by Keary Taylor
I’ve just rounded the corner, pulling back onto Main Street, when flashing lights reflect in my rearview mirror. I swear under my breath. “Are you kidding me?”
I pull over to the side of the road, parking in front of one of the few historical houses that still line the main drag of town. I breathe out an annoyed sigh as I pull my license out of my wallet, preparing to have my day ruined.
But as I roll down my window, a familiar face drops down into my view.
“Morning, Miss Ryan.”
“Luke,” I breathe out, not quite in relief, but also in surprise. “Were the lights really necessary?”
A little smile tugs on one side of his mouth that tells me he’s enjoying watching me suffer just a little bit. “Hey, how else was I supposed to get your attention?”
“Jerk,” I say, giving him a glare and a smile.
He just shrugs, giving me a smile of his own. “So, I see the rumors are not true. Here you are, in the flesh. Alive.”
“Apparently most of town thought I was dead?” I question. I nod my chin for him to back up, and I climb out of my car. Closing the door, I fold my arms across my chest and lean against it.
Sheriff McCoy nods, hooking his thumbs in his belt loops and looking very much the part of a cop in a small Southern town. “No one had seen you in almost two months. You wouldn’t be the only one who froze to death in that freak storm. Your known associates seemed to be taking over for you. Town starts talking.”
“I nearly was a dead woman. I got dragged to Austria for a trial. Did you know that?” I ask, looking in his direction.
“I heard,” he nods. “Anna and Nial did a good job of keeping things under control while you were gone.”
“I’m glad to hear that. I hope the House members were helpful while I was away.”
Luke shrugs. “When you’re terrified of the group wandering town, asking what they can do to help, it’s hard to be very appreciative.”
I chuckle at that. Yeah, this is going to be a never ending, no-win battle.
“I think they also blame your House for the…unsettled feeling about town.” His eyes darken at that and turn to the sky.
There’s no longer swirling clouds above us, and constant thunder rippling through the sky. No more snow making it impossible to maneuver through town. But the air. The thickness to it. The way it catches in your throat. The way it makes your heart race before tripping and falling flat. There’s a feeling of terror that lingers around us all.
“It’s a curse, you know that, right?” I ask, dropping my voice several octaves lower. I nod my chin in the direction of The Hanging Tree. “Just like that night they hanged Elijah. Just like the Southern Estate. It’s changed in the way it looks, feels. But it isn’t over yet.”
“Yeah, I know,” he says. He leans against my car, too, looking out over the river and the dead tree that stands at the end of Main Street. Its dead, black limbs stretch out far, reaching for the sky, never to bear leaves again. “Timing sure was interesting for when it changed, huh?”
I look over at him and don’t miss the accusation in his voice. “Sure was. I never said it wasn’t for me. But…”
“But you’re still standing, and you and yours seem to be doing just fine,” he filled in. And it’s there in his voice. While I am the obvious one to blame, what he’s said is true.
“Ian’s back,” I say, changing the subject. The surprise on Luke’s face is obvious. “He’s doing a lot better. And I think he’s going to be a lot of help in the danger that’s about to start back up.”
“Back to hunting vamps?” he asks, the lines around his eyes tightening. “Even though he is one now?”
I shake my head. “Like I said, he’s doing a lot better. He’s not plagued by self-loathing all the time, at least. But yeah, I have a feeling he’s not going to let anyone in Silent Bend be hurt by this army anymore. He’s ready to get back to his new—old, self.”
“Well, praise Jesus for that,” Luke says, and the relief in his voice is not hidden one bit.
I nod, letting a tight smile pull on my lips. “There’s something I need to ask you. And I’m serious.”
“What’s that?” he says, his features instantly darkening. I can’t blame him. When I ask for something, it’s never easy, or good.
“I need you to be on the lookout for someone. I think I’m still being spied on, and I think there still might be someone sneaking into the House.”
“Who?” he asks as his brows furrow.
