“You’re very welcome, Tanya.” Earadessa laid her hand over Tanya’s. “It’s important to relax and continue to have fun, even when it seems like your whole world is falling apart.”
The tension in the room spiked, and Tanya rubbed the chill from her arms.
Sabastian had been looking out the window at the city lights below when he swore. Slamming his hand on the wall, he dialed a number. “The palace guard called, leaving a message for us to call back ASAP.”
The palace, as in Lazarith’s palace? Well, if they were calling leaving urgent messages, that couldn’t be good.
“It’s Sabastian,” he barked into the phone. The voice on the other end of the line was frantic. He ran a hand through his hair and paced back and forth in front of the couch.
Tanya couldn’t hear what was being said, but judging by the look on his face it was bad. “How bad is it, Dessa?”
Earadessa leaned against the back of the couch, resting her head on Tanya’s shoulder. “It sounds like there’s a domestic dispute he needs to handle.”
That didn’t sound too bad. She brushed a lock of Earadessa’s hair out of her eyes when a charge of electricity coursed through her. At the same time Earadessa sat straight up with alarm. “What is it?” The look on her face spoke volumes and fear rippled through Tanya’s heart.
Earadessa’s eyes narrowed as she listened in on Sabastian’s call through their bond. “Dorita, one of our security team, said they’ve had to bump up security at the palace.” She paused to listen. “While we were out tonight, Damion sent one of his minions to kill several of the guards to send a message to his father. He believes it’s time for him to step out of the shadows and reign as king.”
There’s no way a monster like that had been conceived by their loving sire. Tanya’s heart sank. It took a special kind of evil to kill without a blink of the eye. “He’s threatening the palace? Oh goddess. I cannot believe that he is the son of such a loving man like Lazarith.”
Tossing his cell phone on the coffee table, Sabastian sat down beside Earadessa. Worry lines creased his forehead. He slipped his hand under his beloved’s and intertwined their fingers. “I cannot believe that fool is trying to pull such a stupid move. Does he really think he can come in and not only take down the most powerful kingdom but also the most powerful heirs as well?”
The most powerful heirs? Did he refer to Tanya and her friends?
“I’m going to send word to Lazarith in the morning. For now,” he stood. “I think we should get our rest. We have much work to do, and we’ve just begun.”
“I agree.” Earadessa stroked his knuckles. “I’ll join you in a moment. Tanya and I have something to discuss first.”
“Ah, girl talk.” Leaning forward, he kissed her cheek. “I’ll warm up your spot.” Letting go of her hand he started for their room. “Don’t be too long.”
The time it took him to leave the room passed painfully slow. Earadessa waited until the door shut to speak. “Tanya, I have something planned for tomorrow.”
The tone of her voice and the sparkle in her eye soothed Tanya’s racing heart. The woman was excited. Tanya arched a brow. “What is it?”
“Tomorrow is Sabastian’s birthday, and I made reservations at this awesome restaurant to celebrate.” Earadessa bounced with her excitement. “You girls will love it. It’s not just a fancy restaurant, it’s a winery.”
Tomorrow was his birthday? Tanya didn’t know whether to be offended that they hadn’t shared this news with them earlier. Then again, they all just met yesterday.
Apparently reading the confusion on her face, Earadessa leaned close to whisper in her ear. “He has chosen to forget about his birthday this year due to the chaos we’re facing, but I can’t do that. He deserves to be recognized on the day of his birth.” A mischievous grin spread on her face. “I’m going to surprise him tomorrow evening.”
“That’s so sweet.” There was just one question she had about the whole surprise party. “How will you keep that a secret? With your bond and telepathy, won’t he be able to read your thoughts? From what we gather, when soul mates unite they have total access to the inside of their mate’s mind.”
The grin never wavered from Earadessa’s face. Pointing to her temple, she said, “Yes, but I can also block parts of my thoughts from him. It’s not easy so the less I think about it the better the chances of us pulling it off.”
