Savage Monarchs (A New Adult Prison Academy Novel) (Nocturnal Academy Book 3)

by Margo Ryerkerk

  I shuddered. What if Olwen truly decided that it was better to sell me to gain a better footing with the vamps?

  “I demanded to bring several guards with me for protection. Vulthus did not want to cave to my request, but I insisted. Onyx, you are to use glamour to take the form of one of my most trusted guards, Sela.” He motioned to a well-built female guard with jet black hair, the fae who had survived Vulthus’s attack. She nodded to me and moved to allow me to study her.

  “But Vulthus knows that I can use glamour.”

  Olwen shrugged. “It’s impossible to test for glamour. And if he suspects that you’re one of my guards, he’ll be glad to allow you into his stronghold, thinking that he can get you without holding up his end of the bargain.”

  I gritted my teeth. I wanted to ask for reassurance but that would only make me appear weak. I needed to demand what was mine. “Make me a blood oath that neither you nor your guards will sell me out to Vulthus.”

  Chapter 21

  If Olwen was upset about my demand for the blood oath, he didn’t show it. He picked up the dagger with shiny garnets that he had used when I had first sworn my loyalty and sliced his palm. Blood seeped out of the wound as magic crackled in the air. Fae contracts were binding. The wording just needed to be correct.

  I swallowed, waiting for him to speak.

  “I, King Olwen of the Winter Court, promise that neither I nor my guards will betray you, my daughter Onyx Vinter, as we fight Vulthus. You will have safe passage to and from his mansion. As previously agreed, you shall have my protection for as long as I have your loyalty.”

  He handed me the dagger, and I sliced my palm as well, proud that I could take the pain without wincing. “I, Onyx Vinter,” I said, feeling odd that I was using his surname, “promise not to betray you as we fight Vulthus. You shall have my loyalty in exchange for your protection.” We shook hands, smearing our blood.

  As I did, Olwen’s magic swirled around me, making the air drop twenty degrees. He did not smile. Once again, his eyes were all business.

  With the oath out of the way, I turned to Sela, the guard I was supposed to turn into and memorized her features. I needed anger to access my power. Gritting my teeth, I imagined Thorsten plunging to his death. Fury raced through me along with black ice, and my body tingled as it transformed into Sela. She nodded. I knew it had worked and my quick glance down my body confirmed that I was wearing her black and blue gear.

  Olwen strolled out of the mansion, me, Atticus, and another male guard following as the real Sela remained behind. Night had already fallen. We got into a shiny, black SUV with high tires that looked like it could navigate off roads. Atticus drove down forested roads and the other guard took shotgun while Olwen and I sat in the very back. I remained straight with my shoulders back.

  We didn’t speak for a long time. It was only once we got off the highway that Olwen turned to me. “Are you ready?”

  “I am.” I spoke in what must be Sela’s sharp voice.

  “You should be. You won’t get a second chance. As soon as we show any aggression, we need to end it quickly. Leaving Vulthus’s mansion without killing him is not an option.”

  “Understood.” I bit my lip. “How do you know they won’t attack us first?”

  Olwen stared straight ahead as he spoke. “Because Vulthus wants you. He will at least hear the proposal I have for him. Your escape marred his status. He fears the other vamps will see him as weak.”

  “What if it’s all a trap?”

  Olwen shrugged. “I have more guards positioned a few minutes away from the castle. At my magical signal, they’ll storm the place. But Vulthus isn’t exactly one for traps. If he decided he was out for blood, he would’ve attacked me directly.”

  I wasn’t sure if I agreed, but I nodded. Would we find Blair inside the castle? Could I rescue her? I knew I had to try, but I was afraid there wouldn’t be much of my former friend left. The last time I had seen her, which was months ago, she was a shell of her former self. Also, even if I succeeded, where would she go after? I doubted Olwen would offer an elemental fae a warm welcome.

  The drive seemed to never end. At last, the SUV pulled into a dirt drive and crawled along the forested road. We came to a stop in a dark, dirt parking lot and I banished all thoughts of Blair or anyone else. I was a killing machine, a warrior, here with the single goal to execute Vulthus.

