Chapter 43: A Trail Of Blood

••{RHIANNON’S POV}••

The four hooded vampires slowly advance toward me.

My heart hammers so violently against my ribs that it hurts, my legs trembling with every step I take back.

My eyes dart frantically across the room, searching for something—anything at all I can use as a weapon. But all I see is the bed, the pillows, the chairs, and the vanity.

There’s nothing sharp or heavy I can use to defend myself with.

I’m trapped.

There’s nowhere to run.

Before I can take another step, two of them close the distance in the blink of an eye. They seize my arms and twist them behind my back.

"No! Let me go!" I scream, fighting to wrench my arms free. "HEL—"

A piece of cloth is suddenly shoved over my mouth.

"MMPH! MMPH!" I cry, but my screams come out muffled and useless.

I thrash wildly, kicking and twisting as I desperately try to break free.

But they don’t even flinch.

They yank my head violently, tightening the gag before shoving me to the floor.

A sharp pain bursts through my skull when my head hits the stone, causing my screams to die in my throat.

Stars dance behind my eyelids as I writhe, but before I can recover, one of them kneels on my back, pinning me against the floor. They force my legs together, then ropes are pulled tight around my wrists and ankles.

When I find my voice again, I scream at the top of my lungs, wailing until my throat feels sore.

They haul me upright like a ragdoll, my feet barely touching the floor as they drag me toward the door.

My eyes sting as tears stream down my cheeks, and my chest rises and falls so rapidly that I can barely breathe.

The moment they force me through my chamber doors, my eyes widen with horror.

One of the other guards stationed outside my chambers lies slumped against the wall, his head barely hanging from his body as blood gushes down his armor.

A few steps later, another guard lies sprawled on the floor. Two daggers are buried in his eyes and his stomach is ripped open, entrails spilling across the floor.

My breath catches in my throat when I see another one, pinned to the wall with a spear through his chest, his head nowhere to be found.

With every turn, they drag me past another mutilated body littering the halls.

My vision blurs with tears until the horrors surrounding me become little more than distorted shapes.

But I can still smell the blood.

I can hear the sickening squelch of flesh and blood beneath their boots with every step.

Despite the pain in my throat, I scream with everything I have, refusing to stop until someone hears me. But I fall silent when one of them suddenly backhands me across the face and my head snaps sideways.

My strength finally gives out as my body sags in their grip, leaving me too weak to do anything but sob and whimper through the gag.

The moment we round a corner into the next corridor, I go completely still.

Dozens of hooded figures stand waiting, all dressed in black and armed with weapons covered entirely with blood.

For a fleeting moment, all I can do is stare before panic surges through me again.

I start struggling, twisting my wrists and pulling against the ropes with all my strength. But they only tighten against my skin, biting into my flesh until it stings.

As we approach the others, they fall into step around us, surrounding me on every side as they continue dragging me down the corridor.

Just moments ago, I was lying in bed wishing Azræl would walk through my doors.

Now, surrounded by dozens of strange vampires, I find myself wishing for him more desperately than ever.

Azræl.

Where are you when I need you the most?

꧁ ✧༺ ❦ ༻✧ ꧂

𖤐••{AZRÆL’S POV}••⛧

The sound of my boots echoes against the stone floor as I walk through the quiet corridors.

My heart races, and my thoughts are scattered as I try to think of what to say when I finally see her.

"Rhiannon," I mutter to myself, "I have come to offer my sincerest apologies for my previous conduct."

My face immediately wrinkles into a frown.

No, that sounds like I’m addressing the court.

I clear my throat then try again.

"Rhiannon, I’m sorry for what I said," I murmur. "Although, in my defense—"

No. That is not an apology and the last thing I want is to start another fight.

I shake my head before trying again.

"Rhiannon... I understand how you feel," I say quietly. "But what you’re asking me for is too dangerous and I can’t risk losing you because I love y—"

No.

No.

No.

Absolutely not.

I can’t tell her that just yet.

"Gods, why is this so difficult?" I groan, dragging a hand through my hair.

My foot suddenly hits something solid, sending me stumbling forward, but I manage to catch myself before I can fall.

The second I look down, my blood runs cold when I find a dead guard lying on the floor. Both his eyes have been pierced by arrows, their tips jutting through the back of his skull.

I slowly crouch on one knee and pull one of the arrows free.

The moment I recognize the blackened metal on the arrowhead, fear grips every part of my body.

Nightbane.

The arrow falls from my hand and clatters on the floor.

I quickly rise to my feet and begin storming down the halls, every step faster than the last.

As soon as I round a corner, I nearly stumble over another dead guard.

I slowly lift my head, only to find blood smeared across the walls and floor, dozens of butchered guards scattered along the length of the corridor.

My heart drops as a terrifying thought hits me.

Rhiannon.

My feet immediately lift off the ground and everything streaks past me in a blur as I fly down the corridor.

I reach her chambers within seconds, only to find the doors wide open and the guards lying dead on the floor.

My heart slams against my ribs as I rush inside, spinning around as my eyes frantically search every corner of her room.

But she’s not here.

She’s been taken.