by Ward, H. M.
Sophia looked back, and said over her shoulder, “I’m going to change. Reggie, darling, grab something else to wear and make sure it has a collar. We wouldn’t want anyone to see evidence of our squabbling.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
Kahli silently stood there, rage simmering beneath her calm façade. It was two days since she left the safe house and she’d encountered nothing but trouble. The Queen was the epitome of beauty with smooth skin and dark hair. When Kahli first saw her, she thought the Queen was regal beyond compare wearing a ball gown encrusted with seed pearls—and blood. Sophia was a lethal combination of smiles and death. All vampires were. She expected no different from the Regent and his insane sister. It was interesting that they were siblings and squabbling. This didn’t appear to be Reginald’s first assassination attempt. Everything happened so fast. In the end, Reggie sat pressing his hands to his bloody throat, smearing his crimson stained fingers on his shirtfront. He glared at his sister when she spoke, but seemed pensive. She wondered if Sophia had really out fought him. With a vampire that size and age, well, it almost seemed like he was holding back.
Kahli stood perfectly motionless with her shoulders slumped forward like she was still woozy, though the drugs had worn off already. The guards didn’t view her as a threat and neither did the Queen or her brother—but that boy—he was there. The Bane who sold her. The Bane who saved her from the wolves. Those two events gave their familiarity with one another a dual existence. In one act he saved her, in another he condemned her to death.
The look he gave her said he knew exactly what she was thinking—that she would slaughter them all to escape. He knew she was dangerous when the others failed to see it. His posture was perfect, his black suit hugging close to his trim body. His eyes looked the brightest blue she’d ever seen. The floor of her stomach dipped when she looked at him. She scowled in response.
Kahli didn’t understand why there was a Tracker at the Queen’s court. Regent Vampires—the royals and the high-ups—didn’t consort with low-life Trackers. They were worlds apart. It would be like a King befriending a pauper. It was a warning flag—a sign to stay silent and learn as much as she could. The boy didn’t belong. At first, Kahli thought that the boy had been dragged to the Queen, since he was involved. William, that was what the Queen called him, didn’t act like that though. His stance was too confident. And he was dressed too nice, like he was a fancy object to adorn a fancy room.
Reginald didn’t acknowledge the boy, though she knew they had just spoken. What was going on?
Before she had time to consider it, William moved toward her, catching her before she fell—grabbing her by the shoulders. Fire shot through her body where the wolf bite was still healing. It brought tears to her eyes, but she blinked them back. The boy loosened his grip, as if he realized he pained her, and held her firmly just above her elbows.
He spoke to the Queen, warning her. There was a relationship there, maybe. Her green eyes remained on the pale stone floor, though Kahli’s mind was reeling. Was William the Queen’s consort? The idea repulsed her. Not only was it forbidden, but it sickened her—it sickened her because she found him attractive. The way his dark hair brushed his forehead just below his brow, the way his eyes seemed to sparkle like gems, the slant of his lips that were always pulled into something that was between a smile and a smirk. Kahli shook the thoughts away. It was like admiring a beautiful wolf and nothing more. The creature may have a gleaming coat and be exceptionally pretty, but trusting a creature like that would get her torn apart.
After Sophia withdrew and servants rushed in to clean her mess, Will guided Kahli towards the back of the room. They passed through a door and into the servants’ hallways. Will hissed in her ear, “You can stop pretending now. There is no way you’re still drugged. And those two aren’t people you want to cross, so stop thinking about running. You’re trapped here now, like the rest of us.” Will guided her through the halls, nodding at the kitchen staff as he passed, ushering the girl to the maiden’s chambers on the other side of the building.
Kahli didn’t fight him. She walked, paying attention to turns and counting paces trying to figure out how far into the palace she was—and what was the fastest way out.
Will rounded a corner and suddenly shoved her into the wall. She winced, a flash of pain shooting through her arm when her shoulder collided with the stone. “You’re not listening,” Will pressed his body to hers, trapping her against the wall. He slammed his hands on either side of her head. Kahli stared up at him, green eyes blazing with hatred. “If you run, you die. No one escapes the Queen. Ever.” His voice softened as he looked at her. The tension in his arms eased slightly. “Bide your time and I’ll get you out. That ass wasn’t supposed to come this way.” Thinking of Reggie made him furious. This was his fault.
