by Rebecca Main
Ruby blinks at me in response before answering. “You’re going to have to get used to it, little wolf. Everyone is going to want to have a piece of you.”
“Well, they can’t have it,” I snap. I catch the inquisitive raise of Vrana’s brow and fold my arms over my chest, gathering my emotions. “Aren’t I supposed to belong to Sebastian, out of everyone?”
I turn a helpless glance in his direction and watch as he gives an indifferent shrug. “Under the right circumstances, it wouldn’t read as a betrayal for you to press your luck with the others. We've already set a certain tone about our arrangement.”
Abject horror grips me. The thought of touching or anything more with the undead drives a stake through my stomach. “I am not sleeping with anyone here,” I growl. “Is that clear?”
Ruby’s head tilts minutely to one side. “You don’t have to sleep with anyone. Just a light caress here and there. Anything to keep them distracted, darling. It won’t be too tasking. I promise”
Despite how hard I try, my traitorous blush prevails, even though the last thing I want is for them to discover—
“You needn't get so upset. It's only sex. And you have had sex before, haven’t you?” Ruby’s question effectively draws the blood from my face, and she accurately reads my body’s response. “Oh dear,” she mutters. “That will be a problem.”
Prague | Summer 1814
He was an outsider, long ago cast aside and forgot. Jakob was thought to be dead by the majority of his family and friends, and he chose to believe it was for the better.
Over the decades, Jakob moved twice more. For it was hard to explain to your landlord and neighbors why you show no signs of aging. Eventually, he settled himself in his brother’s old townhouse as its new owner, a decision that Jakob deeply despised, though he never uttered a word of displeasure to Charles.
Charles who boasted an excellent, loving wife.
Charles who counted four boys and one precious girl his own.
Charles who was thirty-nine and happy in a large home, far across town. Away from him.
Jakob found his feelings of envy and scorn intertwined with longing and love. Never could the first of his sorrowful feelings trump the former for long. Jakob couldn’t find it in his heart to truly hate his brother—even if Charles possessed everything Jakob wanted. A family. A home. A life.
The sun had fallen past the horizon, and Jakob rose from his upstairs bedroom with uncanny timing. Not bothering to second guess his vampyric intuition, he went downstairs. The room still held the summer’s day warmth.
He stood in the middle of the room and relished in the phantom heat. His toes curled into the threadbare, secondhand area rug, and he languidly rotated his torso. Jakob's back gave a satisfying crack, and with his evening ritual complete, he strode to the kitchen. Out of his tin-lined storage box that held a block of melting ice, he retrieved a bottle of blood nestled inside and poured himself a glass.
He returned to the living room, glass in hand, and settled into his favorite chair near the broad set of windows at the end of the room. It was Saturday, and the summer twilight still hung in the air, lavishing the people of Praha in shades of scarlet and violet.
Jakob didn’t trust himself around the masses–not yet, not when the taste of that young man still clung to the back of his tongue from those decades ago. Thinking about it, Jakob’s mouth watered. His fangs became elongated.
Jakob closed his eyes and brought the glass full of blood to his lips. It did little to sate the deeper hunger that resided inside him, but it was enough.
It has to be, Jakob mused.
He was determined not to release the monster he knew he possessed. But in enduring such denial of his true nature, his resentment and hatred grew.
Two young men walked past the townhouse. The elder of the two stopped and straightened the younger’s top hat. They exchanged familial smiles and walked off, their strides bolstered with confidence and renewed vigor. Jakob watched them turn the corner, his memory calling forward such intimate times with his own brothers.
Tomáš and Adam straightening each other’s suit jackets.
Charles knocking off Adam’s precisely lain hat.
Tomáš adjusting my cravat just one more time, per mother’s request. The way his eyes would shine with pride as the oldest of our foursome, before leading the family out on a night’s adventure.
Mother’s jasmine perfume filling the carriage.
Jakob took another sip of blood. He found it strange how well he could remember such trivialities. Though he wished he could escape them.
