by Keary Taylor
The Mayor couldn’t protect himself.
I turn and walk back down the hall, joining Cameron on the stairs. “They’ve been feeding on him, almost constantly,” he says quietly. “She made sure he didn’t turn, but he’s been damn close every day.”
“We’ll do our best to protect him now,” I say as I help him down. “Cameron, what did they do to you?”
“Apparently human allergies don’t die when we die,” he says with a weak smile. “I was deathly allergic to peanuts before. They’ve been stuffing peanut butter down my throat for the past two days.”
We reach the bottom of the stairs and I fly at Jasmine, knocking the both of us to the ground. “What is wrong with you?!” I scream in her face. “Why are you so vile?”
Jasmine spits in my face and not a second later, she’s gone. Cyrus flings her across the house, where she slams onto the tabletop, and the legs buckle under the force. The next instant, he is on top of her, his forearm pressed against her throat, his blade in his hand, pressed into the side of her cheek.
“Did you know that when a Bitten’s sire is killed, the Debt instantly goes away?” Cyrus hisses in Jasmine’s face. “I would have killed you the instant we entered this house, but generally, I find it easier to keep them under the influence. They have a way of exposing our kind with their lack of self-control. So for now, I will keep you alive so we can keep them in check. But my patience is a thin and fragile thing. Make no mistake, I will kill you and then slaughter them myself, no matter if the job gets done. Just because I can.”
I walk over to the table, my fingers curling to form fists, and Cyrus moves to the side as I straddle Jasmine, my eyes burning into hers. I want to spit back in her face. I want to sink my fangs into her throat and rip it out. I want to carve the words traitorous bitch into her flesh, just as she did to Cameron. But I am a Royal, and my behavior is always watched. “You’ve toyed with me and tried to control me since the moment I arrived in this town. The tables have turned. They turned months ago. It’s time to accept that.”
And I jab a needle into her neck, releasing Elle’s toxin into her bloodstream.
Her body instantly starts seizing, a pained scream ripping from her throat. Her eyes roll back in her head.
“I won’t have her running free another day longer,” I say as I climb off of her. Cyrus looks at me with hesitation, his eyes flicking from me to Jasmine. He didn’t see this coming, and I realize this is his first experience with the toxin. “We’ll take her back to the House with us.”
“As you wish, my Queen,” Cyrus says. There’s reverence in his voice and he takes a bow.
I heft Jasmine’s still spasming body up onto my shoulder, and Cyrus, Cameron, and I make our way through the snow, back to the House of Conrath.
TWELVE HOURS OF PAIN.
That’s what Elle’s toxin grants a vampire, Bitten or Born.
I finally figure out how to open Rath’s well prison and toss Jasmine down into the darkness and water. Except it’s so cold these days, the water is slush trying to freeze over. She lets out a great howl and cry when she hits it.
I take great satisfaction when I close the door, locking her inside.
Maybe I do have a motherly bone in me. While Cyrus leaves to go manage the Bitten and their renovation of Elijah Conrath’s ruined house, I bring Cameron into my bathroom to clean him up.
“Stop, stop!” he cries as I clean the wound with hydrogen peroxide. “That hurts like a mother f-”
“Quit being a baby!” I shout over him. An amused smile is pulling at my lips. “You don’t want this to get infected!”
“I’m a damn vampire, Liv!” he cries as his chest heaves up and down in pain. His eyes squint closed in agony. “A little infection isn’t going to kill me!”
“Seriously, stop being such a pansy!” I say in annoyance as I hold him down on the marble floor of the bathroom. I dab at the deep cuts with a cloth soaked in the stinging solution. “I thought our kind was supposed to have a high pain tolerance.”
“We do, except when you pour acid into the wound!” He kicks his way out from underneath me and disappears into my bedroom. “Seriously,” he says as he holds a hand out in my direction. There’s pain and fear in his eyes. “I’m good now. You cleaned it. I’m going to be fine.”
