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

by Cege Smith

  Connor took a step backwards. Then he heard the scream. It was out loud and in his mind simultaneously, and as he instinctually grabbed his head he saw the error of their arrogance.

  “I thought I trained you better than that,” Monroe said. “Distraction. Deflection. Move in for the kill.”

  Connor barely felt the blade as it slammed into the base of his neck.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  Angeline had only a few moments to enjoy the look of astonishment on Alron’s face before everything fell apart. She didn’t have time to react when Sophia’s eyes cleared, and the vampire’s eyes focused directly on her. An instant later, a searing brand of pain enveloped the inside of her skull.

  Angeline screamed as she fell to her knees. She couldn’t think. She couldn’t act. There was only the kind of pain that made her wish she were dead. A sharp snap flung her head backward, and she stared at the ceiling, which she thought in her stupor reminded her of the ceiling in the Clan’s ceremonial hall.

  She wondered for a brief moment if she was dead. She could almost believe that everything that had happened since the moment she returned from her meeting with the Immortal Ones had been a dream. But the pain subsided only momentarily. She knew what was happening. Sophia was attempting to break the blood bond. If the ripping pain through Angeline’s insides was any indication, it was working. As the anchor, all they had to do was kill her.

  Somehow, they were able to combine their strength into one massive shot, and just when Angeline thought that she wouldn’t be able to withstand it anymore, as the blackness of death called out to her, the pain was gone. She staggered to her feet, aware that her situation was precarious at best.

  Then she saw the reason for her sudden escape. Sophia’s head rolled on the ground and stopped just short of her feet. Rhone glared at the rest of the vampire’s body even as it twitched falling to the ground.

  Then Angeline felt herself hoisted into the air, Alron’s fingers tightly wound around her neck. “Stay back,” he hissed at Malin and Rhone. “Or else I’ll snap her neck. She may be wraith, but her body is still vulnerable to death.”

  Malin put up his hands in a soothing gesture. “Calm down. Don’t do anything sudden.”

  “You bring me back my long-dead wife, and then behead her in front of my eyes and expect me not to do anything rash?” Alron laughed. It was shrill and hurt Angeline’s ears. She tried to beat at his arm, but even with her wraith strength, it seemed that she was no match for the vampire Master. She tried to focus on using some of her magical skill, but as she reached for it there was nothing there. Whatever Sophia had done seemed to have burned out everything in her mind. She couldn’t sense Connor anymore either.

  Angeline’s thoughts began to swim together as she gasped for air. Alron wasn’t looking at her though. She could tell by the look of alarm on Malin’s face that he didn’t know what to do. Rhone began to circle around behind him, but Alron hissed, “Not another step, Chief General. Stand down.”

  “Let the Queen go, and we’ll talk about it,” Malin said. “You lose all your leverage if you harm her. You know that.”

  Angeline felt her body lowered just enough so that tips of her toes caught hold on the floor. His grip lessened just enough so that she was able to squeeze a tiny breath of air into her lungs, but it wasn’t enough. She kicked her legs out trying to gain purchase on anything that would cause Alron’s fingers to let go. She began to choke, and immediately tasted blood. It wasn’t clear to her if it came from damage done by Sophia or by Alron, but she was badly injured.

  “Sophia! Where are you?” In her haze, she heard an unfamiliar voice. Her watery eyes saw the large shadow enter the hallway calling Sophia’s name.

  The sudden absence of Alron’s fist on her neck caused her to collapse to the floor in an ungraceful heap. She heard Malin’s murmurs as his arm went around her. Her choking continued, and she spat out a fat glob of blood onto the floor.

  The roars of combat filled the air as Alron began to scream at Monroe. “Betrayer! Traitor! After all I’ve given you!”

  The screams seemed to fade further away from her as her head lolled forward.

  “Angeline? Angeline, I need you to listen closely,” Malin whispered. “We’re going to get you out of here. Can you stand?”