  The four of us stepped out of the car and took our formation. Atticus stood at the front, Olwen and I were in the middle, and the male guard was at our backs.

  Vulthus’s mansion, or more accurately castle, wasn’t hidden by a spell, but it still made me want to shrink back. The gray building with spire towers stood among old trees with lifeless, fingerlike branches, even though it was the middle of the summer and they should’ve been green. Even the plants outside were decaying, telling me all I needed to know about the owner inside. I wondered if Vulthus maintained this look on purpose to intimidate the other vamps who seemed to prefer fancy penthouses and lavish yards.

  We marched down an overgrown cobblestone walk, at the end of which huge, wooden doors greeted us. Atticus took the brass ring and slammed it thrice. My heart pounded in anticipation, but I forced myself to calm down. This was not the time to be impulsive. When we were in full fight mode, I’d need my adrenaline, but right now, it would only distract me, leading me to miss critical details or worse, drop my glamour.

  Two, low-level vampire guards, well-built and dressed in black uniforms opened the doors and studied King Olwen.

  “Vulthus is expecting me,” Olwen said in a bored voice, like this was a regular visit and nothing was at stake.

  One of the guards, a tattooed man, nodded curtly and showed his fangs. “Follow me, please.” He turned around and we stepped inside, the second guard bringing up the rear of our group.

  The castle was dimly lit with oil lamps. Antique furniture stood everywhere and iron chandeliers hung down from the vaulted stone ceilings. Everything smelled musty. My muscles tightened, and I gritted my teeth, ready for something to jump out at us. The path the vamp took us down wasn’t hard to memorize as the corridor led straight to the end at another heavy door that must’ve been iron given the way the Winter fae’s faces tightened. Even Olwen worked his jaw. I mimicked their disgust—or was it pain?—to blend in.

  The vamp guard threw open the door and motioned for us to come inside. My fists balled at my sides as I stepped through into a long room complete with a long, red carpet.

  Throne room. The two words invaded my mind before my eyes picked up all the details. Vulthus had only two vamp guards in the room, but despite not showing any signs of planning to attack us, he was hostile all right. Suited and with his dark hair swept to the side, Vulthus sat on a throne made of knobby, white rocks atop of a parquet floor. No. I let my eyes adjust to the tall oil lamps that cast a reddish glow through the windowless room. The throne was made of bones. Collections of femurs made up the armrests. Skulls leered at us from the top of the throne and outlined the base. They all appeared to be human skulls. Or were they fae skulls? I swallowed. Vulthus must be sitting on the remains of his victims or servants who had displeased him. This was his first intimidation tactic.

  “Olwen,” Vulthus drawled the name, taking us all four in. “You have a proposition for me?”

  We stopped in the center of the room. A shiver crawled along my skin. I felt exposed, but forced my mind to sharpen as it had during all of Atticus’s lessons. I could strike Vulthus in the heart from my position, but his guards were right beside him, ready to block the attack. I had to wait for Olwen to speak first, and for the vamps to let down their guards.

  Olwen raised his chin, the only sign that he was bothered by the bone throne. “As I communicated through my guards, I have who you want—Onyx Logan.”

  “Don’t you mean Onyx Vinter?” Vulthus’s eyes shone with the curiosity of a predator about to kill its prey.

  Olwen snorted. “She’s not worthy of my last
name. She displays less potential than my weakest guard.”

  “Is that so? And yet you kept her from me. Do you consider me a fool to lie to me like this?”

  Olwen shook his head slowly. “As a pureblood fae, I can’t lie.”

  He couldn’t, which meant I displayed less potential than his weakest guard in regards to my character, not my magic. It was a clever and necessary phrasing, and yet it sliced through me. Olwen must think very little of me to be able to utter these words. If I survived today, my training would continue. Olwen would forever dangle Lily over my head, reminding me how easily he could make me kill her.

  Vulthus stared down his crooked nose at Olwen. “Fine.” His voice was a growl. “Explain why you dodged the truth when I came to ask you if you helped Onyx escape.”

