Chapter 43 The Second Binding
ARIA'S POV
"No." The word ripped from my throat before I could stop it.
Sebastian's hand tightened on mine as Lord Viktor Stone stepped forward to claim Elena. My best friend stood on the ceremonial platform, her farmer's dress replaced by the white binding gown, her face pale but determined.
"Aria, don't," Sebastian whispered urgently. "If you interfere now, the court will turn on both of you."
But how could I just watch? Elena had held me together through every nightmare in this place. She'd been brave when I wanted to crumble. And now she was about to be bound to a vampire lord, the first step toward her death on Christmas morning.
"I'm sorry," Viktor said softly as he approached Elena. Unlike Prince Dante's cruel smile during his binding, Viktor looked genuinely sad. "I wish there was another way."
"There is!" I shouted, pulling against Sebastian's grip. "Sebastian broke the ritual for me. He can break it for all of them!"
The throne room erupted in angry whispers. Lady Morgana rose from her seat, her eyes blazing with fury.
"One exception was barely tolerated," she hissed. "You think we'll allow you to destroy every tradition?"
Sebastian stood, his power filling the room. "Aria, please. Trust me."
But I couldn't. Not when Elena's terrified eyes met mine across the chamber.
Viktor lowered his head to Elena's throat. She gripped the altar so hard her knuckles turned white. I saw her lips move, forming words just for me: Stay strong.
Then Viktor's fangs pierced her skin.
Elena's scream shattered my heart.
Golden light exploded from the bite—not as bright as what happened with Sebastian and me, but still there. A crimson thread formed in the air between Viktor and Elena, binding them together.
Through my connection with Sebastian, I felt his shock. "That shouldn't happen," he breathed.
"What?" I demanded.
"The binding light. It only appears when—" He stopped, staring at Elena. "When there's Sanguine blood involved."
My mind raced. Elena was Sanguine-blessed too? But that was impossible. We'd grown up in the same village. I would have known.
Viktor jerked back from Elena's throat, his eyes wide. "My lord," he called to Sebastian, his voice shaking. "Her blood... it's different. Powerful."
Elena collapsed against the altar, gasping. Blood trickled down her neck, but something else was happening. Her skin was glowing faintly, just like mine did when I healed.
Morgana moved faster than I could track. Suddenly she was beside Elena, grabbing her chin and forcing her head up.
"Another one," Morgana said, her voice filled with terrible excitement. "Two Sanguine healers in one generation. Do you know how rare this is? How valuable?"
"Let her go!" I tried to run to Elena, but Sebastian pulled me back.
"Wait," he ordered. Through our bond, I felt his calculating thoughts. He was planning something.
Morgana released Elena and turned to address the court. "This changes everything. We don't need to protect just one Sanguine healer. We have two. Which means we can afford to sacrifice one."
Ice flooded my veins.
"The ritual needs blood to sustain our realm," Morgana continued, her smile vicious. "Lord Sebastian refuses to complete it with his bride. But perhaps Lord Viktor will be more... traditional."
Viktor looked horrified. "I won't kill her. The binding light means—"
"It means nothing," Morgana snapped. "You'll drain her on Christmas morning as intended, or you'll be executed for treason alongside Sebastian."
"You can't do this!" I screamed.
But I could see the court nodding. Even some of Sebastian's allies looked uncertain. The law was clear: the Winter Feast required death.
Sebastian stepped forward, his voice cold and commanding. "If you harm Elena Cross, you declare war on me directly."
"Then perhaps it's time for a new ruler," Prince Dante said smoothly, rising from his seat. "One who respects our traditions."
The throne room divided instantly. Vampires moved to stand behind either Sebastian or Dante, weapons appearing as if from nowhere.
We were seconds away from civil war.
"Stop!" Elena's voice rang out, surprisingly strong. She pushed herself upright, one hand pressed to her bleeding throat. "I have something to say."
Everyone froze.
Elena looked directly at me, and I saw something in her expression that made my stomach drop. She was hiding something. Something big.
"My real name," Elena said clearly, "isn't Elena Cross."
The room went deadly silent.
"It's Elena Thornwell."
My world tilted. "What?"
Elena's eyes filled with tears. "I'm sorry, Aria. I should have told you from the beginning. Your father... he was my father too. We're sisters. Half-sisters. My mother was a servant in your house who he loved before he married your mother."
I couldn't breathe. Couldn't think. Elena—brave, loyal Elena—was my sister?
"Your stepmother Celeste found out about me years ago," Elena continued, her voice breaking. "She threatened to destroy my mother's reputation, to have us both thrown out into the streets unless I stayed away from you. So I did. I watched you from afar, saw you suffer after your father died, saw Marcus betray you. And I couldn't do anything."
"But then we were both chosen for the Winter Feast," I whispered, understanding flooding through me. "And you finally had an excuse to stay close."
"I couldn't protect you before," Elena said, tears streaming down her face. "But I can now. If the court needs a Sanguine healer to die for the ritual, take me. Let Aria live."
"No!" I lunged forward, but Sebastian held me tight.
Morgana's laugh was like breaking glass. "How touching. But I have a better idea."
She raised her hand, and magic crackled through the air. The ceremonial bindings on all the remaining brides began to glow—not just Elena's, but all four girls still waiting their turn.
"If two Sanguine healers appeared in one generation," Morgana said, "perhaps there are more. Perhaps Celeste Thornwell knows exactly where to find them."
The throne room doors burst open.
My stepmother swept in, her smile triumphant. Behind her, guards dragged three more women in chains.
I recognized them instantly. They were my childhood friends. Girls I'd grown up with. Girls I'd lost touch with after my father died.
"Did you really think you were special, Aria?" Celeste purred. "Your father didn't just have two daughters. He had six. All of you blessed with your mother's bloodline. All of you hidden throughout the village."
She gestured to the chained women. "Meet your sisters. I've been saving them for exactly this moment."
Sebastian's grip on me was the only thing keeping me upright.
"Six Sanguine healers," Morgana breathed, her eyes gleaming with greed. "Enough to power the Winter Feast for three hundred years. Enough to make the Crimson Vale stronger than it's been in millennia."
She turned to Sebastian, her smile vicious. "So here's your choice, Lord Thorne. Sacrifice five of these girls to save your precious Aria, or watch as we drain all six—including her—to ensure our realm's survival."
Elena met my eyes across the room, and I saw the same horrified realization I felt.
We weren't just brides anymore.
We were sisters. And Celeste had just sold all of us to our deaths.