by Cege Smith
She quickly drank two cups of the tea and then felt settled enough to attempt returning to her chambers. Her mind spun at the idea that Malin had a sister. She felt guilty asking him to choose her over his sister, but she had little choice. Connor had offered her a plan that made sense, and she was growing more certain that she had to get to the Clan as soon as possible.
Angeline stepped outside the war room and saw Rhone heading straight for her. He was covered in soot and as he drew closer she could smell blood wafting from him before she even saw the gash across his right shoulder.
“Majesty!” he said. “I must speak to you immediately!”
She looked around, hoping to catch a glimpse of Connor and Malin, but of course they were already well into their task. She squared her shoulders. As long as the effects of the tea held, she should be fine. She opened the door again to the war room. Rhone skidded to a halt right beside her. “Where’s the guard?” he asked.
Angeline had no idea what Connor had done with the man after dragging him back out of the war room. She looked around with fake surprise. “I have no idea. He was here when I went inside.”
“I’m sorry I’m late, Majesty, but I am able to report a great victory,” Rhone said.
Angeline swept back into the room and sat in her seat at the head of the table. She picked up the teapot and found there was enough water for another cup of tea. As the aroma of Rhone’s blood caught in her nose, and her mouth salivated, she thought that it was a good idea. “What happened?”
Rhone bowed quickly to her. “I received an anonymous note that told me where the vampires’ nest was located. It was a stroke of good luck.”
Angeline knew the name of that stroke of good luck was Connor Radwin. She motioned for Rhone to continue.
“When we arrived, I had the men stuff their ears with cotton so that they could more easily fend off any of the scum’s filthy attempts at compulsion. Then we lit the torches and stormed the building from all sides. We found the children sleeping inside but there was no sign of the vampires. Luckily one of the men happened to look up. Three burly beasts were hiding within the rafters of the room. Their eyes were filled with hatred. I yelled for my men to get out just as they dropped onto us. It was a fierce battle, and I lost several good men,” Rhone paused and dropped his head.
Angeline knew that the old general was paying his respects in his mind to the memory of his men. She didn’t rush him. Inside, she was rejoicing. Connor’s subtle hint had proved to be a boon for them.
Rhone’s head came back up. “If we hadn’t had a plan before going in, all may have been lost, but I told the men that if things started to turn for the worse, that they were to get out as quickly as possible with the children and to set fire to every single thing behind them. The beasts were so intent on their kill that they didn’t realize until it was too late what our actual intentions were. I staked one of them through the heart myself. We trapped them with fire inside the building.”
He strode to the window and gestured for Angeline to join him there. She got up and went to peer out where he was pointing. She could see heavy black smoke in the sky. “There,” he said. “It still burns, but my men are still surrounding it. They have orders that if anyone emerges they are to set upon them and stake them. The daylight will aid them.”
“What of the townspeople?” Angeline said. A ring of soldiers around a building would appear suspicious.
“We’ve told them that the people inside are responsible for the kidnappings. As soon as they heard that, most started to cheer. Although I do admit we’ve gained quite an audience watching the fire burn.”
That didn’t surprise Angeline at all. The people of Altera cherished their peaceful existence, and demanded that those who broke laws were dealt with quickly and without hesitation. “What about the soldiers? Aren’t you afraid that they will tell their families that they were out hunting a vampire’s nest today?” Angeline asked. It was like her mind was going through a laundry list of loose ends.
“I took with me my most trusted men,” Rhone said. “I’d swear on my life that every one of them will take the secret to their graves.”
Angeline sighed. She knew better. Even though the men may have sworn an oath of silence, this kind of secret was too big. She could only hope that they would be in their cups when the words came out, and that the people would think their boasts the ravings of drunken men; words like those were easily disregarded. It was a matter that was going to come to a head soon, but first things first. She had to deal with her wraith. Then she would worry about making sure that her people continued to feel safe.
“You did well today, Rhone,” she said. Her glance at him reminded her of the gash on his arm. “What happened there?”
Rhone looked down at his arm and grimaced. “At the end, the building was full of smoke. I was lucky that I moved out of the way of one of the men’s swords fast enough that it only glanced me; he thought I was one of them.” He inspected the wound closer and Angeline’s stomach did a flip-flop. As he pushed aside the edges of his shirt, and the seeping opening in his skin came into view, Angeline felt her tongue run across her lips.
She spun around, wiping the back of her hand across her mouth. Her breath came in short gasps. “You should probably have a healer look at that,” she said.
“I’m sorry, Majesty. That was thoughtless of me,” Rhone said behind her. “You’re right. Do you have any more questions?”
Angeline shook her head. She put her hands on her stomach to try to quell the intense hunger there. “I will see you at the Ball, Rhone. Until then I think I’m going to rest. It will be much easier to rejoice in the festivities now that we know our enemy has been dealt with.”
“Indeed, Majesty. We will fight them and win every time.” Angeline heard Rhone’s footsteps as he moved away from her and then the door opened and closed. A deep, shuddering breath escaped her mouth. She needed to get back to her chambers. She didn’t want Connor and Malin to arrive and find her missing.
