“She was supposed to be dead.”
Damien’s voice barely carried across the vault.
Seraphina stood in the darkness, completely calm.
“No, Damien.”
She stepped forward.
“You were supposed to believe I was dead.”
Amara’s eyes narrowed.
“What does that mean?”
Seraphina looked at her.
“It means someone wanted Damien to forget me.”
Evelyn suddenly stepped forward.
“Enough.”
Seraphina turned toward her.
“Still afraid of the truth, Evelyn?”
Evelyn’s expression hardened.
“You shouldn’t be alive.”
Seraphina smiled.
“And yet…”
She spread her arms.
“Here I am.”
Damien moved in front of Amara.
“What happened that night?”
Seraphina’s eyes softened.
“You don’t remember?”
“No.”
“You don’t remember the car.”
Damien frowned.
“The river?”
His breathing changed.
Seraphina continued.
“The gunshot?”
A flash crossed Damien’s eyes.
A black car.
Rain.
Blood.
Seraphina screaming.
Then darkness.
Damien grabbed his head.
“Stop.”
Seraphina didn’t.
“You shot me.”
Amara stared at Damien.
“You shot her?”
“I don’t remember.”
“You were ordered to,” Seraphina said.
Damien looked up.
“By whom?”
Seraphina glanced at Evelyn.
Evelyn’s face went cold.
“No.”
Seraphina smiled.
“Yes.”
She pointed at Evelyn.
“She ordered Damien to kill me.”
Amara’s heart pounded.
“Why?”
“Because I found out what they were doing.”
“What were they doing?”
Seraphina looked at Damien.
“Preparing him.”
“For what?”
Seraphina hesitated.
Then whispered,
“To become the king.”
The vault seemed to freeze.
Damien stared at her.
“What king?”
Seraphina looked at Amara.
“The Blood Court’s king.”
Amara’s fingers tightened around her necklace.
“But Damien wasn’t supposed to know.”
Evelyn suddenly raised her weapon.
“Enough!”
She fired.
BANG!
Damien pushed Amara aside.
The bullet struck the stone wall.
Chaos erupted.
The Blood Court guards attacked.
Crimson Circle soldiers returned fire.
Amara dropped behind a pillar.
“Damien!”
“Stay down!”
He fired toward the attackers.
Seraphina disappeared into the chaos.
Amara crawled toward Damien.
“What is happening?”
“I don’t know.”
“You’re the one who said she was dead!”
“I know!”
Another gunshot.
Damien grabbed Amara’s hand.
“We need to get out.”
They ran toward the side passage.
But Evelyn was waiting.
She raised her gun.
“Damien.”
He stopped.
Evelyn smiled.
“You really don’t understand, do you?”
Damien stood in front of Amara.
“Understand what?”
Evelyn’s eyes moved toward Amara.
“She isn’t your queen.”
Amara’s blood ran cold.
Evelyn smiled.
“She is your weakness.”
Then—
A knife flew through the air.
It struck Evelyn’s gun from her hand.
Seraphina stood behind her.
“Wrong.”
Evelyn turned.
Seraphina’s eyes were cold.
“She is his reason.”
Before Evelyn could react, Seraphina attacked.
The two women crashed into the stone floor.
Damien grabbed Amara.
“Now!”
They ran.
Through the narrow corridor.
Past ancient symbols.
Past locked doors.
Until they reached a staircase leading upward.
They burst through a hidden door and found themselves outside the hospital.
St.
Catherine’s.
Amara stared at the building.
“We’re back here.”
Damien looked around.
Seraphina emerged from the doorway behind them.
“You need to go inside.”
Amara turned.
“Why?”
“Because your mother left something there.”
“What?”
Seraphina reached into her coat.
She pulled out a small silver key.
Amara stared at it.
“I thought the black key opened the vault.”
“This isn’t for the vault.”
Seraphina placed it in Amara’s hand.
“This is for your mother’s room.”
Amara’s breath caught.
“My mother had a room here?”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t anyone tell me?”
“Because everyone who knew about it is either dead…”
Seraphina looked toward Damien.
“…or afraid.”
Damien stepped forward.
“Who are you really?”
Seraphina looked at him for a long moment.
Then smiled sadly.
“You really don’t remember me.”
Damien’s eyes hardened.
“I remember enough.”
“No.”
She touched his chest.
“You remember the blood.”
Then she looked at Amara.
“But you forgot the promise.”
Amara frowned.
“What promise?”
Seraphina’s expression became serious.
“The night your mother disappeared…”
She paused.
“Damien promised her he would protect you.”
Amara’s heart stopped.
Damien stared at Seraphina.
“No.”
“Yes.”
“You’re lying.”
“I wish I were.”
Seraphina stepped backward.
“Go inside, Amara.”
“Wait.”
Seraphina stopped.
“Why are you helping me?”
For the first time, Seraphina looked vulnerable.
“Because your mother saved my life.”
She looked at Damien.
“And because I owe him a debt.”
Then she turned away.
Damien watched her leave.
“Seraphina!”
She stopped.
He called out,
“Why did you come back now?”
She looked over her shoulder.
“Because they’re coming for you.”
“Who?”
Seraphina smiled.
“The people who created the prophecy.”
Then she disappeared into the night.
Amara looked at Damien.
“Do you believe her?”
Damien didn’t answer.
He stared at St.
Catherine’s.
Then at the silver key in Amara’s hand.
“No.”
He took her hand.
“But I believe someone is hiding something in there.”
They walked toward the hospital.
Neither noticed the figure watching them from across the street.
A man stood beneath an umbrella.
He held a photograph.
It showed Damien and Amara.
On the back, someone had written:
THE KING AND THE QUEEN MUST NEVER ENTER THE ROOM TOGETHER.
The man folded the photograph.
Then made a phone call.
“They’re inside.”
A woman’s voice answered.
“Good.”
The man smiled.
“Should I kill them?”
Silence.
Then the woman whispered:
“No.”
A pause.
“Let them find the truth.”
Her voice became colder.
“Then kill the one they trust most.”
The call ended.
Inside St.
Catherine’s, Amara suddenly stopped.
“Damien.”
“What?”
She looked down the empty hallway.
“I have a feeling…”
She tightened her grip on the silver key.
“…we’re walking straight into a trap.”
And somewhere deep beneath the hospital—
A door unlocked.
Click.