Shadow's Claim

Would they never get the chance?

Morgana opened the envelope, announcing in a ringing voice, "For those of you in the audience, the envelope contains two tickets to deadmau5. Dead mau five?"

"Deadmouse," Bettina corrected in a whisper. A techno act she'd been wanting to see in the mortal realm. Clearly Cas's gift. No harm would come to him tonight.

Yet her sense of relief for Cas couldn't override her worry for Daciano.

Next, Morgana opened the jewelry case and announced, "The royal jewels of the long-fallen Peace Demonarchy." As she laid them on the dais table for Bettina to examine, she said, "Look at the pretties, Bettina!" She was gleeful, as if these gifts were being offered to her. "Is this not the best? You love jewelry."

True, but Bettina didn't like to be given it. The quality was always inferior to what she could create. Bettina would just wind up melting this gift down.

She shrugged; Morgana rolled her eyes, then called, "Next!" A soldier led over the horses. "Behold-the fey king's prized stallions, stolen from the legendary realm of Draiksulia." Over her shoulder, she said, "Look at the ponies!"

Sadly, Bettina wasn't fond of horses, and she was fairly positive that they hated her. She'd been thrown when little and had never climbed back in the saddle.

"Prancing, prancing ponies for Bettina?" Morgana queried. "No? Seriously?"

When Bettina gave another slight shrug, Morgana's expression turned woebegone. "But how they prance."

Bettina was seeing all new facets to the great sorceress. Before, Morgana had simply been her moderately evil godmother. Now Bettina was beginning to understand that she was a woman with her own concerns-such as the apocalypse-and her own wants and desires-such as prancing ponies and Vrekener extinction.

"Next! Ah, and here we have a phoenix, the sole male from what is thought to be the last flock."

What was Bettina supposed to do-put the bird out to stud? Advertise online? Though she adored the phoenix's vivid colors, she considered it cruel to take it away from its flock.

Not so for Morgana. "Think of the masks we could make from those feathers! No? Oh, come on! Really?" She gazed heavenward with frustration.

When the wagon of gold rolled out, its wheels groaning under the weight of all those riches, Morgana called, "This one needs no description! Behold a sorceress's fortune in gold!"

She winked at Bettina. "Looks like somebody wants to live. What's that smell? Ah, yes, it's desperation. . . ."

Then came the last gift. She and Morgana shared a look.

"What could be in that bag, Bettina?"

When she held up her palms, the sorceress waved a hand toward the sack, using her power to open the fastenings.

In a rush, the contents spilled out and bounced across the stage.

Bettina frowned when Trehan's offering lay strewn before her, as if she didn't comprehend what she was seeing.

And Trehan realized he'd erred this eve.

Despite all the wise choices he'd made over the centuries, despite all his sage counsel that had helped others . . . when it had truly counted, his logic had failed him. He'd made a colossal mistake.

One that might cost him his life-and, worse, cost him Bettina.

He didn't fear death; he'd lived long enough. No, Trehan feared never seeing her again. He dreaded what would happen to her in the coming days. Likely wed to Gourlav, if the demon advances-and if my cousins fail to protect her.

"I'll assist you with Lothaire," he'd told the three of them, "if you vow always to safeguard Bettina. . . ."

Now regret hammered at Trehan. He'd thought he could personally present the bag to her, gentling her reaction; he hadn't expected to be at sword point while Vrekener heads bounced before her eyes.

With no warning.

Realization was dawning on Bettina's pale face, and there was nothing Trehan could do to remedy this, forced to watch helplessly.

"Heads, Bettina!" Morgana cried, clasping her hands to her breast and batting her eyes. "A bag full of them! Just like you've always wanted!" Trehan could hear the sorceress adding under her breath, "Not the most original of gifts, true. But these do appear to be fresh."

Bettina looked like she was about to vomit.

Fuck.

Zeii mea, I've . . . failed. After the momentous day he'd experienced?

Before dawn, he'd shot awake, fresh from a dream. For days he'd failed to access the memory he'd sought from Bettina's drops of blood.

Finally, he'd succeeded; he'd relived her attack.

Her beating. Trehan had felt everything, every last second of the horror as a tender young girl was savaged by winged fiends in the name of "good."

My Bride savaged. Her limbs broken at angles, her skull and pelvis cracked. Two ribs rupturing her skin. Blood painting her body.

Long after she'd accepted death, when she'd ceased screaming and her pleas had fallen silent, they'd still brutalized her.

Only Raum's summoning had saved her from slowly burning to death.

Trehan had awakened to his own howl of rage, covered in shredded fur. His fangs had been sharp as razors.

Hungering to punish, he'd envisioned flesh rending beneath his fangs, arteries plucked with his claws. Dear gods, yes, to punish.

Breaths heaving, he'd collected his sword, gripping his talisman. Trehan had hoped that with her memory of those attackers, he could use their identities and the crystal to trace directly to them. Sword in hand, he'd pictured the first one's face, then begun to trace, having no idea if this would work. . . .