by Ward, H. M.
“Why do you have runes on your chest?” Her voice was soft. She asked him like it was a question that she had no right to ask. She lowered her lashes, and didn’t look him in the eye. The answer was bad. She could sense it, but she didn’t know why. She’d tried to piece it together since they’d met, but every answer only led to more questions.
It felt like he was sucker-punched. Will momentarily lost his breath, but recovered quickly. Instead of answering, he glanced at her. Her fiery red hair was hanging over her shoulders, hiding her gaze like she was shy. Kahli was anything but shy. He reached for her chin with his clean hand and tilted her face up. Grinning he asked, “And how would you know I have runes on my chest?”
But she didn’t grin back. Instead Kahli lifted her chin out of his grip and looked away. “The night I stabbed you, I saw them.” She glanced at him from the corner of her eye, “Did the Bane have the same betrothal ceremonies?”
He shook his head, his blue eyes haunted like he was remembering something he wanted to forget, “No. They’re not what you think.”
“Maybe they’re not wedding runes, but they bound you to someone, didn’t they? I mean, isn’t that what runes are for?” She stared at him, asking more than she should, but she couldn’t help it. Kahli didn’t understand him. She didn’t know how he could serve two adversaries without either noticing. It made her wary of him and she didn’t want to be. The runes might explain it. The runes could be used to bind his loyalty, assuming they were like wedding runes.
Will didn’t answer for a long while. Instead he grabbed a bowl of water that he had set on the table and lifted Kahli’s hand. Taking a cloth, he dipped it in the water and then let the water drip over her bloodied fingers, filling her palm, and then slipping over the sides of her hand and back into the bowl. Swirls of orange and red quickly filled the basin. He repeated dipping, and gently wiping away his blood. He didn’t want her to have to do it, and for some reason she let him.
Finally he said, “Some things are best not answered.”
Kahli’s face pinched. She knew he was struggling, deciding whether or not to tell her. “But I could help you. I could—”
He cut her off, “You can’t even help yourself, Kahli. You don’t know what life is like here. You don’t know what it means to be Bane and survive in this place. You don’t know what it’s like to be Bane and survive anywhere. I would have never told you what I was if I thought I’d see you again.” He swallowed hard and took her other hand. Kahli pressed her lips together so she wouldn’t speak. His words stung, as he meant them to, but he was too harsh. This was the world she wasn’t supposed to see. He softened his voice, “Besides, there’s nothing you could do. There’s nothing I can do. It’s the way it is. Just accept it and be glad for little moments like this—where I’m just Will and you’re just Kahli—where there’s no vampire or human, no forced survival where one threatens to destroy the other.” Her hands were soft and smooth again, her fingertips warm. “There. Looks like it worked.”
Kahli wanted to press him, she wanted to know what he was hiding. She wanted to read his runes and see what his true name was. That was the only thing powerful enough to control a person anymore. Compulsion was too weak to use without a birth name to go with it. Biting her lip, she looked over the table at him and nodded, not asking the questions that burned in her mind. “Feels like it, too.”
Will met her eyes. He couldn’t move. His hands were on Kahli’s, his thumb stroking her soft skin. Her gaze absorbed him so that he was nothing, no one without her. The ache inside his chest eased when she was near. Her voice, her touch, her kiss—all those things made him want to be everything she could ever want, everything she needed—but he couldn’t. That wasn’t the life fate had carved out for him. No matter how much he wanted her, Kahli was not his destiny—she was just a bright spot on a road of eternal night.
When Will broke their gaze, it felt like he was cutting off his arm. He didn’t want to release her hand, but he did. This is getting too hard, he thought to himself. This wasn’t supposed to happen. Gaze vacant, he cleared his throat and looked up at her. “Better start on the rest. It’s late.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Several days passed in silence. Kahli hadn’t seen Will. Somehow he managed to stay away unless the Queen had her bidden for a tasting. It irritated her that Will seemed to withdraw after their kiss. He said nothing as he pricked her skin with the golden needle, forcing blood to drip onto the ornate serving tray.