He wished for many things. To be among his family and peers. To silence the beast within him. To assuage his hunger. To feel the sun across his skin.
A young lamplighter dashed down the pavement and lit the street lamps one by one. Jakob watched impassively, and his thoughts spiraled ever downward. The sound of glass breaking, followed by the scent of blood stirred Jakob from his reverie minutes later. Before his feet laid his drinking glass in pieces. His evening meal made a waste.
Jakob went upstairs. The sitting room had lost its heat.
Chapter 4
Present
The air thickens with silence at my involuntary confession, and I find myself unable to hold Ruby’s stunned gaze. After a beat more of the intolerable and condemning hush, I tilt up my chin and stare past them all to the built-in bar.
“I’d hardly call it a problem,” I counter. Ruby’s eyebrows hike up farther, but she says nothing.
“That seems highly improbable,” Sebastian says, his eyebrows knitting together as he inspects me.
My head snaps in his direction. “And what is that supposed to mean?” I ask, my voice going up an octave.
His mouth opens and closes several times before he responds. “You are not common in looks, Irina,” he says, voice and stature full of caution. “Nor completely unappealing characterwise.”
“How kind of you to say,” I seethe, my eyes rolling to the ceiling. “It’s not going to be an issue. I assure you.”
“But it is,” Vrana states with ire. “They’ll eat you alive if they catch wind of this. Not only that, but it will jeopardize all our efforts if the court believes you to be a false member of our family. A virgin.” Vrana spits out the word as if he’s tasted something foul. “How disappointing.”
My breath stops short in my chest, but the painful moment only drags on as embarrassment burns in a stinging blush against the back of my neck and cheeks. I fight the tightness growing in my throat as I scramble for some pithy retort, but all forms of argument fall flat on my tongue.
“You’ll see,” I promise darkly, then stalk from the room.
++
Per the news of my virginity and subsequent tangle with Vrana, I am forced to remain in the apartment suite until the patriarch's temper can cool. It takes him three nights. I don’t mind as much as I thought I would. There is no one to disturb me, and the much-needed time alone allows me to contemplate my bold actions.
I had gambled with my life to secure some semblance of freedom from the soulmark and Vrana—and won. The thought of such an achievement still takes my breath away. I glance down at Ruby who winds through the palace with me, helping me learn its twists and turns. She is dressed provocatively, which seems to be the norm around here.
The corridors and minor hallways lining the five levels of the underground palace are endless, all sporting the same dark pillars and simple mosaic tiles. There are little defining features to identify one path from another. Even the paintings and busts placed every so often start to look the same after a while. One must rely on memory and senses to find their way about.
Ruby does not give pause as we face another intersection, turning right down another endless corridor. Not minding my feet, I almost step on a passing mouse, who lets out a shriek. I sidestep quickly, making way for two more mice to dart after the first.
The three scamper down th
e hallway, their long pink tails waving frantically behind them. A few seconds later, a fox comes bolting down the corridor after them, overtaking their lead and bounding ahead. I watch them go with fascination.
“Don't mind them, they're just messengers," Ruby says. “Do you know where we are?”
My lips flatten into two thin lines as I push past my resounding sense of déjà vu. There is something similar about this path. I breathe in deeply, but scent only the hint of old, decayed blood on a draft from a minor hallway nearby. The cold draft winds around my ankles, drawing the hair on my body to stand on edge.
“Are we near the old fighting pits?”
Ruby sends me a brilliant smile. “How did you know?”
I give a small shrug, acutely aware that my movements might unsettle the flimsy strings holding my current dress up. How did I explain the unnatural chill I felt with every passing of the forgotten minor hallway? Or the overwhelming presence of death?
“The smell of old blood is faint from the hallway. I guess no one has bothered to scrub it clean or reuse it. It makes the smell unique in its own way.”
