Chapter 27

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

THEON

" A nd this is where I find you?" Marius strolled up to me, motioning to me as I sat here. I didn't have the energy or patience to even look at him. What he'd done would affect us all from now on. Our lives would forever be changed because of him. The Night Spawn would live at the razor's edge, and if he kept on going with this treachery, it would be war—a war we did not want or need. He glanced around with a heavy sigh, looking as if finding me here was such a boring disappointment to him. "Not surprising. You always were rather . . . emotional."

I turned my face away from him and gazed out over the graveyard where I'd buried my family so long ago. My parents had loved me, my brother had loved me, and yet my maker, whom I spent over a century with, never had. I'd spent years devoted to him, thinking we were working together to help the Night Spawn. Now I could see his selfishness and it disgusted me. I shifted my weight away from him, debating if I wanted to leave now or give him a moment to explain himself. Not that any explanation could justify his actions. If I left, there was nowhere else for me to go to find a moment of clarity.

I'd always found this place to soothe me in times of trouble. It was the only place I could be close to my family, and now I really could use their wisdom and guidance. The wooden bench I perched on now was dilapidated and falling apart, yet I stayed there gazing out over the stillness of the cemetery, searching for solace. It'd been years since they'd buried anyone this far out in the country, and I liked the quiet of how undisturbed it now was. The moon shined down with bright light that lit the headstones with different hues of blue. Clouds passed over the moon, casting large shadows throughout the open space.

"Are we not speaking then?" Marius stood beside me with that stupid leather coat of his billowing out and dragging over the frozen grass.

"Of all the things to have happened, why did you not speak of the attack with me?" I rested my arms across the back of the bench and slouched down.

He took the space beside me and spread out in a similar position. The wooden bench creaked under his weight. "Because I am aware of how your mind works."

I didn't turn to look at him. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

"It means I'm aware you don't have the wherewithal to do what needs to be done." He turned to face me. "You are weak."

I scoffed and rolled my eyes. I'd never shown an ounce of weakness until I ran from the castle after the attack. "Because attacking at a ball shows strength? Half those vampires were Night Spawn. Many were injured or even killed in that attack."

He waved my words away. "They were not loyal to the cause."

"Loyalty." I shook my head. "And where is your so-called loyalty?"

"Do not question things you know nothing about," he hissed toward me, and I pressed my lips together. Silence hung between us, and I wasn't going to be the one to break it. He was the first to speak, and he continued in his condescending tone. "The House of Shade must fall, and this is the first step among many."

I rose to my feet and began walking away from him. This wasn't something I wanted to be a part of. There was no place I was safe after being so close to Marius, and there was no way that I wouldn't be labeled a traitor, or worse, sentenced to death. He put me here. He'd ruined the life I'd built. His actions would take me down with him, and I hadn't even gotten a choice in the matter. The bitterness I felt toward him tasted stale on my tongue. I didn't make it three steps before Marius was in front of me.

He pressed his hand to my chest, stopping me. "And where are you going?"

"Somewhere I won't be killed for your bloody actions." I shoved his hand away from my chest and tried to step around him, but he blocked my way.

"Join us." When I didn't answer, he ran his hand through his hair and turned away from me. "I will not beg of you."

"Beg of me?" My anger flared. "How about consult with me before you ruin us all?"

"Ruin?" He whirled around and shoved both his hands into my chest, pushing me back. "I have brought greatness to our door, and you insult it?"

"Greatness?" I shoved him back. "You have brought death."

He pushed his body into me, bumping his chest against mine. His breath fanned across my face as his fangs descended in his mouth. "You're either with me or against me."

"Is that how it is? Either with you or death? Such black and white lines you draw to justify your actions." My hands curled into fists, and I fought the urge to hit him.

Before he could act, a blue light appeared across the cemetery from us and began to expand to a circle. We both dove for cover behind two side-by-side headstones. Marius crouched lower and narrowed his eyes at me. "You've set me up. What is it!?"

"I didn't ask you here. You found me, you daft prick. How should I know what it is?" I hissed back as I peeked around the side of the headstone.

Piper marched out of this blue, swirling portal-looking-thing with a tall elf hot on her heels. She glanced around the cemetery and whirled on him. "He's not here."

"Don't doubt my skill, leech. You're trying my patience." His eyes glowed a crystal-green in the darkness, and he walked over to one of the headstones and placed his hand on it. Burgundy smoke flowed from his fingers and covered the stone like a thick fog. It crumbled to the ground in an instant. He knelt and placed his hand on the rubble, and two short swords and one long one emerged. He took the two short ones and threw them to Piper. "You needed these last time. You might need them again."

