Blood, Sweat, and Tears

by Angela Roquet

  “—will be dealt with,” the queen finished, her gaze sliding to the two coffins. “Along with her illegitimate pet.”

  “She is my scion,” Alexander pleaded. “Let me exact her punishment.”

  “I am your queen,” Lili said, her voice hardening. “You will do as I command.”

  Alexander bowed his head. “Yes, Your Majesty.” His gaze migrated to Kassandra again as if he knew it would be some time before he next laid eyes on her. But the hopelessness gave way to resentment as he looked back at Dante and me.

  There was a promise in the prince’s eyes, one we couldn’t give back. We may have thwarted one enemy, but we’d made another in the process.

  Chapter Twenty

  THE LOOK ON ALEXANDER’S face was still burned in my mind. He blamed this on me. In some ways, I supposed it was my fault. But more than that, I felt the threat stirring within him, the eye-for-an-eye conclusion that Dante’s betrayal had inspired.

  “Put them in the coffins,” Lili commanded, nodding to the duchess and Phillip. The half-sired minion was unconscious, and he would be for a few more hours. Transferring him to the first coffin was easy, and two of Dante’s guards took the task upon themselves, leaving the queen’s guards to tend to the duchess.

  “My queen, grandsire,” Kassandra sobbed. “Have mercy.”

  “The coffins are lined with velvet, treacherous girl,” the queen replied. “That is all the mercy I have left for you.”

  Kassandra yelped as a guard yanked the dagger out of her back, and her blood flowed more freely down the folds of her dress. It pooled on the floor behind her. The queen’s manservant hurried across the room, and the guard placed the dagger on the tray, the blade dripping thick blood over the shiny surface. Then the guards each took up one of the duchess’s arms and dragged her backward, leaving a blood trail on the floor that her gown smeared through.

  As they hauled her past Dante, she kicked and screamed at him. Her lips peeled back, revealing swollen gums and extended fangs. She hissed and thrashed like a wild animal.

  “This isn’t over!” she screamed. “You think you’ve won? This is only the beginning. A coffin will not hold me forever.”

  “Rest in peace, sister,” Dante said as the guards lifted Kassandra into the second box. Panic filled her eyes as they began to close the top, and one last scream unfurled from her throat, sending goosebumps along my skin. Then, it was snuffed out, muffled as the lid clicked shut.

  Audrey sniffled beside me, and I realized how alarming all of this must be for her. I wasn’t exactly used to it myself. I wrapped my arm around her and pulled her in close, hoping tonight wouldn’t motivate her to follow Kate back to Austin.

  I didn’t have to like her, but I could at least play nice. If I didn’t, I feared these older vamps would be us one day, stabbing each other in the back over a crown that anyone with a lick of sense wouldn’t want anyway.

  “You will go home,” the queen said, turning her back to us. “Tonight, after we are done here. I will anoint the new warriors and retire for the evening. The guards and servants can handle the rest of the party.”

  “And Alexander?” Dante asked, placing a hand over his heart.

  “Alexander is not your problem.” The queen sighed and finally turned around. “Of all my children, how did you turn out to be the most loyal and trustworthy?”

  When Dante didn’t answer, the queen sniffed and looked at Ursula, standing beside me with her hands folded in front of her fancy dress and an unreadable expression on her face. The princess had surprisingly kept it together throughout the events of the night.

  Dante’s remark about Ursula acting out so boldly to get it out of her system came back to me. Maybe she did just need someone at home who understood her insecurities and tolerated her quirks the way Morgan had, so she could function again among the undead without going stark-raving mad.

  Sometimes, the people we loved kept us grounded, and when they left this world, they took a tiny piece of our sanity with them—or maybe a good chunk of it, in Ursula’s case. I knew I’d lost a sliver of my rationality and reason with my mother’s passing.

  “You’re going to be queen one day,” Lili said, drawing the princess’s undivided attention. “I will take Alexander to my forever rest, and you will be the third vampiric queen of House Lilith to rule over this territory. What kind of queen will you be, Ursula?”

  The princess opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Whatever offense she’d taken, she kept it to herself. Her eyes welled as she pressed her lips together again. “I will do my very best, my queen.”

  “But will that be enough?” Lili sighed. “I have reigned for two hundred and thirty-three years. I am tired, but I fear handing this crown over to you will mean the end of House Lilith.”

  “Then take me with you and leave Alexander behind,” Ursula begged. “I am ready.”