Ruby nods, her bob swaying in perfect cadence. She looks ready to bring a man, or woman, down to their knees in her long white, drop waist dress. Her bust being considerably smaller than the average woman, she doesn’t mind wearing necklines down to her navel—as she does now. Having the confidence of a ninety-three-year-old helps to carry off the dress as well.
“As much as we must move with the times, sometimes we can’t help but hold on to the past.” Ruby slows her steps to slant me a look, the kind of look that says she’s intent on having all her simmering questions answered. It’s one I know well because I’m usually the one wearing it. “Where exactly do you plan on going once everything is done, Irina?”
My preemptive answer stops short of my lips as I blink back at her. That isn’t what I expected her to ask. “Somewhere above ground, preferably.”
Ruby gives a little hum. “And do you think you’ll have sex with somebody other than Jakob?”
There it is.
“I certainly hope so,” I say.
Ruby stops and turns to face me. “You really don’t care for him, do you? Not even with…?” My mind fills in the blank: the soulmark. Mine is currently covered in Stormrow's magic lotion.
I give a decisive shake of my head and give a false smile. “No.”
The soulmark, for all its renown, is but a dull afterthought when it comes to Vrana. It is merely the chain that binds us together... instead of the source of joy it's supposed to be, I think bitterly.
“I’m sure he’ll grow on you,” she remarks, spinning away from me and back down the hallway. “In the meantime, just follow my lead when it comes to the more… hands-on portion of our task.”
“Not likely,” I mutter under my breath. Ruby shoots a coy smile over her shoulder at my utterance and waits for me to catch up.
“Jakob wants us to rule out the Minor Households first. There are four in total. We’ll tackle the Ascania Household, which leaves the following to be investigated by the others: the Lamberg, Montague, and Stone Households. Of course, without more of those nifty little gadgets Jax made, I have a feeling this will be a slow process.”
“And what can I expect from the Ascania Household?”
“Oh, they’re religious zealots.”
My jaw drops an inch. “Vampyrés are religious?”
Ruby let’s out a tinkle of laughter. “They believe in old gods of war. But the intensity of their devotion depends on who is leading the household.”
I nod my head along with her explanation. “Does that happen often? Changes in leadership?”
Ruby takes her time to mull over my question, her small fangs coming out to nibble on her pale pink bottom lip. The long corridor comes to an end, opening up into a large circular staircase that connects all five floors, with us at its second tier to bottom tier, precisely one above our own level. Blindly we ascend.
“Per Vrana’s description, it didn’t, but in more recent years, both Jax and Sebastian have entered the Dark Court as courtiers. They say it happens more often now in the Lower Households. When it happens in the Greater Households, it’s either because of a coup or under a twenty-year rotation schedule. Of course, all heads of households wear a ring.”
“Of course.”
Ruby smiles slyly at me, her glossy red lips tipping upward. “To be—” She stops short and holds out a hand. I pause midstep and look to her in confusion. The mirthful light that almost always shines within her eyes fades away, replaced with steel. Then I hear as she does. The whisper-soft click of heels along the stairs from above.
We continue on our way, Ruby casting a subtle glance upward to catch sight of the women approaching. I swear I hear her curse under her breath.
“The Roux twins,” she whispers, timing her revelation with our steps to muffle her words. “Don’t speak.”
My lips press tight together at her command, and I spare a glance the sisters' way. They are stunning. In matching gowns of silky silver, they are mirror images of one another. Long elegant nose, slim face, rich dark red hair, and deep green eyes laced with brilliant silver. Their only difference is the beauty mark high upon one’s cheek and not the other.
We pass by each other at the end of the third flight without a word. But my eye does catch that of the woman with the beauty mark for a split second. Out of habit, I give the barest of nods in acknowledgment, expecting nothing in return. She holds my gaze for a second longer, then inclines her head as well.
It’s a meaningless gesture.
I am wrong.
An ice-cold hand finds purchase on my arm. The other sister, without the beauty mark, wears a menacing glower, her upper lip curling back to reveal sharp white fangs. Ruby is between the two of us before I can blink.
