by G. K. DeRosa
“Or I could’ve killed him.” I was so close, only a few more inches to the left.
Xander raised his hand. “Excuse me, but if you’re all quite through, I need someone to summon Delvin.”
Kaige spun on his brother, fury blazing in his irises. “Delvin is no longer at your disposal. He’s working on a critical project for me."
“Well call someone. I’ve been stabbed, for gods’ sake.”
Kaige released me and zipped across the room. I blinked, and he loomed over his brother, his fangs descended and fire in his eyes. “You’re lucky I don’t rip your throat out right here for what you did to Solaris. Believe me, the only reason you are still alive is my regard for our mother and sister. Don’t delude yourself into thinking it is anything else. If you so much as lay a finger on Solaris again, I will have you put to death for treason. I am your king, and you will respect what is mine.” He turned toward the door, pulling me into his side, and marched us out.
A flurry of pleas and cries trailed behind us, but Kaige never flinched.
Chapter 13
Kaige
The claustrophobic atmosphere of the laboratory thickened once Delvin began his explanation, invisible hands closing around my neck. Each word was another lead weight on my chest. Malcolm had died, but the threat of the disease still lingered. If he’d infected even one person before we got him out of the AirComm base, the human world was doomed. And then Draconis.
“I’ve tried numerous combinations of formulas, and nothing has worked.” The alchemist’s dark eyes were trained on the system of glass tubes and beakers, a rainbow of colorful liquids shimmering in each one.
Unfortunately, none of them held the cure.
“Keep trying then,” I snapped. I hadn’t had an ounce of sleep since Solaris lost her father. She refused to talk to or even look at me. The bond was choking on guilt and anger, and I didn’t know how to take away her pain. My presence only brought her more.
It was tearing my heart into pieces.
Delvin lifted a fluffy gray brow at my harsh tone. “I am, Your Highness, but there’s only so much I can do.” His body straightened, and he backed away from the black tabletop. “I’m not a miracle worker, nor do I have the magic of seers flowing through my veins.”
I dragged my fingers through my hair as a tired sigh drifted from my mouth. “I know. I’m sorry, Delvin. Things have just been…” I didn’t really know how to describe my life these last few days other than torturous. It felt as if I’d been raked through hot coals and then tossed into a glacier.
And that glacier was Solaris.
The ancient alchemist nodded. “I understand. The girl is grieving. I’m sure her feelings through the bond are very strange.”
One minute Solaris was angry, the next she was sad, and then numbness would coat the invisible cords connecting us.
“Yes.” I’d never lost anyone close. Nocturnes naturally lived long lives and were difficult to kill. Humans were so fragile compared to us.
“I do have more samples of the male’s blood,” Delvin said, breaking me out of my sudden reverie, “and of hers. I’ll keep trying.”
“Thank you.”
“I only wish I knew how she was able to recover from the poison.” He tapped his chin in thought, his dark, knowing eyes going pensive. “Long before the prophecy, when Mortiphen was released on a strictly human city in the far north, the entire population had been decimated before nocturnes arrived for assistance.” He shook his head. “And the few instances of the poison-induced disease prior to that were never recorded in detail. Not much is known except most of the humans within a small radius perished.”
“You have no idea why some humans survived?” There had to be a reason.
Another alchemist entered the lab from the basement door, a tray of supplies in his hand. “I’ve gathered the ingredients you requested, sir.”
“Ah, thank you, Torrance.” Delvin motioned for the younger alchemist to place the tray on the table behind us.
“You’re welcome.” He bowed his head slightly at Delvin and turned to me. “King Kaige.”
I nodded in his direction.
“Delvin, sir, what’s the need for Venetus?” Torrance lifted a vial filled with purple liquid. “It’s an unusual and rarely used item.”
My pulse elevated. No one else needed to know what Delvin was working on. The alchemists knew about the human blood, but they may not keep quiet if they found out that the very fate of our lives could be in jeopardy.
“It’s a personal matter,” Delvin said, his tone casual.
“Well, I’d love to help.” Torrance held the vial up to his eyes as if entranced by it. “I’ve heard it has qualities like no other. I’d love to—”
“That’s quite all right, Torrance.” Delvin’s smile was tight. “That’ll be all.”
Torrance blinked at the alchemist’s quick dismissal and placed the bottle of Venetus back on the tray. “Yes, sir.” He hurried by us and slipped out the door, his gray robe fluttering behind him.
Just as the heavy oak was closing, another figure glided in. A breath of relief drifted out of Garridan’s mouth as he caught sight of me. “Finally.”
My heart lodged in my throat, and I snapped to attention. “Is Solaris okay?”
His frail hand lifted, halting my impending panic attack. “She’s fine.” He paused. “Well, given the circumstances.” Garridan strode into the lab, his gaze drifting over the concoctions bubbling in the fragile glass containers. “Hello, Delvin.”
The tall alchemist nodded toward him. “Sir.”
The edges of Garridan’s lips twitched. He was the king’s servant now, and he deserved respect. He was definitely getting a kick out of it. “Kaige, I was looking for you because I overheard Tessamia talking.”