Kahli watched a splash of crimson fall from her finger, and then another. Her blood beaded up into little drops. Will’s lips passed over her finger, sealing the cut. He moved methodically, not pausing to speak. His lips slid over her skin like she meant nothing to him. Trying not to shiver, Kahli pushed away the thoughts that swam to the front of her mind. Thoughts about his lips on hers, the scent of his skin, the way his hair felt in her hands. The events of other night remained a mystery. Neither of them wanted to admit what happened. For Kahli, it was beyond deplorable. If someone suggested she would ever want to kiss a vampire, she would have laughed. But now, now she could think of nothing else.
Clearing her throat, Kahli pulled her hand away and asked, “Why hasn’t she done a feeding, yet?” Cole mentioned it, saying that he was suspicious that they hadn’t feed from her. She began to wonder why. Instead they called her for tastings, only taking a little bit of blood from her. Kahli understood more why Cole was suspicious of her. The whole situation was strange. She needed to know even though she didn’t think it was something that she’d want to hear. Keeping her expression neutral, she looked up at Will who finally turned to glance at her.
His hands drifted off the trays he was readying, his lips parted as he stared. They remained like that for a moment before Will found his voice, “They have their reasons.” Kahli crinkled her brows at him.
“Wow. That was helpful.” Will didn’t respond. Instead he turned to the trays and finished preparing things to the Queen’s liking. The crazy Queen. Rising, Kahli stepped behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder. She spoke his name softly, “Will.”
Will jumped like he was being killed. Breathing hard, he rounded on her and clutched her wrists in his hands. Kahli’s heart raced, slamming into her chest like she’d run a mile. Part of her wanted to defy him and rip her hands away, but she forced herself still. He was acting like a spooked animal. Those eyes, the way he looked at her—they were normally cautious—but now they were beyond apprehensive.
Will snatched her wrists and held her firmly. Yanking her body closer to his, he looked into her face hoping she could sense that she needed to stop talking. There were eyes and ears everywhere, especially in the tasting room. Especially when Kahli’s blood was involved. He said nothing, practically ripping her hands off and staring at her. When she stopped asking questions, he released his grip and took the tray.
Will left the room without a backward glance.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Cassie sat on her bed with her back against the wall, her feet tucked under her. Missy and Gene were absent. Kahli was staring at a book, pretending to read but she was really fuming. She’d been there for weeks and the others had been to feedings several times. Why weren’t they using her blood? The thought sent chills over Kahli’s skin. The reason had to be something horrible. When she couldn’t stand Cassie’s eyes burning a hole into the side of her face for another moment, Kahli slammed the book down and asked, “What?”
“Nothing. It’s just… you seem out of sorts. You’re quieter than usual. I can tell something’s bothering you, but you’re not talking.” Cassie was sweet. She just wanted to help.
Laying back on her bed, Kahli stared at the ceiling. “Okay. Let’s talk.” Briefly, she wondered if she should dance around the question, but she was too irritated to be cautious. Without another thought, she blurted it out, “How many times have you been to a feeding since we met?”
Cassie looked confused, like someone asked her to rewir
e the security gate on the front lawn. “I don’t know. Three. Maybe four times. Why are you asking?”
“Guess how many times I’ve been to a feeding?” Cassie shrugged. “Zero. None. Not once.” She pushed herself onto her side.
“So. Maybe she’s saving you for a special occasion, like a bottle of antique wine.” Cassie grinned, “I hear you’re a rare vintage.”
“Cassie, I’m serious. Everyone has gone several times—everyone except me.”
“It’s not like I want to go. You can take my turn next time. I don’t get why you’re mad about it. It’s not like feedings are fun.” Her hand touched her neck like she was remembering something.
