The Bloodtruth Series (Box Set: Heiress of Lies, The Queen's Betrayal, Trials of Truth, A Heart's Deceit)

by Cege Smith

  “Your skill is…enlightening,” Theodora said.

  Angeline swept the cauldron into her hands and made her way to the fire. Malin handed two small squares of cloth to her. “You don’t want to burn your hands.”

  This side of Malin was confusing to her. In their youth, he usually ignored her. As she grew older, he seemed to tolerate her presence all the while talking down to her. But then he became the man who stole her first kiss. She glanced out of the corner of her eye at him as she gently rocked the cauldron over the fire.

  This was the man her father chose for her, and for the first time, she thought she understood why. If things were different, and Connor Radwin never entered her life, she thought that she could easily fall in love with Malin. But that’s not how things happened. But perhaps she didn’t have to worry about hating the man she married.

  A wave of bitterness swept through her. It was in moments such as that one that she wondered if she was strong enough to do what she knew she had to do.

  “Why the tears?” Malin’s soft voice brought her back to the present. His fingers swept across her check wiping them away. “You’ve done the impossible. You have Theodora under your thumb, and in just a few hours, you’ll have a few elder vampires as well. It seems your victory is almost assured.”

  She didn’t feel like a victor. In fact, she felt like the biggest loser of them all.

  “I miss my father,” she answering, stating the most obvious reason for sorrow.

  Malin’s smile disappeared, and he straightened, backing away from her so quickly that she wondered for a moment if he knew that it was thoughts of Connor that caused her tears. Then it hit her. Malin would be uncomfortable hearing anything about Eric Robart because Malin was part of the cause of his death. All the warmth she felt toward him died away.

  Eric wouldn’t have betrothed her to Malin if he had any inkling of what Malin would do for the Clan. Perhaps her father was blinded by Malin’s competence and charm just like she had been for those few moments.

  Something passed between them then. She wasn’t sure what to call it. Acknowledgment of guilt? It wasn’t a confession, but it felt like it.

  “What’s next?” Rhone called out. Angeline hadn’t even realized that the bottle of wine had arrived. The innocuous bottle rested in the crux of Rhone’s arm.

  She was grateful for the task. It kept her mind off other things that she didn’t want to think about, like the fact that she was about to marry a man she didn’t love.

  “We don’t need much,” Angeline said, bringing the cauldron back to the table. “As long as they consume even a drop, they’ll be mine.”

  She was ready to take back control of everything she felt she had lost. The time for waiting, watching, and bargaining was over.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Connor tried to avoid Malin’s chamber. He paced the royal crypts as long as he could before he felt the sense that he needed to move. When he slipped back to the upper levels, he could tell that there was still too much light to move comfortably anywhere the sun’s rays fell. He maneuvered his way to the other end of the palace through the darkened hallways, using his powers of deflection to slide back and away from the servants who would never even know that he was there.

  There were not many of them about which he found odd. The palace was eerily quiet. Connor felt as if something big was about to happen. It wasn’t a good feeling. The sooner that Angeline found a way to bind Monroe and Sophia the better. Every minute that passed took her further away from him. He wasn’t sure yet what he would do once the time arrived that he had to say goodbye.

  He pushed that thought out of his mind. It only served to distract him. He needed to be sharp for whatever happened. Monroe had two hundred years on him, but Connor had a reason now to upstage his sire. It all began and ended with Angeline.

  Which was how his feet took him back to the door of Malin’s chambers. He stood outside and resisted the urge to reach out and speak to her. Every second that he spent with her made it more difficult to think about the inevitable end. He thought of building the wall around his emotions again. The surprises waiting for them in Brebackerin had halted that, and now he focused on it once again. He needed to be stronger for her, as strong as she was for everyone else around her. That also meant that he couldn’t be selfish with her.

