Chapter 18

TOBIAS

I can barely lookat the four again. Were they dressed this way when the First brought them here? Or did the creature put the sapphire jewelled headpiece on the woman"s sleek black hair?

"Would you wake them?" asks the First. "Or kill them?"

"Excuse me?" I reply.

"Would you ask me to break the curse?" she continues.

"And allow hemia to daywalk?" Dorian rests against the wall. "I can already do that. So can Andrei and Tobias."

"We"d give Gabriella a massive advantage if she could daywalk," I retort.

"Is this why we"re here?" asks Andrei, brow pinched. "You want us to make a decision for you?"

"Oh, no. That"s an aside. I wanted you to see evidence of my capabilities." The First sits on the edge of the dais that the thrones of the strange kings and queen of the vampires rest on. "If, despite everything, you turn against me, here"s what you can expect."

Fuck. She"ll keep us here, too. Now? "We"re not stupid enough to cross you," I say. "Besides, you have Andrei as your insurance."

Is the First even listening to me? Because the creature"s fussing over the frozen vampires" clothes, brushing the woman"s burgundy silk dress straight. "Oh. I almost forgot another detail. If you upset me and I decide to kill them, all hemia from the families" bloodlines die. Another insurance policy of mine." Dorian opens his mouth. "Including you. Anybody with their blood."

What game is she playing this time?

"Even Andrei?" I ask.

"You know his role is different."

"Is breaking the daywalking curse part of your plans?" Andrei"s voice becomes a rasp. "You manipulated me partly because I"m desperate to daywalk, but were planning this?"

"Hmm." The First studies her nails, flicking at them. "Well, when I reveal the supes to the world, the hemia will be at a disadvantage if they"re stuck in the night."

"When you what?" I half-shout. "Do you know what mayhem that"ll bring? The amount of deaths—humans and supes?"

The First ignores me, continuing to look at her nails. "Yes, unfortunately. But any hemia I dislike must be killed before I continue with my plans."

"You"re capable of killing Gabriella yourself," I say. "Why haven"t you?"

"I rather enjoy watching the hunt."

"This is all a fucking game!" blurts Andrei. "You"re holding this over our heads. We"ll never be safe while you have these... things in your possession."

She shrugs. "Everybody needs insurance in their lives."

"Will you free these originals when you tell the world?" Dorian asks.

"Hmm. No. I believe it"s better all-round if vampires as powerful as this stay subdued."

My head spins in circles as I rest against the wall, taking deeper breaths. Games. Games with hemia. With us. With humans.

"What exactly do you plan to do?" asks Andrei. "Announce on the internet that vampires, shifters, and witches exist? Nobody will believe you."

"Oh, but they will."

"Right. And then when the humans kill us all again?" asks Dorian. "The humans possess more sophisticated weapons compared to the ones the supes faced in the last Purge. Guns. Bombs. A fuck load of defence."

"Against thousands upon thousands of supes, many already integrated into your society, some at government level? You have spells and are supernatural. I know human history. If a virus can bring the modern world to its knees, we definitely can."

"You can"t reveal us!" I say. "That"s crazy."

"Most races will manage to live peacefully, apart from the ones driven by blood lust." That fucking smile. "Life will be difficult for hemia. What a shame."

"You"d give them daywalking and not take away the blood lust?" demands Andrei.

"I"m all for a little give and take. I"m not a monster." The creature pouts. "I"m not that cruel."

Dorian chokes a laugh. "Right."

"Out of everything you"ve said, that"s the most unbelievable," says Andrei. "Look what you"ve done to me."

"It"s what you wanted," the First mocks, then sits back on the dais, legs stretched out tapping her toes together. "Now, the other matter. The Winterfall."

"Don"t you touch Maeve," snarls Andrei.

"Or what? You"ll hurt me?" the creature sneers. "You"re only a small part of me; I can still squash you."

"What"s the problem with Maeve?" I ask cautiously. "You"ve established she"s no danger to you now that Andrei will suffer if we trap you. Maeve wouldn"t change her mind on that."

"But one day Maeve will die, and I don"t want any other little Winterfalls pattering around the world." She nods at Dorian. "Bad enough you have a child, Dorian Blackwood."

In a flash, Dorian"s in the First"s face, looking down at the girl she is. "Don"t touch Mia."

They lock gazes, and I question Dorian"s sanity as he challenges this godlike creature. But haven"t I always questioned his sanity?

"I will have this conversation with you later," the First says stiffly.

"Don"t touch my daughter," he repeats.

"And don"t tell me what I can and can"t do." The First waves a dismissive hand. "I won"t kill her. Is that enough for you to settle down? Because I wouldn"t want you to hurt yourself by upsetting me."

"Maeve," I interrupt. "What do you intend to do?"