Kahli glared at him, “Why would you care?” He was lying. This was a business transaction gone awry, nothing else, no matter how hard her heart was pounding in her chest. He sold her. Rage flamed through her body, tensing her sore muscles.
His dark lashes lowered, “I don’t care. I just don’t want to deal with Sophia ranting at me for months after you’re dead. The Queen doesn’t play games. You’re on her side or you’re not. And if you’re not—”
“You’re dead,” Kahli finished his sentence, her eyes still locked on his face. Her fingers twitched. She wanted to scratch him. She felt like a caged animal pressed to the wall. That was why her heart raced. She told herself it had nothing to do with his scent or his lips. “Fine. I get it. I won’t run.” She looked him in the eye when she said it, her gaze never wavering. Lies suited her. It was how she tricked the Trackers, slaughtering entire hunting parties one by one. No one suspected a thing, not from her.
But Will saw that she was more savage than the vampire Queen. He could feel it coming, the hand of fate about to backhand him for a lifetime of playing both sides. Inwardly, Will groaned and pushed off the wall. He gestured with his hand for Kahli to walk in front of him. When she didn’t move he tilted his head, “Do you want me to drag you there by your shoulder?” Kahli glanced down and stepped in front of him. He was at her back. She could feel his eyes on her back. “I thought not.”
Kahli wanted to make a sharp retort, but she bit her tongue. He was infuriating. They wound through hallways until they stopped before an enormous bleached wood door. It was hand carved and beautiful. There was no sign, but she assumed these were the maiden’s rooms Will spoke about—the part of the palace that housed the vamps blood supply. Kahli noticed the golden door pulls and the massive locks within the handles. Her throat tightened. She didn’t want to be locked in.
Will sensed her hesitation, and heard her pulse racing in his ears. He spoke softly, his hand on the small of her back as he pulled the door open. “They only lock the doors during an attack. The humans that are here were chosen to be here. If they misbehave, they are thrown out. And being in the palace is the best place to be. Their life span is twice as long, and the girls don’t have to worry about dying from the elements like the people in the camps.” Kahli shivered.
She’d been truly cold once. So cold, buried deep beneath the snow. It made her leery of small spaces, of being locked into a room she couldn’t get out of. Will pushed her through the door and her feet couldn’t move. It wasn’t the cramped quarters she expected. The room was stunning. It was a display of opulence with riches, velvet, tile, stone, and glittering gold at every turn of her head. Will pressed her forward. Kahli’s eyes were huge as they passed through the sitting room. Two women, barely her age, sat across from each other whispering. They had elegantly plated hair, decorated with beads. The women wore fine gowns that accentuated their slender figures and dark hair. The women glanced at her, openly mocking her in her filth as she passed them. She’d not been around another human for so long. It made her heart drop to be dumped in with vapid, catty women. Her fingers balled into fists.
Will leaned close, whispering in her ear, “You’re
the Queen’s greatest treasure. Never think you are anything less.” His kind words rang in her ears, but she didn’t respond. Why was he being nice to her? She tried to shake off the questions. He didn’t matter. She just had to get through this. One step at a time.
Will passed through another sitting room. The walls were strewn with musical instruments like it was the place a chamber orchestra rehearsed, before pushing through doors into a smaller room. Steam poured through the door, hitting her in the face. Will pushed her through and called for Miriam. Kahli openly gasped when she realized where they were. It was a tiled room filled with baths. Her heart fell into her boots. Glancing around quickly, she noticed that the baths had women laying back, or leaning side-ways talking to each other. There were at least seven of them and they were all nude, not batting an eyelash about it. The only person in clothing besides her and William was Miriam.
“Will,” she smiled at him. The woman was large, twice the width of Kahli. Her dark hair was tied into a knot on the top of her head and frizzing from the steam. Her smile faltered when she saw Kahli standing behind him. She stopped suddenly, her eyes narrowing, “You’re kidding, right? She’s filthy! And let me guess—the Queen wants her dolled up and presentable tonight.”
