by Lili Zander
I oblige, my fingers plucking at her swollen, engorged, peaks. She squirms and sucks harder, her cheeks hollowed as she pleasures me. I choke off a moan. I grit my teeth and hold on. She’s going to be the death of me. She’s fucking perfection. She’s my every fantasy brought to life, and I’m the luckiest guy in the Empire. In the galaxy.
I stroke her cheek. She turns into my touch, and I don’t know why it’s that little gesture that undoes me. I buck into her mouth, my entire body going rigid as I find my release.
She gives me a satisfied smile as she sits on the couch. “Enjoyed yourself?”
I laugh softly. “You know I did.” I tug her close, my fingers finding her clit. She’s so wet. So hot. She’s burning up. “Now it’s my turn.”
She’s soft and warm, and she is everything I want. The Empire might be falling to pieces, but tonight? Tonight, I don’t care.
20
Raven
Two days pass. We get nowhere. Zeke's not having any luck breaking into the tracker chip. Nero and Mazer take teams into the Lower Deeps, but they get nowhere. I find a few people willing to talk to me, but they don’t know anything that helps us find the missing people.
Ragnar's trying to find Harek Levitan. He hasn’t talked to me—I haven’t seen him since the ball, and I’m trying not to think about that too much—but I don’t think his search is going well.
Saber’s absolutely swamped with Imperial Army duties, and he's not happy about it.
And of course, Dr. Karling has made no progress on a vaccine, though he did confirm that the blood in the waste buckets was human, definitely contained the virus, and thankfully, showed no signs of mutation. I guess that last bit is good news.
Every time I stop to think, there is a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. We have less than two weeks left until Levitan’s deadline.
And then, what? Astrid will have to bond with Levitan and step aside, allowing him to rule in her stead. Levitan, who killed thousands of vampires on Ghani as a demonstration. Levitan, who killed Marya Revit’s foster father because the assassin had failed him. Levitan, who targeted an innocent woman to try and spook Ragnar into fleeing Starra and going into exile.
All in all, I'm almost happy to go to my political lesson with Kaleb Nedwa. I need the distraction.
Saber had introduced me to Kaleb at the last ball. The councilor is an older vampire. He’s of average height. His face is wrinkled, and his hair is almost completely gray and shoulder-length. He’d given me a friendly smile and had readily agreed to tutor me.
I’m still nervous as I knock on his door. I can sass Saber and Nero and Zeke, and even Ragnar. Based on the way I’d snapped at the Empress a couple of days ago, my tongue can't seem to control itself around Astrid.
But while Astrid might have waved away my rudeness, I doubt I’ll get the same tolerance from this vampire. I don’t want to say the wrong thing and offend Nedwa. I don’t think I’d get killed or imprisoned for it—Saber is too important for that to happen—but I’d make things uncomfortable for my vampires, and they have enough to deal with at the moment.
The door opens. To my surprise, Kaleb Nedwa himself is standing on the other side of it. “Raven, come on in. You don't mind if I call you Raven, do you?”
“No, of course not, my Lord.” He’s dressed casually by Starra standards, wearing a rumpled red shirt and orange pants.
He shakes his head. “First lesson. You shouldn’t defer to me; we are social equals. If we are friendly, we’d address each other by our first names. Otherwise, last names.”
He called me Raven; he’s signaling that he’s friendly. “Kaleb, thank you for teaching me.”
He smiles warmly and leads me across the vast lobby. “The pleasure is mine, my dear. I don't know if Ragnar and Saber told you, but I'm a nosy old man, and you fascinate me.”
I have no idea how to respond to that. “Why?”
His apartment occupies what appears to be an entire block, with sweeping views of the city outside. I stay away from the windows as I follow him. Heights don’t seem to bother vampires, but I still can’t stand next to a floor-to-ceiling window without a sickening drop in my stomach and a conviction that I’m going to plunge to my death.
He chuckles. “Isn't it obvious? You showed up to our family ball wearing the Daggers of Xerces on your back. All of Starra is talking about you. Soon, the holo-networks will come calling.”