“Henry.”
The weight of the single word hits us both heavy. Instantly bringing mass and seriousness to the conversation.
Luke takes nearly a full minute, processing what I just said, and applying it to the previous statement I just made. I told him I was serious, so he knows not to ask that.
“We’ve found some things. He’d left little clues, right from the beginning. And, well, I opened his tomb. It was empty.” My eyes lose focus, recalling that intense moment. I should have found bones and decaying flesh. Instead, all I discovered was air and another clue.
“Henry Conrath is alive?” Luke asks, and I know it’s for himself. “Then where has he been the last ten months?”
I shake my head. “I don’t know. But I’m sure he hasn’t stayed away this whole time. I need you to be on the lookout for him. And I need you to tell me right away if you see anyone who even might be Henry. Would you recognize him?”
The Sheriff nods. “I met him once, about four years back. People aren’t lying when they say you look just like him.”
I know. I’ve seen it, too. We’re father and daughter, in looks and DNA and immortal fate.
I open the door to my car, turning back for a moment. “Everything else has been okay, right?”
His expression falls a bit. “Yeah,” he says. “Things have been…almost normal for a few weeks.”
That makes my heart sink. “I’m sorry that’s about to change again. I swear, I’m doing my best to make everything right.”
I can tell he knows he should say something like, “I know,” but he still doesn’t fully trust me and my ability to make things right, not when I’ve been the inciter of so much wrong.
“Keep me informed,” he says instead, with a nod.
I say a goodbye and climb back into the car, starting the engine, and pulling back onto the road.
I pull my cell phone out and dial Nial. He answers after just two rings. “Hey,” I say. “Could you and Lillian meet me at the Institute in just a few minutes? I’m headed there now.”
“Of course,” he says. “We’ll leave right now.”
“Thanks, see you in a minute.”
With a few minutes to kill, I loop around town, my eyes searching the shadows. Looking for yellow eyes. Looking for faces that look like mine.
I need to find so many different individuals, and don’t know how to look for any of them.
Finally, I head toward the Institute.
As the road changes to gravel, the ground outside becomes saturated. The trees that rise out of the ground are full, lush.
But I swear, it’s just a little different.
The smell isn’t what it once was.
There’s more greenery.
Maybe I’m just being hopeful. Seeing things that aren’t really there.
I look into my rearview mirror when a motion catches my eye and see Lillian’s car behind me. She and Nial sit inside, sunglasses on. We turn right onto the driveway that leads to the Institute.
I still can’t believe how much better it looks as we pull into the line of cars that sit before the enormous House. When Jasmine lived here, it was dilapidated. Destroyed. Broken. And while it certainly isn’t as grand and perfectly beautiful like the Conrath Estate, it is lovely.
“I trust you slept well,” Nial says as we all walk up the stairs together.
“I did, thank you,” I say appreciatively. He’s always taking such good care of me.
“Does that mean you actually got sl
eep last night?” Lillian teases, giving me a look.
I blush at her insinuation. “Remember that status I told you about? It still stands.”
She gives me a knowing look, smiling at our little shared secret. Back before I was taken away and she doubted me, I shared the fact that Ian is a virgin with her and Anna.
Nial clears his throat, clearly embarrassed to be listening in on such a private conversation.
“Sorry,” I say with a chuckle.
He shares a little look with Lillian that makes me glance at the two of them a second time. And makes me wonder…
Lillian opens the door, and the three of us step inside. And where once this house was dirty and broken, now it is cozy and comfortable. The windows are fully blocked off, so it’s dark, but perfect for a Born vampire’s eyes. Draperies line the windows; paintings now hang on the wall. A beautiful rug dominates the entryway, where an ornate table sits with a gorgeous vase of fresh cut flowers.
“Was this your work?” I ask Lillian.
“It was a team effort,” she says with a smile. “Francesca has beautiful taste.”