  Connor sunk back into the shadows as the door opened. A slip of a girl stepped out with a tray in her hands. On it rested two wine glasses and a dust-covered bottle of wine. He perked up, certain that what he was watching was the delivery of Monroe and Sophia’s doom. He decided that he would do what he needed to do to make sure of it.

  Connor moved to follow the girl. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Rhone step out of the room and close the door. He gave the man the barest of nods and received one back. Between the two of them, they would make sure that the bottle arrived in the hands of its intended targets.

  Too soon though, the girl crossed into a hallway where the sun’s rays stretched across the floor. He was blocked from following her any farther.

  “I’ve got it,” Rhone said, coming up behind him.

  “I’ll go around,” Connor replied. He felt a wave of frustration. Every time he tried to help, it seemed as if something got in his way. He felt helpless. “I’ll be there before she gets to the Queen’s chambers.”

  Rhone had already stepped around him, clearly not wanting to let the girl out of his sight.

  Connor dashed in the other direction. At least with his wanderings around the palace, he knew the shortest way. He arrived at the intersection leading to the door of Angeline’s chambers moments later. He saw the bob of the top of the girl’s head across the courtyard headed in his direction. In that moment of distraction, he missed the door to the room opening.

  He heard the crack of his bones as a hard body slammed into his and shuddered him across the floor directly into the sun. He bit back a scream as the invisible rays set his skin on fire. Then a hand grabbed his foot and dragged him back into the cool shade.

  “Your ability to stay hidden leaves a lot to be desired,” Monroe snarled. “But then again, you were always a slow learner.”

  Connor tried to get his feet under him, but Monroe held his boot fast in his hands. Monroe continued to drag him down the hallway and hauled him unceremoniously into the Queen’s chambers. Connor landed on his back staring up a pair of violet eyes that matched Angeline’s.

  He felt the ripping pain of his cracked ribs and couldn’t help himself from gasping when her heeled foot dropped down onto the center of his chest. When it dug in, he cried out as she twisted it in further. Connor wondered if Sophia had devised a new way to stake a vampire.

  “So this is your childe,” Sophia said. Her voice was almost bored. “I thought he’d be taller.”

  “Certainly less treacherous,” Monroe replied.

  Sophia removed her foot, but Connor had only a moment to recover before Monroe leaned over and grabbed the lapel of his jacket and hauled him upwards. His feet dangled above the floor, and he yelled again at the pressure inflicted on his broken bones. He stared down into Monroe’s deadly gaze and thought for the first time that his time had truly come to an end. Monroe would kill him. Given that Monroe was the one to usher him into his sordid existence, it almost felt fitting.

  “Give me one reason why I shouldn’t separate your skull from your shoulders right now,” Monroe said.

  “I don’t have one.” Connor was tired of the lies and deceit. If he was going to die, he meant to go out with a clean conscience. “I wanted you dead. You turned my life into a death filled existence that I never wanted. You never gave me a choice. You just took what you wanted. I have fought against it every day of my miserable life since then. So when I saw the chance to get even, I took it.”

  Monroe gave him a hard stare. When Connor’s feet felt the firm floor beneath them, he felt a flash of surprise.

  “You never gave it a chance,” Monroe said. “I gave you a home. I
gave you purpose and a reason to live. When I found you, you were worse than pathetic. I made you strong.”

  “You made me a monster.” Although he felt the rub of his broken bone down the inside of his chest, he forced himself to stand taller. “Give me peace or let me go. I am tired of the sound of your voice.”

  Sophia began to laugh. Both men stared at her as she grabbed her middle and bent over. The slightly shrill peals of laughter hurt Connor’s ears, and he was shocked to see the slant of red tears streaming down her cheeks.

  “What is so funny?” Monroe demanded.

  Sophia tried to point in Connor’s direction, but then wrapped her arm back around her middle. Connor didn’t know what to think. Then he staggered backward and fell into the chair behind him. If death wasn’t immediately eminent, then he figured he might as well sit down.

  Sophia’s laughter finally quieted just as the soft knock sounded on the door. Instantly Monroe was on alert. He swept his sword off his hip and brought it up under Connor’s chin. “You will not speak a word.”