  She wanted to laugh. She barely felt any of her limbs, and he expected her to stroll out of the room? As Malin tightened his grip around her ribs, she clutched his shoulder and groaned as he pulled her back up to her feet.

  “I’m sorry, my love. Stay with me.”

  “How badly is she hurt?” Rhone’s voice.

  “I don’t know. I can’t see any outward cause for her pain,” Malin said.

  “Those two are occupied with each other. It’s time to go,” Rhone said. “Where’s Theodora?”

  “Dammit!” Malin exclaimed. “I don’t see her.”

  “We need to get as far away from them as possible,” Rhone said. “Before they turn that anger on us.”

  Balanced between the two men, Angeline let them move her toward the entrance. Every step brought a new round of pain up through her body, and she bit her lip to keep from screaming. Even though the haze of utter agony, her thoughts skipped to Connor. What had Monroe done to him? Was he dead?

  Their forward progression stalled just as a scream that drew chills up Angeline’s spine pierced the air. There was no mistaking the result of that cry. In the battle between Alron and Monroe, one of them had fallen.

  “Go,” she sputtered trying to take a step forward on her own but failing. Then she realized why. A figured blocked the exit, and it was someone that she knew.

  Searon.

  “Going somewhere?” he asked in a mocking tone. He leaned against a sword casually as if it were a walking cane instead of a weapon of death. “My father has unfinished business with you, Cousin.”

  Rhone pushed Angeline’s full weight to Malin. She hated feeling like a sack of flour, but she had no strength to speak of. “

  I’ll take care of this,” Rhone said.

  “Foolish, foolish man,” Searon said. His grin was wide. That was the man that Angeline remembered from their brief interactions what seemed like forever ago. He might act as if everything was humorous, but underneath the coyness he was deadly. “I’m going to enjoy this, and my father will reward me well for killing the last surviving member of the Blood Guard.”

  Malin pulled back, and Angeline had no choice but to follow him. He was the only thing keeping her upright. But as soon as they entered the great hall again, they found Alron waiting for them. His clothes were soaked in blood, but otherwise he showed no outward sign that he had just been locked in a death battle. Monroe’s beheaded body was stacked on top of Sophia’s.

  Alron clapped when he saw he had their attention. “I suppose I should thank you, my dears. I have been trying to draw out that lying wench for years.”

  “You knew?” Angeline gasped. “You knew she was alive?”

  Alron clucked his tongue. “I have lived hundreds of years. She and her treacherous suitor thought they were so clever with their blood bonds and their magic. Her death was a bit too convenient. I just had to bide my time to have proof of Monroe’s betrayal, and for Sophia to reveal herself. That’s the beauty of living forever. I had nothing but time.”

  “Unbelievable,” Malin said under his breath.

  “Now, as to the previous arrangement. The Robarts are in debt to me, and it’s time to pay up,” Alron said.

  “I owe you nothing,” Angeline said. “Any deal ever made is over. Forever. I will not barter with a monster.”

  Alron moved so fast that Angeline didn’t even see him coming. Then Alron was inches away from them and struck a blow across Malin’s face that sent him flying backwards. Alron took Angeline into his embrace and even as she tried to struggle she felt the bite of his teeth into the skin at the base of her neck. Fitted up tight against his chest, she couldn’t break the deadly embrace.

  She
focused all of her thoughts on one idea. If she was going to die, she didn’t intend to be the only one. Closing her eyes, she drew on anything that might be left of her wraith or her magic. She felt her pulse begin to weaken.

  Then the bite was gone, and she heard Alron sputtering. She didn’t fall when his arms released her. Her shaky feet propelled her backward until her back hit the stone wall behind her. She watched Alron gnash his teeth and claw at his throat.

  “What did you do?” he hissed.

  “I made wraith blood deadly to vampires,” Angeline whispered. Her voice was hoarse. “Starting with me and for the rest of time.”