Quickly she made her way out into the hall and then hiked up her skirts. She didn’t care who saw her. She just wanted to get to her chambers as quickly as possible. She darted up the stairs and into the third-floor hallway. Moments later she was closing her door behind her. Too late she realized that she wasn’t alone.
The woman that she had met as Lady Redley was standing next to Angeline’s bed inspecting two ball gowns that she must have pulled from Angeline’s closet. The woman looked up at Angeline and glared.
“Well, this is unexpected.”
Everything that Angeline had been holding within herself was reaching the boiling point. Angeline’s hold on her wraith was tenuous, and suddenly she didn’t care what happened. The woman in front of her represented everything that was wrong with her kingdom, and Angeline was tired of dealing with everything the proper way.
“So you are called Elvry, is that right?” Angeline asked as she stepped further into the room. She was rewarded with a wide-eyed expression of shock on the other woman’s face.
“Where did you hear that?” Elvry said. “I fear you are mistaken. I am going to avail myself of one of your lovely gowns, and about two minutes from now you aren’t even going to remember I was here. But not before you tell me where you heard that name.”
“I don’t think so,” Angeline said coolly. “I don’t know who you are, or why you think you can come into my chambers and steal my clothes and try to create chaos in my kingdom, but your time of mischief has come to an end.”
Elvry threw back her head and laughed. “You dare to threaten me, girl? I see that you are just as stupid as every other Robart who has come before you. It will be my pleasure to watch you go down in flames.”
Her words were spoken so casually, yet with such venom, that Angeline only saw red. Everything that had been pent up inside suddenly was unleashed and it was like everything came into clear and deadly focus all at once. She didn’t give the vampire even a moment to prepare; instead, she la
unched herself straight at Elvry’s throat with a wild, banshee yell.
Angeline connected with Evlry and sent the vampire flying backward into the wall next to the bed. As Elvry slid down she landed on her feet in a crouch. Her eyes had turned blood red. “I don’t care who you are. You are dead!” She jumped at Angeline at the same time that Angeline jumped against her again.
They hit each other in the air several feet off the ground. Angeline dug her fingertips deep into Elvry’s hair and yanked it back. Their bodies hit the ground with a thud and even as she felt Elvry’s fingernails rip across her face Angeline was snapping her teeth at them.
Angeline rolled on top of the vampire and wrapped her hands around Elvry’s throat. She looked up, trying to find something that she could use as a stake. Elvry’s hands started to hit at her arms, but Angeline saw that Elvry was finally starting to understand what Angeline had been taking such pains to hide.
“You’re a wraith,” Elvry choked.
In that moment, Angeline was glad that she was. In this form, she had no reason to fear vampires as she would if she was still wholly human. In many ways, she was superior to them. She wanted to fight and she wanted to taste blood, but Connor’s warning was still ringing in her ears.
“I’m stronger than you are,” Angeline whispered. She heard the sneer in her voice and barely recognized it. “This Robart is not so weak.”
Elvry’s legs were kicking beneath her but Angeline felt like she was expending almost no effort in keeping the woman prone beneath her.
“Did Connor do this?” Elvry managed to get out.
Hearing his name brought a sense of logic and lucidity back to Angeline’s mind. His face in her mind caused her to relax her arms for just a moment, but that was all Elvry needed to swing things to her advantage. Angeline was bucked up into the air and Elvry’s elbow connected squarely with her jaw. Angeline heard a crunch and then felt the explosion of pain across the entire lower half of her face. She fell to the ground on her back.
“That’s his secret, isn’t it?” Elvry’s voice was triumphant. She crouched low, peering into Angeline’s face. “Did he tell you about us? How he has been my lover for years?”
The rage took over her again and Angeline was on her feet screeching and clawing at the air that Elvry had just occupied. Her eyes spied the woman standing next to the servant’s door.
“As much as I’d love to stay, this interesting development needs to be shared with the Master. You take good care of Connor, because I will want him back,” Elvry said with a wicked smile.
Angeline flew across the room but Elvry was already through the door, and that was when Angeline heard a blood-curdling scream. Clarissa must have been coming up to check on her, and Angeline watched in dismay as Elvry ripped the young woman’s throat open right in front of her. Angeline skidded to a stop. Then Elvry tossed Clarissa at her.
As Angeline crumpled to the floor with Clarissa in her arms, all thoughts of Elvry were forgotten as she saw Clarissa’s glassy eyes focus on her. “Majesty?” Clarissa’s voice was raspy. Angeline couldn’t even believe that the young woman could speak.
“It’s okay,” Angeline said, rocking her. Tears welled in her eyes. Innocents were dying because of her. “I’m so sorry, Clarissa.”
Clarissa’s eyes closed and she took her final breath. Angeline wanted to wail. She had no idea how it had all happened. Connor’s secret, her secret, was going to be in the ear of the Master in no time. She needed the cure now more than ever.
Then Angeline became aware of the blood. It was everywhere and assaulted her senses all at once, but she felt a tenuous hold on that human part of her. She wasn’t going to lap the floor like a dog, no matter what the wraith wanted to do.