The name echoes in the back of my head, and I’m scrambling to place a face to it. So many new members joined my house shortly before I was taken away, I never really got the chance to get to know any of them.
But just then, a young woman rounds the corner, walking into the foyer, and instantly, I am reminded.
Cyrus involuntarily made the House of Allaway trade five members to my House. Francesca was forced to volunteer to come to my House. In the end, it probably saved her life, for when their House left mine, just minutes later, most of them were slaughtered by the Bitten army.
“Hello, Alivia,” she says, giving me a little bow. “Welcome home.”
“Thank you,” I say, offering her a polite smile. “You’ve done some beautiful work with the place.” It’s a little disorienting, knowing she helped do all of this. She looks so young, probably only eighteen or so, but when you’re dealing with immortal Born, they could be any age. Hundreds of years old, or only barely Resurrected.
She blushes, bowing her head in humility. She doesn’t quite seem to know what to do in my presence.
“I look forward to getting the chance to know you better,” I offer, trying to break the ice. I’m generally not the most extroverted person when it comes to new people, but this girl’s unease is tangible. “How long were you with the House of Allaway?”
“Nine years,” she says. “As a Born, anyway. My family has lived around the Allaways for a long time, but I was the first Born.”
I nod, getting some sense of this girl. She knew what she was before she Resurrected. That seems to be a rarity.
“Excuse me, my Lady,” Francesca says. “I need to wake Holland for the meeting.”
“Of course,” I say, trying to be as friendly as I can. I want her to feel welcomed. A part of our family.
She walks away, leaving just the three of us.
“Has anyone left yet?” I ask as I watch the girl go.
“Gerard left just two days after Cyrus took you to Court,” Nial says.
“Lexington keeps talking about it, but he never leaves,” Lillian says. She takes no care to lower her voice, which maybe she should, even though any resident of this house will be able to hear even the smallest whisper. “But the rest—I think they’re scared. It was the King’s doing that brought them here. They’re scared if they leave, they’re betraying his orders.”
I nod. It’s terrible, that they feel they have no choice, but I understand it. Cyrus’ will is a force to be reckoned with. “So, how many new members does that leave us with, then?”
“Nine, with everyone Cyrus made the Allaways trade,” Nial answers. “Plus your friend from prison, though I get the feeling he isn’t joining the House.”
“So, we have eighteen House members, including Ian, not including Rath or Obasi.” I’m mainly talking to myself, though I say the words out loud. “We’re greatly outweighed.”
“I assume you’re talking about the Bitten?” Lillian asks. Just then, Lexington descends the stairs.
“Yeah,” I answer her absentmindedly.
“Hey, the black reputation princess has returned,” Lexington says in a surprisingly cheerful voice. “I have to admit, I kind of expected the King to just lop your head off and be done with it.”
“You will watch how you address our Regent,” Nial spits, his eyes instantly flashing red.
“Ah, calm down, doc,” Lexington says offhandedly. “The princess knows I’m just joking around.”
“Do I?” I say in annoyance. I’m trying really hard, I really am, to be different. To not be the controlling ruler I was just two months ago. But with comments like that, it’s hard. “I don’t really know you. Maybe now is not the time just yet?”
He holds his hands up in surrender and raises one eyebrow. “I’ll remember my place.”
And instantly, I feel terrible. I don’t want to be that kind of person anymore, but it’s going to take me some time to get fully turned around. “We’ll get there,” I offer as a compromise, giving him a little wink.
His expression tells me I’m not fully forgiven, but it was a step in the right direction.
“Would you like a quick walk around?” Lillian offers. “I think the last time you were here, things had barely been finished, construction wise.”
I nod. “I’d love to. Thanks.”
The four of us walk through the house, which is so eerily similar to my own. While it’s not quite as large as my House, it is laid out in almost the same blueprint. A wing to the north leads to four bedrooms, all of which are occupied. The library just off the foyer, which used to be in ruins when Jasmine ruled, is now lined with books, clean, organized. A desk resides in the middle of it, and it’s obvious, someone has been doing some real work at it. I’m ashamed to say that I don’t know anything about at least five of the new members, so I have no clue who the desk is being utilized by.