“That’s not what I mean.” She had to reword this so Cassie understood her concerns. Right now they still felt like premonitions, little warning bells that flared to life with no logical explanation. But there had to be a reason. After all the vampires went through to get her and hold her, they had to have something planned. She wanted to know what it was. “I’m not jealous. I’m wondering why they bothered to catch me if they aren’t going to feed from me. I thought that was the entire lure of finding a wild human—that she could restore them to their former power?” Cassie was nodding along like she agreed, “Okay, so then why has no one had more than a few drops? Answer me that. Why would they hold back? It’s like they have something else planned…”
Cassie finally caught on, “Something worse… something where they want your blood to be pure.” Her brows pinched together as she thought. “They didn’t heal you with vamp blood either, right? They let you heal on your own when they brought you in? Then they did the same thing after the Purging.”
Kahli nodded, not saying anything about Will’s blood on her skin. It wasn’t like she could change that and she didn’t think that it counted. “What would they do that required me to be untouched? What’s the difference between a tasting and a feeding anyway?”
“Power,” Cassie’s eyes slowly drifted to Kahli’s. “Oh my god.” Her face went pale.
Kahli stared at her, “What? You can’t say that and then just sit there? What!”
“Power. Blood is power. It’s the essence of what commands them, what controls them. It’s not that the Queen wants to keep you pure, it’s something else. Something about your blood. Something about smaller amounts.” She tapped her nail on her front tooth while she thought. Glancing at Kahli, she asked, “What’d Will say about it?”
“Nothing.”
Cassie’s eyes widened. “That’s not good. He usually spills everything, unless it’s something horrible that he can’t control—like the Purging.” They were both quiet for a moment.
Kahli felt like she should know the answer, but it kept floating away. She shook her head. “Maybe they can’t handle straight wild blood anymore. Maybe they’ve grown accustomed to the watered-down version from their camps.”
“That still doesn’t sound quite right,” Cassie said, her eyes vacant as she thought. “If that were the case, the Queen especially would want to be building up your blood in her system. It would ensure her queendom, and silence any rivals. But she won’t take more than a taste. There has to be another reason.”
“There is, and I bet you anything Will knows exactly what it is.” She glanced at Cassie. “Is there a way to call him here?”
She shook her head. “No. Handlers only show when the Queen wants you.”
“So, let’s make the Queen want me.”
_________
Before she could come up a plan, there was a knock at the door. It opened and another vampire stood there. He was thin and tall, gangly like most of them. His pallor was chalk-white, his eyes black as crow feathers with hair to match. “I am here for Kahli. Please see Mariam and dress for dinner. The King beckons you. I will return for you within the hour.”
Kahli’s eyes went wide. When the vamp closed the door she turned to Cassie, “The King? Why would the King want me?”
Cassie’s gaze locked with hers. “The Purging. You made him look like a fool.”
“I thought he got over it, since he didn’t do anything.” Kahli thought she was home-free. The week had passed and the King didn’t do anything to her. Kahli thought she was in the clear.
“A week, a day, an hour—vampires have screwy concepts of time—especially smaller units of time. The Queen went after another vamp nearly two months after a comment was made at court. This might be old news to you, but it probably feels like recent trauma to the King.”
“Should I go?” She remembered Cassie’s warnings, and Will told her the same thing—stay away from the King.
“I don’t think you have a choice,” worry pinched her face. “Kahli, there’s something you need to know.”
But before she could tell Kahli what it was, Mariam pushed through the doors, “Come now. The King isn’t someone we want to upset.” Mariam stood, her body taking up most of the doorway. She glanced between the two girls once and then turned on her heel, indicating Kahli should follow by snapping her fingers.
Kahli shot a quick glance at Cassie and followed Mariam, hoping that Will would find her before the hour was up.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
“These were here last time,” Mariam scrubbed the runes on Kahli’s side with a bristle-brush filled with foam.
