by Cege Smith
Malin smiled at her. “It’ll all work out just fine. I give you my word.”
There was a light rap on the door and then a servant stepped inside. “The nobles are waiting for you in the grand hall, Majesty.”
Malin nodded, “Tell them the queen is on her way.” The servant slipped from the room with a curtsey.
Angeline groaned. “I forgot about the Ceremony of Allocation.” She took another deep swallow of the spiked tea. She could feel a calm settling across her limbs, and she wondered if the healer really had been onto something.
“I can assure you that the nobles did not,” Malin said with a wry grin. He stood and offered her his hands to help pull her to her feet. “At least you’ll have something to keep your mind off of things until Rhone is ready to provide his report at noon.”
Angeline sighed and raised her chin. “It is my duty as queen, and of course I will do it with a smile.” She took Malin’s offered arm and prepared herself for a completely different kind of hell.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
The fresh blood made him drowsy, and Connor drifted in a state of semi-consciousness. Although vampires didn’t technically need sleep, resting during the daylight hours wasn’t uncommon. Plus he had no desire to engage with Elvry or her ideas of what they could do to pass the time any more than he had too.
He heard whispers not long after closing his eyes, and it was the door opening and closing that got his attention. He flew to his feet and found Elvry leaning against the door. As he scanned the room, he saw that Walter was nowhere to be found.
“What did you do?” he demanded.
“Walter had a job to do, and now he’s doing it,” Elvry said with a swish of her hair. She made her way to a mirror hanging on the wall and started fussing with her dress and her hair. Then she started to dig in one of the small boxes that sat next to the bed. Redley was snoring and she looked at him in disgust.
“So Lord Redley somehow figures into your plans. That much is obvious,” Connor said, crossing his arms.
Elvry caught his eye in the mirror. “I told you what I wanted in exchange if you wanted to know what I’m up to.” She smirked.
Connor rolled his eyes. “I didn’t know you had grown so desperate for attention, Elvry.”
Seconds later he found himself slammed against the wall, Elvry’s fingers digging deep into his shoulders. He struggled against her but she was stronger and they both knew it. Her face was twisted into an ugly snarl. “There was a time not that long ago that you would have gladly licked my boots to have me even glance in your direction.”
“I’m not that person anymore,” he said, trying to keep the pain out of his voice.
Elvry released him and smoothed her face. “You know, I thought you were going to be more fun. Guess I’ll just have to go find something else to do with my time,” she said.
She went back to the box and pulled out a pin. Connor’s sharp eyes could tell that it was a nobleman’s sigil. She pinned it onto her dress and then smoothed her skirts. “If you start acting a little nicer toward me, I’ll let you escort me to the Ascension Ball tonight.”
Connor’s mouth dropped open. “The Ascension Ball? Is that where this little plan of yours is going to take shape?”
“The Ascension Ball is but one key piece of Monroe’s overall plan,” Elvry said. She leaned over Lord Redley and sniffed his hair. “This one has already been a great help in eluding the eye of the Clan.” She fingered the locket at her neck again.
Then she turned and headed for the door. Connor crossed the room quickly and grabbed her arm. “Where are you going?”
“It’s time for the Ceremony of Allocation,” she said as she shook his hand off. She gestured at Redley. “Dear old dad here is hoping that the new queen is going to take pity on the House of Redley and offer up some more property.”
“You can’t go to that ceremony,” Connor said.
“What are you going to do to get me to stay?” Elvry asked. “Because I have to say that I am looking forward to seeing this girl who everyone seems to be so enraptured with for myself.”
He couldn’t allow Elvry to leave. He feared what she would do if somehow she were able to sense what Angeline was; the wraith part of Angeline carried its own signature and Elvry was old enough that she could know what it was. Everything was happening to fast. He didn’t know what else to do, so he shoved Elvry against the wall and covered her lips with his. Immediately she opened her mouth and his tongue slipped inside.
Elvry grabbed the collar of his jacket and pulled him closer. Connor forced himself to imagine that it was Angeline in his arms. He blocked out everything but the sensations. It was Angeline’s lips that he was kissing. It was Angeline’s soft body pressed next to his, and then his instincts took over. He ripped his mouth away from Elvry’s lips and then rammed his fangs into her neck. She cried out in delight. His hands explored her body and roughly yanked the bodice of her gown until he felt it give way.
Elvry stood on her tiptoes and pulled her skirts high so that she could wrap her legs around his waist. As soon as he felt her teeth on his own skin, he was lost. Everything seemed to fade away but the fervor of their flesh against each other and the flowing of the blood.
It was Elvry’s soft chuckle that brought him back to the present. She pushed him away from her as her legs slid back to the ground. He was confused as he watched her straighten her dress and smooth her hair. The wound on her neck where he had bit her was already closing.
“Very convincing performance, Connor,” Elvry said with a wide smile.
Connor tried to put the images of the last few minutes back into some kind of order. He had no idea what she was talking about, or why she had stopped in the middle of something that she had so ardently pursued since the moment she saw him the night before, although inside he was relieved. He didn’t know how he could have explained that to Angeline.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said.
