by Sara Snow
They were welcome to her love and her throne, for all I cared. It’s not like my mother, their Queen, wanted me to be her successor because she truly loved me. I was once her most vicious general and her greatest creation. That was all.
I was a possession to her.
Only one person on this earth loved me—Elinor. And my soul, as tainted as it might be, yearned for her.
The Queen’s guards opened her door as I approached, hatred in their eyes. I ignored it, the same way I ignored them. I walked in and found Cain already there, lounging by a window. He opened his eyes a crack to look at me and then closed them once more.
“You look so much better, my son.” Amythia, who was lying on her bed, rolled onto her stomach.
I was clothed in a black coat made from a blend of wool fabrics that fell to my knees. It was embroidered with a stand-up style collar and open-hem cuffs with large buttons made from gold going down the length of the left side. Beneath it, I wore a black silk shirt with a low-cut collar, revealing my chest. And I’d left my hair loose around my shoulders. Paired with black pants and boots that had gold buckles, I once again looked the part of a royal. And after months of traveling and dressing casually, I felt very uncomfortable.
This wasn’t me anymore, and I couldn’t help wondering how Elinor would react if she saw me like this.
“Why aren’t you speaking?” Cain grumbled, his eyes still closed. “Are you upset that Mother had to go collect you like a child?”
“Aren’t you tired of behaving like one?” I countered, and his eyes popped open. I turned to my mother. “You called for me?”
“You called for me, my Queen?” Amythia corrected me as she propped herself up on her elbows. “I’ve given you a few inches, William. Don’t take a mile.”
“Will always goes overboard, Mother. You know that.”
My nonchalant gaze fell on Cain, and the smug look on his face began to wither and die. We stared at each other for a few seconds, then finally, he dropped his eyes and combed strands of blond hair back from his face, before getting to his feet.
He pulled the collar of his coat forward. “You betrayed our Queen; you sided with the enemy. Don’t forget that.”
“Why would I, Cain? Tell me.”
Cain smiled. “See, Mother? He feels no remorse for what he’s done, bedding the enemy.”
“After meeting her, I’d bed her too, Cain. She’s a beautiful creature.”
My jaws clenched at my mother’s comment. Neither of them would get anywhere near Elinor. Of that, I’d make sure.
Cain licked his lips. “It’s hard to forget her scent, I’ll give you that.”
“Stay away from Elinor.” I spoke calmly, but my eyes changed from blue to red.
Cain chuckled, his fangs elongating. “Or what? What will you do? What will you do if our mother orders you to kill her?”
Amythia swung her legs off the bed but remained sitting there, her white robe pooling around her feet. Our eyes met. Her face was unreadable, but I knew she was waiting for my response. But she already knew what I would do. I could never hurt Elinor.
My eyes reverted to blue. “I have nothing to say to you, Cain. So do us both a favor and shut up.”
“Come now, boys. You’re brothers. Stop fighting over me,” Amythia chuckled as she got up and walked away. “As entertaining as this is, we have important things to talk about, William.”
I walked away, ignoring Cain as he sat there, fuming. I felt his power lash out at me, trying to latch onto my fear. I brushed it off and pretended it had no effect . . . even though the flickering image of Elinor lying on the ground, her body mangled and broken, nearly tore me apart.
“What did you want to speak to me about?” I followed Amythia as she walked out to the balcony.
“You love that wolf, don’t you?”
“Yes,” I answered without hesitation.
When she turned to face me, I stopped walking. The black sky behind her made her white skin almost glow. Her red eyes bored into my blue ones, and she glanced at Cain, who’d joined us, before smiling.
He, too, began to smile. Then she turned her back to me, clasping her hands behind her.
“It was nice to leave the castle after so many years . . .” Her voice was like an eerie song as she stared out at the darkness. “I’d forgotten what life outside this territory was like, with its fresh air and trees . . .” I didn't speak, and neither did Cain. "I see why you left the castle and didn't want to return. This land was once like the rest of the world before the sky was blacked out and the earth began to die."