“Hands off the goods, Iris. Sebastian doesn’t like sharing.”
Her grip tightens. “Your little bitch dared to think herself the equal of my sister and me. I saw it in her eyes.” Iris’s forest green eyes slant to me. “Don’t think I didn’t see your little exchange. I see everything.”
“All of that happened within—what?—the span of three seconds?” Ruby’s voice is flat and carries her disbelief. She quickly passes me a wink over her shoulder, mischief sparkling in her almond eyes. “I’m impressed.”
Iris snarls, but her sister places a hand upon her shoulder. “There is nothing to start here, sister.” The fingers release me, one by one, their cold impressions lingering on my skin.
“Consider yourself lucky. Such an offense could see you in the Pits and earning your keep like the rest of the lowlifes. You and your kind don’t belong here,” she jeers.
“My kind?”
Iris’s eyes flare with fire as they run over my body. “Dogs. Though I admit, half-breed seems more accurate. What with that pesky little curse tainting your entire species like some lupine disease. It’s pathetic. That Jakob would allow his precious Sebastian to succumb to some hot-blooded—”
“Mind your tongue,” Ruby says, her voice delicate and smooth, dangerous—a trick she picked up from Vrana in their years together. “I’m particularly fond of both gentlemen.”
Iris scoffs, apparently unable to deign to speak with us further, and zips down the stairs.
Her sister follows a beat later, the thinning of her lips the only clue to her displeasure. But displeasure for her sister or us, I am not sure.
“It’s a she-wolf,” I mutter after they are out of earshot. Ruby sighs. “What? She started it. I was perfectly amicable.” Ruby does not buy the fluttering innocence of my lashes.
“Well don’t be. It reeks of suspicion.”
I blink in surprise. “You’ll have to explain that one to me.”
Ruby’s mouth opens and closes several times. By the time she forms a response, a severe frown digs into her forehead and flattens her mouth.
“It’s a vampyré
thing.” How helpful. “Regardless, Jakob won’t be pleased once he hears of this. How exactly did you look at Blair, if you don't mind me asking?”
I huff and stem the urge to stomp my heel into the ground. “We made eye contact, and in an effort not to be a complete bitch, I gave the barest hint of a nod.”
“You didn’t.”
My mouth falls open. Hot indignation running through my veins. “She nodded back!” I say, finding the need to defend myself undeniable.
Ruby looks bewildered, eyes wide and mouth hanging open far wider than my own.
“What’s up with her?”
Nova’s arrival is a welcome reprieve and a mild shock. She pauses in the entryway of the fourth-floor landing. After a speculative look around the giant stairway, she takes a step closer to us. Nova folds her arms over her chest, the leather she dons making an odd noise as she does so.
“Nothing,” I respond. “How on earth did you happen upon us in this maze?”
Nova colors very lightly. “I followed your scent. Jakob wanted me to trail behind you at a safe distance, just in case anyone tried to, err, jump you, for lack of a better word.”
"Isn't that sweet!" Ruby says.
My nose scrunches in distaste. Hardly, I think.
For the briefest of seconds, Nova's eyes flit to Ruby. She rolls back her shoulders and dips her chin a touch to peer at Ruby from beneath her kohl-lined lashes. Ruby slips forward an inch, a smirk slow to crawl its way over her lips.
“You don’t find yourself too turned around in this labyrinth, then?” I ask blandly, saving her from Ruby’s persistent flirting.
“It’s somewhat similar to the Banks Facility,” Nova says, referring to her old human home. “Lots of sterile hallways with little in the way of any identifying markers. Either way, I’m not the one who would be in trouble if I did happen to get lost here.”
Both vampyrés send me a pointed look, as if I didn’t already know. With Nova’s recent win in the Pits, she’s garnered the wary respect from the supernaturals peppering the Dark Court. I, on the other hand, am the token lone wolf everyone will want to test. Constantly.