  Her eyes searched for Malin as she saw Alron fall to his knees. Alron’s eyes bulged, and white foam erupted from his lips. She thought it wouldn’t take long. The feeling she felt deep inside of her was elation and vindication. She was the one who killed the one responsible for ruining her life. There was beauty in that.

  Malin’s still form was several feet away from her. She stumbled to him and saw the blood on the ground near his head. Although Alron’s blow might now have been the deathblow, hitting his head on the hard ground had done the job just as well.

  She heard a whisper of moving air behind her, and she turned just in time to see Searon’s head go flying into the air. Connor stood behind Searon’s headless body, his face pale and tight.

  “I never liked that man,” he said.

  Angeline felt the tears come to her eyes then. She knew that a queen wasn’t supposed to cry in public, but she didn’t care.

  Connor’s steps toward her were as unsteady as hers, and then he pulled her into his arms as they sunk to the floor.

  “You’re alive,” she sobbed into his jacket.

  “Monroe didn’t think so, but he was in a hurry to find Sophia,” Connor replied. “I didn’t expect to see Searon here.”

  “Where’s Rhone?” Angeline asked, anxiously looking over Connor’s shoulder.

  “He’s alive. Searon knocked him unconscious in the atrium,” Connor said.

  Angeline pulled herself out of his arms and surveyed the room. “So much death. Was this worth it?”

  Connor caught her chin and turned her face toward him. “Of course it was. But there’s something I need to tell you.”

  Angeline felt her heart speed up. “What is it?”

  Connor didn’t say anything, but he opened the neck of his shirt to her. Angeline gasped at the deep wound that freely flowed from his chest. “Why haven’t you healed?”

  “Monroe must have stolen one of Rhone’s knives. It was dipped in Griden,” he said. “It’s deadly to vampires.”

  “No!” Angeline shook her head. “You’ll heal eventually.”

  Connor sighed as he touched her cheek softly. “I’m sorry.”

  The tears came in earnest now. “I’ll heal you then.”

  “You know you can’t do that. Remember Kallie? What would a spell like that do to a thing like me?” Connor shook his head. “This is what I wanted, remember? Peace. And I’ll leave this world looking at your beautiful face. What else could a man ask for?”

  As he began to fall forward, she used the last of her strength to gently guide him to the floor, his head in her lap. She stroked his hair and whispered to him of all the things that she wished they had been able to do if they had met just like two regular people. She wanted his last thoughts to be happy images, and the last voice he heard to be hers. The slight shudder of his body was the only indication she had that he was gone.

  The whisper of padded feet caught her attention, and she looked up to find Theodora standing over her. But it wasn’t Theodora anymore. The red eyes set in Theodora’s face told her everything she needed to know about the thing in front of her. It wasn’t Theodora at all. She was in the presence of an Immortal One.

  “What are you doing here? I thought you had your own plane of existence to play on.” Angeline was tired of subterfuge and deception. She wanted the simple, plain truth.

  “You woke us,” the Immortal One said. “We told you it wasn’t time yet. You came too soon.”

  “And you’ve come too late,” Angeline snapped. “All of this could have been avoided if you had stepped in instead of disappearing like a coward. Instead I’m surrounded by death, and I’ve lost the only man I will ever love.”

  “We don’t interfere in these types of matters,” the Immortal One said. “But we make an exception for the One.”

  “An exception? How have you granted me this exception?”

  The Immortal One looked at her as if she had grown a third head. “You are the One. You bridge life and death, if it is your will.”

  Shocked, Angeline ran over the words again. “I can save Connor’s life?”

  “It is not in my power or yours to save this body,” the Immortal One said looking down at Connor. “It is tainted. What was left of its humanness disintegrated long ago. There is nothing there to save.”

  Then it hit her. She looked over her shoulder at Malin’s body. “You want me to save Malin.” A wave of fresh pain ran through her body. It was unfair.

  “It is your choice,” the Immortal One said. “We will not interfere.”

  Angeline felt as if she were ripping her heart out of her chest as she gently slid Connor’s head off of her lap to the floor. He was gone, and she was helpless to do anything for him. Wiping the tears from her face, Angeline crawled over to Malin’s body.

