Chapter 10 Vivienne's Betrayal
Lyra's POV
The knock comes on day seven.
I freeze. Nobody knows we're here except Kaelen. The wards should keep out any vampire without his permission.
Don't answer it, Kaelen says sharply.
But Stella is already at the door, looking through the peephole. It's a woman. She looks scared.
Through the peephole, I see blonde hair. A torn dress. A face I once knew better than my own.
Vivienne.
Please, her muffled voice calls. Lyra, if you're in there, I need help. They're after me. I made a mistake
It's a trap, Kaelen says flatly.
She's my friend. Was my friend. I move toward the door.
Lyra, don't
But I'm already opening it.
Vivienne stumbles inside, makeup smeared, dress torn. She looks genuinely terrified.
Thank god. She gasps. I didn't know where else to go.
What happened? Despite everything, concern floods through me.
Corbin. He She chokes on a sob. I told him I was having second thoughts about the engagement. About marrying into vampire society. And he hurt me. Said I knew too much. That I couldn't leave.
She collapses onto the couch beside Stella, who immediately puts a comforting arm around her.
You're safe now, Stella says gently.
Kaelen hasn't moved from the window. How did you find this location?
I followed you. Last week. I saw you bring them here. Vivienne wipes her eyes. I'm sorry. I know you don't trust me after what I did at the Solstice. But I'm trying to make things right.
Through the bond, I feel Kaelen's absolute certainty: she's lying.
But looking at Vivienne's tear-streaked face, at the bruises forming on her arms, I want to believe her. Want to believe my former best friend isn't completely lost.
It's okay, I say, sitting beside her. You're safe here.
Thank you. She squeezes my hand. I'm so sorry, Lyra. For everything. For abandoning you. For saying those horrible things at the party. I was jealous and stupid and Voice cracks. I've missed you.
I've missed you too.
Kaelen makes a disgusted sound and leaves the room.
He doesn't like me, Vivienne says quietly.
He doesn't like anyone.
Even you?
I touch the mark hidden beneath my shirt. Especially me.
Vivienne's eyes track the movement. What's that?
Nothing. Just a
Let me see. Before I can stop her, she pulls my collar aside.
Her eyes go wide. Lyra. That's a bonding mark.
It's complicated
Complicated? She touches the mark with trembling fingers. Do you know what this means? If the Council finds out
They won't. We're being careful.
But this changes everything. She pulls out her phone. I need to document this. For evidence. To prove Kaelen isn't the monster everyone thinks
What are you doing?
She's taking photos. Of the mark. Of me.
Vivienne, stop
This is proof that vampire-human bonds can work! That the Council's laws are wrong! She's backing toward the door, phone clutched tight. With this, I can
Kaelen appears in a blur, snatching the phone.
Give that back! Vivienne lunges for it.
You were never in danger, Kaelen says coldly, scrolling through her phone. No calls from Corbin. No messages. Nothing. He looks up, mercury eyes gone hard as stone. You came here specifically to photograph the mark.
Vivienne's face shifts. The tears dry up. The fear vanishes.
What's left is calculating. Cold.
Fine, she says. You caught me. But you're too late.
What did you do? I whisper.
I already sent photos to Councilor Blackwater before I came. He knows about the mark. He knows where you are. Her smile is cruel now. Victorious. They're probably on their way here right now.
My blood turns to ice. Why would you
Why? Her voice rises. Because you don't deserve him! You don't deserve any of this! You're a nobody donor who threw away her future, and somehow you get marked by the vampire prince? You get immortality while I have to beg Corbin to turn me?
Vivienne
I gave the Council everything. Backing toward the door. Photos. Location. Testimony about how you seduced Lord Nightshade with illegal magic. They'll reward me. Give me a position in vampire society. And you She laughs. You'll finally get what you deserve.
She runs.
Kaelen doesn't chase her. Instead, he turns to me. Pack. Now. We have maybe ten minutes before the Council arrives.
Where will we go?
I don't know. For the first time, he looks lost. But staying here means execution.
Lyra? Stella appears in the doorway, confused and scared. What's happening?
Through the bond, I feel Kaelen's calculation. He's weighing options. Measuring survival chances.
Coming up empty.
They'll use Stella against you, he says quietly. The moment the Council has her, you'll give them anything they want.
Then we don't let them take her.
There are twelve Council members. Elite guards. Centuries of power. Flat. We can't fight them. We can only run. And even that
He stops. Through the bond, I feel his realization.
We're not going to make it.
Vivienne's betrayal has sealed our fate.
How long? I ask. Until the bond demands completion?
Three days. Maybe four.
Not enough time to run.
No.
We stare at each other. Through the bond, I feel everything, rage, despair, resignation.
And underneath, something fierce. Something that refuses to give up even when giving up is logical.
Then we fight, I say.
We'll die.
We're dying anyway. I take his hand, and the bond flares hot. At least this way, we go down fighting.
Through the bond, I feel his decision shift. The ice cracking completely.
Three days, he says. Three days to prepare. To gather allies. To find a way to survive what's coming.
Can we do it?
His mercury eyes meet mine. For the first time, I see real hope behind the ice.
I don't know. But for the first time in four hundred years He squeezes my hand. I'm willing to try.