by H. M. Ward
The vampire bit her lip, drawing black blood as Cole twisted the knife. A scream caught in her throat. Her entire body was tense, ready to fight, but she was too weak. Cole held the knife in place, allowing her blood to drain. The suit she wore soaked up the blood before it ever hit the floor. No one could see what he was doing. No one would know that this human was so strong, that he killed the Captain with an embrace and a well-placed knife.
A gurgling sound came from her throat when she tried to speak, but Cole didn’t care. An inky trail of blood ran from the corner of her lips. “Tell me,” he hissed, knowing he only had seconds remaining before the vamp died.
“The south wall, under the palace, i-gardunm—” her final words were garbled. Cole didn’t understand her. Pulling her limp body closer, he moved the dead vampire to his back, holding her arms around his neck like he was in a head lock. Her freakishly unblinking eyes would go unnoticed, at least he hoped so.
Cole turned away from the front door, stumbling like he was being shoved and snapped over his shoulder, “I’m going, I’m going! You don’t have to be so mean about it.” His voice was loud enough that a few of the guards that remained the foyer didn’t bother coming over. It looked like their Captain was taking care of a pain-in-the-ass human.
Vampires were fools. Their arrogance made them blind. When Cole rounded the corner, he kicked open the first closet he found, and shoved the Captain inside. After searching her, Cole took her keys along with a vial of blood. Cole smashed the vial on the ground, ruining its contents so that no one would gain strength from his kind.
The corner of Cole’s lip twitched before pulling into a twisted smile. “This is going to be just like Deliverance Day. Maybe even better.”
CHAPTER 25
Cassie didn’t want to go through with the Pairing, and as the hour grew nearer, she felt worse. Looking over her shoulder, she expected Cole to show up again, but he didn’t. Cassie sat in front of a mirror, letting Brianna help her tame her curls. The girl pulled her hair until Cassie’s scalp ached, but she didn’t care. A sickening feeling crept from her stomach and up her throat—she told Cole to go on without her. After all this time, there would be no one left to protect her here. She was on her own from now on.
Part of Cassie didn’t think Cole would leave without her, but the other part knew that he needed to. She would just slow him down, and while Cassie didn’t want to be dead-weight, she knew she was. There was nothing she lent to aiding in his escape. There was no way to help Cole. She’d just get him caught.
Brianna gently tapped the top of her head with a comb, “Hello? I’m talking to you. Anyone home?”
Cassie blinked and came back to the present. “Oh, sorry, Brianna. I zoned out for a second.” Cassie smiled at her in the mirror. “What were you saying?”
Brianna laughed, instantly assuming the wrong reason for Cassie’s distraction, “You can’t stop thinking about him, can you?” Cassie didn’t reply. It was easier to let Brianna think what she wanted. “I was asking you if there was another guy that you’d rather be Paired with.”
Cassie’s big brown eyes looked up at Brianna’s in the mirror, “No, not really. I’ve never really thought about it before.” That wasn’t totally true, but she barely spoke to this girl. In truth, Kahli was the only girl in palace that she’d felt like she could talk to. With everyone else, it was a matter of being friendly, but she didn’t share her concerns or dreams, not that she had dreams anymore.
Cassie was at the end of her life, of that she was certain. If Kahli hadn’t saved her from the Purging, something else would have ended her insignificant life—maybe a scrape or a bruise—or the birth of her child. It killed Cassie to think about bringing a baby into this world, especially because she wouldn’t be there to protect and raise that child. It was like they were livestock and nothing more. That’s what humanity aspired to, and they seemed content.
When Cassie was a child, before that bloody Deliverance Day that ended with her and Cole living in the palace, everyone hoped to live in the palace. It was the place where humans were the safest. There was no fear of the elements, no worries about clothing or food. There was always a soft bed and plenty of blankets. And they limited how often a person could be used for feeding. It sounded like utopia back then, but now it was different. Cassie felt no different living here than she did at the old farm. In the end, she was still just a body to be used how the vampires pleased. Cassie was born into slavery and she would die that way.
As she thought of these things, Brianna prattled on, “The guy with the brown hair and the dark eyes, what’s his name?”
“They all have brown hair and dark eyes,” Cassie replied, trying not to sound snide, but she really wanted to laugh. Kahli would have laughed. “You’ll have to be more specific.”
Brianna tapped the comb to her lip and had a far-away look in her eye. “He’s named after a poet—Browning?”
“Chaucer,” Cassie replied, knowing exactly who Brianna was talking about. They lived in the palace together for years, but the guys were kept at a distance. The only time they really spoke was at special events and the Purging. Chaucer had made an impression on Cassie. He’d been on her team once. The guy was a poet, if there were such occupations anymore. Cassie felt warmth spread through her heart as she thought about it. Chaucer was kind, but he wasn’t a push-over, either. He was like Cole in some ways—he looked out for the weaker people in his group—but he wore his heart on his sleeve. Cole hid everything, letting his pain fester inside.