“I’m starting to wonder if you haven’t gone a little sweet on the queen. I am sure you’ve seen her several times in your wanderings here in the palace. You seem very intent on keeping me away from her, so much so that you’d even throw yourself at me even though I know you detest me. Well, guess what? I don’t share my lover’s affections with anyone,” she sneered.
She turned back to the mirror. “The Ceremony of Allocation is a closed-door ceremony. Only one representative from each noble family is allowed in, so that means you’re going to be staying here.”
“You can’t go,” Connor said. “If the Chief Advisor is there, he’ll see right through you.” As will Angeline, he thought silently. If Angeline saw another vampire, there was no way that she wouldn’t think he was somehow involved. He needed to get to her first.
“Like I said, I’ve got that covered,” Elvry said. “You, on the other hand, do not have the same protection. It’s for your own good that you stay here.”
Connor knew that if he kept protesting he was going to look even more suspicious than he already did. Plus, with Elvry occupied he had a chance to try to find Angeline before she did.
“Fine,” Connor said.
“Fine?” Elvry looked surprised. “All of that for fine?”
“Maybe I realized that I was missing out,” Connor said shrugging his shoulders. “You’re right in that I do need my strength. Your blood is like a tonic,” he said deliberating licking his lips and looking at her neck longingly.
Elvry looked vexed. “You are the strangest man, Connor Radwin.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Connor said. “If I’m escorting you the Ball, I need to find something to wear. I’ll take care of that while you are at your boring ceremony.”
She laughed. “Things are never boring when I’m around. You should know that yourself. Glad to hear you’re going to make yourself useful. Oh, and if he wakes up compel him back to sleep.” She looked at Redley. “Just make sure you don’t suck him dry if you decide you want a s
nack.” With that, she swept out of the room.
Connor felt the immense release of tension immediately, and he almost fell back into the chair by the fireplace. He was alone and could think. He knew he didn’t have a lot of time, but he needed to settle on a plan. Unfortunately, tasting Elvry’s blood had wakened the thirst within him yet again, and even the few feedings he had succumbed to were starting to make his body want it more. He had to get that under control again too, and he knew from experience that would be a painful process.
He let his mind go and tried to reach out with his senses. Angeline was in the palace; he just had to find her. Almost immediately he was rewarded by the sense of a strong pull against him. He got to his feet and went to the door. Opening it, he looked out into the hallway. Although the hallway itself was empty, he could hear voices around the corner. He slipped out and straightened his jacket. Even though he didn’t have whatever magic Elvry had acquired, he still knew how to bend the light and vision of those around him so that he could pass them relatively undetected.
He walked down to the end of the hallway, following the strange internal tug. It took him down the stairwell to the second floor. He was careful to stay close to the inner walls to avoid the patches of bright sunlight, which in turn burned his eyes if he looked directly at them. His eyes spied her at the very end of the hallway. She was on the arm of Malin Bradford. Her black hair cascaded in soft waves around her shoulders and he knew that the violet dress was the exact shade of her eyes. With the crown on top of her head, she looked magnificent; every inch a queen.
Connor ducked into the crossing hallway and stood there trying to decide what to do next. A thought occurred to him. The bond had been growing stronger ever since he left her side the evening before. It had brought him right to her, and he was reasonably certain that she was experiencing something similar. He had the ability to read minds; perhaps he could use this latest development to speak to one too. He quieted his thoughts and then sent out a very strong message. “Get rid of him now!” He felt a wave of shock wash over him. She had heard him. He pushed again. “Not much time. Now!”
Then he waited. He heard their faint voices reach his ears.
“In my rush, I appear to have forgotten my father’s notes about the allocations,” he heard Angeline say.
“I have all of them, no worries,” Baford’s voice replied.
“No, no, Malin. I need those notes,” Angeline insisted. “It will only take me a moment. If you could go ahead and tell the nobles I’ll be right there, I would appreciate it.”
Baford agreed, but Connor could tell it was reluctantly.
“A quick stop by my rooms and then I’ll be down,” Angeline said.
That bit of information was all that Connor needed to know. He sprinted down to the end of the hallway and cut across the back halls to the nearest stairwell. He passed servants along the way, but knew that other than feeling a brush of air moving past them, they wouldn’t sense him. Taking the steps two at time, he was on the fourth floor and at Angeline’s door moments later. He slipped inside.
The room smelled like her and he sighed. Of all the places that he had visited in his exploration of the palace, he had visited Angeline’s chambers the most, but only when she wasn’t there. She spent a great deal of her time in her father’s chambers. Still, it had comforted him to feel like he was close to her.
He saw a book in her chair and wondered what she was reading. He was amazed to realize after skimming the first few pages that it was a firsthand account of Alair Robart’s life during the time of the vampire invasion. Angeline was not going to be as unprepared as Monroe was hoping, which made him glad.
Moments later the door opened and Angeline slipped inside. Her eyes found him and he watched her face light up. He had only taken two steps toward her when she flung herself into his arms. “Connor! So many things have happened since last night. I thought you were involved, but of course, if you are here, you can’t be!”