She glanced down at the dark stone blades in her hands and to where the headstone once stood. "That feels so wrong."

"What? They're dead. It's not like they're using the headstones." He shrugged.

"You're a real ass sometimes, you know that?" She looked down at herself. "I have no place to hold these."

"I got it." Another girl with long, dark-red hair emerged from the portal and waved her hand over Piper. She covered her in golden magic, and an instant later Piper was in dark-black jeans and a black tank top. Leather straps were wrapped up and down her arms and around her hips.

She slid the swords into holsters at her hips and nodded at the redhead. "Thanks."

"Such power they wield so easily." Marius' voice was almost reverent as he spoke. His eyes were wide, and I was familiar with that look. He coveted them and their power. The gears were turning behind those dark eyes, and I could almost smell the envy rolling off him.

Piper turned to the tall, dark-haired guy just as a guy with blond hair walked through the portal. Blue smoke swirled from the portal around his hand, and he seemed to draw it back into himself. The smokey magic twisted around his body before disappearing into his palm. He dusted off his hands and moved in closer to the redhead.

Marius leaned forward. "Such company our Piper keeps."

"Piper is not for you," I whispered so only he could hear.

He growled. "Everyone is for me."

"Where is he, Kylian?" Piper snapped at the guy next to her.

Kylian, the dark-haired one, pointed toward the trees in the distance. "My guess would be there."

"You guess or you know?" she asked as she walked by him.

A black raven flew overhead, and the shadow of its wings glided over the headstones. Piper's eyes widened as her hands shook. "He's here."

Who is she talking about?

Atlas melted from the shadows of the trees like a shroud of darkness, like death himself, like the shadows were where he belonged. The darkness was a friend he knew well and lived with all his life. If the rumors were true, then Atlas was so loyal to The House of Shade that his family paid the price for his loyalty. His black shirt and pants only helped him blend into the night. In one hand he held a sword. The other hung loose at his side. He stood there for a moment, then he tilted his head up to the moon. It bathed his face in blue light, and he closed his eyes. He sucked in a deep breath and blew it out slowly.

The sound of a branch snapping echoed off to the right and his eyes flashed wide open. Piper's head snapped in the direction of the sound, and they both took off running at the same time. Atlas moved like a ghost. His movements were an effortless, silent glide as he leapt over headstones and gained more speed. Piper pumped her arms, trying to get there before he did. She moved so fast her arms and legs looked like a blur to me. It was fast even for a vampire.

Marius wrapped his hand around my wrist and yanked me with him as he followed and kept hidden behind the headstones. When we were close enough, he pulled me down next to him behind a thicket of trees and brush that would cover us. "What do you know of this?"

"I know nothing." How would I know why the right hand of the King and the soulmate of the Prince were clearly hunting for the same thing? Or why it seemed dire to each of them.

Marius dug his fingers into my skin. "Do not lie to me."

I yanked my hand free. "Out of the two of us, I am not the liar here."

When I heard a familiar voice muttering to himself, my head snapped up. Grayson? He was pacing back and forth among the brush. I'd never seen him like this before. His hair was a mess, his clothing was torn, and he looked like he was talking to someone but there was no one near him. He was the opposite of the smooth-talking Prince I'd grown used to. This vampire was . . . mad. When I saw him before, it was a passing glimpse. He wasn't talking to himself or disheveled. I thought he might've slipped for a moment, not gone down the rabbit hole . . . I was wrong.

Atlas was so close. He sprinted toward Grayson with his sword in hand. He leapt up into the air and held his sword over his head like he was going to bring it down across Grayson's neck. My breath caught in my throat, and I couldn't turn away. It was like watching a train about to crash. NO! What the devil was happening here? A moment before Atlas swung his sword, Piper dove for him and wrapped her arms around his hips, knocking him off course.

She hit him like a rugby player would, driving her shoulder into his stomach. They tumbled a few meters away and fell to the ground. The other three who were with Piper hurried to surround Grayson. They moved in closer like they were going to attack. Glittering, golden magic wound around the redhead's hands. That blue smoke flowed from the blond guy and crept over the ground toward Gray. The elf, Kylian, swung his sword in a loose circle at his side. A manic laugh ripped from Grayson's throat as red mist exploded out of him and they all froze. The mist spread over them in a thick wave and wrapped tightly around them, holding them in place.