  Lili shook her head. “I will honor the blood oath I made to my scion, and this burden will be yours, whether you want it or not.”

  “Then—” Ursula panted and looked up at me as if suddenly realizing that she’d just volunteered to leave her vampling scion high and dry. I was surprised by how slighted I felt. “Then give the crown to Dante.”

  “Leave.” The queen turned her back again, tiring of arguing with the princess. “Go back to St. Louis. We will speak more of this at Imbolc. I do not wish to see you again until then. Let Midwinter pass with your peaceful absence.”

  I hadn’t expected the queen to do cartwheels over Kassandra’s betrayal, but a little gratitude for finally evicting the rotten apple from her cart would have been nice. Still, I didn’t express my disappointment as the duke led us from the throne room.

  Lane and Mandy waited with the rest of the guards in a cluster around Polly. The queen hadn’t asked for any specifics about the donor-in-waiting who had been blackmailed. After four hundred years, I imagined she viewed most humans as lapdogs—harmless, adoring pets with stunted lifespans. But every now and then, one needed to be put down.

  I wondered what would become of Philip. As a new vampire, if he didn’t receive blood within the first few days, he would become a ravenous creature with no chance of revival. He was as good as dead. I wanted to believe it was justice, but who knew what Kassandra had bribed or threatened Phillip with to earn his allegiance. Vampires took extortion and intimidation to a whole new level.

  Audrey left my side to go to Polly. The girls hugged, and I saw Murphy watching them with a scowl. Dante had promised Polly a merciful end for her cooperation in exposing Kassandra. Did Murphy know that? I wasn’t sure what the duke had told him before we left the manor, but whatever it was, it had pacified Murphy for the time being.

  “She will be returned to Austin,” Dante said, coming to a stop beside me. He touched my shoulder, drawing my worried stare away from the girls. “It was Murphy’s decision, though I made him wait three days before bringing it to me. He needed time to get his head right.”

  “You didn’t tell the queen,” I said, wondering where the line of justice fell for the duke. How was Phillip guilty and Polly not?

  “Polly tried to do the right thing,” Dante said, a crease worrying his brow.

  “After she was caught.”

  “She’s just a girl,” he added. “And she was coerced.”

  “You don’t think Phillip was?” I asked.

  Dante grinned softly. “I could give you access to the Blood Vice database, let you do some digging to see if there is a loved one somewhere that he was protecting.”

  “You could,” I said, nodding.

  I wasn’t sure if Dante was serious or not, but I was up for the task. It wasn’t like I had etiquette lessons to stay on top of for Midwinter. Guess Blair would have to show off her dress to someone else.

  Ursula slipped one arm around Dante’s shoulders and the other around mine. “Well, children. One villain down, a few hundred to go.”

  I snorted. “All kinds of things are possible when we get out of
the house.”

  She gave me a level look. “I wonder what was possible when you two ran off to Chicago. Thought you were keeping secrets, did you?” she said at my surprise.

  “You’re one to talk,” I snapped back at her. “Matching our dresses and suits to the queen’s throne room.”

  “What?” She blinked innocently. “I assumed Kassandra would have found out about the color palette through one of her spies. It’s not my fault that Vionnet was all booked up before she got around to asking him and was forced to settle for a Novak knockoff.”

  I gazed out over our small party, all dressed in custom, matching attire. “No, not your fault at all.”

  Dante cleared his throat as one of the guards signaled that the cars were ready. “The duchess and I have some things to discuss, cousin,” he said to Ursula. “Would you mind accompanying my pending scion and her dowry donor to the airport?”

  “Mm-hmm.” She rolled her eyes and left us to join the others.

  THE NIGHT AIR WAS COOL against my skin. I looked back at the queen’s mansion, wondering if Roman and Vanessa were still inside or if they’d left after the incident in the gallery. I was anxious to leave before I ran into either of them again.

  The first car pulled away with Ursula and the Darkly girls, and then Donnie pulled the second car ahead for Dante and me to load into. I didn’t know what he wanted to talk to me about, but I hoped it was nothing dire. I’d had about enough of that for one night.

  Donnie closed the back door and ran around the car to climb into the driver’s seat. Then we pulled around and out of the drive, heading back toward the airport. Dante fiddled with a few dials, adjusting the heat and music, and then he hit the button for the partition that separated the front seats from the back.

  Dante didn’t wait for it to finish closing before he turned and cupped my face with both hands, pulling me in for a chaste kiss. He placed one on each cheek before going back to my mouth for seconds, his lips touching my skin as softly as a whispered breath.

