Dante’s jaw flexed. He shook his head. “She’s been poisoned with silver. It will impede healing. She will not recover in time to survive this mortal wound.” His voice broke, and a tear flicked from his lashes as he blinked up at me.
“I’m sorry.” I didn’t know what else to say. Too many thoughts and questions crowded my mind. I was forever ignorant in these matters—but that was why I had taken to studying in the library. That was why I’d hung from Sonja’s every word.
“The blood of one’s enemy,” I said, remembering the archaic blood rituals book she’d explained the science of to me.
“What?” Dante looked at me as if he feared I’d perhaps inhaled some silver myself.
“To counteract silver poisoning,” I clarified. “The blood of one’s enemy.”
He closed his eyes and blew out a disappointed sigh. “That’s an old bat’s tale.”
“No, there’s truth in it—Sonja Starling explained how it works. Trust me.” I folded my hands together, pleading with him.
Across the room, Emma sagged between two guards, looking miserable and defeated. Her glare was directed at me, but it was filled with less malice than I’d expected. Until she understood what I was proposing.
“Trust me,” I said again. “What do you have to lose by trying?”
Dante considered me with wide, helpless eyes. “Nothing.” He motioned for the agents to come closer. “Bring her here.”
“Your Grace,” one of the men protested. “I would be remiss if I didn’t remind you that the Vampiric High Council will consider this a breach of their authority.”
The duke’s demeanor changed, and I didn’t recognize the face he offered the defiant agent. “You are employed by House Lilith, not the council.” His voice was whisper-soft, but the threat in it sent a chill over my skin. “Must I repeat myself?”
The agent answered by dragging Emma forward. Alarm flashed through her eyes, and she began to pant as Dante extracted the dagger from the queen’s chest.
“I had no choice,” Emma sobbed. “I’m sworn to serve my sire.”
Dante didn’t waste any time. He lashed out, slicing the dagger across her throat so quickly that I flinched.
The two agents holding Emma’s arms positioned her over the queen, allowing the dark blood seeping from her throat to enter the queen’s open mouth. It filled quickly, her teeth staining red as the blood overflowed and ran across her cheek to touch her earlobe. I feared they were too late, but then she swallowed.
An air bubble swelled up between her lips and popped as she swallowed again. Her throat continued to work, and soon, the black in her eyes retreated. Emma shivered as her own eyes took on that darkness that signaled she was near death. The agents made to move her away, but I reached out, touching one’s arm.
“The last bit is the most vital,” I said, ignoring the patronizing look he gave me.
The remainder of Emma’s blood dripped free, and she hung motionless, fully spent and unsalvageable. If she wasn’t dead, she would be soon enough.
I knew I should have cared that we’d just played executioner with a suspect. That she would not see a fair trial. But being present for the crime, I couldn’t bring myself to feel much guilt. Not as the queen was roused from the brink of death.
“Lili?” Dante brushed his fingers down her bloodied cheek. “How do you feel?”
She groaned and glanced around the room, taking in the anxious faces as she answered. “I feel…like our guards might be overpaid.”
The duke laughed at her words, but the agents in the room seemed to bristle with shame and resentment. One glared at me, as if my interference had robbed him of the opportunity to play hero.
“Fetch the queen’s harem,” Dante ordered one of the costumed servants. The man hurried from the room, stealthily slipping past one of the double doors.
The queen let Dante help her up, extending her opposite hand out to me. I took it, feeling awkward at the sudden change in our dynamic. I guessed saving someone’s life could have that effect.
The hole in her chest was still a raw wound, but it had stopped gushing. She didn’t even wince as she probed it with her fingers. The blood painting her cleavage had also darkened the front of her dress, ruining the elaborate material, but she adjusted her crown regardless.
“It seems I owe an orphaned vampling my life.” She sounded surprised, but not entirely upset. I was sure there were plenty of people more notable than me who had defended her through the centuries—even if her current guards were less than valiant. “What would the last living scion of House Zajalvo have of your queen?”
