by Holly Hook
A pause stretches out. “Yes. That’s true. But we still have two problems,” I say, not wanting to elaborate when Trish, Walton, and Daeshawn are having their own quiet conversation in the kitchen about how defiled they felt, looking like servants.
We've got to keep this coven under control, find the killer, and survive the Convening. I imagine being surrounded by dozens of powerful Truebloods, and I know even I won’t have the chance to escape. If they discover I'm not a good little slave, then I'll never see daylight again.
He nods. “I know. We have a month to work on them. We can find my father and the rest of the exiled Beaumont coven and stop them from dropping an anonymous call about what I did. There's a chance they'll have no say if they speak to the High Council, or that they'll get killed for breaking Trueblood law, but my father may try to get word of recent happenings to them.” He's careful not to say my theft of his blood, because others are in the room, and we can't include anyone from the mansion in these conversations. Not even the Nightsides I semi-like.
Any of them could be the Originator, and that person will be even more dangerous than Dominic, especially since we don't know their endgame other than casting Riley out. Or what part they had in Dad's actions.
Riley reaches out for an embrace, and I pause before I take it, despite wanting to dive in. Then he kisses me on the forehead, casting tingles down my spine. I wrap my arms around him, a gray ugly duckling in the arms of a god, and I let my ear rest on his chest.
Then he leans down to my ear, parting my hair with his fingers. The motion lights up my skin and sets a fresh wave of fire, and I shudder an anticipation of what he's about to say.
“I don't want them to hear us. We need to train again, find your father, and find mine. And we need to hatch a plan for the Convening, to make sure we're voted in and get out alive. That starts now.”
He finishes his plotting with a kiss to my ear, and then he pulls away.
CHAPTER FOUR
Riley only embraced and kissed me to pass along information.
Despite the danger, I can't stop thinking about the fake kiss as he leaves me standing in the sitting room. Sure, Riley only pushed me aside to save all of our lives. I would have done the same to him if it meant the difference between life and death.
But Riley kissed me to pass on a message.
He's been giving me occasional pecks on the cheek here and there, as we've been scrambling around the mansion during the past week to straighten out the mess that Dad left. But has he kissed me with any passion since I almost killed Dominic?
Were the other quick pecks on the cheek just for show, or just to convince me to lower my stress levels so I didn't explode again? Dad's already looked at me with horror. And now Riley must be, too. It's not a good feeling, like I don't deserve to invade these peoples' lives.
And I don't know how to make it go away.
I retreat upstairs to gather my thoughts at Riley's suggestion, and I open the door to the master bedroom that, until a couple of days ago, held Dad's stuff. But Riley suggested we move into it, clean it out, and make it our own so we could get into the mindset of being in charge. And he had a point there. I stop in the doorway and eye the bed that we moved from our old room down the hall. Our long mirror. Our closet full of the best clothes we pulled out of the downstairs wardrobe, the same one where we found our dance getups. But we haven't dressed up for any dances or even for a date.
I wonder if we're ever going to do that again.
I've held my emotions back until I've reached the bedroom, and now that I'm here, I shut the door with a click and lean against it, trying to hold my tears back. The world is falling apart and I don't even know who to blame anymore. The Originator? Dad? The High Council, or Dominic? Maybe all four of them are conspiring against us, and Dad is so scared of me after what I did at the battle that he doesn't want to stay here anymore.
“Oh, shit,” I mutter before the tears come.
The pressure starts in my chest and rises to my head, and I want to lash out again, but I hold back. There's something wrong with me, and that's why everything's falling apart. Would Dad have stayed if my powers hadn't exploded? After all, I insisted on going to that battle and then I killed. I killed multiple people. I did far more damage than he could have ever done, and I terrified everyone around me.
There's no one to lash out against here, and that's a good thing.
So I stand against the door and let silent, weak tears flow down my face. I don't dare to wipe them away with the gray dress. Riley and I are leaders, probably the worst leaders a coven has ever seen, and we might not even be together anymore. We’re just putting forth a Victorian era social mirage. I'm on my own.
“Calm down,” I urge myself. The power in my head grows painful. Spots dance and lash in my vision as I open my eyes to the darkened room. I can only make out the fancy bedside lamp, and almost nothing else.
And I almost miss the footsteps coming up the stairs, quiet and understanding.
Is that Riley?
My heart leaps, but my stomach quakes with nerves. I don't know how he feels about me anymore, and that scares me.
“Olivia?” He asks in a low voice, one that's as smooth as silk and as seductive as honey. “I'm sorry if you're upset. You walked upstairs like something was bothering you.”
How do you actually feel about me now? I want to ask, but I take a breath instead, not wanting to shatter this image of me and Riley. Then I breathe out, forcing the pressure in my chest and my mind to calm itself. I can't be lashing out right now or I'll give Riley every reason to turn his back on me. Maybe there's a chance that we can stay together and get through all of this. Breaking apart right now would mean death not just for us, but for the entire coven, and maybe even the High Council getting upset enough to reinstate Dominic and the Beaumonts back in Moon's Peak. Not likely, but my distressed thoughts are putting up all kinds of nightmare scenarios.
