Bitter Truth

by Heather Hildenbrand

  What did feelings or love even matter, when I was technically already betrothed to a vampire?

  Chapter Six

  Charlie

  I didn’t cry right away.

  After Regan left me in my room, I showered and dressed, all the while completely dry-eyed. My mind felt blank, my thoughts scattered. Shock. I was in shock.

  It hit me hours later. I shot up in bed, wide awake and panicked. The clock read a little after three in the morning. My heart hammered and I blinked, trying to make sense of the images behind my eyelids that had formed into nightmares dark and vivid enough to wake me. Images of blood and still-pumping hearts and gleaming knives. I willed them away and gulped water from the bathroom sink.

  I didn’t sleep again after that.

  I tried redirecting my thoughts, anything to distract me from the realization that I was now a target—the heart on the ceiling had been a clear threat—but all it left were thoughts of Regan. The image of the crowd cheering her victory after the tug of war. How my dad had looked at her from his seat in the stands, proud and unsurprised that she’d won. Owen.

  I hadn’t bothered to search him out after I’d lost. I didn’t want to see his look of disappointment. I couldn’t handle his pity. I had enough of my own to drown in it.

  At seven the next morning, someone knocked on my door. I stayed where I was in my bed, staring up at the ceiling. “Come in,” I said.

  The door opened and Regan walked in. “Pack your bag,” she said.

  I blinked. “What? Have I been kicked out?”

  When she only stared at me for a minute in response, my stomach flip-flopped. I knew it. I knew I had done so terribly at the Test of Strength they weren’t going to bother continuing the competition. I hadn’t just lost the role of alpha; I had lost all my pride, my only shot at having a family, and any chance that I might be the one to end up with Owen.

  Regan’s brow creased. “They haven’t told you yet, have they?”

  My eyes began burning, but I kept my composure. “I guess they thought they didn’t have to. I’ll get my things and be on my way.”

  “Uh, I think you have the wrong idea, Charlie. You’re not getting kicked out. We’re going on a trip.”

  I looked up, too surprised to bother wiping away the tear that tracked down my cheek. “Huh?”

  Regan took a deep breath and something about the set in her shoulders made my nerves hitch. I had a feeling the truth wouldn’t be much more pleasant than what I’d assumed. “The heart is being considered a direct threat against us. We’re getting moved out of the house for now.”

  “Did they find what the heart belonged to?” I asked, although I suspected I already knew.

  Regan shook her head. “They’ll have to analyze it, but I think it was a deer heart, judging by the size. It’s pretty similar to a human’s—similar enough to be scary.”

  “It’s scary either way,” I said with a shudder I couldn’t suppress. When Regan didn’t disagree, I decided to voice my suspicions. “Do you think someone knows about our hunting lesson?” I tried to keep my tone light, but the look Regan gave me was serious business. And I couldn’t shake the memory of that vampire who had been watching us that day.

  “I think it’s possible,” Regan said in a tight voice that invited no more discussion.

  “Where are we going?” I asked instead.

  Regan scowled. “An overnight visit at the Rossi estate.”

  My eyes widened. “Have you ever been there before?

  “No. This will be a first. We’ll get a tour of their estate and be formally introduced to the coven. There’s going to be a fancy dinner, so take one of your dresses,” Regan said. Her nose wrinkled when she said it.

  My stomach was flip-flopping again, but it had nothing to do with a bleeding heart. Unless you counted my own. I was breathless at the thought of going to Owen’s home. I would have to see Owen’s parents again. I would probably meet other family, too. And I would have to do it on their land, on their terms. Without letting anyone see how I felt about him. Or the fact that Regan was closer to having him than I was.

  Regan’s expression softened. “Nobody is going to hurt us in the vampire territory. Carter and some of the other wolves will be coming with us, and they’ll look after you. I’ll look after you. And it would be too suspicious if someone attacked us on the vampires’ home turf anyway. You’ll be safe.”

  I gave a shaky laugh. “Yeah. Safe. Right.”

  Regan sat next to me. “Do you know what this means?”

  “That we’re going to have to impress the future in-laws?” I asked.