“A sire.” My answer was sudden, widening Lili’s eyes with displeasure. She hadn’t even fully reseated herself in the throne. “If Your Majesty pleases,” I added, bowing my head.
Addressing royalty still felt awkward, and the massive respect House Lilith demanded was a stark contrast to how the country’s human leaders were regarded.
“A sire,” Lili mused. She touched the trail of blood running down her cheek and then rubbed her thumb and index finger together. The servant with the stack of silk cloths knelt at her side and offered them up to her. She handed me one and took another for herself, dabbing it across her cheek first and then her chest. “Most vamplings are all too eager to outgrow their elders, and here you are, using up a royal boon to request one.”
My palms itched as I wiped at the blood smeared under my nose and down my chin. I didn’t say anything more as I watched her consider her answer. This wasn’t a fairytale scenario. She hadn’t promised me whatever I wanted. She’d simply asked what I would have of her. I’m sure she didn’t expect me to ask for a bath bomb or anything so trivial, but maybe a sire was a taller order than she was capable of arranging?
“It will take some time,” she said. I looked up, confirming that she was serious and not just teasing me. My vampiric ignorance had been met with so much mockery since I’d joined the fold. “I’ll announce your replacement sire on Midsummer’s Eve, when we celebrate the returning darkness. Add her name to the guest list,” she said to another servant in the room.
“Thank you, Your Majesty.” I bowed my head again and tried to breathe through my nose before I hyperventilated.
“Thank you,” she replied, bypassing the servant who had acted as her mouthpiece. The words seemed unfamiliar to her, but she offered them sincerely.
“I’ll escort you back to the party,” the duke announced as a swarm of humans entered the throne room. From their matching robes, they were obviously the queen’s harem.
I gave the queen a final, appreciative nod before taking Dante’s offered arm. The agents had laid Emma’s body against the far wall and covered her with a sheet. As we exited into the hallway, the duke cleared his throat, drawing my attention away from the contained scene.
“Will the party really go on?” I asked, a little unnerved by the way they were so ready to cover up such a serious incident.
“The assault will be announced in an official capacity after the queen is fully recovered,” Dante said under his breath. He covered my hand where it lay on his arm. “It would be greatly appreciated if you kept what just happened to yourself until then.”
I met his gaze and swallowed. “Of course.”
“Thank you for your service.”
“What about Mic?” I asked as he began to pull away.
“Excuse me?”
“Mic Novak. Is he coffin-locked for a crime that’s likely Emma’s?” I might have been able to overlook the improvised death of House Kincade’s scion for the time being, but Mic…that wasn’t justice. Being an asshole was not a crime in and of itself.
The duke inhaled in a tense breath and had the decency to look ashamed. “I’ll make a call and have him released immediately,” he said. “Is there anything else, Ms. Skye?”
I shook my head, aware that I was toeing the line of insubordination again. I was good at that. “Thank you, Your Grace.”
“Enjoy the rest of the pa
rty.”
He left me in the dark hallway and retreated back inside the throne room, closing the heavy door behind him. The dismissal struck a nerve I hadn’t known I possessed.
I should be in there with them.
The irrational thought came to me as I headed for the ballroom. I couldn’t confess the familial pull. Just like I couldn’t confess to having the Eye of Blood, nor what it had shown me through Emma. It wasn’t just for improved night vision or discerning vampires from humans. It connected to the moment of a vampire’s origin, revealing their sire. And Emma’s sire had just arrived.
She stood in the foyer, draped in a velvet cloak with a high, Victorian collar that framed her face. Soft, brunette curls were piled on top of her head and a silver circlet lay across her brow. Her sharp eyes matched the emerald of her dress.
“His Highness the Prince and Her Grace the Duchess of House Lilith,” the doorman announced.
