by T. S. Ryder
"Zander, pursue," Rollon ordered, then grabbed a bucket of water. He splashed it over the smoldering leopard. Great chunks of fur were gone, blood still dripping from its side. Its ears flattened against its skull as Rollon, Thor, and several others surrounding it.
"Shift into your human form," Rollon ordered.
The leopard glowered balefully at him.
Thor poked it with his sword. "Now."
With a low yowl, the shifter changed. Soon a young man knelt before them. He pressed his hands to the bleeding gash on his side. Rollon stared coldly at him, testing the weight of his sword in his hand while ignoring the stabs of pain from his injured arm. He put his sword under the shifter's chin.
"Was this worth dying for? Lighting a couple buildings on fire? Stealing people? What does Eva have you up to this for?" The shifter snarled at the name. Rollon's brows rose. "What? No love lost for your queen?"
"She is not my queen," the shifter spat. "She stole our children. If we don't do as she says, she'll kill them. Worth dying for? Yeah. So kill me."
Rollon lowered his sword. Threatening children? Rage boiled through him and he turned, slamming his fist into a nearby firetruck. It rocked onto two tires before crashing back down. His nostrils flared as he ground his teeth together. No more. There was no love lost between shifters and vampires, but there had been peace between them for years. Eva wasn't going to ruin that and he wasn't going to let her get away with threatening children.
"You will tell us where she is. And then she will be destroyed once and for all."
The leopard's eyes widened.
Zander and the rest of his men emerged from the trees again. A shake of the head told him that the shifters had disappeared, as they did so well. The humans were emerging from their hiding places to battle the fire, but at this point, the only thing that they could do was protect the buildings around the warehouse. Rollon grabbed the leopard shifter and handed him off to the humans to tend to, then pulled Thor aside.
"You will return to the palace."
His son looked outraged. "Are you kidding me? Your arm is broken. I can see it from here. I should be going into battle and you should return to the palace."
Rollon grimaced as he glanced down at his arm. It was set at a strange angle, but it was only a break. "A bit of blood and I'll be fine. You're the only one I trust to find Hilda and protect Tindra."
Thor ground his teeth but nodded reluctantly. "Is there anything you want me to tell her?"
Rollon hesitated, then shook his head. "No. She knows."
Chapter Seventeen – Tindra
Rollon had been gone for several days and it was driving her crazy. There was only the occasional update as to where he was and what was happening. Tindra soon found that sitting around doing nothing only made her nerves worse, so she threw herself into work.
Despite the morning sickness that was attacking her every day, she took over jobs that were left vacant by the men in the heart of battle. She did auditing, accounting, looking over financial records – everything in line with her job before she came to the palace. Everybody had to work twice as hard to make up for the deficit.
She groaned as she collapsed onto her bed one night, her feet, back and legs aching. Her doctor's appointment earlier that day had shown everything was still fine with her pregnancy, but the doctor advised her to relax more. She wasn't sure how she was going to manage that, but for the baby, she'd try.
Just as Tindra was going to start stripping off her clothes and take a nice shower, a shuffling under her bed caught her attention. She bolted upright to see Hilda slipping out from under it.
"Were you hiding under my bed?" she yelped in surprise.
Hilda nodded.
"Have you been there all this time?'
"No. There are secret compartments that only I know about." Hilda climbed onto the bed and bit her lip. "Rolly is really mad at me, isn't he? Because I've been talking to Eva."
Tindra licked her lips. How could she word this so that wouldn’t send Hilda back into hiding? She had been talking to Eva. She might have something that she could tell them . . . "Well, he's not happy, but he understands why you did what you did. I'm sure that Thor and Ingrid—"
A hand flashed out and grabbed Tindra's wrist. Hilda's grip was tighter than expected. "I don't want you to die."
"I'm not going to die, sweetie."
"Eva said that all humans who have vampire babies die."
"She's lying." Tindra brushed Hilda's hair from her face while trying to free her other hand. "Thor's mother didn't die. Honey, you're hurting me."
