He’d made the ultimate sacrifice to give Mary what he believed would make her happy. She doubted anyone in this hall had experienced that same level of generosity or they would be fighting for the other side.
Hadrian nodded at the minister and took her hand, sending a frigid shiver up her arm.
“Begin,” Hadrian ordered, squeezing Mary’s hand until she winced.
The minister nodded and stepped closer, opening his mouth to start the ceremony—
The floor started to shake beneath her feet.
In Mary’s periphery, one of the vampires pushed off his red hood, his gaze golden, hypnotic and livid. Focused on Hadrian.
There was no reason the vampire should be familiar to her. She’d only been able to see for a matter of days. But it was as though she’d met him hundreds, thousands of times, across different planes of existence and multiple universes. Her heart knew his.
The vampire was Tucker.
Her entire being was positive and it rejoiced, tears rushing to her eyes.
Lord, he was the most beautiful being she could imagine. Robust and rugged and hiding nothing, his face as expressive as his heart.
With her breath arrested in her lungs, however, she watched him change. Gaped as a low glow pulsed beneath his skin and a deep crimson radiance slowly rose above the crown of his head, rubbing and flickering like fingers on a harp.
Gasps carried toward the ceiling. Shocked whispers.
Hadrian turned his head and picked Tucker out among the crowd, the only vampire with his hood off. But…not only a vampire. Was it possible that he was fae?
When they were in the basement of Carl’s home talking about the box of collected notes from Tucker’s mother, Mary had been slightly alarmed to find out when exactly Farah had disappeared. An Exodus year. Furthermore, Tucker’s mother must have known she’d be leaving. It was right there in her preparations. Mary had convinced herself that the coinciding of an Exodus with Farah’s disappearance had to be a coincidence. Had to be. Right?
Mary’s thoughts were disrupted when Tucker’s eyes ticked to hers and grew heavy with emotion. I’m seeing you. I’m seeing you and you’re everything I could ever want. She wanted to shout the words at the top of her lungs, but there was danger in his presence and it struck fear deep in her breast. Why was he here? Was he going to put a stop to the wedding?
Hope rocketed through her blood. Please. Take me away from here.
Please don’t die trying.
Tucker’s attention traveled down to her hand where Hadrian held it in a crushing grip. A grip she’d failed to notice once Tucker arrived, but now the pain made it impossible to ignore. She tried to tear her hand away, but he wouldn’t let go and she cried out.
A violent wind blasted through the hall of the manor, ripping off cloaks and knocking paintings off walls. The flames on every candle went out, casting the hall in dimness, moonlight flooding in through the stained glass overhead, but as she watched, a crack spread through it and shattered it into a thousand pieces, the sound shrill and tinny. Just like at the diner.
Tucker was doing this.
Finally, Hadrian let go of her hand in favor of closing his grip around the amulet, laughing as he turned to face Tucker.
Overhead, a chandelier broke from the ceiling and swung sideways, crashing into the wall. The hall parted and scattered around them, immortals and fae alike cowering against the stone, distressed by the display of power. Confused about exactly where it was coming from.
“Ahhh, the boyfriend.” Hadrian rubbed his palm on the stone around his neck and it seemed to respond with echoing voices weaving in and out of each other. The way Hadrian touched the amulet was adoring, but more than that, it was subtly desperate. As if he was hurriedly gathering strength from the piece by touching it.
Mary narrowed her eyes at the action.
And then she slowly swept the immediate area for a weapon.
“You will pay dearly for this interruption,” Hadrian said, finally dropping his hand from the amulet and advancing on Tucker. His hands dissipated into a vaporous blue smolder and he threw the flames full force at Tucker. Mary prepared to scream, but Tucker was gone. He was nowhere near the spot that was now nothing more than a smoking crater.
When her eyes found Tucker again, he was rushing Hadrian at an unfathomable speed. His feet weren’t even touching the ground and he seemed to carry the force of the universe with him. The air thickened and moved with her vampire, dragging every source of energy in its path and detonating squarely in front of Hadrian, sending him flying backwards into the wall.
Her would-be husband reached out for her ankle, clawing the skin and attempting to drag her closer. To use her for a shield? Yes, his confidence was visibly waning.