  Connor shrugged. He wasn’t going to give any indication that he knew who or what was at the door.

  An instant later, Sophia’s image transformed into a vision of Angeline. She opened the door, but appeared careful to ensure it didn’t open wide enough to reveal the others inside the room. “What is it?”

  Connor made out just a few soft words.

  “Bridal gift…celebration…Lord Norburn.”

  “How thoughtful,” Sophia said. She reached out and then kicked the door closed with her foot turning to reveal the silver tray with the wine bottle on it. “Look, Monroe. It’s an early wedding present from Lord Norburn.”

  “Why two wine glasses?” Monroe asked.

  Sophia rolled her eyes. “Maybe the servants assume that my Chief Advisor is planning to stop by to advise me later.” She winked lewdly at Monroe.

  Monroe frowned. Connor held his breath. It was a bit odd that two glasses were sent, and he wished that he had a chance to consult with Angeline before the delivery was on its way. That was exactly the type of suspicious thing that Monroe would be on the lookout for.

  “We need to kill him tonight,” Monroe said. “He knows too much, plus he is Clan. Since this one is back,” Monroe poked at Connor’s chest, “you can assume the Queen is too.”

  Connor winced more from the fact that he had given away Angeline’s whereabouts than the fact that Monroe continued to prod at his ribs. His vampire healing skills were already taking effect. He had to think fast. “She will be here tonight,” Connor said. “I told her I’d come ahead to scout the palace for her.”

  “Why should I believe that?” Monroe asked.

  “Because I wanted to kill Baford too,” Connor lied, although it wasn’t far from the truth, which he hoped would help him sell it. “The Queen is mine.”

  “Imagine my chagrin that my childe finally falls in love, and it’s with the daughter of my sworn enemy,” Monroe said with a short back of laughter. “You’ve always aimed for the impossible. You are given everything, but you are never satisfied.”

  “If this is everything, then by all means take it back,” Connor spat. Something broke inside of him then. After a hundred years of groveling at Monroe’s feet, he found he didn’t care what his sire did to him. It couldn’t be any worse than what he had already done. “Yes, I admit that I wanted to find a cure. Either that, or find a way to die in peace. That is why I chose to participate in the Master’s game to kidnap Angeline to begin with. But in the end, she saved me. She showed me that it is possible to be something you never wished to be, and still do the right thing. She is a beacon of hope, and it doesn’t matter if she’s human, a wraith, or anything else. She’s pure goodness. I am a better man for having known her.”

  The silence after his tirade was deafening.

  “Well, I’ll drink to that.”

  Connor’s head swiveled and he watched Sophia open the bottle and down several long gulps without bothering with a glass. He didn’t have much time. She would surely realize that something was wrong once the wine settled in her stomach, and then it would be too late to convince Monroe to drink as well.

  “A toast to my demise, then? You owe me that much,” Connor said, turning his attention back to Monroe. “Unless I’m mistaken, that’s a southern blend that must be at least fifty years old. Lord Norburn has exquisite tastes.”

  Sophia handed the bottle to Monroe even as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “I don’t know about all that, but there is something satisfying about it.”

  Connor held his breath as Monroe held the bottle up. “To Connor Radwin, the most disappointing childe a sire could ever hope for.”

  “It’s almost as good as having blood,” Sophia said with an unladylike burp.

  The bottle stopped in mid-air. Monroe’s eyes met Connor’s. “What did you say, love?”

  Connor didn’t wait. He didn’t care what happened to him. He just had to make sure that at least one drop of the wine ended up in Monroe’s gullet. He drove himself forward conscious of the blur to his side that was Sophia’s reaction to his movement. He brought his hand up and slammed it onto the flat bottom of the wine bottle propelling it forward. He rammed his elbow up under Monroe’s chin even as he guided the open neck of the bottle at Monroe’s mouth.