  If Regan was amused, she didn’t show it. “This means we could investigate.”

  “Investigate?” I repeated. “You and me?”

  She nodded. “If you’re up for it.”

  “I don’t think the vampires put the heart in my room,” I said carefully.

  I noted Regan’s hesitation, but couldn’t read whatever was shuttered behind her eyes. “I was thinking more of investigating what happened to my mom.”

  “Oh. Right. Of course.” I nodded. “I’m game but what can we do?”

  Regan sighed and ran a hand through her hair, frustrated. “I can’t keep sitting around doing nothing. I thought I could count on Dad or the council to look for my mom’s killers but all they’ve done is make friends with them. It’s heinous. And now this threat against you … I can’t let it go. Not anymore. And I don’t think I should. I’m an alpha.” She met my eyes and smiled. “We both are.”

  I shook my head and gave a sad snort. “Right. You saw me. I—”

  “Did great,” she finished. “Seriously. You should be really proud of how well you did today.”

  My eyes narrowed. I wanted to accept her compliment, really, I did, but ... “Why are you being so nice to me?”

  She stood and fidgeted with her hands. When she spoke, her gaze flitted to different parts of my face, my mouth, my hair, my forehead. Everywhere but my eyes. “I know I’ve been hard on you. This whole situation is ... There’s not really a word for meeting your sister for the first time and then having your excitement dampened by being told you’ll have to fight her for the right to lead a pack you already thought belonged to you and marry the guy you hate most in the world.”

  I snorted. She had a point.

  “Anyway,” she went on, “I think we’ve both seen a side of each other—and ourselves—we don’t like very much. But what happened today, the threat against you, made me realize that after all this is over and the dust settles, you will still be my sister. And I like the idea of that. Of always having someone on my side, like family is supposed to feel like. I don’t want to waste any more time before starting that.”

  I stared up at her, our eyes meeting and holding. She didn’t look like she was breathing. I knew she was waiting for my answer. Afraid I would reject her idea. Reject her.

  I was torn. The contest wasn’t over. There were still miles to go in competing against her. Plenty of reasons to make her my opponent. My enemy. But alpha competition aside, she was right. We were sisters. That meant something deeper than a short-term reason for rivalry. Or at least, I wanted it to.

  On a deep breath I said, “Where do we start?”

  Chapter Seven

  Regan

  The car felt stuffy despite the double backseat and the fact that the windows were all open. Running would have been so much faster, but Sheridan wouldn’t hear of it. We had to arrive “in style” and let the vamps know we could be as civilized as them.

  Civilized vampires. I’d had to close my eyes to keep from rolling them when she’d said that.

  The sleek, black car rolled to a stop and then proceeded across the intersection, up the hill that led to Rossi Manor. I’d never seen it before, but I’d heard stories. Of rooms with bars for doors and dungeons that housed bodies kept alive for the sole purpose of feeding the royal family. The images alone were enough to make my wolf strain against the confines of my ski
n. It wanted to avenge and protect and I had to swallow the urge to let it. Would the treaty be considered broken if my wolf unleashed itself and made me a widow right after the ceremony?

  I shifted in my seat, careful to avoid touching the man next to me. He was a vampire, a guard for the Rossi family. I hadn’t caught his name. It hadn’t mattered. On his other side sat Charlie. Her eyes had been glued to her window since we’d left the house and her shoulders were stiff with tension in the gauzy blouse she’d thrown on at the last minute. I felt for her. Being in a stretch SUV full of vamps had to be nerve-wracking.

  On the seat across from me sat Queen of the vamps herself, Gretchen Rossi. Her personal guard sat beside her, unmoving and unblinking. Prince Owen was on the end, across from Charlie. He, too, stared out the window, as if whatever was out there was infinitely more interesting than anything in here. I’d given up staring at the trees. It made me wish I was out there, running among them, instead of in here, stifled and on edge.