"Eva promised she would never lie to me." She released Tindra, tears filling her big eyes. "She promised."
Tindra's heart ached. She pulled the little girl into her arms, stroking her hair. Hilda clung to her, her small body starting to shake with silent sobs. What sort of monster would abuse the trust of a child who so clearly loved her? Maybe she didn't know much about Eva, but everything she was finding out made her hate the woman more and more.
"I wanted Eva and Ingrid to be together again. We were so happy then. Ingrid hasn't been happy in a long time."
"I know. I know you thought it would make your sister happy. It's not your fault, okay? Eva is the one attacking the palace. She's done everything. It's not your fault because you didn't know. You weren't told."
Once again, Tindra was struck by how unfair the whole situation was. Hilda was a child who would never grow up. She would never understand things the way adults did. She would be stuck forever, seeing things in a childish light and struggling to come to terms with things that she just couldn't understand. But what had been the alternative? Dying as a child wouldn't have allowed her any of the things she would missing out on anyway. And at least she was able to have some life.
Hilda buried her face in Tindra's shoulder. "I don't want anybody else to leave. I hate death. I hate it when people die. I hate when they leave me. My parents died and Ingrid would have died if Eva hadn't changed her. And then Eva left. She just left. Didn't she love me at all? She said she was my big sister and she would love me forever, but then she left. I'm not going to let you leave."
"I'm not going anywhere, I promise."
"Promise." Hilda sniffed. "Promises don't work. They're broken and people leave. No. I won't let you leave."
Tindra started to reassure her, but a sharp pain at her collarbone had her crying out instead. A fiery, burning pain flooded her blood, rushing down her arm. It clamped around her heart and she jerked, screaming. Hilda's hands were tight on her shoulders, pinning her into place. Ice seeped in after the burning pain.
Her heart gave a hard thump, was still, and then began beating fast and hard. It was like an elephant was sitting on her chest. Her back tightened, stabbing pains running through it. Her hands and arms began to tingle.
Hilda pulled back. Her mouth was bloody, the red liquid spilling down her chin. Her eyes were wide, a crimson color seeping into them. Tindra clutched at her neck, gaping, unable to speak. Her head spinning, stomach churning. Whether she was able to gasp out the question or Hilda saw it in her eyes, she didn't know.
"I'm not going to let you die," Hilda said. "Whether because of the baby or not, you're human. You'll die. You'll get old or sick or just fall down the stairs and break your neck. I won't let that happen."
"Hilda," Tindra managed to gasp out.
"It's okay. I know how to turn a human into a vampire. Eva told me. The baby is going to be fine. Vampire women can carry and give birth. Eva told me that she knows a lot of women to do that. It just doesn't happen in the palace because they don't drink enough human blood. Don't worry. I won't let you die."
She tried to push the vampire off of her, but Hilda dropped again. Another burning pain, more ice. Her feet were numb and she couldn't feel her hands any longer.
"St-stop," she whispered, then another long scream tore from her. The pain was all-consuming. Darkness closed in around her vision and she knew she was dying. Her
lungs seized, unable to breathe.
Then, Hilda was ripped away. The icy pain didn't fade. Tindra collapsed back, feeling like she was falling forever. She was unaware of anything except noise and the feeling of her heart, the rapid beat slowing. Eventually, the sound around her changed to screaming and she recognized Hilda's voice. Tindra tried to shy away but couldn't make her body move.
"I need more!" the little girl shouted. "I need to change her!"
She managed to open her eyes. A man leaned over her. "Rollon . . . "
It wasn't Rollon, but she didn't care. She clung to the name as her eyes drifted closed again. She remembered his touch, his kiss. When he drank from her, it was so different from this horror. She locked his face in her mind and held onto him as her mind drifted away.