“Olivia?” He's right outside the door and must be able to smell my tears. Riley has grown almost as observant as Dominic since taking his blood.
“I'm fine,” I croak.
Riley places his hand on the door and lets it slowly run down the polished wood, and I can clearly hear the sound on the other side. “No, you're not. This is a lot, and I'm sorry that I had to make you look like a servant. But I think that with careful planning, we can get through this. Lily might help us, too. Her parents aren't as tight on her as they were last month. Can I come in?”
I want to let him in and pretend that the close distance between us isn't happening, that the gap was just an illusion. My mind powers calm themselves at the thought, and I take the damn break. I open the door for Riley, and he slowly comes in and closes the door behind him.
I'll let him think that my tears are for the situation and the threat of death. Nothing more.
Embrace me. Kiss me. Do something, I silently beg, forcing my betrayer to stay subdued. It's difficult, and I shake, wanting nothing more than to make Riley lean down and kiss me for real this time. But whatever happens has to be real, or I won't sleep well beside him.
“You're shaking,” Riley says, studying me up and down as if trying to figure out why. Rare confusion steals over his face and his copper-flecked eyes widen.
I force a laugh. “Yes. I am. Riley,” I say. I've got to be truthful with him. “I'm working on keeping these powers subdued around you, and I think I'm getting the hang of it. I never want to control anyone I care about, and it's hard, but I'm trying.”
And then Riley smiles. Did his shoulders just drop with relief?
Yes. They did.
He was nervous around me.
“You are, Olivia. But what you need to focus on is making them explode when you’re facing enemies,” he says. Riley takes two steps closer, and his proximity sends my heart racing. He moves in such a graceful, seductive manner, and I imagine him slipping easily out of that suit. At the thought, my body tingles and the back of my head throbs with the urge to
make him do just that, and—ugh! No. I swallow, forcing the sensation down where it belongs.
“Yes. You're dangerous, and that might be just what we need right now. I know this is hazardous, trying to strengthen your powers, but we can rehearse the Convening. I can read about it in the secret library and see just what the procedures are. It'll be in one of those books, somewhere. And it probably wouldn't have changed over the years.”
I focus on books and not on Riley's body, or on the way his shoulders seem broader than his hips. “So we need to do some more reading.”
Riley passes me and sits on the bed, and I wait for him to invite me to sit beside him. We stare at each other and he blinks as if remembering, and then on his own, he pats the bed beside him. “Are you sure you're as okay as you could be?”
“Yes,” I lie. He knows I'm testing him.
And then I sit, dangerously close, just a few inches from Riley.
Now is the time to work on control. I can bottle up these feelings and use them later.
“As I was saying, I've never been to a Convening, but Dominic has,” Riley says. “He would have books about them somewhere to educate the younger members of the coven. He used to go every year, along with ten of the oldest coven members. So I believe that ten or maybe twelve is the number of Truebloods required to go. I don't know if Nightsides ever go, so I guess we're going to find that out.”
“What if they don't? Will you have to turn other people into Truebloods to meet the count?” I can't imagine Riley inflicting his vampire status on someone else. He only joined the Beaumonts to have a place to live, and sure, he had little choice, but when he was thirteen, it seemed like the only one.
Riley gulps. “I don't know for sure, but it's clearly expected of me. The High Council will want me to do it soon, and that probably means within a year or two.”
I sigh in relief, but I wrap my arm around Riley's back instinctively. He has so much to do and so little time. “You shouldn't have to do this.”
“I took Dominic's blood as a vampire. These are the consequences,” Riley says with a weak smile. Our faces are just inches from each other. “I'm alive and I'm not a raging murderer, but now I have responsibilities. Ancient vampires only give their blood to vampires they consider their heirs, and only if they fear their time is short for whatever reason.”
“Dominic's time was short,” I say. “He broke the law and the High Council knew, and you were the only Trueblood left here. So it makes sense. Maybe there's a chance we'll get through this.”
“Maybe,” he says.
“We'll come up with a plan,” I say. “Let's skip class tomorrow, and I'm going to call Lily as soon as the sun's up so we can get together. I hope her parents have let their guard down since we caught Dad working against the hunters.” Mike Rivera, Lily's father, said to my face that he and Dad were friends, and that he thought I'd be a good friend to Lily after all. “She might have some ideas she can combine with us. We meet as soon as the library opens, and then we come up with a way to survive, with none of the other Nightsides listening in. Because I'm sure the Originator is among them.”
* * * * *
I call Lily as soon as I figure she's up for school, and Riley goes downstairs to raid the blood stash that's still in the fridge. The cell that used to hold Dominic is now empty, with the cot still disheveled from the struggle, as if it's a crime scene. And it is. The three of us took him out of his cell and didn't even return him. Riley will have no one bothering him, and I hope there is enough blood in the cooler after he depleted much of the deer population while poisoned.
Lily answers, and I quickly explain to her the deal.
