Isolde criticized my interest in use over loyalty, but loyalty was capricious. My empire was built on the usefulness of my armies and those who ran them. It was also built on the blood of those who had betrayed me.

“Do you think I will have a world to rule at the end of all this?” I asked.

Daroc’s brows rose at the question. “Yes. What else are we working toward?”

I shook my head slowly and met Daroc’s gaze. “Sometimes I can’t remember.”

Twenty-Five

Isolde

I sat with Ana. She had made no progress and showed no signs of waking. I wondered if she would, if she might decide she no longer wished to face this life.

I could not blame her if that was her decision. She had seen too many horrors, and yet I did not want her to leave me. I hated that I was about to leave her. What if she did wake up and we were gone? She would have to face our trauma alone.

The thought brought tears to my eyes, and I leaned over her, staring down at her pale face, and whispered, “Please come back.”

Then I pressed a kiss to her forehead.

As I rose to leave, I felt something beneath my foot. Stepping aside, I found a small, black book on the floor. I went to pick it up and place it on the table beside her bed, but as soon as I touched it, I knew it was a spell book. There was an unmistakable energy to it, cold and a little dark, which surprised me given that it had been in Ana’s possession.

I started to open the book, hesitating a moment as I glanced at Ana. This almost felt like an invasion, but it was likely she had taken it from the secret library. I had taken books too, and perhaps she had found a few spells she felt worthy of trying against Ravena. I could not say I was ready to attempt magic again. I felt guilty and ashamed for what had happened with the mirrors, both my failure to injure Ravena and somehow leaving the portal open for the vârcolaci to enter the castle.

Still, I was curious.

I opened the book. It cracked as I did and revealed yellowed pages and faded handwriting. The first few pages detailed healing and cleansing rituals, but as I turned brittle page after brittle page, the incantations grew…darker.

It was the only way I knew to describe it. The words on this page had been used for something terrible, and it sent shivers up my spine.

The door clicked, and I slammed the book closed. I pressed it to my chest and looked as Adrian entered the room.

“Come to say goodbye?” he asked, his gaze moving from my face to Ana’s. He stood at her bedside and placed a hand on her head.