A grimace melted over my face. Nothing Tessamia was involved in could be good.
“Her father and some of the other head nobles have called a meeting,” Garridan continued. “Your father still believes you to be absent so he went in your place.”
I’d intended on seeing my father when that fist of panic had slammed into my gut. I had then followed the bond to find Xander with a knife in his chest and murder darkening Solaris’s eyes.
It had taken me several hours to calm down. I’d been so terrified that my twin was attempting to kill Solaris yet again, I nearly ripped my own heart out. My little human had too many brushes with death recently.
I shrugged. “Let him go. I have other important issues to attend to.” Like finding an elixir to counteract the Mortiphen.
Lines creased the old nocturne’s forehead as his brows dipped low. “You’re king now, and these are your responsibilities.” His fingers curled around my arm, and he drew me closer. “You wouldn’t want the throne to become unstable while you’re in it, would you?”
My lips thinned. I wasn’t going to let anyone take the crown from me. “Fine.” I turned back toward Delvin. “Keep working on this and update me on the progress.”
He gave a quick nod. “Yes, sir.”
Garridan steered me out of the room and down the hall. “I understand you have other things on your mind and listening to a bunch of nobles whine is the last thing you want to do, but if you’re going to be king, you need to act like it.”
“I know,” I growled, shoving my fists in my pockets. “I just haven’t had any sleep, and I’m worried about, well, everything.”
A chuckle vibrated through Garridan’s chest, and he clapped my shoulder. “That’s what being a good king is all about.”
I shot him a narrowed glare. “I’m glad you find this amusing.”
“Someone’s got to brighten your day, Your Highness.”
I shook my head. Sometimes he was worse than Solaris.
Voices traveled out of my father’s conference room. Anders halted just as he was shutting the door, a sneer flashing across his face before he could hide it.
“Oh, sir, I wasn’t aware you were here.” His beady eyes dr
ifted away from me, burning into Garridan.
He was not happy about being demoted to the servant of the king’s father.
“Yes, I’m here.” I brushed past him with Garridan on my heels.
Three men and a woman were seated at a long rectangular table. They belonged to some of the more powerful noble families in Draconis. If the Stramonox line were wiped out, any one of them could take the throne.
That was unlikely to happen. Of course, if the humans contracted that illness and we didn’t find a cure, we’d all perish. No one would be left to sit on the throne.
My father was stationed at the head of the table. His head whipped around at my approach. “Kaige, I didn’t expect you.”
“I see that.” He was sitting in the king’s spot. My spot. When he didn’t seem to understand why I was standing there, I cleared my throat and ticked my head toward the empty chair on his right.
A storm flared in his eyes, tiny flecks of silver like lightning flashing across the navy irises. He definitely regretted handing over the crown. I understood now part of the reason he wanted me to win the trials so badly. He thought he could easily mold me into another version of himself.
As it turned out, I had a mind of my own. I was no longer his perfect son, nor was I his puppet.
I was king.
The air thickened as my father vacated his seat for the first time in decades, and I folded into my rightful place. The other nobles eyed me apprehensively as if I might strike out at one of them or even my father. The last they’d seen of me, I’d attacked my brother.
Balton Vasile cleared his throat, a tight smile curling his lips. “I’m glad to see you’re back, King Kaige.” He smoothed a hand over his glossy blonde bouffant before placing his palm on the table. “I trust you and Xander have worked out your issues.”
An image of a knife sticking out of my twin’s chest flashed through my mind. “Somewhat.” Solaris may have gotten a little revenge, but I hadn’t satisfied the anger boiling deep within my own core. My fists still longed to break every bone in his face while watching him beg for mercy.
“That’s good,” Balton said. “My daughter has been asking about you. Now I can finally tell her you’ve returned.”
Tessamia needed to worry about Xander and not me. Soon he might find himself chained in the dungeons.
“And exactly where have you been?” Elinora’s voice was deep and smoky, and it typically caught the attention of every male within the vicinity along with her raven locks and sharp features. She belonged to the Basera family and had taken over as the head after her father moved to their country home. “You walked out on your coronation and have been gone for days without explanation.”
Unlike the men at the table, she wasn’t one to easily brush things under the rug simply because I was king. She didn’t do it with my father, and she wouldn’t do it with me.
I cleared my throat and set my shoulders. “I was taking care of a few things, none of which I care to discuss at this point.” Technically that was true. I’d never have to disclose any of it if the disease died with Malcolm.
Her ash-colored eyes narrowed. “I hope this has something to do with the taranoi.” She swiped the screen on the tablet in front of her. “My father says there have been two attempts in the past week to break into his cellar for synth. Something needs to be done.”
A murmur of agreements circled around the room.
I lifted my hand, quieting them. “Is this why you’ve called a meeting?”
“No.” Merrick Radka angled his thin body toward me. “We’re here to discuss the depleting rations of synth.”
The short, rotund man next to him nodded. “We’ve all noticed a smaller amount as of late, and we want to know why.” Radcliff’s white handlebar mustache trembled as he spoke.
My gut tightened as a hole tried to tear it open. This wasn’t good.