  The road we were on wound up and up. I knew from territory maps and patrols that Rossi Manor sat on a hill far above the town of Paradise directly north of the pack’s side of things. I also knew it was much larger than our settlement. The vampires outnumbered us by almost twice as much. I’d heard stories of a luxury manor and sprawling grounds, but I’d blown it off. I assumed the vamp’s definition of fancy was more coffin-and-cold-tile than plush and cushiony comfort. For once, I hoped the stories were true.

  The driveway was marked with a sign that read: “Private Property. No Trespassing” and blocked by a gate with a keypad. We stopped and waited while the lead car’s driver punched in a set of numbers and the gate eased open. We followed the motorcade slowly up the cobblestone drive and I felt my jaw slacken as I caught my first glimpse of the house.

  Estate. Manor. Castle. Any of those would be more appropriate than simply “house.” The walls were made of sandstone until the second story where it became a contrasting color of slate-blue siding. There were circular columns to support the covered carport we parked underneath. Above us, a balcony the size of the entire downstairs of my house jutted out to greet the world. More like, to oversee it from afar. On each end, a rotunda topped with a widow’s walk completed the regal picture. I stared up until we passed underneath the carport and finally remembered to close my mouth.

  When we parked, a man with white gloves opened the door for us and offered his hand as I climbed out. He smiled and offered a slight bow before reaching in for Gretchen Rossi behind me. I shuffled sideways and shook my head. They had a butler. An actual butler.

  I waited while everyone gathered with no small amount of trepidation. The Rossi family had really pulled out all the stops for us. To the right and left, their front walk twinkled with fairy lights strewn in among the potted trees. Their glow was soft and surprisingly inviting in the gathering dusk. Music from a live, three-piece orchestra drifted through the air, and some of the younger vampires were lined up outside to greet us. They looked no older than teenagers and they waved and smiled, cameras flashing. We were, apparently, celebrities.

  Blaine Rossi exited the car behind us along with my dad and Sheridan. Mr. Rossi joined his wife and they greeted the on-lookers with a slight incline of their heads, as if they were too good to really acknowledge their presence, before they headed up the walk. In the car ahead of us, Carter climbed out beside his dad and then turned to help Sylvia.

  Al, Judas, and the rest had stayed behind to hold down the fort and to see what else they could uncover about the heart. I’d invited Lane and Bevin but Lane had thrown a fit at the idea of crossing the threshold of her enemy. She’d gotten so worked up, Sheridan had heard her and snapped something about public relations and holding her tongue. Bevin promised to stay behind and keep an eye on Lane instead.

  Shuffling closer, Charlie looked so nervous that she might faint. I stuck close to her back so I could catch her if that happened, although I prayed she would hold it together. We couldn’t afford to show weakness. The vampires were watching, especially that vampire prince, even though he stood in the shadow of his parents and well out of reach. Owen wasn’t even looking directly at Charlie but I sensed his energy trained on her somehow. It was like he was waiting for her to fall so he could eat her.

  “Welcome to our home,” Blaine Rossi said, sweeping his arms wide to encompass the entire manor, gardens, and their coven.

  Uniformed valets removed the cars, and some small, primal part of me wanted to yell for them to stop. I was hardly stranded, even without vehicles; I could run as fast as most cars, and would be far more agile on foot. But I was in the midst of enemy territory. Everything smelled cold and serpentine. There were vampires everywhere. I scanned the faces, but didn’t see the one who’d visited my room. And the longer I looked, the tenser my wolf grew. I kept my expression composed, but it wasn’t easy.

  In the front of our gathering, Blaine Rossi said something and the crowd of greeters dispersed. Cameras were tucked away. With a single word, the show was over.

  “Gretchen will give you a tour of the grounds,” Blaine announced with a quick look at me and Charlie. “Your council members and I must discuss the plans for tomorrow’s test.” He zeroed in on Sheridan. “Shall we?”

  “Of course,” Sheridan said on a sharp smile.

  Blaine nodded to us with that same holier-than-thou look he had given to his vampires. I forced a polite smile. I could see Carter trying not to laugh at me out of the corner of my eye. I elbowed him, and he smoothed his face. The corner of his mouth still twitched.