I hadn’t even noticed the man a step behind Kassandra. As the guests bowed to them, I again faltered, forgetting my place, and was the last to yield. When I looked up, they were gone. Disappeared to some other corner of the manor.
I had to find Roman. He was the only one I could tell my secrets, and I hoped like hell he would know what to do.
Chapter Nineteen
I found him in the gallery, waiting for me. He’d had the same brilliant idea to steal away the rest of the night without words or thoughts, just reckless passion. And here I was, come to ruin it all.
“The cadet from House Kincade just attempted to assassinate the queen.” My words rushed out in a heated whisper. “Except she’s not really a Kincade—she belongs to the duchess, Kassandra. I bit her, and I saw… I saw…” I panted, grasping for the right words.
“You bit the duchess?” Roman asked, a horrified light filling his eyes.
“No,” I hissed. “Emma—the cadet—I bit her. Kassandra is her sire. She’s the one behind the assassination. And she’s here. Now.” I pressed my hands to the sides of my face, and then winced.
“What happened to you?” Roman’s fingers grazed my chin as he examined my aching cheek.
“I stopped Emma from escaping,” I said, pulling my face away from him. “Are you listening to me? Kassandra is trying to kill the queen.” I gripped the lapels of his jacket. “What do we do?”
“You only know this because of the Eye of Blood?” he asked, finally catching up.
“Yes.”
“Then we do nothing.”
“What?” I hissed.
“Do you enjoy being alive and free?” He squeezed my shoulders in his hands, his gaze leveling with mine. “Because I enjoy you being alive and free. I’d like you to stay that way.”
“But—”
“It’s not your place,” he insisted, giving me a gentle shake. “They will never recognize you as one of them, and even if you survive the confession, you will not survive their enemies. Is that what you want?”
I lowered my eyes, trying to accept what he was telling me. It was the obvious truth, but it still hurt, however irrational the sentiment was. Even after everything that had just happened? I wondered. It was all over and done with so fast, I began to doubt it had transpired at all.
“The queen is alive and well?” Roman asked. I nodded. “Then her guards will be more vigilant and watchful tonight.” He kissed my temple and then my cheek, moving downward until he reached the curve of my neck.
My breath hitched, and I closed my eyes, trying to forget everything, at least long enough to enjoy Roman for the short time I would have him tonight.
“Did the queen offer you riches for your loyal service?” his playful voice cooed in my ear.
“She did.” I sighed and reached my arms around his waist. “I’ll have a new sire by Midsummer.”
Roman jerked away from me. “What? Why?”
I blinked at him. “Because that’s what I asked for.”
“Why would you do such a stupid thing?” His voice rose, but he quickly lowered it before stalking a tight circle around the gallery. “Zajalvo was perfect. With him being dead, you were free to live as you choose. Now you’ll be under the thumb of whomever the queen decides to subject you to.”
“And what if I need that?” I hugged myself, staving off a bitter cold that was quickly settling in my bones. “What if I can’t do this alone?”
He cupped a hand at his chest. “You have me.”
“Really?” I scoffed. “Because you’ve been so much help?”
His face screwed up with frustration. “I gave you my training notes even after you went against my advice and applied for the program.”
“And you completely ignored me the two weeks before that.”
“Because you—” He blew out an angry breath and placed his hands on his hips. “You’re impossible.” My heart plummeted. But then he was on me again, pulling my body against his while his mouth sought mine. The music from the ballroom grew louder, disguising our unrefined noises.
We were a match made in purgatory, both stuck in our own paths where they’d intersected. But for how long?
That was a question for another night, I decided as Roman pushed me against the wall of the gallery, and my blood boiled with want.
* * * * *
A regal party was no place to consummate…whatever it was that Roman and I had going. I didn’t know what to call it. I hadn’t cared if it had a name at all while his lips had razed every inch of my exposed skin. I was flustered and achingly unfulfilled by the time the cadets were expected to line up outside.