“That sounds awful,” I reply honestly.
“Yes, it is rather,” he agrees. He gestures me into a well-lit study. Plants are everywhere, the first I’ve seen on Starra are outside of the public gardens. Their flowers fill the air with a fragrant scent. “Would you like something to drink? Tea, coffee?”
My eyes go wide. “You have coffee?”
He looked surprised at my question. “I keep some for visitors. You’re not the first human that has been to my apartment.”
He points to a comfortable looking couch and sits in a high-backed chair opposite me. A vampire enters the room carrying a tray with two mugs on it. Coffee for me, and tea for Kaleb. “We have to achieve a lot in a very short period of time,” he says, sipping his tea. “Astrid’s coronation is two months away.”
I’m not sure what her coronation has to do with anything, but I nod along. “You’ll need to learn who the important families are. Their alliances, their enemies, their voting positions.” He leans forward. “Let’s start with the Ruling Council. What do you know about it?”
“There are five members,” I say cautiously. One of the councilors—Gerra Clay—is dead, and another—Harek Levitan—is nowhere to be found, but I’m not sure how much Kaleb knows about either of those things.
He notes my wariness, and his lips tilt up in an appreciative smile. “Two are virulently anti-human. Patrik Kevis is a traditionalist. He believes that Shayde Empire is home to vampires alone. Humans are and will always be visitors, no matter how many generations of them have lived inside the Empire.”
Well, isn’t that lovely.
“I don’t think Kevis has personally spoken to a human in decades. All his retainers are vampires. Family Kevis does not have a single human in a position of power.”
Once again, not surprised.
“Then there's Gerra Clay.”
I wipe all expression off my face and wait for him to continue. “Clay is… disturbed.”
An image of the dead child at Gerra Clay’s feet, the child she’d drained to death, flashes in front of me. Disturbed? That’s an understatement if there was ever one.
“She will be a threat.” His keen eyes survey me. “Or perhaps the problem has already been taken care of.”
I don't know what he knows, but he's not getting any information from me. I keep my expression noncommittal.
He looks amused. “Harek Levitan is closer in attitude to Kevis,” he continues. “He hires humans, but he doesn’t consider them equals. Bela Karinsky is a pragmatist. Family Karinsky owns vast estates in the Chipwa sector, where humans outnumber vampires five to one. People like Patrick want to cling to the past. Others, like Bela, can see the writing on the wall. A subjugated population will eventually rise against its rulers. It’s in Bela’s best interests to support equal rights for humans.”
I take a sip of the excellent coffee. “What about you?”
“I don't care about power,” he replies. “Politics is not my calling. Unfortunately, I am the firstborn of my family. I have obligations to Family Nedwa. I want to live in an Empire where everyone, regardless of whether they're human or vampire, is judged based on who they are, not on what they are. For forty years, I’ve done my best to make that vision come true.”
“Have you succeeded?” I ask, and then I bite my tongue.
He considers the question. “The Empire is on the brink of change. In the last census, there were almost as many humans as there were vampires on Starra. In the colonies, humans already outnumber vampires by a significant margin. Change will come, if not in my lifetime, the
n in yours. It is inevitable.”
“Not everyone welcomes change.”
He regards me with perceptive eyes. “Many vampires are reluctant to share power,” he agrees. “They will resist Astrid’s reforms. The Empress will pack the Council with people that think the same way she does.”
“Like Saber.”
“Yes, like Saber. Ragnar has long resisted serving on Council, but she’ll rope him in. She’ll put Adam Masev on the council too. He will be the first human in that role. Equality Pact is very popular in the Deeps. She’ll earn a lot of goodwill with that move.”
“That’s three people. Who else will she choose?”
His gaze slides away from me. “It’s Astrid. Who knows what she’s thinking?” He sets his cup of tea down on the table in front of him. “Now, shall we get started? The Family Karinsky Gala is in three days. Here's the guest list. You’ll need to familiarize yourself with everyone on it. Their strengths, their weaknesses, their threats, their alliances.”
There are more than a hundred names on the list. I suppress a groan. What have I gotten myself into?