“Miriam, you’re the very best and the girl has been traveling. It’s road suit, nothing more,” he lied, but he knew she was smart enough to notice dirt from blood. The look she gave him said so. He smiled at her, “You can do this. Scrub her, stick her in a gown, and shove her back to me.”
Miriam scoffed, “You’re a man, Will. You have no idea how long it takes to make this turn into that.” She pointed from Kahli to a woman fully dressed in a beautiful dress, heading out of the changing chambers at the back of the room.
He smiled at her, “Perhaps, but I know I was glad it was you here tonight and not Cora.”
“Cora,” she said, wiping her sweating hands on her linen pants. “Cora’d put her in pink. With that hair! Am I supposed to strip the dye?”
Will shook his head, “It’s not dye.”
Miriam’s eyes went wide, “She’s a real red-head?” Will nodded.
Kahli eyed Will. They were standing in a place he shouldn’t be, filled with undressed women. Although he was ignoring her, she wasn’t getting into that tub with him standing there. Will felt her eyes on the side of his face and turned to look at her. “Well?” she asked. “Are you leaving?”
Miriam snorted a laugh, grabbed her wrist and tutted, “Nah, he’s seen everyone. Don’t matter, not with things being the way they are. He might as well be a eunuch.” Vampires and human relationships were forbidden. It diluted the bloodlines, and in some cases, accidentally eradicated some lines entirely. Things were too precarious to allow such things.
Will glanced at Miriam, an odd look on his face, “I wouldn’t go that far.”
“Oh, I would. Or the Queen will castrate you herself.” Miriam turned to Kahli, trying to relieve her horror. “They can’t touch you. The vampires might admire, but touching would be a fate worse than death with Sophia as queen. Come on.” She pulled Kahli towards a bath and instructed her to remove her boots.
Kahli stood in front of the tiled tub. The steam had made her skin slick with sweat. She was filthy, but there was no way she was stripping in front of a room filled with people. And Will. He was just standing there, like he wasn’t leaving. He had to be sweating to death in that suit. Will grabbed a stool, and pulled it to the wall. He removed his jacket and leaned back, folding his arms, and closed his eyes like he was bored. Bored in a room filled with naked women.
“Come on, now. Don’t be shy. We’ve all seen all there is to see,” Miriam coaxed her gently but her patience was wearing thin. The Queen would want the girl after dinner. She had less than two hours to get her clean, clothed, and made-up. And the girl was acting like she’d never seen anyone in the buff before. She was near twenty. Miriam didn’t see how that could be possible.
As if he could read Miriam’s mind, Will spoke up, “She was captured in the Empire region. She’s probably never had a bath before.”
That statement caused several hushed conversations to erupt around the room. Kahli’s eyes narrowed at Will. She’d had a bath. When she met him, she wasn’t filthy and covered in blood. That was his fault. She rapidly stripped out of her things, her gaze burning a hole into Will’s face as he ignored her and leaned back against the wall again. She stepped down into the pool and water swirled around her, covering her body.
The warm water felt good. Miriam scrubbed her hair and poured something into the water. When the scent hit Kahli’s nose, she froze. Was that jasmine? Where on earth did they get jasmine? But it was. The fragrance combined with the vanilla scented bath water. Kahli’s stomach churned like she ate glass. She tried to stand up, but Miriam wouldn’t let her. That’s when she saw it—long elaborate colored inkings down her left side.
“What’s this?” Miriam asked, scrubbing Kahli’s side harder with a bath brush filled with soap. When she washed away the bubbles, the colorful markings were still there.
“Nothing.” Kahli looked into Miriam’s eyes hoping beyond reason that she understood, but the woman was a vampire like all the other servants she’d seen. Vampires weren’t creatures of compassion. When Miriam didn’t respond, Kahli whispered, “Please.” Please don’t say anything. Please don’t tell them.
But Miriam didn’t catch her meaning, either that or she didn’t care. “William, you’d better come see this. She’s got markings that won’t come off.”