Oh, yes. They had explained to her about older vampires having the ability to block invasions from their minds. “What do you need me to do?” Tanya took great care to keep her voice low as to not draw the attention of Sabastian.
“For now, just keep this information to yourself.” Glancing at the bedroom door, Earadessa paused. “I called the manager of the gym earlier today and asked to change our reservation time. We have the gym early in the morning. We’ll leave before Bas wakes up and hit the gym, then we’ll go shopping for gifts.”
While everyone else went about their day, Earadessa had been hard at work. Being involved in a secret of this magnitude thrilled Tanya. She couldn’t wait to go shopping. After hugging her goodnight, she watched Earadessa enter the master bedroom.
Chapter Fifty
With the news of Sabastian’s surprise birthday celebration, the heaviness lifted from Tanya’s chest. Not quite ready but needing the rest so she could wake early, she headed to her room.
Giggling drifted through the other bedroom door, so Tanya pushed it open to see Regina, Makinzee, and Serienna sitting on the bed playing poker and gossiping. “Hey girls.”
All talk of Enation’s singer ceased as they spotted Tanya. “Hey. Want to join us on the next round?”
“No.” Tanya shifted from foot to foot. She wanted to give these three a reason to wake up early. If they knew it was to hit the gym, then it wouldn’t happen. “I was thinking that it’d be fun to go shopping for jewelry in the morning. Sadly, you all know I suck at stuff like that. How would you three feel about helping this girl out?”
Just the mention of shopping had them bouncing on the bed, spilling cards.
“Okay.” Makinzee scrambled to pick up the cards that had fallen onto the floor. “We can be up and ready by six. Will that work?”
“That sounds perfect. Goodnight.” Tanya shut the door and trekked back across the hall to her room. A dull ache started at the back of her neck. Before her hand touched the doorknob, the ache stretched toward the top of her head and traveled down into her eyes.
Pain pierced her eyes like they were being poked with a sharp object from inside of her skull. Liquid seeped from the corners of her eyes, and she prayed it wasn’t blood.
Walking blindly to the couch, Tanya flopped down. The pounding in her head intensified to the point she thought she’d pass out. In her mind’s eye, she saw a gray cloud swirling around her. The motion was so fast, and the cloud thickened around her.
Seconds passed, and the pounding turned to thumping. As quickly as it had started, the cloud evaporated, and standing a few feet from her were two men she’d never seen before. One of the men looked up, and she automatically knew they were not like her, their irises were black and ringed in red.
Water dripped in the distance, and Tanya took a minute to look around her. The room they stood in was a dungeon of sorts. The door creaked as it opened, and a third man entered, red flames dancing in his eyes. His biceps bulged with his warrior-like muscles.
“Please, don’t kill us,” the first man pleaded. Tears filled his eyes, and his body trembled with fear. He was tall, but his height was nothing compared to the physique of the third. Short, jet-black hair frizzed out, giving him a bedhead kind of look.
“Please. We will never disobey you again. Just give us another chance.” The second man resembled the first with the jet-black hair, but his was cut military style. “Please, Damion. We were foolish, an
d we’re sorry.”
All air left her lungs. Did he just call the third man Damion? As in the son of Lazarith?
The dripping water came faster, seeming to match the mood of Damion. When he spoke, his voice echoed throughout the room. “You two have disgraced me. I’m not a man of second chances.” A growl rumbled low in his throat. “You should know this of me. By warning that idiot about Serinity, you have shown me that you’re not trustworthy.”
Oh, dear goddess, Damion is talking to the two men that had come to warn Sabastian.
“We swear that it will never happen again,” the first man said. Kneeling at Damion’s feet, he bowed before his king. “Your majesty.” He clasped his hands in a pathetic attempt at begging for his life.
“Stand, you buffoon,” Damion barked with the authority of a drill sergeant.