And I realize maybe I’m enjoying his pain just a little too much. It’s kind of sick.
“Here,” I say as I stand and grab one of Henry’s shirts that still reside in my closet. “At least let me get this for you.”
“Thanks,” he says as he accepts it. His face scrunches in pain as he pulls it on. “Kinda wish there was a few humans around for a drink to make this go away faster.”
“I’m glad they’re not, though,” I say as we settle onto my bed. “I don’t want anyone else getting hurt.”
“Where the hell is everyone else, by the way?” Cameron asks as he lays back, his head resting on the pillow.
“Cyrus sent them off to look for more Born to join our House,” I say as I lay back beside him on the bed.
“Cyrus, huh?” he questions, looking over at me with equal measures of concern and amusement. “You’re already on a first name basis with your psycho husband?”
I shrug, my eyes studying the ceiling. So much dust and age resides there. My eyes catch every detail, every flaw. The tiny cracks in the plaster, the inconsistency in the texture in one corner. The small bits of dust that cling to the light fixture. “He’s not my husband.”
“Are you sure about that?”
I reflect on that for just a moment. “I don’t remember anything. Not yet. And I don’t feel like it’s going to come. When I’m with Cyrus he makes me feel…like I’m under a spell. But the moment he’s gone, the pull is gone. I don’t think it would be like that if I was his wife.”
Cameron draws in a breath to say something, but cuts off when there’s the sound of a knock on the front door.
“You invite a guest over for midnight tea?” Cameron asks with concern.
I shake my head, my brows furrowing. I dart out of the bed, Cameron right behind me, and descend the stairs. My hand rests on the front door and I pull it open.
“It’s you,” she breathes in a harsh grunt. “You’re the one who did this to me.”
Standing there on my front porch is the woman I found hiding in Elijah’s house. The one I thought I killed.
Here she stands, her eyes glowing yellow, blood cascading down her chin. Her eyes wild and vengeful.
“Oh, hell no,” Cameron says as he takes a step back from the door. “You…Liv? No. You did not go make a Bitten.”
“What am I?” the woman says as she takes an aggressive step toward me. She raises her hands, as if to grab me and do damage, but she falters, as if she can’t. “What is happening? Why am I looking for you?”
I take a step back, my eyes wide and confused. “No,” I say, shaking my head. “I killed you. I…I…I drained you!”
“You attacked me!” she yells as she takes another step forward. “You bit me. That’s the last thing I remember. And then I wake up, feeling like I’m going to die. I found that poor old man in his house, half frozen to death, and I killed him. I drank—” her voice falters, emotion cracking her tough exterior. “I drank his blood.”
The fight seems to seep out of her. Her shoulders sag, her entire frame seeming to grow too heavy for her slight frame. Her eyes fall to the floor. “Ian’s dead, isn’t he? That’s why they’re back so strong.”
“Ian?” I question, a painful little pull snagging in my chest. “No, he’s not dead.”
“Then why are there so many vampires back in Silent Bend?” she whispers with malice as hatred burns in her eyes again.
Ice creeps along my insides. I can’t. I have to shut it out. I have to not feel. “He left. He left me. He left this life. He left Silent Bend.”
She shakes her head. “Ian would never. Because Lula would never, and he’d never leave her.”
“She did,”
Cameron says with a hard swallow. “We were all here that night. He turned his back on Alivia and he left town.”
“You’re the woman he was losing his mind over?” the woman says as she shoots me a sharp stare. “The one that psycho bitch killed him over?”
“What?” I ask with a breathy defense. “What are you talking about? How do you know Ian?”
She shoots me a dark glare once more before stepping around me. She works her way past the library, observing it, back toward the ballroom. “I’ve known Ian my whole life. We used to be neighbors, back before his parents were killed. I used to hear the screaming fights and the shit being broken in the house. He’d bring Elle over when it got real bad.”
“You two were friends,” I say in surprise. Ian’s always seemed such a lone wolf. To hear he had a friend just doesn’t seem right.