“That was what you thought best for us,” Cain argued when I remained silent. My brother, forever the kiss-ass.
“Yes, at the time it was, to protect us from being attacked during the day.” Then she turned to me. “But this is the beginning of a new age, and change is in order. We’ll be attacking the human capital.”
“What?” I asked. “You said you would end the war.”
“The war against supernatural creatures is over. However, I never said I wouldn’t attack humans.”
“The human capital is filled with supernatural creatures, too, just like all the blended towns you’ve already destroyed.”
Her mouth turned downward. “Well, you can’t have a war without some collateral damage, can you? I’ve grown tired of this land and castle. I’ve built our empire, William. We now have more land, and we have more vampires and Resurrected supernaturals to defend us. It’s time I claimed the human city as my own.”
She smiled, her red-painted lips stretching wide. I knew this was going to happen, that she’d have something up her sleeve. She hadn’t given up on the war just to get me back.
She held her hands out. “Imagine it, a grand city for our kind, for you, once you’ve taken the throne. Agomond would be the perfect place to rule from.” She chuckled, her smile beautiful but empty. “Once we turn the humans and supernaturals there, can you imagine the power we’ll have? We’ll be unstoppable. And right now, they are ours for the taking. They are just sitting there, waiting like rats standing by to be devoured by cats.”
Her voice was rising with excitement the longer she spoke. I could see the madness in her eyes, a hunger that would never be satisfied.
“This was your plan all along, wasn’t it?”
Her hands fell to her sides. “Of course. All we’ve done so far was attack random towns at random intervals, taking what we needed.” She grinned at Cain, who nodded proudly. “That was a very small part of a bigger dream. I needed to build up an army strong enough to take the capital.” She pouted. “Oh, don’t look so shocked, William. The capital is sitting on prime land, land I need to create a grand, gated city for my empire. Our empire.”
“All it will take is one successful attack, and we won’t be cowering at the dark end of the world anymore,” Cain hissed. “We’ll be at the center of it.”
I glared at him as silence filled the room.
“So, brother . . . Whose side are you on?” he asked.
My mother, obviously seeing my disgust, added, “I don’t intend to force all supernaturals to the brink of extinction. They are our food, our pets, and our entertainment. I don’t want to kill them all . . .” She stopped in front of me and placed a cold hand on my cheek. “I want to rule them all. You will rule them all.”
“Give Cain the throne,” I hissed as I leaned forward, putting my face inches away from hers. “Since he wants it so much, give it to him. I’ve never wanted the throne, and the second you give it to me, I’ll pass it on to another. I’m tired of this world, and I’m tired of this life. I don’t want to be a king. I want to be left alone. Don’t you see? But I’m here, as you demanded. And you said if I returned, you’d end this. So do it.”
She grabbed my face, her nails slicing into my skin. "Then you'll sit in the dungeon and watch the world bow to me from a very small window. Who do you think you are? I’m giving you the world, and you’re telling me you don’t want it?”
<
br /> I bit at her face, and she stepped back in shock. Cain appeared by her side, his power clawing at my mind. Then, abruptly, Amythia started laughing. The sound echoed through the room as she placed a hand on Cain’s shoulder.
“There he is! There’s the William I’ve missed!” She walked around me, and I saw Cain’s brows pulled together in shock that I shared. I felt her arms wrap around my middle from behind, and she rested her chin on my shoulder. “Make no mistake—I plan on making Elinor mine.”
“Then why didn’t you take her when she was right in front of you?”
“Because if I’d fought her, I’d have to kill her pack. And you would have sided with them,” she said, moving my hair back to expose my neck. “I didn’t want to have to kill my own son.”
Her hold around me tightened, but I held my composure even though it felt like my ribs were going to break. I wasn’t fooled. I knew my mother was stung by my betrayal, but she was taking advantage of it to control me, using my love for Elinor to force me back onto her side.
