They ran back. A young woman lay on the ballroom floor. White dress stained red. The Vicomte wiped blood from his mouth. "A refreshment gone wrong. So messy."
Élise trembled. Lucien's jaw tightened. "We must leave."
At the safehouse Élise vomited into a basin. "He killed her. Like an animal."
"He is an animal," Lucien said coldly. "Dress in dark clothes. We go to Notre Dame now. While the Court sleeps."
The cathedral loomed in moonlight. They slipped into the crypt. Stone coffins lined the walls. Lucien lit a lantern. "The vault is this way."
They found stairs leading down. Iron gates barred the way. A lock shaped like a rose.
Élise touched the cold metal. "I can open it. But the cuff blocks my power."
Lucien hesitated. Then he unlocked the iron bracelet. "Do it fast."
Élise pricked her finger. Smeared blood on the lock. She pulled memories of the Vicomte's touch. His arrogance. His cruelty. The lock clicked.
Inside the vault glittered with treasures. At its center stood a crystal vial. Filled with silvery liquid. The Queen's tears.
Élise grabbed it. Then she saw a familiar journal. Clémence's. She opened it. Her sister's handwriting screamed from the pages.
*Élise's blood is poison to them. The Vicomte fears her. Her power can destroy the Court. He took me to lure her.*
Lucien snatched the journal. Read it. His face changed. "Your blood can kill vampires."
Élise stepped back. "Give that back."
Lucien drew a knife. "I'm sorry. But I must trade you to the Vicomte. To end this."