Hotbloods 5: Traitors

Navan’s arms slipped around my waist, but I couldn’t even turn to look at him. My eyes were fixed on the horrifying sight of Seraphina and Aurelius standing on opposite sides of the font, taking up the same position that she and Navan had, a short while before.

“Seraphina, do you agree to bind your blood with mine and add it to the blood of centuries collected below—the blood of our ancestors that will, in turn, be joined by the blood of future generations?” Aurelius asked, his voice triumphant.

Seraphina took a deep breath and looked up into her new partner’s eyes. “I agree to bind my blood with yours, Aurelius, and to share that which runs in my veins with the blood of past, present, and future.”

Without hesitation, Aurelius plunged the sharp edge of the knife into Seraphina’s skin, the blood surging from the cut. It trickled down her forearm, dripping into the basin below, where it joined the gleaming mass of liquid—presumably, the blood of all those couples who had gone before. I was only just realizing that was the substance that sloshed around in the font basin, somehow staying liquid over the years.

As soon as enough droplets had fallen into the basin, he handed the ceremonial blade to Seraphina. She gripped it in her free hand, her knuckles whitening. In her position, she had to be thinking about plunging the blade into Aurelius’s heart, just to be rid of him. She wouldn’t, with the queen watching, but I figured part of her wanted to.

“Aurelius, do you agree to bind your blood with mine and add it to the blood of centuries collected below—the blood of our ancestors that will, in turn, be joined by the blood of future generations?” she asked, her hand still trembling on the knife hilt.

He grinned. “I agree to bind my blood with yours, Seraphina, and to share that which runs in my veins with the blood of past, present, and future.”

Lifting the sharp point to Aurelius’s wrist, she pressed the blade in, until blood rose to the surface. It oozed from his dark veins, trickling down into the basin, the bulbous droplets hitting the gleaming mass of mixed blood with a disgusting gloop. His grin widened with every step that brought him closer to having Seraphina as his wife, and I wanted to smack it off his face.

“I offer you this, to unify our bodies, our minds, and our spirits, so that we may become one,” she continued, taking the cup of wax and leaves and dipping it into the basin of ancient Vysanthean blood.

“I accept this, to unify our bodies, our minds, and our spirits, so that we may become one,” he repeated, taking the full cup and sipping from the eerie liquid. I shuddered as I heard him gulp it down, before he handed the same cupful to her.

She drank down the remnants. As she did so, I noticed rivulets of blood running out of the cup’s exterior. I realized she’d listened to my joke and put tiny holes in the cup to signal the start of a bad marriage. No doubt, she’d done it to bring me comfort throughout the ceremony, letting me know that her marriage to Navan was just for show. Now, however, it carried a very different meaning. She could never have known that it would be a premonition.

“Your blood runs in my veins,” Aurelius began. “My blood runs in your veins.”

“Your blood runs in my veins,” Seraphina echoed. “My blood runs in your veins.”

“Blood of the future, and blood of the ancestors,” Aurelius continued. “Now, we are one.”

“Blood of the future, and blood of the ancestors,” Seraphina replied. “Now, we are… one.”

Queen Gianne smiled, opening out her arms. “Now, you are husband and wife!”

A cheer went up from all those who had crept back into the chapel and those who had remained. Everyone was smiling, congratulating the happy couple, but nobody’s smile was wider than that of Aurelius. He was the cat that had gotten the cream, and I despised him for it.

Seraphina forced a smile onto her face, but it was fooling no one. I couldn’t even begin to imagine the pain she was feeling as I remembered all the awful things Aurelius had said to her before the wedding. Soon enough, all those terrible acts would become a reality, and there was nothing anyone could do to save her now.

Worst of all, however, was the pang of relief that surged through me, knowing Navan wasn’t getting married to someone else. It was a horribly selfish part of me that felt that way, and I loathed myself for even thinking it, but I couldn’t switch it off. For as long as I lived, I knew I would feel guilty for that, and I promised myself I would do whatever I could to help Seraphina, to make amends.





Chapter Thirty-Three





Queen Gianne departed as soon as the ceremony was over, while Aurelius whisked his new bride away, bundling her into a waiting ship and disappearing into the night. Seraphina didn’t struggle against him but accepted her fate with all the grace she possessed, stoic to the bitter end. I watched the ship go from the steps of the chapel, wishing there was more I could do. Judging by the look on Navan’s face, he felt the same.

“Come on,” he muttered. “I think it’s time I paid my father a visit.”

I reached for his hand, pulling him back. “What about the pickup?”

“Yeah, they should be here within the hour,” Ronad chimed in, brandishing the black box device that he’d brought from the cottage. A dialogue screen had pinged up, and though I couldn’t read it, I knew it was from the seller. Navan was clearly angry, but we had a package to collect.

He pulled a face. “Forget the pickup. We can rearrange.”

“You know what darkstar sellers are like, Navan. They’ll just give it to the next bidder,” Ronad replied.

“Fine, then they give it to the next bidder,” he snapped. “Right now, I couldn’t give a damn about a suit of armor pieced together from a load of dead guys. I need to speak to my father!”

I moved in front of him, forcing him to look at me. “We can visit him after we’ve made the pickup. What difference can an hour make now?”

“It will make all the difference to me,” he murmured, his chin sinking to his chest.

“And if we lose the armor?” I pressed.

“We’ll browse through the darkstar market again, until we can find something they’ll like just as much. I doubt it’ll be too hard.”

I flashed a worried look at Ronad, who offered a reluctant shrug in reply. There was nothing Navan could do to help Seraphina now—she was a married woman. Still, I could understand the desire for revenge. Someone had to pay for what had happened today, and it was obvious where Navan’s wrath was aimed. Only one person could have signed that document, since it would’ve been hard for Aurelius to forge a fingerprint.

“Then I guess we’re visiting the Regium dungeons,” I conceded, lifting his chin.

“You mean it?”

I nodded. “Come on, let’s get going before anyone notices we’ve left.”

Casting an anxious look over my shoulder, I realized nobody was concerned about us. Not a single soul was watching as we stood in the doorway; they were all too consumed by their own needs. The Idrax brothers were clustered around their mother, fanning her and trying to bring some vitality back to her limp frame. Evidently, the shock of what had happened had been too much for Lorela, sending her back over the edge of mental instability. Meanwhile, Seraphina’s parents were parading around the place, enjoying the congratulations of those who had lingered. By all accounts, there would be a party at their house and everyone was invited, though I doubted those invitations would extend to the snubbed ex-groom, a former coldblood, and a foreign pet.

Without pausing to say a single goodbye, we hurried out of the chapel and headed for the patch of grass where everyone had parked their vehicles. As we ran, Ronad cast a longing glance at the purple orb beneath the blood-red fronds of the willow.

“We’ll come back for her soon,” I promised.