by H. M. Ward
They’d been talking about it when she walked into the room. Cassie sat on one of the couches acting like she was excited about the idea of Pairing up with one of the guys. There had been only one other time she had to be so deceitful and that was on Deliverance Day.
Smiling, Cassie shrugged, “Oh, I don’t know. What do you think I should wear?”
Brianna lit up, and bounded over to Cassie. “There is this lace dress in the wardrobe. I tried to take it once for a dinner party, but Miriam said it was only to be worn during the Pairing.”
Cassie nodded, bobbing her head like it was a good idea, “That sounds pretty.” She glanced out the window, but the other girls’ giggles pulled her attention back to the room.
“It’s not pretty, Cassie. It’s sexy. The dress covers you, neck to ankles, but what makes it sexy is the key.” Brianna was smiling so hard. Cassie wondered how she could be excited about something that would kill her. Pairings led to babies, and childbirth wasn’t something that was survivable. Not for them. Not for Brianna, who bruised so easily. Cassie didn’t understand the girl’s excitement. Wanting to get called for a Pairing was a death wish. The other girls giggled. “Wait here,” Brianna said, patting Cassie’s knee. “I’ll go get it. Miriam already pulled it out.”
While Brianna grabbed the gown out of her room, Cassie smiled at the others. “Exciting, isn’t it?”
They all nodded, but it didn’t seem like any of them were as happy about the Pairing as Brianna. Cassie felt bad for them. Even if Cole managed to get her out, the others would be left behind. Brianna came back into the room with a length of black lace draped over her arm. Grinning, she held it up for Cassie to see.
The gown was Cassie’s size, and Brianna was right, it wouldn’t have worked for a regular dinner. As Brianna held the gown up, everyone could see why. The light shined through the lace. There was nothing under it, no lining to conceal anything. Brianna grinned devilishly and handed the dress to Cassie. “See, I told you it was sexy. It’ll make you feel pretty, and Brent will be able to see all of you straight through it.”
The girls began to giggle and squeal. Cassie tried to keep her plastic smile on her face. She held the dress in her hands and looked down at it. The lace was beautiful and delicate, and completely see-through. Her stomach turned to acid as she held it, thinking of what would happen to her if Cole didn’t find a way out.
“Someone go grab, Alice.” Brianna said, irritated. “We need to talk about the best ways to do this. It’s supposed to be fun.”
“I’ll get her,” Cassie offered, as she stood and walked away, leaving the dress behind. Wandering into the hallway, Cassie looked up and down the corridor, but Alice wasn’t in sight. Cassie picked a direction, her stomach twisting into tight knots. Before she realized it, Cassie had her arms folded tightly across her chest and was scowling at no one. Stopping in front of a window, she looked outside. The world was white. The wind was whipping the dry snow into the air, blinding the guards below to anything not directly in front of them, but they still paced the perimeter, looking, watching, and waiting.
“Cassie,” Cole said, walking up next to her.
Cassie didn’t look at him. Instead, her gaze remained on the guard below, “There are more than there were earlier.”
“I know,” Cole said softly. He took her by the elbow and turned Cassie toward him.
When she looked at him, Cassie saw so many things, but the most glaring was hope. The emotion danced in his eyes, making it difficult to look at him. How Cole could have hope now was beyond her. “This isn’t the same as before, you know. There were a handful of vamps we had to get past that day. It’s not the same this time.”
“No,” Cole said somberly, “it’s not. There’s more at risk, too. Cassie, I’d planned to do this if you were selected for the Purging. I had it all worked out, but I didn’t plan for this.” He pressed his lips together and stepped toward the large window. Looking out to the grounds below, he said, “It’s worse than last time. You’re right. But that means it’s even more important to leave.”
Cassie pressed her fingers into the crook of Cole’s arm and pulled him around. She’d been thinking about it all morning. “You should go without me.” When he opened his mouth to protest, Cassie cut him off. “No, listen. I’m a liability. I’ll slow you down. You’re stronger than me, less anemic.” Cole was about to hush her. She could tell he wasn’t even listening. Straightening her spine, she yelled in his face, “The vamps already know how strong you are, that you’re not like the rest of us! Don’t tell me to shut up, because I won’t! Damn it, Cole! Listen to me! You might be able to pull this off twice, but I was lucky to live through it once.” She drew in a deep breath, and her voice softened. “I can’t run again. I won’t survive.”
“Cassie, don’t say that. You’re as strong as you think you are.” He sounded desperate. Cole gripped her elbows, trying to talk sense into her, but Cassie pulled away.
“I’m safe here, Cole. I might not like the things they make me do, but I’ve done them before. I survived then. I can survive now.” Cassie’s face took on a vacant expression, like she was remembering something painful, something she wanted to forget. She stepped back to the window and gazed through the panes.
Cole followed her to the window, watching Cassie as she stared through the glass. “You never told me what happened exactly.”