And she goes quiet on the other side of the phone as I pace around our bedroom, keeping my voice as low as I can in case the Originator is in the mansion and listening.
“The Convening? I forgot about that, because usually only senior hunters go,” Lily says. “Of course they'd want Riley to show up.”
“You know about the Convening?” I ask. Senior hunters go? But isn't it only a vampire event?
“I've heard about it from my parents. Hunters always go because they want to know about the rules Truebloods come up with. That's part of the truce. We make sure the Truebloods are following the rules they make for themselves, and they agree to stay organized and stop each other from rampaging through society. They also agree to, well, keep their Nightsides under control.”
“Great,” I say. “I just found out we're slaves in some covens, and now the hunters condone that?” Anger pumps into my limbs from some deep core inside of me. This is getting more and more awesome by the minute.
“Some covens,” Lily says. “Others, well, you know. I'll meet you in the town library at opening. The librarian won't bother us, I think.”
“I'm glad you have a phone now,” I say.
I can hear the smile in Lily's voice. “So do I. My parents still have no idea about my stunt since I could return the stun gun back in its place and remove my fingerprints.”
I end the call shortly after that, and go downstairs to find that Trish, Daeshawn, and Walton have all retreated somewhere, and that the rest of the mansion seems to be empty. Many of the Nightsides prefer to go out at night, and I hope that's because they don't want to hurt people if they get too hungry. Soon, the sun will come up and the main throng will return and retreat to their rooms to sleep for the day. I find the dining room empty of everyone, and I realize that I miss having Mom and occasionally Dad down here, making or enjoying coffee.
Mom hasn't been here much since he left.
I can only wonder what she's going through right now, and I hate that I don't have the resources to comfort her. She came here to Moon's Peak to pursue Dad, and now he's gone again. Mom is in no shape to listen to my problems right now.
I find Riley coming out of the basement, and he nods with another small smile. “The blood bank came through. There was blood down there, and enough to fill all my vials. I should be good to tolerate the day for at least a few hours. You know, when morning actually gets here.” He opens the curtains and looks out on the darkness, and out our window that overlooks the parking lot. On the horizon, the first pink glow of morning shines through the trees. In an hour, Lily will get up at her normal time.
“At least animals are moving back into the area,” I say, breathing a sigh of relief. At least one thing is going right, because as soon as Riley and I had to take over, the Nightsides started complaining about the depleted wildlife and the fact that the only good prey left were geese. But I took that as a good sign that the Nightsides weren't attacking humans.
Maybe the fear of me has some benefits. No one wants to piss me off.
Riley and I change into some lower-key clothes and set out about an hour later. The sun comes up today, and it makes Riley squint, but it's swallowed a few minutes later by a deck of winter clouds as we drive downhill and towards the main town of Moon's Peak, which spreads out below all the trees like a disorganized grid of lights. It's always a beautiful sight, and one I haven't gotten used to since leaving Chicago seemingly a lifetime ago.
We get into town and find Lily already pacing in front of the library, which is just a few minutes from opening. The librarian unlocks the door like a banker exactly at seven-thirty and disappears behind her counter as Lily waves us out of the car and out of the shelter of the tinted windows.
“So things are better with your parents?” I ask.
“Well, I've turned eighteen, so they know I can leave if I want,” Lily says. “It’s not that simple, of course, since I don't have that much money saved and would have to start over. But things have changed a bit since then and I have a bit more freedom.” She smiles and pulls out her phone. “I pay for this with my savings now.”
“Nice,” I say, glad her parents have lost a bit of power for her. I'm also angry that I had to miss her birthday, which she probably spent with only her family.
We go inside, and the librarian is nowhere as Riley produces hi
s card and we go behind the counter. The heavy door labeled Private Collection clicks as a bolt slides back and we enter the small room of older, dusty books. Lily and I take the table while Riley scans the spines.
“Ah. The Convening, years thirteen seventy-two through nineteen fifty-one,” he says with a grimace, pulling a massive volume off the shelf. It definitely smells of dust, aging paper, and ink. My senses flare just enough for me to detect its age, and the many strata of ink. “I'll do the reading and see what we're in for.”
“Thank you,” I say.
Lily and I sit in silence and let Riley focus. He flips through the pages, scanning through the text. Some words are unreadable by ordinary humans without some kind of advanced scanning technology. “Okay,” he says at last. “The Convening hasn’t changed at all since the beginning. Hunters always attend, so that might be—”
“An advantage,” Lily says.
“Yes,” I say, glad that we might have some help in our corner for this.
“But they limit their numbers. Only three hunters from each coven's territory can go, and hunters don't vote. They just record what's happened and report back to their guilds. And there's one guild balancing out each Trueblood coven,” Riley says. “The Riveras have always watched the Beaumonts and used to fight them. I guess they monitor us now.”
“True,” Lily says. “It's been that way since Truebloods decided they needed some law and order. There hasn’t always been peace, of course.”
“Can you go?” I blurt before I can stop myself.
Lily bites her lip and frowns. “I don't know if the guild will let me.”