Chapter Eighteen – Rollon
Rollon sucked up the last of the blood in the bag he had been given as he walked. After all these days of fighting, it was the constant supply of these bags that kept him bolstered. Various cuts oozed blood and his fangs throbbed with the need to bury into flesh, but he didn't slow down. Eva had barricaded herself in an old stone-walled palace, one that had been burned years ago. The restoration was only half-done, and when he finally broke through the walls of shifters that attacked them as they moved through the forest, the path to his sister was clear.
He found Eva sitting in a polished throne room. It figured that she would make this room shiny and new while the structure around her still crumbled. Her eyes flared with anger as she sat on a golden chair. She wore a heavy red gown covered in glittering diamonds. A tiara sat on her brow.
"Brother. Come to pledge alliance to the new queen?"
"Only you, Eva, could be this arrogant." He shook his head as he towered over her. Zander and the rest of the men followed until he gestured for them to step back. This was between the two of them. He hefted his sword and pointed it at her. "You betrayed me: your king. You betrayed the kingdom. You betrayed the woman you professed to love and the child you promised to protect under every circumstance. Was it worth it to end like this?"
Eva snarled under her breath. She leaned forward and pressed her jugular on the tip of his sword. "Worth it? You say that I betrayed you? You betrayed me first, and we both know it. But that doesn't matter. You could kill me right now but that doesn't mean I'm not a queen."
"Fair enough," he whispered. He swung the sword in an arch.
Eva didn't even flinch. Not until her crown was knocked from her head. It fell to the ground sliced in two. Eva gasped and jumped, eyes widening in surprise.
"You're not going to kill me?"
"Not today." Rollon stepped back and gestured for his men to move forward. She made an incredulous noise as Zander pulled a set of cuffs from his belt.
"What do you think you're doing?" she spat.
Rollon replaced his sword, gazing at her coldly. "You would rather die than be locked away. But I don't intend on doing that. You are going to be taken back to the palace to be tried and judged according to the court. And perhaps one day you'll understand that you have hurt yourself more than anybody else. You were never a queen, Eva. You could have been one, but you chose wrong."
She let loose a loud snarl and lunged for him, but the guard was already there. They grabbed her and threw her back onto her throne as they bound her hands. She struggled and fought, hissing and spitting. Her eyes never left Rollon and he knew that if she ever had the chance, she'd kill him. He wasn't blameless, he knew that. He had failed her in their past, but that didn't justify her actions now.
"You are weak. Without me, you never would have been a king. You're nothing without me. You're bloodless, a coward. I will laugh when your kingdom falls around you!"
"Me, bloodless?" He snorted, shaking his head. "That's rich from a woman who decided to kidnap and threaten children to force the shifters into doing her dirty work. You were once a great warrior. Do you even remember how to hold a sword now? Or did you just not want to risk breaking one of your perfectly manicured nails?"
A vampire jogged in from the outside as Eva continued to twist and spit. It was the man that he had put in charge of finding the children. After a quick bow, the solider started to speak.
"We found the children, my lord. They were locked in cages in the lower levels. Only a few blankets, with bowls of stagnant water, covered in their own filth." The soldier shot Eva a look of pure hatred. "My men are freeing them."
Rollon had to wonder if he would change his mind about the trial if he saw those poor children for himself. "Contact the alphas and arrange for the children to be returned to their clans with an offer to sit down and negotiate a peace. They don't deserve to be punished for trying to protect those who are most precious to them."
By this time, Eva was thoroughly bound. Rollon glowered at her. Words could not describe his feelings at that moment. Even if she was his sister, that didn't mean he didn't want to see her destroyed. Part of him seriously considered handing her over to the alphas and letting them deal with her as they saw fit. But there was a due process to these things, and he wasn't going to decree judgment when she was as helpless as she was now.
"You are evil," he told her, "to treat children in such a way."
"They're animals." Eva shrugged. "I treated them as well as animals ought to be treated."
Rollon held his breath for a moment so he wouldn’t say what he so desperately longed to. There was more than he needed to know, and Eva was the only one who could tell him. "What have you done with Hilda?"
