced her mind to still and focus on the battle. She needed to find Jevon and get the handheld mirror from where he kept the other paintings. She needed to free the compelled vampires because they were far outnumbered .

Through a sea of blood and battle, Quinn spotted Giselle pulling the princess out of the fray and to relative safety. Francois was also by her side, helping.

Oh, thank the mirrors.

Possibly compelled, Emrys stood frozen at the center of the ballroom, watching in horror—unable to do anything. Quinn couldn't imagine the torment that caused because, despite how much he had used her, he had done it all for his people. And his people included all members of New Swansea from vampires to humans to Mirror-Blessed. This must have destroyed him.

Jevon stood in front of the massive windows, silhouetted by the moon, watching in delight. The monster inside him clearly enjoyed bathing in blood and death.

"Everyone stop," Jevon commanded.

Every person in the room froze except Quinn's vampires. It was the only shot they had, and they took it. Three of them immediately snapped the necks of the vampires they were fighting. A smile rose on Quinn's lips. Maybe they could win this after all.

Except her glee was short-lived. Because when Quinn's vampires didn't respond to Jevon's command, his face grew tense, and the vein in his jaw feathered. He yelled the command again, to no avail, and his confusion was replaced with a dark, wicked rage.

Then he spotted her. "You," he hissed. "You're responsible for this. How did you do it?" He chewed on the question for a moment. "No matter, let's do this the hard way."

With a snap of his fingers, the dead bodies slowly rose from the floor, blood soaking their clothing, and some even had intestines hanging out of their torsos. It was disgusting. The newly animated corpses grabbed more humans, holding them hostage. With the second snap of Jevon's fingers, Quinn's body froze, her muscles growing heavy and impossible to move.

What the fuck?

Her eyes tracked to Jevon, who had a wide, evil smile on his pale, hollow face. In this moment, he resembled a corpse. He could control bodies—not just dead ones but all living and dead flesh.

Instantly, all of Quinn's plans melted because if Jevon was fueled by the chaos, they were all fucked. Because his power—whatever it was . . . possibly Necromancy—was growing to unimaginable heights.

He was unbeatable.

From the looks on everyone else's faces in the room, they all knew it, too. Quinn saw the precise moment when hope faded into ash and was left with only despair.

Every human and vampire in the room was frozen, stuck under the weight of his power.

How could she fight this? How could anyone?

They were all going to die. Quinn's throat grew dry because she had nothing left, nothing to do but accept her fate. Quinn pinched her eyes closed and waited to die—or for whatever the monster would do next.

But hope came in the most unlikely place.

Seren squeezed Quinn's hand. "Calm your heart. His power feeds on chaos. On your chaos."

Quinn opened her eyes and met the gaze of her ex-friend. What?

"You can fight him. Fight the chaos in your heart." Seren squeezed Quinn's hand again and nodded. "You can fight him."

"Now that I have your attention." Jevon sauntered to the center of the room and stepped in front of Emrys, who shielded a human girl from the vampires and animated corpses around him. "Let us have a public execution."

From his inside pocket, Jevon pulled out his hand-held,stemmed mirror. Quinn wasn't sure why the mirror did Jevon's bidding when the Mirror-Gods were far stronger than the creatures they created, but there had to have been a bargain between them.

From Jevon's mirror floated a large scroll, and he caught it in mid-air before placing his hand-held mirror back in its pocket. Jevon unrolled the scroll and exposed Emrys' vampiric painting.

His life force.

"You really shouldn't have tried to kill me." Jevon's face magically shifted. His freckles slid away, and his blond hair flaked into a soft walnut. His blue eyes were now a bright, mint green. Clearly, his power allowed him to completely manipulate his body . . . and others.

"You won't move." Jevon's voice was laced with compulsion, freezing Emrys in his tracks.

"Gideon," Emrys said with wide, disbelieving eyes. "Or is it the monster who lives inside you speaking?"