Garridan placed a bottle of synth in front of me, and we made eye contact for a brief moment. We knew this could be much worse than anyone thought.
Anders placed a bottle in front of my father, and the two servants continued down the line. Radcliff was already greedily gulping his down.
No wonder he was so plump.
“We’ve gotten the same amount for years, and now the allotments have begun to shrink.” Balton twisted the cap off his bottle. “We deserve an explanation.”
My gaze shifted toward my father for an answer. “Sir?” I wasn’t the one who was lowering their portions.
Razvan clasped his hands in front of him, his gaze meeting each person at the table. “The last harvest of aevitas was infected with volucra bugs. The berries were unusable for the production of synth.”
A wave of discord floated through the room, but my eyes remained on my father. That wasn’t the reason. We’d had bad batches of aevitas before, but we simply collected more. There was always more.
A heavy fist knotted my chest. But there was one other key ingredient we needed to make synth. Human blood.
My own blood thundered in my veins, pounding against my skull loudly enough to drown out the nobles’ arguments. A lack of human blood could very well account for the low production of synth.
“Something must be done.” Merrick pounded his fist on the table. “We cannot starve. More must be taken from the taranoi rations.”
Elinora scoffed. “Why do you think they’re all stealing from us now? If we take any more from them, they’ll have no choice but to rob us.”
Balton lifted his hand. “No, Merrick’s right. We’ll just skim a little more from them. The taranoi simply need to be put in their place.”
“You’re an idiot.” Elinora shook her head. “There are more of them than us. If they rebel, they could destroy us.”
“No one is rebelling.” My loud voice echoed through the room, quieting everyone. If they were this rattled now, I could only imagine what would happen if they knew their entire source of blood could be in jeopardy. “And we’re not taking one ounce away from the taranoi.”
“But we’re starving.” Radcliff’s mustache shook again.
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. “Radcliff, you are the last person to complain about starving.” He probably drank twice as much synth as the average nocturne.
His round cheeks flooded with crimson, but he remained quiet.
“This is simply a short-term situation,” I said. “Your synth rations will be restored soon, I’m sure.”
My father nodded. “Absolutely. There’s no need to panic.”
I almost laughed. That was the very thing it was time to do. Our world was going to fall apart if the truth about synth came out. And then if things in Imera were bad, well, that would incur something beyond panic.
“Are there any other pressing matters?” Gods, I hoped not. I needed to speak to my father alone.
Balton picked a nonexistent piece of lint off his shirt. “Well, there is a matter of marriage I’d like to discuss.”
My brows dipped. “Marriage? What marriage?”
His lips pulled into a placating smile. “Your marriage, of course.”
My spine snapped straight. “That is not up for discussion.” I could see exactly where this was headed. Balton would like nothing more than for Tessamia to marry me and become queen.
Not happening. Ever.
“Sir, you and my daughter would make a wonderful match,” Balton continued, ignoring the waves of fury rolling off me.
The other nobles nodded in agreement.
“She’s very fond of you and—”
“Any marriage of mine is none of your business.” I could feel silver bleeding through my irises and the sharpness of my fangs tearing through my gums.
Balton lowered in his seat. “Yes, Your Highness. I understand now is not the time.”
It would never be the time.
When the nobles stood and headed for the door, I glanced toward my father. “We need to talk.”
He gave a quick nod, his expression grim.
&n
bsp; Goose bumps popped along my skin. This was bad.
I motioned for Garridan to close the door behind him as he ushered an annoyed Anders out. Heavy silence prevailed for several long moments.
“Where have you been?” he asked, his gaze staring toward the window where the moon draped the landscape in silvery light. “I suppose this has something to do with that human.”
A rumble vibrated through my throat. “I’m not here to talk about Solaris.”
His navy eyes surveyed me, not harshly but curiously. “What did Xander do to make you storm out of your own coronation?”
He really had no idea how twisted my twin was. “It’s not important right now. Tell me what happened to the synth.”
His chest rose and fell with a deep sigh. “You can guess the lack of synth has nothing to do with the aevitas berries.” My father’s fingers curled around the barely touched bottle of synth in front of him.
“Yes.” I swallowed hard. “What happened?”
His gaze pierced mine, leaving a trail of ice in my veins. “The last shipment of blood from Imera was quite lacking.”
I chewed on my bottom lip. At least it was still coming. A light load was better than no load.
He swirled the crimson liquid around in the bottle, watching as it coated the glass and ran down the sides. “And then the next shipment never arrived.”
An iron fist slammed into my chest, demolishing my ribs on the way to my lungs. Air was siphoned from my body, leaving me dizzy. Oh gods. I needed to find out what was going on in Imera.
Chapter 14
Kaige
Solaris sat rigidly on the couch, tapping away on a tablet when I walked into her room. Her gaze didn’t even lift. She completely ignored my presence. She didn’t even acknowledge me when my pain leaked into the bond.
I quickly sucked it back in, hating for her to even feel one more ounce of pain. She was hurting enough.
I peered at the tablet over her shoulder as she moved on to another page of news from the human world. Nothing about any sickness thus far. But then, Turstan would probably keep something like that secret from everyone.