Chapter 14

Days earlier, Blake storms into a council with Viktor Drakharrow and Marcus after learning he has been betrothed to Medra Pendragon. He accuses Viktor of using him as a pawn and questions the girl’s origins. Viktor frames the decision as essential to House Drakharrow’s ascendancy and hints at Medra’s unprecedented value.

They dissect rival houses’ reactions: Lady Avari sought Medra’s destruction and Lord Mortis might have married her into Mortis. Viktor insists the initial Black Keep binding is only the first step and orders Blake to keep Medra tightly controlled. He forbids others from tasting Medra’s blood, asserting only one highblood should benefit, thereby reserving her potential exclusively for Blake.

Marcus needles Blake, crudely coveting Medra and revealing his own history of killing a consort. Viktor outlines separate ambitions for Marcus, weighing alliances with Houses Mortis or Orphos. Blake notes their mother’s withdrawal to the Bloodmaiden’s Sanctum and challenges Viktor’s consolidation of power.

Tensions spike when Marcus threatens their sister Aenia; Blake attacks him before Viktor forces compliance. Viktor then condemns cousin Theo’s male lovers as an embarrassment, warning Blake to control Theo before scandal worsens. Blake, recognizing Viktor’s dominance and Marcus’s menace, agrees to manage Aenia and Theo personally.

Leaving the confrontation, Blake acknowledges Viktor’s danger and Marcus’s brutality. He resolves to shield Medra from Marcus, understanding how narrowly she avoided worse, and commits to navigating Viktor’s designs to protect those he can.