Chapter 50 The Siege

Chapter 50 The Siege
I’m in Thad’s quarters when the screaming starts, curled against his side in a sleep that won’t come. We both bolt upright at the same moment, and I can see the confusion on his face mirroring my own.
“They’re attacking now?” I ask. “In daylight?”
Thad is already out of bed and pulling on clothes. “The Primigenii have access to ancient protections most vampires don’t even know exist.”
“What kind of protections can protect them against the sun?”
“Amulets. Enchanted armor. There are a number of things that shield them from the sun long enough to fight.” He grabs a sword from the rack on his wall and tosses me a blade I barely know how to hold. “Stay close to me. No matter what happens, do not leave my side.”
We race through the mansion toward the sounds of battle. The hallways are filled with smoke and the clash of metal on metal. Bodies litter the floor, some wearing the black uniforms of our soldiers, others dressed in the crimson robes of the Primigenii.
The main foyer has become a war zone.
Vampires from both sides tear into each other with fangs and blades. Human soldiers fire weapons that seem useless against enemies who move faster than bullets. Dominique is in the thick of it, carving her blade through crimson-robed attackers.
And leading the charge against us is a vampire I’ve never seen before.
He’s tall and pale, with white hair that flows past his shoulders and eyes that glow an unnatural red. Around his neck hangs a pendant that pulses with sickly green energy. The other Primigenii wear similar amulets, and I realize Thad was right. That’s how they’re surviving the dawn.
“The leader,” Thad growls beside me. “Cassius. He’s one of the oldest Primigenii still walking.”
“How do we stop him?”
“We don’t. I do.” Thad grabs my arm and steers me toward a corner of the foyer that’s partially shielded by an overturned table. “Stay here. Stay hidden. I’ll come back for you.”
“Thad, wait—”
But he’s already gone, launching himself into the battle with his sword raised and a roar that rattles the entire room.
I’ve never seen him fight before. Not really. I’ve seen him threaten and posture and pin Viktor against a wall. But this is different. This is Thad unleashed, five hundred years of combat experience condensed into a whirlwind of steel and fury.
He cuts through three Primigenii before they even realize he’s among them. His blade moves so fast I can barely track it, slicing throats and severing limbs. Blood sprays across his face, and he doesn’t slow down. He doesn’t hesitate. He just keeps killing.
But there are too many of them.
For every Primigenii Thad cuts down, two more take their place. They pour through the shattered windows and broken doors like a crimson tide. Our soldiers are falling faster than they can be replaced. Even Dominique is struggling; she’s slowing as exhaustion and wounds take their toll.
Cassius watches it all from the center of the foyer with that sick smile never leaving his face. He’s not fighting. He’s waiting. Watching Thad cut through his soldiers like he’s evaluating a performance.
Then his red eyes find me.
“There she is,” he announces. “The Valdris heir. I was hoping you’d show yourself.”
Thad spins toward me and screams, “Thelma, run!”
But I can’t run. My legs won’t move. Cassius is walking toward me, and his amulet is pulsing brighter with every step. The other Primigenii part around him like water around a stone.
“Such power hiding in such a fragile vessel,” Cassius muses as he draws closer. “The ritual will be glorious. You’ll burn from the inside out, and when the flames die down, that power will belong to us.”
“Stay away from her!” Thad tries to reach me, but three Primigenii block his path. He fights through them, but more keep coming. He’s not going to make it in time.
Cassius stops in front of me and reaches out to touch my face. His fingers are ice cold, and his breath smells like decay.
“Don’t be afraid, little one. Death is just the beginning.”
Something snaps inside me.
The pressure builds in my chest, faster and stronger than it did in the training room. This time, I don’t try to control it. I don’t try to understand it. I just let it go.
Energy explodes outward from my body in a blinding wave. It rips through the foyer like a shockwave, throwing Primigenii and furniture and debris in every direction. Cassius flies backward, and his amulet shatters against his chest as he crashes through the far wall.
But I don’t stop there.
The power keeps pouring out of me, building and building until I can’t tell where it ends and I begin. The walls crack. The ceiling groans. Windows explode outward in cascades of glass.
I can hear screaming, but I don’t know if it’s coming from the Primigenii or from me.
Thad’s voice reaches me through the chaos. “Thelma! You have to stop! You’ll bring down the whole mansion!”
I want to stop. I try to stop. But the energy has a mind of its own now. It’s been locked inside me for too long, and now that it’s free, it doesn’t want to go back.
The world around me dissolves into pure white.
I can’t see anything. Can’t hear anything. Can’t feel anything except the power raging through my veins like liquid fire.
This is it, I think. This is how I die. Not from the Primigenii. Not from the ritual. From my own power consuming me from the inside out.