  “What am I supposed to do?” she asked without looking at the Immortal One.

  “It is your will to bring this man back from the other side? He deceived you and betrayed you and your father. He represents everything that you detest about the Clan.”

  “He is, or was, human,” Angeline said. “He was born into a life he didn’t want either. I don’t agree with his decisions, but I understand why he did them. He doesn’t deserve to die.”

  “Very well,” the Immortal One said. “Put your hands on his chest.” She moved around to Malin’s other side and knelt down. Then she placed her hands over Angeline’s.

  Angeline stared into the red eyes and felt something shift deep inside of her. She gasped as she saw their hands begin to glow. Then Malin’s body was enveloped in the light. Angeline felt warm as she felt the surge of energy sweep through her and then out into Malin. She didn’t understand how or why, but something passed from the Immortal One through her and into Malin.

  She was the bridge between life and death.

  As the light disappeared, the Immortal One looked at her and gave her a small nod.

  “You have passed your trials and have been cleansed.” Then she closed her eyes.

  “What? What does that mean?” Angeline asked.

  Theodora opened her eyes, and Angeline saw that once again they were blue. “What happened?” Theodora asked. She looked down at their joined hands, and then her eyes widened as she saw Malin’s body. “What happened to my son?”

  Angeline was too tired to explain, but she noticed that her body no longer ached. All of her pain was gone. She sensed that it had something to do with the Immortal One’s explanation of being ‘cleansed’.

  “Majesty? Are you all right?” Rhone towered over them. There was a long gash across his forehead, and he cradled his left arm in his hand, but otherwise he looked to be in one piece.

  “Can you create a portal to take us back to Brebackerin?” Angeline asked Theodora.

  “Of course,” Theodora said.

  “Good. We’re going to burn these bodies, and then we’re leaving. I am never coming back to this place again,” Angeline said.

  That was when the sound of Malin’s first gasp of life filled the air.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  Angeline sat in her mother’s rose garden with a small book in her lap. It had been four days since her return from Craven. They weren’t back more than a few hours before Rhone rode out with a contingent of his most trusted guards despite his injuries. They planned to locate Alron’s coven and burn the place down along w
ith all of the vampires inside of it.

  She received a missive from him that morning that the mission was successful, and they were on their way back to Brebackerin.

  Almost all of the nobles had departed for their homes. It was quiet around the palace, but Angeline didn’t mind. She was looking forward to boring court life. She had enough excitement for a lifetime.

  Theodora insisted on taking Malin back to Tanagor to assess his miraculous rebirth. She grilled Angeline for hours about everything the Immortal One said. In the end, it was clear that Angeline’s abilities as the One were something that was only accessible by the Immortal Ones. The Clan would not become gods. That meant she was less valuable to them, but Theodora wouldn’t risk any moves against her either.

  Angeline was sure that the Clan would continue to be a thorn in her side for years to come, but she accepted it. As long as she was free. The only thing that marred her newfound peace was the fact that Connor wasn’t there to share it with her. She didn’t have time to properly grieve before Rhone set his body alight in the middle of the great hall at Craven. The only small comfort she had was that his body was the only one given any kind of last rites. The rest were burned in a haphazard heap without any ceremony at all.

  “I don’t mean to interrupt,” A voice startled her.

  Angeline looked up and then quickly away. There had been a part of her that hoped Malin would stay in Tanagor indefinitely.

  “I didn’t realize that you had returned,” Angeline said stiffly. She wasn’t ready to deal with him yet. She didn’t know how to deal with him yet.

  “I heard that I have you to thank for my life.”

  Angeline looked down at her hands and willed herself not to twist them to show how disturbed she was at his intrusion. She didn’t want his thanks. She just wanted to be left alone. “I did what anyone would have done.”

  “After everything that I’ve done to you and your father, I wouldn’t have faulted you for choosing differently.”