The man stood on shaky legs, and Damion’s hands came up to cup his servant’s face. In an almost romantic gesture, Damion stroked the cowering man’s jaw with his thumbs. A menacing gleam sparkled in Damion’s eye, and his hands moved to the man’s throat.
A purple flame danced in Damion’s eyes, mingling with the red. The muscles in his arms and chest flexed when he twisted the man’s head right off his body. Laughing, he tossed the head behind him like yesterday’s garbage.
Bile rose in Tanya’s throat, burning her esophagus in its wake. This was not what she wanted to witness. Oh goddess, please let this vision end. I can’t do this.
The eyes of the second man grew large with fear. He turned to run, but Damion was faster. Before he could get a foot’s length away, Damion moved and blocked his path. Desperate to preserve his life, he turned to run in the opposite direction.
Not allowing the man to even take a step, Damion grabbed him by the shoulders and spun him around. “How dare you betray me?”
“But master, I…I didn’t want to.” The man’s lips quivered. “I tried to tell my brother how foolish his plan was, but he insisted we warn Sabastian. I promise that I only agreed so I could provide protection for Ricardo. I just—” The rest of his words were cut off by Damion’s hand squeezing his windpipe.
Single handedly, Damion broke the man’s neck and dropped his lifeless body to the floor. Stepping over the body, he turned toward the door. “Take both bodies to the furnace. I don’t want this filth in my home.”
A raspy voice came from the shadows in the doorway. “Right away, sir.”
The dripping water faded as the gray cloud drifted toward Damion, swirling around his body and slowly taking him and the dungeon-like room to oblivion.
Chapter Fifty-One
The vision left a bad taste in Tanya’s mouth, and she bent over the side of the couch to vomit. To her relief, Sabastian had a bucket ready. When all the contents of her stomach had been emptied, she asked, “How long have the two of you been standing there?” She massaged the back of her neck where her muscles were tense, leaving her with a dull headache.
“I came to check on you when I heard you stumbling around in here.” Earadessa picked up a bag of blood from the coffee table, and handed it to her. “When I saw that you were having a vision, I called for Sabastian.”
At the sight of the blood, Tanya’s fangs descended. Greedy for the contents within the plastic bag, she slapped it to her mouth. The plastic made popping sounds as her fangs punctured it. Blood instantly pulled through her fangs, cold from being refrigerated.
Sabastian and Earadessa patiently waited until the bag emptied and she removed it from her teeth. Sitting down on the coffee table, Sabastian leaned forward to peer at Tanya. “What did you see, Tanya? Is there another danger that we need to prepare for?”
“No.” Tanya used her shirtsleeve to wipe the sweat from her face. “There’s not a second danger or whatever.”
“What was it then?” Earadessa sat next to Tanya.
“You know those men that came to warn us about the fight?”
Sabastian and Earadessa nodded their heads.
“I think that those men were just killed, or are going to be killed.”
“You saw Ricardo and Carlos?” Sabastian asked. “Okay, Tanya, you need to tell me everything about that vision.”
The stomach acid in Tanya’s stomach stirred as she told them of the murders. Surely there wasn’t anything left to vomit. After witnessing such a vile crime, she was more than ready to master her powers so she could kick his derriere back to the hole he crawled out of.
Shaking his head, Sabastian let out a long breath. “I was afraid of this. They wouldn’t listen to me when I told them they’d put their lives on the line by showing up here. I tried to get them to repent and come back to the kingdom.”
“Honey, this is not your fault.” Earadessa moved to sit next to Sabastian, placing her arms around him. “They didn’t want to turn from their wicked ways. You can’t blame yourself for their selfish desires.”
Scrubbing his face with his hand, he sighed. “If I would have tried harder…” Seeing him like this, blaming himself for the death of his enemies, touched Tanya. It proved he was a great man.
“No.” Giving his hand a gentle squeeze, Earadessa said, “You cannot help everyone, Bas.”
Rubbing circles on his temples, Sabastian lowered his head. “Their deaths were futile.”
