EIGHTY THREE

EIGHTY THREE
EVA'S POV

Tick tock.

I had maybe a minute top before someone realized.

Plenty of the sentinels had gathered outside for the duel, so the chances of there being guards inside the castle was slim to none. I did trust that there would be a batch of guards set aside to protect the children of the King. But definitely not enough.

I stalked to a corner and peered over at Camille's quarters, where I could already detect the presence of her vile creatures. Two guards were stationed nearby, chatting casually, seemingly unaware of the chaos unfolding downstairs.

I retrieved the small bottle of silvermist I had stashed away and cracked it open just a bit, preparing for any potential need. Then, I approached the guards, keeping my posture firm as they turned to face me.

"Where are my sister's kids?" I inquired. "The situation outside has escalated, and I fear for their safety."

"They're inside," they replied, but when I attempted to pass them, one blocked my path with his hand.

"I apologize, Luna Eva," he said. "We understand your concern, but safeguarding the children is our priority. Our Beta instructed us to keep watch over them."

My anxiety surged. Time was not on my side. Searching for a plausible excuse, I asked, "May I at least see them? Just to confirm their well-being?"

Before they could respond, their radio crackled to life, interrupting our conversation. "All stations."

The guards instinctively reached for their radios, their attention diverted by the sudden interruption. I took advantage of the distraction, subtly edging closer to them as they listened intently to the transmission.

"This is the first Sentinel guard. Be advised: Luna Eva Dumont is now considered an enemy of the Kingdom. If sighted, engage and apprehend immediately," the voice on the radio commanded.

For guards, they had an emotional response. They first looked at each other, their eyes widening in shock and confusion as the gravity of the message sunk in.

Before they could react, I seized the opportunity. In one swift move, I withdrew the bottle of silvermist from my pocket, fully unscrewing the lid before splashing the potent toxin onto both of them.

I made sure to hit their face.

Their expressions twisted in agony as the silvermist made contact with their skin, causing searing pain and paralysis. They stumbled backward, clutching their faces, unable to fend off the effects of the lethal substance.

In seconds, they were reduced to tortured beasts for daring to stand against me.

I wasted no time. It wouldn't be long before someone figured it out. I darted past them and rushed into Camille's quarters.

Inside, I found her children huddled together, wide-eyed and terrified. Without hesitation, I marched towards them to scoop them up.

But at the corner of my eyes. I saw something flash. When I turned, I saw a woman coming at me with a vase.

The intent behind the movements screamed harm. But she already lacked the element of surprise.

With reflexes honed by years of survival, I swiftly sidestepped her attack, evading the swinging vase. In one fluid motion, I seized her wrist, wrenching the makeshift weapon from her grasp.

"Haaaaa!" She shrieked, struggling against my grip.

The worst of it was the way her eyes blazed with fury and disgust.

A lowly creature like her was looking at me with such disregard.

"Are you Lily of the Valley?" I asked.

"Yes." The woman spat, meeting my gaze.

"You tried to kill your Luna." I continued.

"I heard the radio. I saw what you did to the guards. You are a usurper. You are not our Luna."

Her defiant words stoked the flames of my fury. How dare she challenge my authority?

Without hesitation, I slammed the makeshift vase in my other hand into her face. The impact reverberated through the room, accompanied by the sickening sound of breaking bone. The werewolf woman crumpled to the ground, blood pooling around her unconscious form.

I stood over her, panting with adrenaline coursing through my veins. A sense of grim satisfaction washed over me, watching her suffer. But I wasn't quite done.

She was still breathing.

I dipped my hand into the mess of broken glass and blood and picked out a shard of broken glass.

I then turned my sights to the children. "Do you know what happens to people who defy me?"

The children were frozen in place. The boy was already crying. How it brought me joy. Perhaps because he was the one who looked the most like Dimitri.

They couldn't answer. They are too afraid to speak. If it wasn't fear, it was understanding of how dangerous I was.

Smart things.

But I was going to show them. To prove a point.

I placed the sharp object against the woman's throat and pressed gently at first.

My eyes were fixated on the terrified look the children had on their faces. So I didn't realize when the woman woke up. She reached for my arm and spoke.