"Hilda?" His sister's eyes widened for a moment, then she started laughing. "You think I have Hilda? Oh, that is too precious."
"She isn't in the palace—"
"Of course she is," Eva snapped. The amusement was still in her eyes, a look of sheer cunning on her face. "She has been there this whole time and you didn't know because you were too busy coming after me. The big bad witch. The viper in her nest. Too bad you didn’t know that the kitten's bite can be just as poisonous."
Rollon's eyes narrowed. His heart began to pound. "What are you talking about?"
"I'm saying that you should have taken care of your home before leaving it to come after me."
He lunged. Zander caught him and pushed him back. The king snarled but knew that his head of guard was just thinking of the future. If he had killed her then, he'd have regretted it. "Where is Hilda?"
"In your palace," Eva said, her voice low and syrupy. "I didn't think it would actually work. I thought you must have locked her up by now for being a traitor. I knew you wouldn't hurt her, though. She's young and innocent and you . . . You have a soft spot for her, don't you? She was the perfect spy. She didn't even know what she was doing . . . Children are so very easy to manipulate."
"You evil—"
"Spare me the dramatics." Eva's smile faded. "I will say this, though. I regret hurting her. And Ingrid. I did love them."
"Not enough, apparently."
Eva glanced up at him and, for a moment, he thought he saw true regret in her eyes. But it was gone just quickly, and she shrugged. "Love is a weakness."
"Take her away."
Zander nodded. He dragged Eva out of the room. Rollon glanced at the golden throne and shook his head. He'd leave it for whoever wanted to take it away. The weariness of the past few days seeped into his bones. He headed back for the vehicles after ordering the majority of his men to stay behind and watch for shifters. They were not to attack, and if they were attacked then they were to avoid killing and instead try to diffuse the situation.
Once he was back in his hummer, Rollon slumped into the seat. His eyes dragged heavily, but he pulled out his phone to call Thor. If Hilda was still in the palace, then where was she? Maybe his son had news . . . Rollon hadn't been able to talk with him for days, except to brief him on what was happening.
When he glanced at the phone, he saw several missed calls and messages. Adrenaline kicked back into his system as he quickly called Thor. There was no answer. Instead of leaving
a message, he called again.
"Dad," the answer came. Thor's voice was high and stressed. "You need to come home right now. We found Hilda. She attacked Tindra."
The air left his lungs. "Wh-what?"
"She said she was trying to turn her into a vampire. She bit her and drained most of her blood. Tindra's not doing well. You need to come home now."
Chapter Nineteen – Tindra
Everything was dark and cold. Sometimes shivers of warmth passed over her skin, but Tindra could never grasp it long enough to chase away the darkness. She had the odd feeling that she ought to be frustrated or scared, but all emotion felt so very distant . . . She was nothing but a mind floating in a heavy meat sack. Oh, she wanted to be free from it so badly . . .
A voice called her name. Achingly familiar. Warmth skittered over her, just beyond her sensory perception. The voice called again. It seemed closer this time. She struggled to turn her head, to see where the voice was coming from. It was in pain. She didn't want it to be in pain.
Not it.
Him.
Rollon.
Tindra's mind fell back into her body. Her eyes flew open and she gasped. Her back arched, arms flinging out as though to make sure she could still move. Something heavy landed on her and it took her a moment to realize it was Rollon. She seized him and brought her mouth to his, wanting to know he was still with her, needing to know that they were together. He kissed her back fiercely until she ran out of breath and fell back down.
The movement caused a spike of pain to run down her back. She moaned and reached to her collarbone. What the . . . why did she have bandages . . . oh. Memories came rushing back and she bolted upright again. Rollon caught her as she tried to swing out of the bed she laid in.
"Hilda!" She screamed the name. "Is Hilda okay?"
"She's fine." Rollon eased her back into bed. "You have to rest. You went through something traumatic and we're not sure what the extents are going to be."