Chapter196:The Chaos

|| 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 flooded the air. Warriors moved like shadows— those who knew the plan falling into formation, while others stood frozen in shock. Alaric shifted beside me in a blur as he moved like lightning. The witch barely had time to raise her hands before Alaric's claws tore through her chest, black blood spraying across the marble floors. "Stand still, Luna," Elizabeth ordered, her sword drawn as she and Marcus formed a protective circle around me. "Nothing gets past us." I nodded, my fingers curling around the hidden dagger strapped t