  His momentum as his body struck Monroe’s sent Monroe flying backward, but Connor clung to him even as he felt Monroe’s limbs respond by kicking and thrashing at him. He had only one thought.

  Get the bottle in Monroe’s mouth.

  In the end, it was Monroe who did it to himself. His mouth opened in a roar, and in that moment, Connor shoved the bottle into his mouth and crammed it as far inside as it would go. They landed with a crashing thud on the floor. Sophia’s hands scratched at his face from behind, but Connor barely noticed. He held the bottle in Monroe’s mouth tightly, refusing to give Monroe any latitude to get it out. As Monroe began to gag, Sophia wrapped her arms around Connor’s torso and squeezed. Since his ribs weren’t fully healed yet, the movement instantly sprung his hands loose.

  Monroe batted the bottle away and howled. Dark red wine splattered everywhere. There was no way to know for sure if Connor had been successful. He had done everything he could do. So when he felt the searing pain of his chest literally exploding, he felt a strange kind of peace. He looked down and saw a sword’s blade sticking out of his chest. His body stiffened, and then he rolled off Monroe falling to the side.

  “What did you do?” Monroe’s harsh whisper hit his ears.

  Then it was as if a vision from above floated into view.

  Angeline knelt beside him examining his wound. Her head whipped around and she began to whisper as her gaze found Sophia holding Monroe’s head in her lap.

  “Atcha beintae cata el.”

  Monroe and Sophia’s faces went slack.

  “Well, at least we know it worked,” Connor said with a mirthless chuckle.

  Angeline wiped the sweat across his forehead. “By now I would have thought you’d learn never to doubt me.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Time seemed to fly through her fingers from the moment she called forth the binding on Monroe and Sophia. Her head ached a little bit more. Although the two elder vampires stared at her with blank eyes whenever she looked at them, she sensed that they fought the binding with every bit of their mental strength. She didn’t feel that she could let her guard down for a moment.

  Rhone said he would watch over them until it was time to go to Craven so that Angeline could attend to the last remaining event of her Ascension. She planned to take them with her when she left Brebackerin. The meeting with Alron was set for dusk. She would be ready. But there was something important that she needed to do first, and that time had finally arrived.

  “Everyone is gathering. We’ll be ready on time,” Rhone told her when she finally left him to get ready.

  Flutters of anxiousness whirled through her middle. She
wished it were over. At least then, she would have one less thing to think about. It was a callous thought, but what she was about to do was a callous thing. It went against the marrow of her entire being.

  She felt him slip into her room before she saw him. She had been expecting him.

  “You look beautiful.” Connor’s voice was thick with emotion.

  The full skirt of her wedding gown rustled as she turned toward him. Her heart heavy, she saw that he wore a brave smile. It was for her benefit, and she loved him all the more for it.

  “Connor, I…” she began.

  His finger crossed the distance between them and rested on her lips. “Your happiness means everything to me. Somewhere along the way, I finally figured out that what makes you happiest is when you know your people are safe. I don’t pretend to understand or agree with an archaic law that would force a woman to have to have a man by her side to rule. But I support you, and I am your loyal servant for as long as you will have me. Show those bastards what a real queen looks like, my love.”

  She choked as the tears threatened to fall, but Connor swept them up with a multitude of tiny kisses across her cheeks. “Those tears are unnecessary, and I don’t deserve them. For one bright shining moment, you were mine. I will never forget that.”

  Angeline took his hands in hers. They were so much larger that she felt like her hands disappeared inside of them. His physical size might make her feel small, but his presence made her feel safe. “I won’t either. Whatever happens from this point forward, you know that you have my heart.”

  Connor shook his head ruefully. “No. Your people do, but I am honored to have even a small piece of it. It is the greatest honor you could ever bestow on me.”

  His head bowed, and he rested his forehead against hers. Her breath felt shallow, and her thoughts were wild. She wanted to fling it all away, fall into his arms, and ask him to never let her go.

  The knock at the door came too soon.