I leave my lesson with Kaleb with a huge pile of homework. To my surprise, both Zeke and Nero are in Saber’s apartment when I get back. “Hey,” I greet them with a wide smile. I've barely seen Zeke all week. “What are the two of you doing here in the middle of the day?”
“We’re not here long,” Zeke replies. “I dropped by to talk to you.”
Zeke looks awful. He’s spent too much time in front of his screens. His eyes are bloodshot, and he’s probably been taking drugs to stay awake and push through. He looks drained. Nero doesn't look much better.
“What's going on?”
Nero and Zeke exchange a conspiratorial look. “We’ve been thinking that we need to give you a betrothal present,” Nero says. “But neither Zeke nor I could figure out what we could give you that would show you how much you mean to us.”
Oh. “I don’t need a gift to know that,” I murmur. “You show me that every single day.”
Nero's eyes twinkle. “Are you sure about that?” he asks. “You don't know what it is yet.”
The corner of Zeke's mouth turns up. “In our jobs,” he says. “We see a lot of things that are messed up. Some things we fix right away. Others, we can’t do anything about. We see petty crimes and minor corruption, and we have to walk away, because we can't be everywhere at once, and we can't fix every problem in the universe.”
“It can get frustrating,” Nero says.
“Isn’t that why you go to the Deeps, to take out your frustration with your fists?”
He grins. “Exactly. Zeke, of course, being the law-abiding sort that he is, has a different approach.”
Zeke rolls his eyes. “Yes, I’ve opted for a slightly more mature solution. I have some money. Not Family Hafsson-level wealth, of course. But I'm good at seeing opportunities, playing the futures, knowing when to turn a profit. I took the money from my salary, and I invested it wisely, and it's grown into a very nice sum of money. Then Nero saw what I was doing, and he pitched in too.”
“Damn right I did,” Nero says. “In the first day, Zeke had tripled my money. By the end of the first week, he tripled it again. He's not good at seeing opportunities. He's a fucking genius.”
“How much money are we talking about?”
“A few billion credits,” he replies.
My mouth falls open. “That's not some money. That’s a fortune. Nero’s right; you are a genius.”
Zeke looks faintly embarrassed by the praise. “I'd like you to take it over. You can choose who deserves help. If it’s the miners on Boarus 4, there's enough there to pay the blood taxes for as long as you wish. The girl in the hospital, Freda, we can take care of the cost of her treatment. Whatever you want.” He puts his hands on my shoulders. “You’re kind. You’re empathetic, and you’re compassionate. I think you'll do a much better job helping people than I ever did.”
“You’re giving me a few billion credits?” My voice comes out sounding strangled. Can you blame me? “What if I just go out and buy a bunch of expensive dresses? I could do that, you know. I could just go on a crazy shopping spree.”
Zeke grins. “Okay,” he says agreeably. “Let's go shopping. I don’t like the silver dress you were planning to wear to the Karinsky gala. Let’s throw it away and buy something else.”
“Are you kidding me?” I choke out. “That dress cost a fortune. I intend on wearing it until it’s threadbare.”
Nero laughs out loud. “I think the chances of you blowing all the money on pretty dresses and sparkly jewelry is pretty close to zero,” he says, sounding smug.
Zeke punches something on his tablet. “Done. The money’s now in your account.” He gives me a satisfied smile. “You’re going to do amazing things with it.”
I have run out of words. I don't know what to say. I swallow hard. This betrothal gift is the most generous thing they could've done. They've taken my yearning to make a difference, and they've given me the tools to make it real. “Thank you,” I manage at last. “Thank you for trusting me with this. I won't let you down.”
“Of course, you won’t,” Zeke replies. “Can I give you one piece of advice though? Don't pay off the miners’ blood tax outright. Buy mining equipment and lease it to Lula Kenner. That way, you have leverage over her.”
That’s a really good idea. “Sneaky,” I say admiringly.
Nero laughs. “You’re getting as bad as Saber. If you don’t watch out, Astrid will be putting you on the Ruling Council as well.”