Cain’s jealousy was obvious on his face as he stood in front of us, his jaws clenched and his eyes rimmed red. It was pitiful that he loved her so much, while to her, he was nothing but a tool to be used. Just as everyone else was.
It was odd that he hadn’t realized I was in the same situation with our mother that he was—a pawn, albeit a favored one. But still a pawn.
“All I needed to do was convince you to come willingly. Because of your noble sacrifice, Elinor will undoubtedly follow on her own accord.”
I turned to her as she released me. “She wouldn’t.”
Amythia began laughing. “You and I both know she will. I saw her lovesick eyes.” She pinched my chin as if I were a child. “You’ve always been a charmer. Of course, she’ll try to rescue the man she loves, and I’m happy about that. I want her to come to me.”
“And what makes you think I won’t side with her if she does come? You know how I feel, no matter how hard you’re trying to ignore it.” I removed her hand from my chin. “There is nothing for me in this castle. If I’m forced to live out my days in a dungeon, then so be it. But if she comes, I will fight by her side.”
“You can try.” She glared at me as the room suddenly grew cold. “I know you hate me. I can smell it!”
She sucked in her cheeks and the temperature in the room dropped even further. “When she arrives, William—and she will—I will claim her. And when I do, I’ll give her to you. She can still be yours. But if you chose to fight by her side, to betray me to my face, I’ll give her to Cain.”
We stared at each other, neither of us blinking. She wanted me to see that she was serious, but I had no doubt of it. She knew how I felt about her, and how I felt about Elinor. But instead of killing me for my betrayal, she intended to make me suffer.
No matter how this went, she’d hurt Elinor . . . to hurt me.
“Well, don’t you have anything to say? Don’t you believe me?”
I took a deep breath. “Mother, I’m saying this as someone who has spent time with you both, and who knows you both . . .” I smiled. “Don’t underestimate her.”
Amythia glared at me, causing ice to form on several pieces of furniture in the room.
Seeing my advantage, I continued. "Do with me as you wish. Send me to the dungeons, or kill me if you want. Rest assured, I won’t fight by her side. But I won’t fight for you, either. And the second you slip up, she'll kill you.”
I walked briskly down the torchlit hall. If Elinor and the others went through with their plan to attack Cain and Amythia here, they’d fail. There'd be no vampires here, and while they were battling here, the human capital would be taken. Even though my mother knew the supernatural community was planning an attack because the centaur had revealed everything, she asked me nothing.
She didn’t care. Because while all eyes were on her castle, she’d be setting her sights elsewhere.
Her assault on the human city would result in a massacre. It would indeed be the start of a new age—one where vampires ruled over everyone—if no one stopped it.
I thought back to all the times I’d been the one by the Queen’s side as we reveled in our reign of terror. Looking back, I had no idea who that man was. Even when I was first sired, the Queen never commanded me to do anything I didn’t want to. She never used the sire bond against me. Then again, she hadn’t needed to.
That was one thing I was thankful for. She had never taken away my free will as long as I stood by her. And I had. If there was something to be done, I’d done it, willingly. And I had continued to do so, long after I’d broken free of the sire bond between us.
I couldn’t deny that Amythia and I had shared a true bond at one point. She was my mother, and I’d lived well—like a savage, perhaps—but I’d lived well . . . until I’d realized the dark world she inhabited wasn’t the one I wanted.
I sped up, walking faster. I needed to breathe in fresh air that wasn’t filled with the smell of blood.
I entered the courtyard and stopped as many pairs of red eyes turned to stare at me. It was an open space where vampires were lounging about lazily, with and without their pets. The tension in the air thickened until a familiar scent drifted up to my nose.
The person standing behind me wasn’t someone I wanted to see.
“Will? You’re back?”
I turned around to face Vivian. She tried to hug me, but I stepped away from her. Her clothes and nails were stained with blood. She smelled of various supernatural creatures, but the scent of werewolves was the most prominent.
