Ezra's POV:
The surroundings of the black lake evoked feelings of being in the Wild Forest; it felt perilous, with predators hiding nearby—a sensation that made Bruno uneasy. I hated being in unclaimed territory... though most respected the truce here and didnt start drama, that didnt mean s**t didnt pop off every once in a while, and the last thing we needed was more enemies. I didnt trust this place or the vampires we were meeting with.
It's not like I could leave, though. The Prince summoned me to join him for a meeting with Lord Alaric. I didn't want to go, but what could I do? I disapproved of this arrangement and have disagreed with almost all of Prince Soren's decisions thus far. He's jeopardizing Melrose and risking making us the kingdom's laughingstock. While I knew the Stygian