She shrugged, “There was nothing to tell. The King did forbidden things with me, with my other roommates. He was probably trying to pull that crap on Kahli when he called her. I survived that. I can survive, Brent.” Her arms wrapped around her middle when she spoke. It was impossible not to notice the chill that covered her skin, like she was doused with a bucket of fear. Cassie rubbed her arms, trying to push away the memory of the King’s hands on her. Brent would be nothing compared to that nightmare.
“I didn’t know,” Cole breathed behind her. For once, he didn’t touch her. He tripped over his words, making a few false starts before saying, “I’m sorry, Cass.”
She turned toward him, a sad smile on her face. “It wasn’t your fault. It’s life. And it’s a good life—the best we could hope for.” That was the truth. Those thoughts had been floating through her mind all day. This was better than the alternative. Cassie was weak, she couldn’t survive another escape, another trek through the frozen hills. She only held Cole back, and slowing him down when this was going on would be fatal. Cassie didn’t want to be the one who got him killed. Staring at Cole, she said softly, “I’m not going with you.”
Cole’s jaw dropped. “You can’t mean that. Cassie, don’t do this.”
She felt so hollow, so lost. If there was another option, Cassie would take it, but there wasn’t. She couldn’t risk Cole’s life this time. She wasn’t a child anymore. She couldn’t let him do it. Lying to Cole was the only way to get him to go without her. She forced a smile and pressed her lips together, “I was talking to the other girls and they’re really excited about tonight, and so am I. I mean, I wouldn’t have picked Brent, but he’s better than some of the others.”
“Cassie,” he murmured, shocked. Cole’s eyes grew wide. “You don’t know what you’re saying.”
“You forget, Cole, I do. I know exactly what I’m saying. I know exactly what will happen. I’m going to my Pairing. I’m cooperating. I’ll go back to my bed tonight with a smile on my face, and if I’m lucky, I’ll have a baby in me, too. You know how the Queen treats the women who are with child.” She smiled broadly, wistfully, “That’ll be me. Be excited for me, Cole. I want this. I’ve been thinking about it. This is so much better than the alternative.” While Cassie spoke, she smiled at him even though her stomach was twisting tightly.
“This isn’t a choice. How can you act like it is?” The muscles in Cole’s neck were corded tight. He had trouble keeping his voice even. He looked at his hands like he didn’t know what to do with them.
“Everything we do is by choice, even here. How can you act like it
isn’t a good choice for me? Yes, I might die in nine months when the baby is born, but that’s better than my odds tonight if I go with you. Cole, this is the best I can hope for. It’s the best decision for me.” Cole stared at Cassie, his eyes pleading with her, but she wouldn’t change her mind. Cole needed to go on without her. Cassie was weak. She knew she’d only hold him back. Pretending to be excited about the Pairing, lying and saying she changed her mind, had to convince him to go on without her.
Before Cole had a chance to say anything else, Brianna popped her head out of the doorway and hurried into the hall. Cole stepped back and tried to hide the emotion in his eyes. “You forgot your negligee, Cassie.” Brianna walked toward them quickly, holding out the black lace. “Hey, Cole. Too bad your girl ran off. Guess you won’t be having any fun tonight.”
Through gritted teeth, he muttered, “Guess not.”
Brianna looked at Cassie and said, “Find Alice and get back. You’re missing everything.” Brianna’s eyes slid over Cole’s body once, before returning to his face, “We’re talking positions. Tell the guys they better be ready.” She winked at him, and turned on her heel, heading back into the room.
CHAPTER 21
By the time the King’s men realized what they were tracking, it was too late. The sun was already high in the sky. It was well into the day after the King had fled the palace and he was running out of time. Bellowing from the back of his car, he exclaimed, “It’s nearly noon, and we aren’t any closer than we were this morning! It’s like that demonic girl is running in circles! How is she still alive? The storm last night should have killed her.” The King was growling by the time he finished speaking, his voice low and menacing. He rubbed the back of his hands, resisting the urge to strangle the person sitting nearest to him.
The Tracker, Celticad was a large man with dark stubble on his massive jaw. His arms were the size of hams and covered thickly in dense hair. He clutched a live rabbit and held it in his lap. Celticad was a fearsome sight when he was human. After he turned vampire, not even his own kind wanted him around. He had too much power in those muscles, too much strength in his body, compared to the rest of them, but there was reason for it. The King had kindly slipped this Tracker extra vials of blood since the famine began. It was foolish to allow his guard to become weak, but that was unpreventable. Too many vampires receiving extra rations would be noticed, but one loner, freakishly large vampire, much less so.
Celticad was aware of the King’s strength. While he fought viciously and feared no one, Celticad feared his King. There was something about the King that was different, stronger. The King’s skin didn’t have that sickly yellow tint, his eyes were cunning—always plotting, always thinking—and his wrath was swift. This particular setback was not Celticad’s fault, however the King had no one else to blame.
“There was no way to know, your Highness.” Celticad would not apologize. They tracked the item that the King told them to. While he would never say that this was the King’s doing, Celticad wasn’t about to take the blame or throw it on his men, either. The King stared furiously, straight ahead, fuming. His fingers rested on the door. He pressed so hard into the plastic handle that it snapped under his palm. Celticad did not acknowledge it. Instead, he continued, “The tracking device was contained within another animal. She must have realized it was there and removed it. There was no way to know we weren’t tracking a human.”