“Yeah! Him,” Brianna gushed. “Oh my God. His lips are so smooth. And the way his hair curls slightly,” Brianna kissed her fingers. It was something she got from old spaghetti ads. A curvy woman pressed her fingers to her lips and kissed them. Brianna thought it was cute and had been doing it for a while. “Al dente!”
“Do you even know what that means?” Cassie asked, grinning.
Brianna threw out a narrow hip and said, “Does it matter? I look awesome doing it. It makes all the guys drool, and al dente just sounds awesome. I’d like to be al dente.”
“You are al dente. We’re all al dente.” Cassie smirked at her.
“Well,” Brianna asked, sounding a little terse, more than she should have, “what does it mean, if you even know?”
“It means were done. Finished. Ready to be eaten.” Cassie stared blankly in the mirror as she said it. All the fun was sucked out of the air instantly.
Brianna seemed annoyed, “You’re such a downer, Cassie. Pull it together, all ready.”
“I am together,” Cassie snapped, and tugged her hair away from Brianna. “Just because I think quoting Spaghetti-O ads is silly, doesn’t mean—”
Brianna cut her off, “It was a famous French chef. And whatever. Do your own hair. Wallow over here by yourself, for all I care. I was just trying to be nice, but it doesn’t really matter what you do, Brent will want you anyway, because you’re his only choice.” Her words became sharper as Brianna spoke, but the smile remained on her lips. If you watched the conversation through the window, it looked like they were friends, but they weren’t. Brianna tossed the comb in front of the mirror and walked away.
Cassie didn’t like her anyway, but isolating herself from the other girls was stupid. She’d done it once before and things didn’t end well. Cassie ran a brush through her hair. It was wavy now, and not hanging in tight ringlets. Brianna had put make-up on her face, too. Cassie’s brown eyes were surrounded by black dust, her lashes dark as night. As she stared at her reflection, Cassie didn’t feel like herself.
“Good,” she mumbled to no one. “If I felt like myself, I couldn’t possibly go through with this.”
Cassie pulled the sheer lace dress over her head and smoothed it out. This was different than last time. This time she knew what she was walking into. Last time, she had no idea. The King wanted her, that was what Cassie had been told. She practically bounced down the hallway that night, heading directly toward the King’s rooms thinking sh
e’d been called for blood and that her blood was finally worth something. What awaited her that night was very different. She cringed thinking about it, thinking about being used like that, but here she was doing it again. Last time, Cassie had no choice, but this time was different.
There was a knock on her door. Cassie glanced at the three empty beds, before saying, “Come in.”
It was Miriam, “Just checking to make sure you’re ready, Cassie.” Miriam entered the room and stood in front of Cassie, looking her over. “Stand up, girl. Spin. I haven’t got all night.”
Cassie did as she was told. The corners of her mouth felt like they were weighed down with lead weights. “Do I look all right?” Cassie asked because she didn’t know what else to say.
“The gown is a little big through the hips. Come here and I’ll fix it.” Miriam pulled the sewing kit from under her arm and opened the box. Inside was a rainbow of spools of thread, different sized scissors, zippers, fashion tape, and anything you could possibly need to mend a garment. Miriam selected a black spool, threaded the needle with the precision of a master seamstress, and got to work. She used a combination of stitches and dressing tape to make the gown fit right. “It probably doesn’t matter how much I fix this. That boy’ll just rip it off of you anyway and another gown will go in the trash.” Miriam held the black lace in her hands, looking down at it with remorse.
Cassie put her hand on Miriam’s shoulder, “I’ll make sure the dress doesn’t get ruined. It’s your finest, by far.”
Her kind words made Miriam look down at the hem of the dress longer than usual. The woman didn’t take compliments well. Cassie was smiling as she reached into the box and fished something out of the sewing kit. Cassie slipped it behind her back, her heart pounded wildly as she did it. Cassie wasn’t cunning. She didn’t lie, cheat, or steal—but a plan formed when that box opened. The sparkling scissors caught Cassie’s eye like a glittering bar of gold and she couldn’t look away. Before she realized what she was doing, she gave Miriam compliments that were designed to pull her heartstrings, and Cassie’s fingers wrapped around the item she wanted, lifting it out of the box without Miriam noticing.
Miriam stood, and squeezed Cassie’s cheek like she was a little girl. “You’re too good to be in a place like this.”
Grinning shyly, Cassie said, “No, I don’t think so. After all, I’m here for the same reason you are,” Cassie replied, hoping that Miriam was too distracted to notice that she took something.
Miriam looked up at her, confused. “And what’s that?”
“They have really good food.”
Miriam laughed. Shaking her head, she said, “You’re a rare breed.” Gathering the sewing box, Miriam tossed her things back inside and hurried out the door to the next girl.
Normally, Miriam would have been assigned one girl per night during the Pairing, but with the way they changed things, she was a distracted, frantic mess. Nothing was perfect and Miriam had been fretting since she found out about the changes that morning.
Cassie watched her disappear through the door, and then looked down at her scantily clad body and wondered where to hide the stolen scissors.
CHAPTER 26
Will sat between Kahli and Reggie, his eyes darting between them as they spoke. “Don’t go this way,” Kahli hissed at Reggie, practically crawling over Will to make a grab for the steering wheel.