“Friends,” she says, the way she says it makes me think she hates the way that word applies to her and Ian. “Something like that.”
And the truth is there—so damn obvious. This woman has, had, it’s unclear, feelings for Ian. “What’s your name?” I ask, because I have to move on from my previous thought.
She turns back around to face me, her yellow eyes glowing bright. “Danielle. Danielle Kapos.”
I reach forward and place my hands on her shoulders. The look on her face makes me think she’d very much like to jerk away from me, but her Debt prevents her from doing that. So, I let my hands drop away. “I’m very sorry for what I did to you, Danielle. I didn’t mean to, I swear. I’m still adjusting to this new life and I-”
“Apologies mean nothing,” she says, her eyes growing colder. “Not when I know this isn’t going away. I’m in this for life now. And that’s on you, whether you’re sorry about it or not.”
Well. Isn’t that the cold, hard truth?
WE’VE RUN OUT OF BEDROOMS. With Cyrus’ court members returning within two weeks, they’ve occupied all the spare bedrooms I have. So, I put Danielle in the library. It’s a temporary solution. I can’t have her running around town until she has her thirst under control.
Together, we raid the fridge in Nial’s room. It’s packed full of blood bags.
With one in hand, I make my way to the veranda, to a rocking chair. I dial Rath’s number.
“Alivia,” he answers in that calm demeanor of his. “How are you?”
A little smile spreads on my face at just hearing his voice. Like a warm embrace and a true welcome home. “I’m…okay. Considering everything going on.”
“Is everyone safe?” he asks.
It is such a weighted question.
“No one is truly safe anymore,” I answer him honestly. “Things are so complicated and there are so many little plots going on.” I take a deep breath, letting my eyes slide closed. My brain feels like a tangled web of lies, trying to follow each one as it twists and drops out of sight before resurfacing in a completely different direction.
“It is the truth,” he says. “Nothing is simple in this world.”
“How’s Luke?” I ask, because it’s almost a normal and mundane question.
“He’s fine,” Rath responds. I hear fabric brush fabric, like he’s just sat down in a chair. “He’s been patrolling the town, making sure the evacuation is holding. So far no one new has come back.”
“Good,” I say with a nod. “And I’m glad to hear he’s protecting Silent Bend, but he really should stay inside. It’s not safe out on the streets these days. It’s not really even safe inside your own home.”
That weight tries to crush down upon my shoulders again, but I have to push it away.
I have to.
“I’m coming back now, Alivia,” Rath says. And it’s a matter of fact.
“Yes, you are,” I agree. “It’s time. I need you.”
“I’ll be there in a few minutes,” he says. “Goodbye, Alivia.”
“Bye,” I whisper as he hangs up.
I go to wait for Rath on the front porch. I shove the snow away with my boot and sit on the top stair. Not much snow has fallen in the past twenty-four hours, but it still piles high and deep.
I breathe in and out, creating a huge cloud of white around me.
I’m scared for Rath to come back. For him to see what I’ve done to a human being. For him to find out Jasmine is in the well. For him to be directly in the path of an unpredictable King.
I have to slay my demons to survive. And right now, those demons are human emotions. I can’t let them control me. I have to be a queen. A ruler. A manipulator.
Because it’s my birthright. My destiny.
Five minutes later, I see the red Jeep crest down the lawn. With a bit of difficulty, it makes its way through the snow. Rath parks it in front of the garage and walks toward me.
I prepare myself for agony when my arms rise to take him into a hug. I try to hold my breath when my face comes so close to his neck. But I can’t help it. I take a deep, long breath.
My throat flares with agony, with that deep, animalistic thirst. But. But there is something different to the way Rath smells. Human—but not entirely.
“What are you?” I finally ask him for the first time. I pull back so that I might study his eyes. Brown. Warm. Deep.
“I am your father’s man, and your right hand help,” he answers me seriously. And there’s a finality in his eyes that says he will answer no more questions.