Her hair was curled down her back, but it, too, was covered in blood. She looked well-fed but was also clearly crazed. Vampires didn't walk around the castle looking like they'd just slaughtered a cow.
Skins tended to dress well, hiding the ravenous beasts they were behind a polished exterior.
Vivian looked like a Bleeder—wild-eyed and high on blood.
She smiled at me, and my eyes lowered into slits. “Vivian, what have you done?”
She looked down at herself, and her smile faded. “There are werewolves here in the dungeon. I hate them. The Queen said I could play with as many as I wanted.” She tried to snuggle up closer to me. “I knew you’d come back. I knew you wouldn’t stay with that dog.”
I said nothing, transfixed by the creature she’d become. She was unhinged, and the Queen had been indulging her. No doubt Vivian had been torturing werewolves because of her hatred for Elinor. But as unbalanced as she was, Vivian wasn’t a Bleeder. She knew exactly what she was doing.
“I’m not here for you, Vivian.”
She looked around the courtyard. “What do you mean? We’re to be mated. I’ll rule by your side as Queen.”
“I won’t be King, Vivian, and you certainly won’t be Queen. I’ll have my mother send you overseas to your father. Maybe a break from here will be good for you.”
“No!” She stepped back. “I don’t want to go!”
“Look at yourself. You’re a Skin, a royal! Act like one!”
“So, what I’m doing is wrong? I’m just feeding as vampires should, while you bed a wolf. And you think you’re better than me?”
She was right. I had no right to judge her. I turned away and the people around us moved aside to let me through.
“I’m sorry, Will. I didn’t mean it. Tell me you don’t care about the wolf. That’s all I ask.”
I kept walking. This wasn’t a discussion I was going to have. Not with her, not with anyone.
Vivian’s scream was ear-piercing but not surprising. Her default reaction to anything not going her way was always a temper tantrum. I’d seen it before. But Vivian wasn’t finished yet.
“That’s why the white wolf is going to fucking die!” she shrieked.
I froze, not believing she’d gone so far over the edge. But her next words confirmed it.
“Do you think she’ll ever be welcomed here, even if the Queen turns her? I’ll kill her myself if I have to. Look
at him! This is the great General William! He betrayed our Queen and sided with the enemy! He’s a traitor,” she screamed.
My gums ached with the desire to release my fangs. Vivian was tugging on the last string of patience I had. The vampires in the courtyard were now staring at me with blatant animosity, but Vivian didn’t seem to care. She was on a roll.
"The Queen will give her to Cain. That’s what she’ll do. Cain will have the wolf, and he'll break her. He'll break her as you broke me! She'll suffer here, and so will you! You're not one of us, William. You never have been, and you never will be!"
I moved almost unconsciously, crossing the courtyard room in the blink of an eye, and grabbed Vivian from behind. Bending her head to the side, I bit her before she even knew what was happening. I tore into her neck and poured my venom into her.
Her scream echoed through the castle, drowning out everything else.
Releasing her, I let her fall to the ground. Black veins were already spreading up to her head and down her arm from the wound on her neck..
She writhed on the ground, begging for mercy, but I did nothing. If these creatures wanted nothing to do with me, if I was to be hated, then so be it. I would be the kind of monster even vampires feared.
I watched as black blood poured from her ears and eyes, then her mouth.
“William!” she screamed, coughing. “Please!”
Threatening Elinor wasn’t something I’d tolerate from anyone. And I hated Vivian more than ever because everything she’d said was true. I didn’t want to doubt Elinor’s power. I knew what she was capable of. But I couldn’t risk anything happening to her if she failed and ended up at my mother’s mercy. It was just something I couldn’t allow to happen. So Vivian, who could easily become a threat to Elinor if she were captured, had to die.
Vivian stopped screaming, and her body shrank to a skeleton-like state. The vampires around her stepped back as her black blood poured from her body and her red eyes turned green and lifeless.
Whispers exploded among the others. The secret about me my mother had hidden so well was now out. I could kill any vampire with a single bite.