Reggie swatted at her hands. When they hit a patch of ice, the back of the truck slid and hit a bump, knocking Kahli back into her seat. Reggie fumed, “I’ll go the way I please, you deranged lunatic!” Glancing at William, he added, “Please restrain that beast or I’ll stop the truck and throw her in the box in the back!”
Will ignored Reggie, but yanked Kahli down when she tried to reach past him again. “I’d like to get there without a tree in my head, Kahli.”
She huffed and sat down, “He’s taking us to the front of the palace! They’ll shoot us and ask questions later.”
“Shows what you know,” Reggie hissed at her, glancing briefly before narrowing his gaze on the road again. “Which is nothing, by the way. The Queen has scouts on this road. She’ll know we’re coming long before we get there. And with the insane way Sophia was acting yesterday, she’ll wait to kill me until she sees why I came back. Then I offer up the two of you, and I’m her favorite sibling again.”
“You’re her only sibling,” Kahli muttered, folding her arms over her chest and slumping back into the seat. Her gaze cut to Will. He wasn’t acting like himself, but then neither was she. Somehow, they had to get out of the truck.
Reggie grunted, but Will cut him off before he could say anything else, and asked, “What’s the plan after you get inside? Are you just going to walk straight up to her and stab her?” His dark brow creased as he looked over at the vampire.
Reggie shrugged, “Sounds good to me.”
“No it doesn’t,” Will sighed loudly and shook his head. “If she’s expecting an attack, she’ll be ready.”
Reggie lifted a tapered finger from the steering wheel, and formally announced, “Ah, yes, but I’ve had more of that creature’s blood. I should be stronger, by far.”
“Should be,” Will said firmly. “I wouldn’t base my life on a guess.”
“It’s not a guess. Kahli told me how many times she was called for tastings, and I know my hideous sister couldn’t manage to swallow more than a drop at a time. I did the math, William. I know that I’ve had more than her.” Reggie spoke with the regal authority of an aristocrat.
“So, you’re willing to bet your life on that?” Will asked.
“It’s not a bet. It’s a fact.”
“Then let me ask you this—did you ever stop to think why you managed to swallow Kahli’s blood, but the Queen, the strongest vampire in the world, couldn’t?” Will’s question jolted Reggie. His foot lifted from the accelerator as a dazed expression came across his face. The truck began to drift off the road. The pitch of the shoulders on the road were so slanted from snow and ice that hitting it would be like hitting a wall.
“Steer!” Kahli screamed and reached for the steering wheel again, throwing her body across Will’s to grab at it.
Reggie snapped to life, and jerked the truck back before it hit. Will wrapped his fingers around Kahli’s waist and set her back in her seat. She frowned at him. “So, it’s okay if he crashes us?”
“No. I prefer to get there in one piece. It’s been a while since I was able to go anywhere without getting covered in blood.” Will smirked as he said it. Kahli’s eyes slide over Will’s face. She was having difficulty getting a read on him. His emotions were jumbled like a ball of yarn. There was no clear feeling, just a tangled mess.
Reggie added, “There’s a simple, red-headed reason for that.”
Kahli scowled, and looked at the door as she pressed her lips tightly together. Her gaze lowered to the door latch, and lingered there. It was long enough for Will to realize that she was thinking about jumping. Will took her hand in his before Kahli reached for it. “Please don’t jump out the door. Then I’d have to jump out after you and I’m really not up to it right now.” He smirked, rubbing her hand in his, not hiding his feelings toward Kahli from Reggie. When questioned later, Reggie would find out anyway…if there was a later. At the rate Reggie was going, he’d be lucky if they got the Queen’s palace alive. As it was Reggie was driving like a madman. The truck was bouncing along the icy road with the back fishtailing, as they turned onto another blindingly bright road. The way the sun shone down at this time of day made it difficult to see. The ice reflected the light back up into their faces, illuminating everything like they were standing under a massive search light.
Kahli smiled at Will sheepishly. It was the most girlish look Will had ever seen on her face. Will wanted to reach out, press his hand to her cheeks, and kiss her. It was perfect, until Reggie muttered, “So, you can tame the beast? I knew you were good for something.”
Before Kahli could say anything,
Will turned to Reggie. Cutting Kahli off, he said, “The Queen might be more powerful than you think.”
Reggie’s voice changed from certain to irritated, “Just let me handle my sister. I know things you don’t, all right?”
“Such as?” Will promoted, not thinking that Reggie would answer him. The vampire was strange. He never acted predictably. Reggie probably thought it was too mundane to behave in a normal fashion.
Reggie tightened his grip on the steering wheel, making his knuckles crack. Finally, he growled, “All those fights you saw over the years, well, guess what? They were staged. STAGED, as in fake. As in not real.” Reggie glanced at Will, but Will didn’t speak. He knew Reggie was holding back for some reason. Now he knew why. Reggie rolled his eyes, his gaze narrowing as he looked out the windshield. “Sophia’s insane, in case you haven’t noticed. She’s weaker than I am. I let her win.”