I was a little embarrassed that I’d yielded so quickly, allowing Roman to brush away my concerns over House Lilith affairs. But he’d been right. There was nothing I could do without offering myself up as a sacrificial lamb.
I didn’t see Kassandra again. Of course, I didn’t see much of anyone from inside the gallery.
“What happened to you?” Mandy asked, snuggling in between Collins and me. “I looked everywhere.”
“Not everywhere.” I grinned.
My senses returned to me slowly in the chill outside the manor. Sergeant Sorano stared me down as if she knew what I’d been doing all night. She had at least half the story, I realized, when the limos began to pull up to the curb and Andre questioned where Emma was.
“Ms. Kincade has been dismissed from the program. She will not be returning with us,” Sorano said, still watching me.
The drive back to the bat cave was quiet. With Roman no longer there to take my mind off everything, my thoughts circled back to Emma. If her end goal was to kill the queen, why did she have to kill Sonja? Did she discover her evil plan? Something still felt…missing from the equation.
Collins and Mandy eyed me curiously, but with Carmichael, Andre, and the other wolf cadet sharing a limo with us, they knew better than to ask. Though, they did pull me aside as the others headed off to the barracks.
“The duke himself asked me not to share any details until they officially announce the news,” I said, holding my hands up. My eyes flicked over to where Sorano watched from the golf cart Kai had delivered us in. They spoke in hushed voices, but Mandy’s eyes lit as she caught bits of their conversation.
“My lips are sealed,” she said, making a zipping motion in front of her mouth when she realized I was on to her.
“Great.” Collins folded his arms. “Even more secrets for you two to keep.”
“The duke asked me not to share, not Mandy.” I stole another glance at Sorano. “Just wait till I’m in the barrack before filling him in. You’ll draw less attention that way,” I said as Kai learned around the sergeant to give me another appraising frown.
Five weeks. How much more could they push me?
I left Mandy and Collins and headed for the harem. There was nowhere to stash a ball gown in the crypt, but I was betting Natalie would know what to do with it in the meantime.
A cacophony of excited voices echoed through the harem foyer when I entered. Andre and Blair had arrived ahea
d of me, and they’d clearly had opinions to share about the events of the night. Giggles and squeals filtered from every other door as the gossip made the rounds.
I found Natalie’s door closed and knocked the chest of the glitter raven gatekeeper. When she didn’t answer right away, I knocked again. I couldn’t share what had happened with the queen, but I was excited to divulge my rendezvous with an anonymous, handsome half-sired.
The door cracked open an inch. I took the invitation and entered, wondering why Natalie was sitting around in the dark. Were she and Sampson trying to pull off another séance? A stiff arm shoved my back into the wall, and my blood vision lit the room instantly.
Natalie’s bedspread was soaked. She lay in the middle of the mess, her vacant eyes staring at the ceiling, the side of her neck raw and ragged. Blood spattered the smooth half of her head and the collar of her jean vest.
“Natalie? Natalie!” I couldn’t find my breath, and it had little to do with the arm pressing down on my collarbone.
Cain Davis sneered at me, the metallic glint of his imitation fangs caught my attention before he popped them out of his mouth and stuffed them into the pocket of his suit jacket.
“Perfect timing,” he whispered against my cheek. I shoved his arm away, but he used my momentum to hurl me across the room, right onto Natalie’s bed and her lifeless body. I scrambled to my feet and faced him.
“Why?” I cried, fearing I already knew the answer. Every breath ached with wrath.
Cain put a hand on the doorknob, but he paused to consider my question with a condescending smile. “I may not be Scarlett’s any longer, but the bonds of lifeblood are not mandated by reason or decree. I will walk this half-life among her enemies, and I will make them suffer, destroy them from the shadows, like I have done with you.”
He threw the door open and took off down the hallway, taking long strides. His jacket and white hair trailed behind him, easy pickings for a takedown similar to Emma’s. But I was too furious for all that.
Blood in the Water (Blood Vice Book 3) Page 16