  “I almost lost myself tonight,” he said, pausing to press his forehead to mine. “I would not have made it through without you by my side.”

  “Are you all right?” I asked. The kisses felt like victory, but I knew better. Alexander was not pleased. Angering Dante’s sire hadn’t been part of the plan, but we knew it was a potential risk.

  Dante shrugged and gave me a sad smile. “One step forward, two steps back.”

  I leaned forward and pressed another kiss to his mouth, enjoying the tenderness of his touch, the slow way his fingers caressed my skin. A duchess could get used to this.

  The desperate, taboo thrill of Roman had been...exhilarating. But it wasn’t enough, and it never would be. And it certainly wasn’t love. Whatever lustful longings remained from our blood bond, I was over them.

  Dante kissed me again, his eyes open and searching mine. Is this okay? They seemed to ask. I answered by parting my lips the next time his met mine. His hand pressed firmly against the side of my corset, and I sighed shallowly as the bones of the garment dug into my skin.

  “How can you breathe in such a contraption?” he asked, grinning as his hands slid around to my backside and he searched for a way to free me.

  “We should wait,” I whispered against his cheek. Ursula would kill me if I got anything on the gown she’d had commissioned, and I wasn’t even sure how I’d get the thing off and on again in such a tight space.

  “My dear lady.” Dante gave me a horrified look. “I have no intention of bedding you in a moving vehicle—at least, not for our first time.”

  “Then what are you doing?” I rasped, enjoying the sensation of the corset loosening as his hands worked the laces in back.

  “Brainstorming other...pleasurable things we can do to pass the time.” His mouth dipped down to trace my collarbone, and I sighed more fully this time, my lungs no longer constricted. “Ah, that’s better,” he said, dragging his mouth back in the opposite direction.

  I could already tell that the plane ride would be torture.

  Maybe all kinds of things were possible when we got out of the house. But right now, I couldn’t wait to get home.

  Catch up with Jenna and company in...

  FLESH AND BLOOD

  BLOOD VICE BOOK SEVEN

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  Find it now at your favorite e-bookstore!

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  AFTER A YEAR OF PLAYING scion to the temperamental Princess of House Lilith, Jenna is ready to get back to solving cases—even if that means sneaking out of the manor to get the job done. Jenna’s antics do not go unnoticed by the Vampiric High Council. When several representatives drop in to conduct the princess and duchess’s one-year evaluation and are nearly taken out by a poorly-timed bomb, the council decides to put Jenna’s skills as an agent to the test. If she can uncover whoever is behind the attack, the council will approve her arrangement with the princess. Otherwise, there’s a locked coffin in her immediate future—a future she’s just learned could include a living niece or nephew.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  THANKS TO ALL THE USUAL peeps who help me make these books happen: Chelle Olson, my epic editor, who works so hard to make my words pretty (even when I miss deadlines—sorry!); Rebecca Frank, who designed another lovely cover; my cover model, a.k.a. little seester, who knows how to strike a pose; Hollie Jackson, who brings Jenna’s voice to life in the audiobooks; my critique group, the Four Horsemen of the Bookocalypse, who are always supportive and inspiring; THE Professor George Shelley, for proofreading my books—even though I’ve strayed from Limbo City; my sweet son, who reminds me of the importance of taking a break every now and then to watch Tinker Bell and eat popcorn with him; my husband, who once again kept everything from going to hell in a handbasket while I panicked over fleeting deadlines; and all my Grim Readers, who take time to send encouraging emails, leave reviews, and hang out with me on online. You guys rock!

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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  USA Today bestselling author Angela Roquet is a great big weirdo. She collects Danger Girl comic books, owls, skulls, random craft supplies, and all things Joss Whedon. She's a fan of renewable energy, marriage equality, and religious tolerance. As long as whatever you're doing isn't hurting anyone, she's a fan of you, too.

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  Angela lives in Missouri with her husband and son. She's a member of SFWA and HWA, as well as the Four Horsemen of the Bookocalypse, her epic book critique group, where she's known as Death. When she's not swearing at the keyboard, she enjoys boating with her family at Lake of the Ozarks and reading books that raise eyebrows. You can find Angela online at www.angelaroquet.com

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  If you enjoyed this book, please leave a review. Your support and feedback are greatly appreciated! Be sure to sign up for Angela’s newsletter, The Reaper Report, for updates on new releases, book sales, freebies, and more!

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