Her skin was going to bleed if the woman kept scrubbing, “Mariam, leave it. You’re going to scrub my skin off. It’s a tattoo. It won’t come off. The color fades when it dries off.”
Mariam huffed like it would too come off, but they were running short on time. The bath hall was nearly empty. It was strange. Kahli looked up and down at the empty tubs filled with steaming water. There were at least a dozen girls in the palace. At any given time, about half were in the bathhouse.
“Mariam,” Kahli asked, taking a towel and wrapping it around her wet body, “Where is everyone?”
She shrugged, “Got me. I haven’t seen a few of the girls for a couple of days. It’s not like them to not show up. I was thinking of telling William to look into it. Wouldn’t want them to be covering up a cold or some illness that could have been treated.” Kahli nodded as Mariam spoke, but her mind was drifting back to her roommate’s empty beds, and the lack of women in the living room. She didn’t really notice it until now. The girls were usually together and Kahli was alone or with Cassie. Kahli assumed they were in the bathhouse or that she just kept missing them, but Mariam’s words made her wonder if something else was going on.
Mariam dressed Khali in a silk gown. The supple violet fabric flowed to the floor. When the corset strings on the back of the dress were cinched up tightly, Kahli could barely breathe. Mariam set her in front of the mirror. Kahli didn’t recognize the girl looking back at her. Over the past few weeks she’d changed. The haunted green eyes became vibrant and no longer looked as savage and desperate. Her skin was smooth, her hair tucked into neat curls on top of her head with loose strands flowing down, framing her face. That moment broke her. It fractured a piece of her mind that had lied dormant, waiting to make her escape.
Kahli’s eyes drifted to the objects on the table under the mirror—a silver and gold brush with white bristles and an equally ornate comb with an intricate design that extended onto the long slender handle that ended in a dull point. Mariam used the comb to do Kahli’s hair, pulling back one section at a time until her red mane looked perfect.
Before she could thank Mariam, the vampire that appeared in her room earlier was standing across the bathhouse. The gleaming pale tiles stood in stark contrast to his dark suit, “The King requests your presence.”
_______
Warnings were flashing through her mind, although she didn’t know why. The vampire who brought her to the King was a servant, biding his time—hoping to get enough blood to survive. From the translucent pallor of his skin, Kahli thought he looked ill. She followed a step behind the man, winding through the massive palace until they stopped before a large set of double doors. They were recessed into an
archway made of stone. The golden handles gleamed as if they’d never been touched. Kahli’s heart was in her throat. She constructed a faulty plan on their silent walk through the building, all the while secretly hoping Will would intervene, but the boy was nowhere to be seen.
The vampire abruptly stopped and stepped to the side. His pale hand pushed open the door as he bowed. Kahli watched him, her eyes darting between the open door and the vampire staring at the floor. Was he a guard? A messenger boy? Would he wait at the door to retrieve her when the king was done? She felt sick. When he was done doing what? Kahli still felt like she held too many puzzle pieces to understand what was happening. She had the parts, but failed to see how they fit together. Living within the palace walls required survival skills that differed from the set she attained in the wild. There were no fanged beasts, lurking in shadows waiting to pounce on her. Instead they were in plain sight, smiling, waiting to use her body and her blood. Death would not be an option. They would do everything in their power to keep her alive. Which is why, if things went the way she was dreading, she would act.
Kahli didn’t want Will to be in trouble because he hadn’t reformed her. She wanted him to be free as well, but the boy didn’t seem interested in leaving. A million reasons why rushed through her mind, raging in a silent stream, but there was nothing that made sense. Breathing deeply, she held her head high and walked through the door, refusing to succumb to her fears.
Without a word, the vampire pulled the door closed and Kahli found herself standing in the center of a large round room. The décor was the exact opposite as the Queen’s ballroom. Instead of pale hues and soft tones, this room was dark with rich blues and opulent blacks. Every inch of the room screamed of masculinity, even the scent of the air held a seductive fragrance.