Will’s eyes opened, but he didn’t move. His arms were folded over his chest as he looked at Kahli in the water. Her long red hair was wet, draped over the swell of her breasts. Her curvy body disappeared beneath the foam on top of the water. A silver ring pierced her navel. He could see it glinting beneath the foam. His breath hitched. Will openly stared at her. The girl was a siren, completely bewitching.
He snapped out of his trance and approached lazily. “So what? She has a ring in her belly, too. The Queen won’t care.”
But Miriam shook her head, “It’s not an inking. Come look.”
Kahli couldn’t stand it. That mark was a remnant of her old life, something that wasn’t for anyone to see. She dropped into the water, and wrapped her arms around her body. Her green eyes looked up at Will as he stared down at her. Her voice was quieter than he’d ever heard it, “Don’t.”
He grinned at her, “Now I have to see.” He reached down, extending his hand to her. He leaned over the edge of the pool in his fine pants and crisp white shirt.
Kahli swallowed hard. Miriam backed away to take care of another woman on the other side of the room. A shiver raked over her skin, making it prickle. Will stood over her, waiting, like he expected her to stand and point to the markings.
A soft voice spoke from the next tub, “Will, leave her alone. She’s already shaken up. And taking her straight to the Queen is insanity. She’ll be lucky if she makes it through the night.”
Will glanced at Cassie, “She’s not like you, and if she’s hiding something, I need to know.” Will looked back down at Kahli in the water. His voice was soft, “Tell me what it is. There was nothing there when I put the salve on your shoulder. Just tell me and I won’t look.”
There was no explanation that she could give. The lie wouldn’t form in her mouth. Kahli’s hand pressed into the runes on her side, the runes that only appeared during the ritual. But this wasn’t the ritual. This wasn’t her wedding night. These were the same oils that brought the colors out, but it was the wrong time. She couldn’t let him see. Her voice was barely audible. She breathed, “I can’t.” Her heart raced in her chest. She withdrew from his hand, sinking further into the water.
“Don’t make me come in there,” he teased, but Will could sense that the girl wasn’t going to cooperate. It wasn’t curiosity driving him. It was something else. He wondered if that inking could be what he thought it was. Dragging her out of the pool to look wouldn’t work. He
made the gesture again, extending her his hand, hoping she would take it.
Kahli looked up at his open palm, and shrank further from him. Cassie groaned at Will, telling him to stop. Kahli glanced at the girl. She was leaning over the edge of her tub, watching them.
Miriam had been watching from across the room. She slammed her bare feet across the slick tile and stepped into Kahli’s pool. “Enough of this.” She wrenched the girl out of the tub, forcing her up the steps, toward Will. Water poured off her in a slick sheet as Miriam pulled her up the stairs.
Will stood in front of Kahli, Miriam stood behind, sopping wet. Kahli didn’t fight back and he wondered why.
It felt like her heart would tear in half. Kahli stood before Will, dripping and bare, with her body curled forward, trying to hide her nakedness. Her face flamed as red as her hair. Miriam gripped Kahli’s arms, prying them away from her body, and twisted her so Will could see the markings on her side. They were fading quickly. Curiosity got the better of him. Will reached for her waist, and ran the pads of his fingers over her smooth skin. The marks seemed to disappear beneath his touch. Kahli shuddered.
“For godsakes,” Miriam complained still clutching the girl, “Well, what is it?”
Will stared at Kahli’s side. As the water slid off her skin the runes vanished. He lifted his gaze, trying to meet Kahli’s, trying to understand what he saw. Desperation and hope clashed together in his mind, rattling him to his core.
Ripping his gaze from Kahli, he said to Mariam, “It’s nothing. A trick of the light.”
“But I saw—”
Will replied sharply, “You saw nothing. Get her dressed. Use the candlelight colored gown with the ribbon under the bust. Hurry. It’s the Queen’s favorite holiday, or so she says. She’ll want this girl to show off.” The other women in the baths were silent, watching the exchange. The girl closest to her looked at Kahli with pity.