“Yes, kill them if you must to protect yourself. Sweyn will rejoice in your victory and likely throw a ball.” Katelin watched me for a long moment then stepped closer and put her hand on my arm. “Sweyn is not kind nor nice. She is not your friend. She is . . .”

“¿Malvados?” She was evil. Question was, did Katelin know that all the way back in 1712.

“Mal . . . that means bad, correct?” When I nodded, she nodded. “Then yes. Very bad.”

“Then why do you live here?” I asked in Spanish even though I knew she wouldn’t know.

“The human world is not safe for us. Sweyn protects us, provides for us. To work is a part of life, even the humans work, do they not?” When I nodded, she shrugged. “But also, the vampires have been exiled to Avolire by The Coven. Five centuries ago, Sweyn and the Unseelie fae launched a war against The Coven . . . and lost. The Coven are witches who rule this realm, sent and created by Heaven to defend humans from evil.”

My heart sank. Katelin was not evil. she was merely born into a species that had been.

“Bruja.”

“Yes, bruja. I have heard that word before.” She took a deep breath. “Okay, I need to put on my gown. So, I shall leave you to it, when you are ready just retrace our steps.”

“Gracias.”

“Oh, and one last thing.” She paused at the door, her hand on the handle. “Sweyn will eventually invite you into her bed, once she trusts you. Try to stall that invitation without making an enemy of yourself.”

I blinked. What a loaded statement.

“Although . . . Lord Everest had his eye on you. I’ve never seen him pay so much attention to a female. Try to get in his bed, Lord Everest is the only person everyone here fears. Do not let his cold exterior scare you away. See you at the ball. Oh, and no shoes.”

And then she was gone.

For fuck’s sake, what have I gotten myself into now? I needed to keep my head in the game. Needed to remember why I was here in the first place. I had to get that missing page out of Sweyn’s throne. Somehow. My stomach tightened into knots. I prayed Everest had some wicked plan for this because my confidence was slipping with every breath.