The Serpent and the Wings of Night

Two days after her vampire lover tried to kill her, Vincent comes to Oraya’s room, claiming that he has a gift for her. He leads her to the throne room where the young man is tied up. Vincent orders Oraya to take his knife and kill the boy. Oraya understands this command for what it is: a punishment for disobeying Vincent and for daring to love someone other than him. She can’t bring herself to hate him for it, because he’s right—this never would have happened if she hadn’t disobeyed him. She takes the knife and kills the boy she loves.

Back in the present moment, Angelika stumbles into the Moon Palace as the fourth and final remaining contestant. Oraya reels at the realization of what Vincent has done to her people, even as his voice in her head convinces her that he did what he had to do. When Raihn calls Vincent a monster and attempts to convince Oraya of her father’s unforgivable brutality, she still defends him, “like every attack against his character struck [her], too” (373). Oraya leaves to confront Vincent.