While vampires and sorcerers fought to the death, the werewolves advanced through the forest until they reached the outskirts of the cemetery.
The clouds raced across the sky, blocking the moonlight, driven by the wind that violently shook the treetops; the damp scent lingered in the air.
In the distance, powerful lightning illuminated the night, and a dark storm loomed over the vampire prince's castle.
At any moment, torrential rain would pour down, as if it were a manifestation of his own feelings.
Zarek is enraged, Gabrielle announced.
She didnt need her eyes to sense it; his fury seemed to transcend all barriers.
Quinn, can you sense your sister? Aldric asked.
They had been advancing tirelessly all afternoon and night.
Tts confusing, but it feels like shes beneath us, maybe underground or something.
Ive tried reaching out to her wolf, but I can't connect.
Quinn frowned, deeply worried and, above all, struggling to believe that he had allowed Gabrielle to come along.
Of course, Valeria had stayed safely at the camp.
T have to try to talk to him.
Its crucial that he knows we re on his side...
No, Quinn caught Gabrielle's arm when she tried to step forward, away from the shelter of the trees.
Quinn, I already explained it to you.
You don't understandZarek is too ---- unpredictable! If something happens to your sister...
I don't even want to imagine what he'll do, Gabrielle squeezed his hand, and Quinn could feel the tremor in his mate.
T've already done something that will make him furious.
I left the contract in Kael's name, and he even threatened his mate inside the castle.
We have to let him know were here to help.
Tf that bastard hurts you Quinn couldn't bear the thought.
He wont.
Not so easily.
After all, Im a descendant of his family, Gabrielle chuckled without much humor.
The truth was, she wasnt entirely sure Zarek would let her go without snapping her neck.
That man was ruthless and cruel.
Everyone believed that Zarek had been imprisoned in the castle bya Selenia as punishment for his sins.
They had all been fools.
That man had allowed himself to be cursed.
He placed those powerful chains on himself, and if he hadnt broken free until now, it was simply because he didnt care about this world.
But with the appearance of his mate, everything had changed.
Gabrielle then stepped toward the rusted gates of the ancient cemetery, and Quinn took her hand, unwilling to let her go alone.
Prince Zarek, Iam here with support.
These are your mates people, this is her brother.
Weve come to help Celine, she said, bowing her head with a humility and respect she rarely showed in her life.
Suddenly, the cemetery gates creaked open with a spine-chilling groan, Gabrielle's dark hair swirling wildly in the wind, along with the branches of the old weeping willow that seemed to mourn in sorrow.
Quinn, no matter what happens, do not step into the cemetery...
No, do you think Ill just stand here if T will survive.
But dont provoke him, don't do it.
He wont harm me...
only because you're my mate and Celine wouldn't forgive him for hurting her brother and sister-in-law.
Gabrielle turned to him with a smile and then crossed the barrier into that mans domain.
She had barely taken a few steps when, suddenly, a whirlwind of fierce currents formed, lifting dirt and dead leaves into the air.
A roar echoed from the castle.
Quinn closed his eyes for a moment, running a hand over his face, and when he opened them again, his whole body tensed in shock and fury.
Gabrielle, his beloved mate, was levitating in the air, hands clawing at her throat as if she were suffocating strangled by an invisible force holding her captive.
Gabrielle! Dont...
come, she barely managed to whisper, and Quinn took a step forward, stopping at the edge of danger, swallowing his frustration at seeing his mate in peril.
Gabrielle, on the other hand, felt the air slipping away from her lungs.
It was like a hanging victim kicking at nothing, struggling to breathe.
JT must admit, youve got guts to show up before me, an ethereal and furious voice echoed in her mind.
In the sea of her consciousness, Gabrielle saw him advancing, emerging from the shadows of the cemetery with confident strides, his wild black hair and that murderous expression on his handsome face.
---- His dark noble attire was just like when he was prince of the castle in ancient times.
He never cared about being king; he was only the guardian of his sister Seleniaand even that was taken from him.
My lord, I...
Iwas betrayed too.
I never imagined...
How dare you put a serpent on the throne of the Selenias! He moved so quickly that she suddenly felt his grip around her throat, his long claws sinking into her skin, the scent of blood mingling with the storm.
Her blind eyes could not evade that blood-red gaze.
It was all happening in her mind, but Gabrielle knew very well she could actually die.
The throne was meant for my daughter Selenia...
I only...
left it for protection, to safeguard the crown for her...
You took advantage of my slumber to alter the contract.
Now that you have returned, he growled through clenched teeth.
T can't free myself because Im bound to you once again.
What should I do, Gabrielle? If I kill you here and now, I can break the chains binding me to the castle and find my mate myself.