Instead, Angeline raised one of her hands in the air. It was covered in Clarissa’s blood. Even as she sobbed, she stuck her fingers in her mouth and sucked them clean.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Connor made his way down to the very bottom level. It was cool and dark, which meant that he felt right at home. He was used to these kinds of places. He found that his body was starting to ache in a very uncomfortable way. It was yearning for more human blood. Assuming he could break free of Elvry’s grasp, he was going to have a hard time readjusting back to drinking animal blood after even this short interlude. Connor shook the thought from his mind and focused on the task at hand.
Even though he had spoken with the utmost confidence, he had no idea if compulsion would work on a Clan witch. He had almost tested the theory by trying it on Malin, but he knew that Angeline would not have approved. He had done enough that was going to upset her when she found out about it; he didn’t need to add to the list.
Keeping to the shadows, he made his way toward the southernmost staircase. He stopped as soon as he heard voices. Then he slid into a crevice in the wall and ensured that the light from the torches in the wall wrapped around him.
“The elders are questioning your intentions, Malin.” The voice was young and filled with false sincerity. “You put me at risk by making me ask them again despite how I told you they were going to react.”
“I told you that the spell is coming apart at the seams,” Malin replied. “There is more I need to tell you, but this stairwell has ears. Come with me.”
“Since when? We’ve spoken here at least a dozen times.” Corrinda’s voice was suspicious and Connor cursed the other man’s floundering. He would have thought that the Chief Advisor would be more adept at lying. After all, he did it every day.
“The queen told me that there was a vampire nest in the city. I have no idea who told her this.”
“If there were truly vampires in the city I would know about it.” Corrinda’s voice was confident. “The Clan would know about it.”
It made Connor feel slightly better to know that the Clan wasn’t all-knowing no matter what they said they were. There were still things that could fly under their noses.
“I tried to tell you last night that Alron was up to something, but you wouldn’t listen to me,” Malin said.
The voices were drawing closer and Connor steeled himself. He had to do his work fast, before she could cast a protection spell.
“I did listen, but you were speaking nonsense. The Master has had a treaty with the Robarts for three hundred years.” Corrinda’s voice was condescending.
It was the Clan’s arrogance that had led them to this predicament. Connor knew that if the Clan had truly been paying attention, they would know that Alron’s one goal was to become the supreme ruler of all of Altera. It was the reason he had declared war on Alair Robart three hundred years ago, and since he was immortal he had just waited until the time was ripe to try again. Unfortunately, that had put Angeline squarely in his path.
He could hear their footsteps. They were just a few feet away. He was suddenly glad for the infusion of human blood. It made him stronger and his compulsion more potent. Just as their shadows grew on the floor beside him, Connor whirled out into the hallway. He had just enough time to register blue eyes that matched Malin’s and flowing blond hair before he saw her hand come up.
“Corrinda, stop,” he whispered. For a moment she fought him. She knew what was happening and she fought him. But he strengthened his voice. “You will do as I command, Corrinda.” The compulsion locked into place and her face went slack.
Malin exhaled. “I didn’t think it was going to work.”
“It almost didn’t,” Connor said. He studied Malin’s sister. She was almost as tall as her brother, and her frame was slight. She stood with natural poise and her face was almost a mirror image of Malin’s. She was lovely. “She’s strong. But that’s what we need.”
“They’ll come looking for her when she doesn’t report back,” Malin said.
“Then I’ll assume the Clan isn’t that far away,” Connor replied.
“She’s a witch. She uses portals,” Malin argued. “What I’m saying is that now that we’ve done this, there won’t be much t
ime before this is uncovered.”
“Why?” Connor wasn’t in the mood for this. He felt a scratching at the back of his mind. It was Angeline. She was starting to feel distressed. “We can tell her to hide the magic she’s using to hold the glamour. When the Clan comes sniffing around, if they come sniffing around before we reach them, you will simply tell them that you haven’t seen her since you sent her back to them.”
“You make it sound so easy.” Malin scowled. “You truly have no idea who you have decided to play with. Regardless of how the Clan appears, they are ruthless. They will do whatever is necessary to keep their interests in line.”
Connor heard the underlying truth in Malin’s words. Again he realized that he had underestimated the man in front of him. “Who?”
Malin’s eyes filled with pain. “Our parents. Corrinda doesn’t know. At least, I don’t think she knows. The only reason I found out is because Eric Robart said something offhandedly once that gave it away. The Clan didn’t think my father was keeping the king in line. After a warning, they simply removed the problem.”
“I’m sorry,” Connor said, and found that he was.
Malin looked at his sister. “What do we do now?”
“We’re going to take her to Angeline’s chambers,” Connor said. “I can compel her, but you and the queen are going to have to give her the mandatory information so that she understands her duties until we return.”
Then it was like a lightning bolt struck him between the eyes. Connor cried out in alarm.
“What is it?” Malin asked, looking around wildly.
“It’s Angeline! We must get to her.” Connor yanked Corrinda’s arm to pull her with him and rushed to the stairwell with Malin on their heels.