“No,” The King said calmly, “of course not.” Turning his golden eyes on the Tracker, he lifted his palms, like he was being reasonable, “There was no way to notice a change in body temperature or heart rate, no indication whatsoever that the chip was in a goddamned rabbit!”
Celticad refused to cringe. He sat against the seat, his back perfectly straight, clutching the rabbit in his lap. The animal shook fiercely when the King yelled. Celticad stroked it softly, trying to keep its heart from exploding. Quite reasonably, Celticad repeated, “As I said, my King, the anomalies with her temperature and pulse could have been for any number of reasons. No one suspected that the girl would take a knife to her back, remove the chip, and put it into another animal.”
The King had underestimated Kahli, again. There was no way she removed that chip on her own. William helped her. The King fumed thinking about it. He couldn’t return to the palace without the girl. He couldn’t return without Will. In a sudden display of rage, the King turned toward Celticad. Grabbing his jacket, he roared in his face, revealing his fangs as his anger exploded, “Do you see these, Celticad? Do you see my power? My fangs?”
Celticad nodded. While he feared for his life, he did not fight back. To fight the King meant certain death. “You are the most powerful vampire in the world, my Lord.”
He shook the large vampire once, and released him. Celticad slunk back into his seat, his hand smoothing over the rabbits trembling body. “Then why is it that I am out here and she is back there?” He screamed, pointing his finger behind them, out the back windshield. “If I am the most powerful vampire in the world, why do I have to run from my own wife!” It was a question that wasn’t meant to be answered, but Celticad cleared his throat, indicating he would respond. The King’s fierce gaze lifted and flashed a warning not to speak, but Celticad didn’t listen.
“You don’t have to run, “Celticad said brazenly. Quickly he explained, “Queen Sophia does not realize how powerful you’ve become. There is no other vampire with fangs, none that drinks blood straight from a warm body, none that can compel without a true name—except you. You can do all those things, my Lord, and yet, we chase this wild girl, a token of the Queen’s. The girl was the one who ran, and therefore, the Queen’s wrath will fall on her, not you. You could say that you did not harm those other girls, Kahli did. She killed them, spilling their blood before attacking you and killing members of your guard. You can return to the palace and resume your place at Queen Sophia’s side without the wild girl. But—”
The King cocked a dark brow at him, “But, what?”
“But, I believe you had another reason to return in mind. You can easily overpower the Queen if you return. You can kill her and her guard, and yet, we sit out here in the wild.” Celticad paused, and ran his thick hand through his hair. “I’m not a fool. I know the girl’s worth, why you want her—but the player who makes the first move is the one with the upper-hand. If you plan to eradicate the Queen, now is the time, whether the girl is in hand or not.” Celticad knew he’d spoken too openly, said too much, but it was a risk he had to take. If the King was slaughtered, beheaded by the Queen, then all who assisted him today would also feel her wrath.
The King worked his jaw as he listened to Celticad. When the vampire first spoke, the King planned on decapitating him at his last word, but the longer the brute spoke, the more the King agreed with him. Finally, the King glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, “That was extremely foolish, to speak out just now.”
Celticad responded, “Or brave. It depends on how you look at it.”
“Apparently so,” he considered Celticad for a moment and nodded, “So be it. We will return to the palace. I will seize the throne, and if that girl is still alive, I’ll hunt her down myself when this is over.” He grinned, revealing his pearly fangs, thinking about sinking them into her neck again. Kahli was still alive. He could feel her heart beat, feel the steady pulsing of blood circulating her body. That blood was his. He would have her yet.
The King reached forward and took the frightened rabbit from Celticad’s hands. Grabbing it by the scruff of the neck, the King held the snow white rabbit up in front of his face. The little ball of fur trembled, its bright eyes darting from side to side, looking for a way to escape. The King spoke to it gently, “There’s no reason to fear, little one.” He smiled at the animal. With a flick of his wrist, the rabbit’s neck snapped. The sound of bone breaking echoed in the King’s ears. “Here,” he handed the lifeless ball of fur back to Celticad, “Skin it and strap its pelt to your belt. Every time you look a
t its soft fur, remember the sound of its neck snapping. Remember that is exactly what will happen to you if you ever again make a mistake of the magnitude you made today. Next time you will not survive. Never forget it.”
CHAPTER 22
Although he didn’t want to, Reggie knew that he couldn’t get caught with Kahli, but he didn’t know what to do with her. He wanted to keep her, use her blood for himself, but having her body around—and that uncouth mouth—was not smart. If the girl escaped her cage while he was unaware, she’d slit his throat and set him on fire. There were things vampires had once been able to recover from, but being beheaded and burned alive wasn’t one of them. His eyes flicked to Kahli. She sat in the center of the cage, cross-legged, picking her nails like an ape.
“Must you do that?”
Kahli looked up at him, her eyes narrowed. She flicked a nail and it made that awful sound again. “What? You mean this?” She did it again, watching Reggie cringe.