The kitchen reveals a human woman cooking breakfast, which looks about ready. Lillian introduces her, and to my surprise, she doesn’t seem scared of her environment at all. Something tells me she knew what this job entailed before she took it. She seems far braver than Katina, the cook at my House.
And just like my House, I see two housekeepers scurrying about. I can hear a gardener working outside, rather hard, I might add. He’s got his work cut out for him with this formerly-ruined house and a swamp as his landscape.
Upstairs, there are six more bedrooms. And in just the same location as my bedroom, there sits a master bedroom, though I find this one empty.
“It didn’t seem fair to let any one person occupy this room until you made the call,” Lillian says. “Kind of an awkward situation.”
I chuckle. “I get it. We’ll discuss it later. Well, since the three of us are already here, how about we call everyone at the Estate and tell them to come here for the meeting?”
Each of them nods and pulls out their phones. I slide my own out and text Ian.
Time to wake up, sleepyhead. Meeting at Jasmine’s old house. We’re using it now, BTW.
He responds just thirty seconds later. Good to know. Be there in fifteen.
I WANDER THROUGH THE GREAT room, which in my house is a ballroom, and open the door out onto the veranda. The sun shines brilliantly, warming my skin. Ever thankful for my sunshades, I walk across the repaired deck to the edge, placing my hands on the railing.
“Do you think it has changed?” I ask. Lillian and Nial stand on either side of me. “Or am I just crazy? It seems…drier.”
“That should be an impossibility considering all the snow from the curse storm,” Nial says wisely. “If anything, the land should be more waterlogged than ever.”
“It’s different,” Lillian says. “I lived here at Jasmine’s house for twelve years. I’ve never seen it this dry.”
“Does that mean it’s lifting?” I ask, my tone brightening. “Or weakening?”
<
br /> “Is what weakening?” We turn to see Lexington has followed us out onto the deck. He sips from a coffee cup, wearing his own set of sunshades.
“Apparently eavesdropping is a special skill of yours,” Nial says in mild annoyance.
“Well, see, I have these super strong ears that hear everything,” he says, acting undeterred by the obvious irritation he’s being. “And I thought you were just having this super boring conversation about a patch of swamp land. But now I’m thinking there’s more than meets the eye to this forsaken place you assigned us to.”
Everything in me bristles. I’m at war with myself. While I have resolved to be kinder and more understanding, I still have to be a leader. How can I be fair and even-handed when my subjects are vampires and most of them have no real loyalty to me?
“Look, if you want to leave, you do not have to stay,” I say, taking special care to keep my tone even. “I don’t hold you to the King’s trade deal. So, if you don’t want to be here, be part of this family, that’s completely okay. But you can’t just go around having a bad attitude and being a pain in the ass to whomever you want. Got it?”
Lexington studies me, his eyes narrowed slightly. There’s a tiny bit of a smile pulling on his lips and I can’t decide if I want to wipe it from his face or if it’s reminding me of Cameron just enough to let it go.
“You’re not what I thought you were to begin with,” he says, tipping his cup in my direction. “I thought you were just this stuffy poser who was doing whatever the King wanted, out of fear. But you’re not. You’ve actually got a backbone of your own.”
“Are you trying to get yourself killed?” Nial bristles, standing straight and taking half a step in his direction. “You’ll do well not to forget you are speaking to a Royal.”
“Calm down, doc, I wasn’t being disrespectful,” Lexington says, his tone bordering on condescending. “I was simply addressing my surprise that this woman can actually be a leader worth following. I’m not making any promises yet, but, well, maybe she’s enough to make me want to stick around.”
“Oh, thanks,” I say sarcastically.
“You’re welcome,” he replies with a wink.