Sharp pain pierced my arm. My pulse quickened. It had to be another message from Valathame. I jumped back behind Everest and lifted my dress sleeve. Sure enough, four lines were written in her elegant script on my skin. Help was called, they made a scene, to bring all eyes on their Queen. Step by step your path is clear. Place the fake without fear.

My eyes widened. Oh shit. Okay. Wow. Right, girl is crazy. But okay. It wasn’t my place to question Valathame. A quick glance around confirmed not a single vampire was looking at me. A few of the Cards kept glancing, but their Tower was straight up staring. I swallowed through the panic rising inside of me. It was time. I slowly slid around Everest so my back pressed against his chest, then I reached my hands behind me to pull the decoy page from where he’d shoved it in his pants. Everest wasn’t dumb though, he realized what I was doing and carefully pushed the page into my hand. For a moment, I just stood there holding this decoy page between our bodies, waiting for someone to notice us.

“This may be your land, but it is our realm.” Cyrus gestured to the human I’d bitten. “Who bit the woman?”

I braced myself.

“Thomas.” Sweyn didn’t even hesitate to name a name, and it wasn’t mine. Nor did she look back in my direction. She didn’t want them to know it was me. I assumed because I was too pretty for her to lose. Sweyn snapped her fingers and two sentinels in fur coats dragged out a vampire with a scar down his cheek. “He has been a problem with his recklessness before.”

Everest’s hands grazed my waist, gently pushing me into motion. I slid back around him, then turned and dove for the throne. My fingers found the edge of that compartment door in seconds. I popped it open and shoved the page inside, then shut the door and jumped to my feet. No one was paying any attention to me, not a single vampire even glanced in my direction. Their attention was solely locked on Sweyn and the Coven Leaders. And Thomas. My heart was pounding. Relief hit me like a brick wall. Oh my God. I did it. I actually did it. I have the missing page. I put the decoy back. I did it. But my heart was beating a little too hard, my breaths a little too tight. Black dots swam across my visio.n I tried to blink them away, but it was only getting worse. My head was light and fuzzy. No, no. Don’t pass out on me NOW. I leaned my forehead against Everest’s back, trying to rein in my adrenaline before it took me down.