I nod in acceptance. Rath has a history and story that is dark and deep. And it’s a story he needs to keep to himself. “I’m grateful for your return.”
He nods as well and places an arm over my shoulders. Together, we walk back through the front doors.
“I have a lot to update you on,” I say.
“Who’s this?”
We turn to find Danielle walking out from the library. She studies Rath with her bright yellow eyes. I wonder how long it will be until they do not glow constantly.
“This is Rath, my guide in this new life,” I say. Annoyance flares in me. Danielle is quite unpleasant. Not that I can blame her. But right now, I don’t want her around. “Can you give us some space, please, Danielle?”
She instantly turns and walks back into the library. But not without a death stare over her shoulder.
“She’s yours,” Rath observes. There’s a hint of bitterness in his voice when he says it. It’s subtle, but there.
“It was a mistake,” I say, my defenses instantly flaring. “I thought she was dead. Though, I’m not sure which is worse.”
Rath doesn’t say anything to that. He walks forward, his eyes running over his house. Because it really is his house when he’s the one who’s run it for all this time. “Everyone is gone.”
“Some will start returning shortly, I’m sure,” I say. “The King told all of them to bring back another Born. To build our House. Cameron is here. Cyrus is out with Jasmine’s bitten, renovating Elijah’s house. Jasmine is down in the well.”
“You have been busy the past week,” he states. We make our way to the kitchen. He opens the pantry, next the fridge and freezer. “We need supplies. I think it best I make a run to Draper.”
It’s a thirty-five minute drive to the next town over—their grocery store is much bigger than the one we have here in Silent Bend.
“Now?” I ask, feeling panicked that Rath is already leaving again.
“We need supplies,” he says as he walks back toward the door. There’s a displeased clip to his gait. “I won’t be gone long. I will return before this evening.”
My days and nights are so screwed up now. The dawn was breaking in the horizon just as Rath arrived. The sun is fighting to shine through the clouds now. While I’m feeling it’s time to go to sleep, he’s up and ready for a full day.
Rath is human. He has to be with his ability to go out into the day without hesitation.
“Okay,” I say, trying to sound brave and strong. “I’ll see you tonight.”
He gives me a little thin-lipped smile and presses a very brief kiss to
my forehead before walking back out.
I’ve just turned away from the door when Cyrus walks inside.
“I see your friend has retuned,” he says as he closes it behind him. He removes his sun goggles, the ones that are very similar to the set Raheem has. His skin has reddened, because he’s been out in the sun so little that any exposure is brutal.
I’ll be that way soon, too.
“He’s gone to get food and supplies,” I say as I stand before him. “How is your new project going?”
“Surprisingly well,” he says with a smile. “Apparently, one of the Bitten was one of the contractors you hired to do your little housing development. He knew how to take charge and where to raid for building supplies.”
I raise my eyebrow at the word “raid” and Cyrus sees that. “I’ll be sure to cut them a check for their help in rebuilding the Conrath House.”
“Thank you,” I say, giving him a pointed look. I turn away from him, and my stomach sinks. “Now, um, we have a bit of a complication.”
“I assume you mean me as that complication.” Danielle walks out from the library and leans in the doorframe with her arms crossed over her chest.
“Ah,” Cyrus says. “I worried you weren’t completely dead.”
Danielle shakes her head with a scoff. “Asshole.”
“You’ll watch your tongue,” I scold her. “This man is your King and ruler and it would be wise for you to not anger him.”
“As you say, princess,” Danielle says, malice rolling off her in waves.
“She is a feisty one,” Cyrus says as he takes a step toward her. “Isn’t she? She doesn’t seem near as confused and disoriented as most of the Bitten.”
“She already knew about the vampires,” I state. “She seems to understand quite a lot.”
Cyrus makes an acknowledging sound before turning his back on her, as if to dismiss her. But she doesn’t leave. “Do you have the traitor secured?” he asks as he turns back to me.
“She’s not going anywhere.” I listen for sounds of Jasmine inside the well, but there aren’t any. The well is like a dead zone.