""Stop, they are kids. This... This will mess them up."

I looked down at her. Even if I didn't help the heavens, she didn't look like she was going to make it. She had to be in a lower rank if her healing factor was this pathetic. I proceeded to yank her bloody hands off my designer clothing.

"Messing them up is exactly what I intend to achieve."

As quickly as I had spoken those words, I sliced into her throat, ripping apart the windpipe.

Her suffering was quick. Her body struggled to suck in air, only for the windpipe to gargle with the blood flowing out of her damaged body. In seconds, she stopped struggling, cradled by the cold hands of death.

Turning away from the bitch girl's limp figure, I refocused my attention on Camille's children.

They stared at me with wide, frightened eyes, their innocence a stark contrast to the violence that had just unfolded before them.

"Come with me," I said gently, extending a hand to them. "If you don't want to end up like her."

I should have known better than to have it easy—the girl. The one who seemed to have it together took one look at my bloody hand and screamed.

"Muuuummm!!!"

The child's piercing scream shattered the eerie silence that had settled over the room, echoing off the walls with haunting intensity.

"Fuck," I mouthed, rushing towards the window to peer outside.

Neal, Dimitri, and Camille had already spotted me in Camille's room, their faces contorted with sheer horror as they realized the gravity of the situation.

Tick tock. All the minutes I had slipped away. Now was the time to act.

Turning back to the children, I found them no longer cowering in the corner. Instead, the girl had clung to her brother and was already opening the door.

"You brat," I muttered under my breath, frustration boiling within me.

The situation was urgent, and I had no time for bratty behavior.

I darted towards them, my heart pounding in my chest. I couldn't let them escape and raise more alarm. Not now.

I slammed the door back shut. The door slammed into the girl's fingers, but I didn't care.

I proceeded to lock the door because it wouldn't be long before Camille and her entourage came banging.

The girl still grabbed her brother and shielded him away from me despite the evident pain in her injured hand and the fact that she was in just as much danger as he was.

Her hand was red, ripe, and swollen, but the pain didn't stop her from picking up a shard of glass from the bloodied floor.

"What is that going to do, brat?" I asked, circling them.

I reached into my pockets and retrieved the coin. The first seal, which I had used, was now charred black. I turned it over to the other side, which was fresh.

All I needed to do was reach out to hold them and tear the seal. We would be gone. Out of here and to a place of my choice.

But when I reached out to grab them, the girl shot me a defiant look, her eyes dark with fear as she waved the shard back and forth.

She was like Camille. Infuriating and disgusting to look at.

"Get away from us!" she hissed.

I chuckled. "Don't blame me for this. Blame your mother. Blame Camille."

"Stay away, or I will cut you."

"Not with those hands," I retorted.

I lunged forward, intent on subduing the girl before she could actually make good on her threat.

I was not about to let a mere child thwart my plans.

The girl was, however quicker than I anticipated.

With surprising agility, she dodged my grasp, the shard of glass slashing through the air dangerously close to my face.

I stumbled backward, caught off guard by her unexpected brute.

"Stop it!" The child shouted, her voice trembling with fear. "Leave us alone!"

Before I could make a move, something or someone slammed into the door hard.

"Eva!" Camille screamed. "Leave my children out of this."

The second slam caused the sturdy door to crack.

I had maybe seconds left. Without thinking, I reached for the girl again, and when she waved the glass in my direction, I punched her straight in the face, sending her flying back to the floor.

The third slam broke the door, and both Dimitri and Camille slipped in.

"This ends now—"

Did they think I would freeze now that I was caught in the headlights of being discovered just right when I was at the pinnacle of accomplishing plan C? No fucking way.

I grabbed the boy and broke the seal, turning back and smiling at Camille as light blinded my vision.

"I'll take you to hell, sister."

In the blinding light, I felt a rush of energy surge through me, the sensation of being torn from one place to another.

When the light finally faded, I blinked and opened my eyes to find myself in a secluded cabin in the woods.The air was thick with the scent of pine, and the only sound was the gentle rustle of leaves outside the window.

But the result of my hard work accompanied me. Camille's son was on the verge of completely falling apart when I let go of his hand.

Kneeling down, I met his terrified gaze. "What's your name again?"