Resting her head against his, Earadessa comforted him. Tanya started to back out of the room when she spoke. “Tanya, we must be very cautious from now on. Damion feels betrayed and will step up his game plan.”
“Okay.”
“You and Dannika must pay close attention to your gifts. If either of you sense anything dangerous, you need to warn Sabastian and me immediately.”
“We will.” Should she wake the others so they could have a meeting and be up to date on current events? “Do you want me to gather everyone?”
“No.” Earadessa waved off her question. “You all need your rest. We can talk about this tomorrow.”
Turning her back to the couple, Tanya headed for the bedroom she shared with Dannika. The doorknob was cool to her heated skin. Cracking the door, she turned back toward the living room.
Earadessa shifted so that she straddled Sabastian on the coffee table. Placing her hands on either side of his face, she slowly leaned forward, pressing her lips to his. At first the action was tender, but then his hands gripped her hips, his fingers kneading her flesh.
Earadessa rocked her hips against his, and the moan that left him stirred a flame inside Tanya. She felt awkward watching them but for whatever reason, she couldn’t pull her eyes away.
Sabastian stood, lifting Earadessa into his arms without breaking their kiss, and carried her to their bedroom, kicking the door closed behind them.
Her own breathing accelerated from witnessing their affection, Tanya shut the door and crawled into her bed. Soft snores were testimony to Dannika’s exhaustion. Looking to her left, she saw her cousin curled up on her side, tucked snuggly under the covers. Peaceful for the first time in days.
“Sweet dreams,” Tanya whispered.
The vision of Ricardo and Carlos still had her stomach in knots. Damion’s vengeful actions scared her and left goosebumps on her skin.
As she lay in the comfort of her bed, an unnatural tug pulled at her from within her body. Unaware of what this could mean, she resisted until the force was too strong. The sensation was foreign to her, so she opened her mouth to cry out for help, but it was too late.
The tugging intensified, and Tanya felt her soul slipping out of her body. Realizing she could not fight against this power, she relaxed and allowed it to pull her away. As she looked down at her body, a gray tunnel formed next to her, and she found herself floating into it and toward a bright light.
The headache from hell had caused an aneurism, and now she was dying, wasn’t she? That was the only explanation for thi
s tunnel and the bright light at the end. Exiting the tunnel and stepping into the light, Tanya noticed a feminine figure within the light. “Welcome, my child.”
The soft-spoken voice registered with Tanya, but she couldn’t place where she’d heard it. It had been recent, that much she knew.
“Child, you know who I am.” Like honey, the voice was sweet and loving.
Then it hit her. She did know this voice. “Goddess?”
“Yes, it is I.” Ratri floated on the air toward her. “You need not be troubled by Damion’s evil doing. This vision was given to you to help you understand what you are facing. As the Head Princess, I expect you to strengthen your circle both physically and spiritually.”
“My circle, what is that?” This whole night-life stuff confused Tanya. A circle? To her a circle was a round object. What the goddess described was beyond her understanding.
“My sweet child, a circle is a group, a clan, or a clique as you might call it. Your circle consists of your sisters and yourself. You must do everything in your power to prepare for Damion. He displays more evil than anyone, human or vampire. He’s truly a spiritual heir of Satan himself.”
“What are you saying? He’s the evilest person to ever walk the face of the earth?”
Ratri nodded. “Yes, I’m afraid so. When he was just a young boy he sold his soul to the devil in order to gain power.”
All air left Tanya’s lungs. He had sold his soul.
“It is up to the five of you and your soul mates to stop him. You ten combined are the only force on this earth that can drive him out of the land. It will be through you that your sisters will find their strength and grow in power. You, my child, are like their sharpening stone, and they are the blades. If you do not stay strong, they will become weak and fail.”
“But I—” Tanya’s words stopped short as the energy around her changed. The light started to fade, and she realized the goddess was leaving her with unanswered questions.
Princesses of the Night (Royal Blood Book 1) Page 18