Piper and Atlas wrestled on the ground. That mad laugh escaped Grayson again. I watched his eyes go full black as red veins forked out over his face and down his neck.I glanced to Marius. This was not the ammunition or knowledge he needed right now. It would only add fuel to his fire.

A wide grin spread over his face. "The Prince is crazed."

Grayson forced the three surrounding him to kneel before him, their bodies quaking with the need to fight. Their muscles twitched and magic seeped from their hands and pooled on the ground around them. Grayson hunched over Kylian and raked a nail over his skin. A drop of blood welled at the base of his neck. Grayson drew back his lips and his fangs extended like he was about to strike.

"NO! Gray, don't!" Piper called out to him, and he hesitated.

His eyes widened, and he stumbled away from Kylian, shaking his head like he didn't know up from down. He pressed his hands to the sides of his head and hunched over, roaring with anguish. He rocked up and down for what felt like forever but was mere seconds. All at once he straightened his stance and spun to face Atlas and Piper, who were still struggling on the ground. When he glanced at Piper, he hissed, but he took off running in the opposite direction. The others remained frozen with the effects of Grayson's blood magic. Atlas rose to his feet above Piper, grabbed both of her shoulders, and shoved her to the ground. He turned to follow Grayson, but Piper was scrappy and hooked one arm around his leg and the other around his hip and threw him back to the dirt.

They both scrambled to their feet and drew their swords. They circled one another, and I was shocked how naturally Piper held those swords at her sides. "Atlas, don't do this."

"I keep my word," he growled at her. "I will not fail him!"

He swung his sword. Piper lunged forward and threw her own swords up, blocking his strike. He spun quickly and crouched down and swung his sword at her midsection. At the last second, she jumped back, and the blade missed her by inches.

"He's in there! You saw it! He hesitated."

"Take your lies somewhere else," he said on a snarl.

He swung for her chest, and I sucked in a sharp breath.Piper arched her back and the sword missed her by less than an inch. She turned and leapt forward, jabbing her swords toward him as he spun away. They were going to kill each other, and I had no idea why. They both loved Grayson, yet there they were circling each other, looking for how best to kill one another.

"Enough!" Golden magic wrapped around the two of them like a lasso around their waists. They flew up in the air and were held there.

Red mist seeped from Atlas, and the tattoos on his body rippled as he struggled. "Release me!"

The redhead marched between them and held her hands out. "This is stupid."

She flicked her wrist and Piper landed on the ground beside her while Atlas soared across the cemetery. He fell to the ground and crashed into a headstone, which crumbled to dust. He lay there motionless for a moment.

Piper rounded on the redhead. "What the hell, Astrid? He's trying to kill Gray."

"Yeah, and when you save Grayson is he going to thank you for killing his best friend?" She put her hands on her hips, and though she was smaller than Piper, she stood up to her without hesitation.

Piper's shoulders sagged, and she shoved the swords back into the holsters at her hips. "If he wants to kill Grayson, then he's in my way. Don't stop me again."

Astrid motioned to the blond guy, and he opened up a portal right in front of her.

Kylian pressed his hand to his neck. "I'm not thanking you for stopping him."

"I would expect nothing less." She waved toward the portal. "After you, princess."

Marius wrapped his hand round my wrist and yanked me to my feet as they walked through the portal and left us. The swirling blue light was gone, and the cemetery was back to being lit only by the moon.

I tried to yank my hand away, but he held on tighter. "What's this about?"

He jerked me around and pressed my back to his chest. His lips were so close to my ear I could feel his hot breath on my skin. "The castle is weak. The Prince has fallen."

Before I could react, he reached up and twisted my neck violently. The distinct crack of bone sounded through my head, and my muscles went limp. I fell back against him, begging for my body to move . . . Nothing. He'd snapped my neck in an instant. I couldn't move. Bastard . I blinked up at him from my place on the cold, frozen grass. He grabbed my foot and dragged me toward where Atlas lay beside the broken headstone. He flung me there next to him. As I lay there unable to move, unable to fight back, hatred for this traitor bloomed in my chest. Marius squatted down next to me, and his face filled my vision.

"You'll heal from this, but not before he wakes." He shoved his hair from his face and patted my cheek. My head lulled to the side. He chuckled and adjusted my head so I was looking at him once more. "Remember, Theon, if you're not with me . . . you're against me."

He rose to stand up straight and pressed his lips together as he looked down at me. "We will get past this. In time, I'll forgive you."

He turned and walked away from me, his coat billowing around him, and I wanted to rise and kill him then and there. I wanted to lash out and make him feel the panic I now did.

I will NEVER forgive you .