"The job needs finishing, Tobias." I frown. "The Winterfall line needs ending."

Andrei"s on the First in a second, also lacking in sanity as he grabs the creature around the throat. A heartbeat later, he"s thrown against the solid mausoleum wall, sliding to the ground.

"Dumb move, Andrei. But that"s your forte, isn"t it?" the creature snarls. "I need Maeve alive to prevent any current Winterfall and Blackwood attempt against me. But I need her to be the last Winterfall. The magic needs to end, not be passed to another."

The world disappears as I retreat into the horrific realisation this creature could kill Maeve. The First could leave us here, walk away, and I"d never see Maeve again.

The First must know about Astrid? How could she not? Astrid and Lex are literally Winterfall and Blackwood. They can produce another child.

"I heard that." She taps the side of her head. "Of course, I know. Alexei and Astrid wouldn"t do anything either. Not if it would affect their precious daughter. If they meet again, the pair have aged and have little time left to reproduce. If that does happen, I"ll deal with the result."

"You want to ensure Maeve can never have children," I say quietly.

"You think I"d curse her? No. I need her under my control, too." She pivots to face Andrei. "Turn Maeve."

My ears whine as the world becomes further and further out of my grasp. No. We agreed. Maeve"s clearly told us she doesn"t want immortality, let alone this. Andrei looks as distant from reality as I am as he drags a hand through his hair.

"Or I will kill these originals and, therefore, kill all the people standing in this room." She pats Andrei on the head. "Apart from you. You made a sacrifice for Maeve, now she can return the favour." She glances at Dorian. "I need every Blackwood binding to me, too."

"No," he whispers.

"Isn"t that what you"ve wished for, Dorian Blackwood? My blood? You"re extremely confusing."

"No," he repeats. "You can"t."

"Oh!" she says in mock surprise. "You"re worrying about your daughter again. Don"t fret, we can come to an arrangement."

However cruel this makes me, I don"t care. I don"t care about Dorian and his family. I"m terrified for Maeve. Her future. I held Andrei as the First"s blood half-killed him—Andrei, a pure hemia created from the blood of the silent men in front of me.

Maeve is a witch.

Vampire blood can kill witches, so what the fuck would Andrei"s enhanced blood do? Maeve hates the creature taunting us now; she"d resist the change more.

No. This can"t happen. I glance at the side of Andrei"s face. He"s staring ahead, face inscrutable, hands deep in his pockets.

The First created these aberrations to punish the hemia rather than kill them outright. She wants to do the same to Maeve—create a living death for her.

The First doesn"t enjoy killing. The creature prefers torture. Control.

"I guess you really fucked up when you drank the First"s blood, Andrei," says Dorian.

If Andrei hadn"t blurred across the room and broken Dorian"s face with a single punch, I would"ve done so. I glare at the swearing hybrid, who"s standing straight with a hand over his nose and fury in his eyes.

"And I guess you really fucked up when you had a daughter," Andrei spits back.

Dorian wipes blood on his jeans. "If we get out of this place, you won"t see me again. Not now that thing threatened Mia. Good luck."

The First clears her throat. "Did I not advise you to watch your words around me? If you didn"t have an important role in the future I"ve seen, I"d kill you for less."

"Important?" Dorian straightens. "I do kill Oskar?"

"And I won"t give you my blood to tie you to me," she adds, ignoring his question. "Giving Dorian Blackwood more supernatural power would be a ludicrous idea. I"ve other ways to ensure the Blackwoods are bound to me."

"But you just said..." He trails off. "Fuck. No. Please. Leave Mia alone."

"The Winterfall won"t allow her lover to suffer; the Blackwood won"t want his daughter to."

Dorian"s completely still, reduced to something small for the first time in his life as he places a hand on the wall, breath shortening. "Eloise," he rasps out.

"Wow, Dorian," snaps Andrei. "Really? You"re offering up the woman you supposedly love?"

He snarls. "She"s the only alternative to me, and Eloise would offer in a heartbeat. Will Maeve?"

"No." The First smiles. "Not Eloise. Only Mia."

Somehow, I don"t believe this"ll be the last we see of Dorian.

Every one of us needs to figure out a way to trap the First before the creature unleashes havoc on the world and destroys those most precious to us.

Dealing with Gabriella"s army suddenly seems pointless, but if the First thinks that"s our focus still, that buys time. We take down the Dominion while researching how todeal with the First.

Maeve can"t take the First"s blood and condemn herself to a life controlled by something worse than a curse. The First would harm a child to further its aims and protect herself. If the creature is the goddess it claimed some treated the First as, the thing is as evil as they come.

Did others offer sacrifices to this creature in the past? Because I"ll sacrifice everything to stop her.