|| Lilac’s POV ||

The moment Alaric's teeth left my neck, the world erupted into chaos.

"The game has begun," Alaric murmured against my skin, his breath hot where he'd just marked me.

I smiled, tasting the metallic tang of my own blood on my lips. "Yes."

A scream ripped through the hall as one of the serving girls' faces began to melt, her delicate features sloughing away to reveal the withered visage of a crone beneath. The scent of rotting herbs and burnt magic ...