Zeke shudders in horror. I laugh along with them, sharing this moment with my vampires, but when they leave, my nerves return full force.
We’ve made no progress. Levitan wanted Ragnar to leave Starra in a week. That countdown expires in three days. I’ve no doubt Harek Levitan will give us another demonstration of his power.
Thousands of people died on Ghani. Fateh has been evacuated, and Nero’s mother is safe, but unease still churns in my gut. I don’t have a good feeling about this.
21
Raven
Another day, another gala. This time, after checking with Diana, Astrid's Chief of Staff on what color the Empress will be wearing, I wear my purple gown. Another of Kaleb's lessons.
At the last ball, only a few days ago, I’d been so nervous that I was ready to hurl. This evening, I still want to hurl, but it’s for a different reason. Levitan’s deadline is tonight, and Ragnar has flat-out refused to leave Starra. We’re all on edge. We’re all bracing ourselves.
I’m better prepared for Shayde society though. I've had four lessons with Kaleb. The older vampire might swear that he doesn't want to be involved with politics, but he's exceedingly good at it. He knows everything about everyone, and he’s been generous in passing on that knowledge to me. I’ve been coached on who is important and who isn’t, and who I’m allowed to insult and who it’s wiser not to antagonize.
“I’m allowed to insult people?” I’d asked Kaleb during our lesson earlier today. “Really?”
“Of course,” he’d replied, looking at me as if I’d asked a very stupid question. “You outrank almost everyone in the room by being a part of Saber’s bô. You could spend the entire evening looking down on people, and you'd fit right in.”
I’m not planning on insulting anyone. I think. But it’s still good to know what I can get away with.
At the last gala, everyone stared at me, but very few people came up to talk to me. I was being assessed, and the elite of Starra were trying to decide how to treat me.
Today, they seem to have decided. They’re all politeness and smiles when one of my bô is at my side, but the moment the vampires leave me alone, the veiled insults begin.
It starts with Katerina Seddon, a vampire in her mid-forties, with elaborately coiffured red hair, a crescent moon tattooed on the back of her right hand, and a supercilious sneer on her face. “Bela is so inclusive,” she sniffs. She looks around the room, where at lea
st twenty humans mix and mingle with the vampires. “They’re really letting anyone into these galas nowadays, don’t you think? Times have changed. I miss the good old days. Don't you?”
She’s relying on my inexperience. Perhaps she thinks I’ll stammer in consternation and agree with her hateful sentiment?
Family Seddon is a vassal family to Family Kevis. I know it's going on here; I'm being tested. This woman has undoubtedly been put forward to try to upset me. Patrik Kevis isn’t in attendance today; he’s frantically trying to raise money to stave off bankruptcy. On the other hand, Vincent, his odious son, is. Vincent is still furious that Saber’s been made acting commander of the Imperial Army. He’d love to see me lose my cool and embarrass myself and, by extension, Saber and Family Hafsson.
Thank you for the political lessons, Kaleb.
“No, I don't.” I fix her with a cold stare. “Now, run off and tell Vincent that if he has a problem with me, he should find the courage to say that to my face.”
She sucks in a breath. I turn away from her in dismissal. Kaleb catches my eye from across the room and nods in approval.
Whew.
“Terrible people, aren’t they? And yet vampires like her run our lives and decide if we live or die.”
I turn toward the speaker. “Hello, Adam.”
I haven't seen Adam Masev since the war meeting in Ragnar's apartment. He looks like he wants to be anywhere but here, and I feel a reluctant sense of kinship with him. “How are you?”
He lifts his shoulders in a shrug. “I'm in hiding while everyone around me is working their asses off. It chafes at me. I'm not used to being a liability; I'm used to making a difference.”
“Through violence.” I’ve been reading up on Equality Pact, and I feel the same ambivalence toward the organization that Zeke does. “Your group bombed an Imperial Army barracks in Lanthanum. A hundred soldiers died.”
He stiffens. “Would you believe me if I told you that I argued against it? A thousand times, I told Gregory that Lanthanum was a really bad idea. I begged him not to go through with it.”