  My dad, Blaine, and Sheridan went inside the house, and Gretchen took the path on the right that apparently wound around into the gardens. I followed slowly, content to keep a healthy distance between me and anything without a pulse.

  I was surprised to see Prince Owen fall into step beside his mother. I would have figured him for bolting as soon as he was able. They moved gracefully, like they didn’t walk so much as float—or slither. I stared at a spot in the center of the prince’s back and imagined how satisfying it would be to plunge a stake between his ribs.

  “Wow,” Carter said, drawing my attention back to reality and away from my bloody fantasies. I found him and Charlie on either side of me, and both of them were staring in awe as we rounded the house and the yard came into view.

  “It’s beautiful,” Charlie admitted. And I couldn’t disagree.

  The vampires seemed to have a thing for non-native plant life. Palm and papaya trees shot up in groves interspersed between brightly colored flowers with wide stalks and fan-shaped leaves. Directly ahead, a shallow pond surrounded by dense, leafy ferns that looked more like a jungle than a forest stretched before us. The perfume of plump orange blossoms wafted through the humid air. Tiny lights glimmered among the plants and threw everything beyond the water into soft shadows. If I didn’t know this place was infested with vamps, I’d be enchanted by it all.

  The only downside was the bugs. Mosquitoes buzzed around us in thick clouds. I swatted a couple off my arm but not before one of them took a bite. I shot a glance at Gretchen and Owen but the vampires didn’t look bothered. Guess mosquitos didn’t like to eat the undead.

  When they reached the pond, they stopped and waited for us to catch up.

  “This is my husband’s garden,” Gretchen explained, casting her eyes over the exotic flowers with a tilt to her mouth, a constant frown I’d come to recognize as her hallmark. “He favors the exotic, as you can see. This way.”

  She led us past the jungle pond to a small labyrinth made out of paving stones and a low wall that looked like white granite in the twilight. “And this is mine,” she went on with no small amount of pride. White roses grew up and around the low stone. It made me think of something from Alice in Wonderland.

  “It’s lovely,” Charlie said, admiration clear in her voice.

  A hint of a smile touched Gretchen’s frigid face before vanishing as quickly as it had come. “Thank you. Now, proceeding past the gues
t houses...”

  She led us past a few little cottages. I glimpsed people in the windows, and I realized with a jolt of surprise that they were human. They sat on couches, watched TV, and generally looked like normal people. Except that they were living in the vampires’ backyard.

  Charlie hesitated, staring into the window of the guest house we were passing.

  I couldn’t blame her for gaping. Sure, the front rooms looked nice, but I could just imagine what it would be like farther back—did vampires keep their victims in cages? I wanted to know, but I couldn’t guarantee my reaction to the truth would be peaceable.

  “How do vampires eat?” Charlie whispered.

  “They drink human blood,” I said, not bothering to lower my voice.

  Prince Owen gave me a sharp look, hanging back as Carter and Gretchen drifted onward. “As part of our pact, we don’t harm humans. We can sip blood from them without causing permanent damage. In fact, our saliva has healing properties for humans, and we can instantly heal the bite wound when we finish drinking.”

  I couldn’t resist. “You can, but that doesn’t mean you do.”

  His voice took on a hard edge. “Having a permanent settlement here means a lot to us. We don’t want to jeopardize our home, but we won’t starve for it either.”

  “So you drink from them and then heal them again,” Charlie said, looking at Owen with open curiosity. After the hard time she’d had with the deer, it surprised me she sounded so accepting of his diet. “And they don’t mind it?”

  Owen shrugged. “The bite of a vampire can be very … stimulating,” he said with a wink.

  Charlie flushed.

  Taunting my sister? Seriously? I glared. “We better catch up with the others,” I interrupted before he could say anything else.

  The rest of the tour was the same. Beautiful gardens. Grand living quarters. No expense spared inside and out. I felt as if we’d stepped into another dimension. One where money grew on trees and over-indulging meant the height of social status. As we rounded the house, back again where we started, I saw the crowd of vamps from earlier had returned. They stood in a group near the front door, waiting to scream at us and snap more pictures. Charlie hung back at the sight of them and bit her lip.