He hugged her tightly and let his nose dive deeply into her luxurious hair. “I know, dearest one. There is much I have to tell you, but we don’t have a lot of time.”
Angeline pulled away from him, her face dropping. “Tell me you didn’t have anything to do with that boy killing himself in front of me.”
“No, of course not.” Connor shook his head. “That was Monroe.”
“Monroe. Monroe, as in your sire?” Angeline’s eyes widened.
“Yes, I will tell you everything that I know right now, but there is still much I haven’t been able to uncover,” he said.
A different look crossed Angeline’s face. She sniffed the air, and then buried her nose into his jacket. She took a step back. “Why do you smell like perfume?”
Connor wanted to groan. He had forgotten that Angeline’s heightened senses would have noticed something that he should have been hiding. He tried to keep her focused. “Monroe is not alone,” he said. “He and the others with him are called the Death Bringers. They found me last night after I left you.”
“I take it one of these Death Bringers is female?” Angeline asked stiffly.
Connor tried to reach out to her but Angeline took another step back. He sighed. “Yes, Elvry is one of them. She appears to be the one who knows the most besides Monroe, and she’s the reason I am back here in the palace. She is evil, and I despise her.”
“And yet her scent is all over you,” Angeline said with narrowed eyes.
“I will explain everything, but right now, we have to focus on the most important pieces. You need to understand what is about to happen,” Connor said.
“What I understand is that I trusted you,” Angeline said slowly. “I thought that you were on my side. Yet you show up here, unannounced, reeking of a woman that you say is aligned with your sire, and therefore the Master, and you want to tell me something? That boy who killed himself in front of me said a woman coerced him; I can only assume then it was the same one. I don’t think I can believe a word that will come out of your mouth right now.” Angeline crossed her arms.
Connor didn’t know what to do. He had to make her understand. “Angeline, please. You have to listen to me. I can’t protect you if you don’t let me help you.”
Angeline’s look was thunderous. “If I need your help or protection, Connor Radwin, I will ask for it. Right now, you had better think up a better explanation for why I should even listen to you in the first place. I need to go. The nobles are waiting for me.”
Angeline turned to the door and Connor moved so that he was right in front of her. She ran into him and he gripped her arms. “You need to listen to me, Angeline. Please.”
Angeline brought her arms up between his and flung his arms away. The look of surprise on her face likely mirrored his; with normal human strength, she shouldn’t have been able to do that. “I don’t need to do anything. That’s the privilege of being queen.” She stepped around him.
“Angeline,” he said desperately.
“No, Connor. I’m not interested.” The door slammed shut behind her.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Her body was quivering with rage as Angeline stormed through the hallway. She wasn’t sure what was making her angrier, the fact that Connor knew something about what was going on in the city, or that he was close enough to whatever it was that he was wearing it. There had been an underlying scent that she didn’t place until just that moment, and fear ran through her. Connor had reeked not only of perfume but also of blood. She couldn’t help but wonder what had happened since he left her.
“I will be waiting when you are ready to talk.” The words floated through her mind.
“Get out of my head!” she yelled out loud, causing a passing servant to jump. “Sorry, talking to myself,” she said to the young woman.
“Of course, Majesty,” the woman squeaked before scurrying away.
Angeline was down the hall before she took a deep breath and stopped. She was acting rashly. Her wraith was bubbling up and she could fee
l it laughing at her inside her mind, which was alarming. She had let her temper get the better of her, which was the exact opposite of how a queen was supposed to behave. Connor had information she needed, and instead of focusing on that, she had acted like a jealous, jilted lover.
She considered turning around. The irony of the situation was that she was the one who was betrothed to someone else, not Connor. What she had done, letting him kiss her not once, but twice now, was not something that she should have allowed to happen. It wasn’t honorable as long as Malin Baford was in the picture as her betrothed. She certainly had no hold over Connor in that way. Declaring her feelings for him in no way was a commitment; something that she had reminded him just hours ago. She was acting completely irrationally. Now she was angry again, but this time at herself.
Angeline knew that Connor had the ability to read minds, but had no idea how he had been able to communicate with her. It was a new development that she thought must have something to do with the fact that he was the one who turned her into a wraith. She needed to know more about the sire bond. She sensed that might have been how Monroe found Connor. There were just so many things that she didn’t know. She closed her eyes and concentrated on him.
“I’m sorry.” She didn’t know what else to say.
“I am the one who is sorry, Majesty. Please be careful until we can speak again. Remember I am yours always.”
His reply made her feel even smaller than she already did. Connor had not done anything to betray her in the way that truly mattered. He was helping her try to keep her hold on her throne and her people. As things stood, there could be no future for the two of them, no matter what she wanted. It was a bitter pill to swallow, so she forced herself to think about where she was going instead.
The ceremony that she was about to oversee was the most important one for all of the noble families. So Angeline knew that she had to get to the great hall before the nobles started to wonder if there was something wrong. She picked up her pace. Several minutes later she arrived and found Malin pacing outside the door to the room.