The ancient fortress stood at the edge of the cliffs, surrounded by an army of vampires who had sworn allegiance to neither king nor prince.
They had come for Seraphina's blood.
With it, they believed they could end their enemies' immortality, claim the throne, or escape the curse that had bound their kind for centuries.
Lucien arrived with his royal guard.
Damien arrived with the outcasts and rebels.
They stood on opposite sides of the fortress courtyard, their weapons drawn, while Seraphina faced the army between them.
"Give us the woman," the clan leader demanded, "and your kingdoms will be spared."
Lucien stepped forward.
"No."
Damien moved beside him.
"Absolutely not."
For the first time in centuries, the king and the fallen prince stood together.
The battle began before the final word had left Damien's mouth.
Steel rang against steel. Shadows tore across the courtyard. Vampires leapt from ruined towers as the sky turned red beneath the blood moon.
Lucien fought like a king who had finally found something worth protecting beyond his crown.
Damien fought like a man determined not to become the monster his enemies expected.
But their opponents had prepared for them.
Silver chains wrapped around Lucien's arms, dragging him to his knees. Damien was struck from behind and hurled against the fortress wall.
Seraphina screamed their names.
Her power surged.
The chains melted into ash.
A shockwave swept across the courtyard, scattering the attacking vampires and silencing the battle.
For a moment, Seraphina stood alone beneath the red moon, her eyes glowing like molten gold.
The clan leader stared at her in horror.
"You're not human."
Seraphina walked towards him.
"No," she said. "But neither are you."
She could have destroyed him.
Instead, she stripped the power from his blood, leaving him alive and mortal beneath the moonlight.
The surviving vampires dropped their weapons.
The battle was over.
But when Seraphina turned, she saw Lucien and Damien facing each other across the courtyard.
Neither had lowered his sword.
The war outside had ended.
The war between their hearts had not.