  Olwen glowered at him. “I didn’t help her escape. An opportunity presented itself after her escape, and I took it.” He shrugged. “I figured she was a Winter fae and had my genes. You will understand that as a father, my right to her is greater than yours.”

  As Olwen spoke Vulthus picked up a skull, his knuckles whitening around it. “I bought her.” He threw the skull, which smashed against the wall and shattered into a thousand pieces. If this was meant to intimate us, it didn’t work. My whole body pulsated with need for revenge. Icy hatred and disgust filled my veins. I kept my face emotionless, reminding myself that I was a guard, and nothing more. I had no feelings. I was simply here to protect Olwen. At least until I revealed my true form.

  “You didn’t buy Onyx from me,” Olwen replied coolly.

  Vulthus’s eyes filled with the red of hunger. “Don’t you forfeit your parental rights when you abandon a child?”

  Olwen’s eyes narrowed. “You know as well as I do that my situation isn’t easy. The Summer Court has killed all of my offspring, but Onyx. Therefore, she commands a price.”

  “You really want me to believe that you’re willing to make a deal and give away your only offspring?” Vulthus cocked an eyebrow. “How dumb do you think I am?” A bone sailed in between Olwen and I, an inch away from hitting either of us in the head. Did Vulthus want to provoke us, itching to justify a bloodbath? But why not simply attack us if he wanted a fight? We were on his territory, and as far as he was aware, he had the advantage.

  “I’m here, aren’t I?” Olwen asked coolly, making it clear he wouldn’t dignify Vulthus’s outburst.

  Vulthus rose from his throne and took three steps towards us. “Where is Onyx now?”

  I inhaled sharply. That was it. Olwen couldn’t lie about this.

  “With my guards.”

  Vulthus opened his mouth, and his fangs descended. “With these guards?” He motioned at the three of us just as the door behind us flew open. We all turned. I expected more vamps to storm in, but it was much worse. A single female filled the door frame.

  The blonde curls, the blue eyes, and the slender, tall frame made memories rage through me. Her feminine curves were dressed in a canary-yellow dress with a cape draped over her shoulders. A wave of magic filled the room. Petra Kallan was at Vulthus’s castle, and the lack of chains or shackles around her body made it clear she was here not as his prisoner, but as his ally.

  “You always resort to cheap tricks, Olwen,” she purred. “Did you really think that you could send out your daughter asking around about Vulthus’s whereabouts and it wouldn’t get back to us?”

  I gritted my teeth. Peony had betrayed us. I couldn’t say I was surprised, but it still sucked, especially since Vulthus now suspected that I was in the room, using glamour to hide my true form.

  Atticus inched closer to me and so did the other fae guard, but I knew that staying in this room and fighting against two powerful beings at once would be of no use. In one second, everything had stacked against us. Atticus straightened his hands and moved them apart. I got the meaning. We needed to separate Petra and Vulthus.

  Letting her talk would cost our lives.

  Olwen snapped his gaze to me, and I jumped in front of the others, gathering my ice in my chest. I was a step ahead of the Summer princess. I had trained against moving targets.

  Petra jumped to the left as I pushed past Atticus and the guard. I summoned three ice daggers and let them fly. They struck her flowing dress, pinning it to the wall behind her. I darted past her and into the hallway, ice bees buzzing around me. I was abandoning my prime target for now, but I knew I had to flee now to win the battle.

  “They’re escaping!” Petra shouted.

  “Guards!” Vulthus shouted, glee in his voice.

  The two vamp guards, who had let us into the castle, leapt at me, fangs bared. The cloud of ice bees split at my nod, swarming around them. Cursing, they backed into the walls.

  I took the first turn I could and when I saw no guards, I reined in my magic and let the swarm disappear. Pressing myself into an alcove and the safety of shadows, I slowed my breath. I needed to calm down and figure out the next step.

  I glanced down my clothes to discover that my glamour still held. Okay, that was good. Now, I needed to get Petra and Vulthus away from each other, or we’d have no chance against them. Something crashed back in the throne room. Shouting followed. Soon reinforcements would arrive—ours and Vulthus’s.

  Before I could move, a thorny vine shot down the corridor, an inch past my shoulder. I pressed harder into the wall. My gamble had paid off. Petra had separated from Vulthus and was coming for me.

  The vine retracted. “Come out, Onyx. I know it’s you. Face me, or do you prefer the guards to drag your sorry ass to Vulthus?”

  Damnit. I’d revealed myself with my powers and reaction to her. Shit. At least, Vulthus didn’t want me dead, not yet, just as I had suspected. I couldn’t say the same. My body was buzzing with hatred, begging me to attack Petra. But I remembered all the training Atticus had given me. If it seemed too good to be true, it was. This screamed trap. Petra hadn’t come alone. I might not be able to see the vamps, but they were ready in this fortress, in position to pounce. Petra fought dirty. She’d never do a one on one fight. So I stayed put in the alcove as she moved past me like a yellow, poisonous butterfly.

  “You realize the vamps can smell you, don’t you?” she sing-songed from farther down the hall, reminding me to pull out the mini vial Olwen had given me and the guards. I sprayed the perfume onto myself to hide my fae scent.

  I realized my mistake immediately, but it was too late.

  Vines shot at me, and this time, they stopped and curved into my hiding place. They wrapped around me, yanked me into the pale light, and twirled me up toward the high, curved ceiling. Oil lamps and stone bricks swirled around me as thorns dug through my thick fabric and wrapped around my armor. They spun me around, and I hung upside-down. Blood rushed into my head.

  Petra stared up at me, an insect trapped in a spider’s web, vines still attached to her open palms, laughing as thorns poked through my clothes. Her bright eyes flashed with hatred. “You will get what you deserve, you dirty whore.”

  Vamp guards bolted out of the shadows, boots clacking. A dozen in total stared up at me. I didn’t have much time. Hot pain flashed all over my body from the thorns. I needed a diversion, and who better than volatile Petra?

  “Do you want me to tell you what I did to Preston?” I asked, pulling my mouth into a wicked smile and suppressing a wince of pain.

  More vines shot from Petra’s fingers, lashing against me, but I could barely feel the whipping, protected by the other vines that squeezed my body, cutting off my circulation. I needed to hurry. Already, expanding my chest was hard and lightheadedness filled me.

  “So, you finally admit it?” Petra’s eyes were wide with fury.

  “He tried taking me through the portal. Your precious brother told me he’d use me for breeding. He tried to force himself onto me, so I unleashed my ice magic and stabbed him in the heart.” With each word, I let out more cold, more frost. The vines around my torso began to wither and loosen, but not fast enough. I needed
a few more seconds. “When he was dead, I considered pushing him over the cliff and into the lake.”

  “His body, I need to recover his body,” Petra muttered. She squeezed her eyes shut and trembled with grief. Agony overtook her, and the vines around me tightened in response.

  I had to stay with it. The guards waited behind Petra, watching in amazement. “But then I decided that this was too good for him. Instead, I had a vampire drain him, turn him, and then I watched Preston burn in the morning sun.”

  “No!” Petra unleashed her magic, vines flying into the walls, into the vamp guards, and into me as I broke my final bindings and fell through the green storm.

  I crashed to my feet as the world filled with vines. The vamp behind Petra, a stocky male, struggled against the onslaught as Petra released a pained scream. I had a second chance to slip away. I thought of Preston trying to violate me and let the anger come as plants crashed around me, shielding me from Petra and the vamps. Instead of channeling my fury into ice, I let my body shift into one of the male vamps. My chest grew broader, my legs grew longer, and my curves disappeared. I now wore a plain black uniform.

  I stood, taller than before and pushed away the vines. Petra sank to her knees, vines all falling to the floor, some burying the guard whose form I had taken. The corridor had turned green and thorny with her grief.

  “Where is she?” a female vamp yelled, whirling around herself.

  “She must’ve escaped,” another replied, rising slowly.

  “Find her!” Petra shouted, tears and mascara streaming down her face.

  The group took off down the corridor, and I followed them, separating at the first junction. This ruse wouldn’t last long. I had to find the fae servants and free them. Yes, my revenge was important, but not as important as saving the lives of innocent fae.

  I was about to turn another corner when a strong hand wrapped around my mouth and pulled me back from behind.