Bitter Truth

by Heather Hildenbrand

  Her words made my eyes water.

  “You’re right,” Carter said, stepping in when I didn’t answer. “We’re placing a lot of trust in you both.” He flashed a pointed look at Owen. “And we’re asking for that same trust. We won’t say anything about what we’ve seen here tonight if you’ll agree to help us.”

  “You want us to coordinate our investigation,” Owen said.

  It wasn’t a question, but Carter nodded. “What happened to Regan’s mom and what’s happening now with the threat against Charlie are related. We need to find the connection.”

  “I agree.” He flicked a look at Charlie and then back at Carter. “I overheard my father talking to Mr. Vuk earlier. They’re going to hold the second round of the contest tomorrow—here. They think it’s safer. Now that we know differently, we need to be on our guard.”

  “Tomorrow?” Charlie echoed. I tensed and she and I shared a worried look. “But when were they going to tell us?”

  “When it came time to appear,” I said grimly, realizing this is how they wanted it. “We don’t get the luxury of preparation. Not for this one.”

  Charlie stared at me and then nodded slowly. “I read about this in that book you gave me. They’re going to test our knowledge,” she said and her shoulders sagged as if in relief. Although I didn’t know why. The element of surprise, no time to study—not that I knew where to begin—didn’t make me feel good.

  “This is good. You girls will be made to stand in front of everyone,” Carter said. “No one’s going to mess with you in plain sight like that. Too risky. Owen and I will keep watch. Take note of who attends, who doesn’t. Who looks overly pissed about the whole thing.”

  Owen nodded, eyes glittering. “I’ll speak to Valentino tonight. Have him nearby as well. We’ll find them.” His voice left no doubt what he’d do when we did. For once, we were on the same page.

  I nodded. “Good. We’ll talk again tomorrow.” I stepped forward until I was only inches from the pale-faced monster my sister had inexplicably fallen for. I ignored how much that fact made me think of my mom and Valentino. “If you do anything to backstab us on this, to hurt my sister, I’ll kill you,” I told him.

  Charlie gasped, but Owen was unmoved. “If Charlie comes to harm, I won’t stop you,” he said.

  I was prepared for him to snap back with a threat of his own. Not to agree with me. His martyr attitude took the fight out of me. Suddenly, I was exhausted. To hide it, I turned on my heel and stomped away.

  “Good night,” Charlie said in a small voice. I didn’t reply.

  Carter grunted a response and followed me to the door, close on my heels. I had a feeling he was waiting for me to try and fake him out, double back, go off. But I didn’t. I was done. With all of it. Valentino. My mom’s killer. Vamps. Charlie and Owen. At least for tonight I was going to pretend it didn’t exist. That I wasn’t about to lie down in a bed that reeked of the creatures I hated most, in a room decorated by the mother of the boy who was trying to steal my sister.

  I was going to pretend I was home, resting up for the ceremony that would make me alpha to a pack that already belonged to me in ways that couldn’t be described on paper instead of a contest in which I’d be forced to do to Charlie exactly what she’d accused me of tonight: putting her down in front of the pack.

  And when this was over, and I was alpha, my first order of pack business would be to kill my husband, Owen Rossi, treaty be damned. I just prayed Charlie would forgive me for it.

  Chapter Ten

  Charlie

  As soon as the door closed behind Regan, all my courage drained away, leaving me a shaking mess. My legs wouldn’t support my weight anymore. I sank to the edge of the bed, covering my face with my hands.

  “Nicely done,” Owen said.

  My eyes burned. “Shut up.”

  “I mean it.” His voice softened and I realized he was trying to compliment me. “Your sister can be intimidating. You didn’t back down.”

  I dropped my hands from my face and Owen came forward, slowing as he noticed my tears. He reached out and wiped them away with his thumbs. I leaned into the circle of his arms. “You are radiant when your passion is lit,” he murmured, smoothing a hand down my back. “You truly are a woman befitting the position of alpha.”

  I snorted and pulled back, angry at that, although I didn’t know why. “Why? Because I hurt my sister?”

  “Because you have fire.” A smile played around his lips. “If you can stand up to her, you can stand up to anyone—the stuffy werewolf elders, and perhaps even the most ancient vampires in my family. Maybe even my mother,” he added and I shuddered.

  “No, thanks. I’d rather fight Regan,” I mumbled.

  “You may get your chance,” he said and my stomach tightened.

  “Tomorrow—” I began, but Owen cut me off.

  “You’ll focus on the test. Don’t worry about me or about anyone else. Just stay focused on your task.”

  “Do you think they’ll make us fight?” I asked.

  “No. The Test of Knowledge is about information.”

  “Like a pop quiz,” I said, brows raised. It sounded too easy. Unless, of course, someone tried to kill me during it.

  “Exactly. You focus on that and I’ll do the rest. Stop worrying,” he said, reaching out and smoothing the lines above my brow with his finger.

  I smiled ruefully. “I’ll try but what Regan said about her mom and the way she died … It’s pretty obvious someone on our side had to orchestrate all that—”

  “Charlie.” Owen’s finger smoothed the lines again and he smiled. “You’re doing it again. Stop worrying.”

  “I can’t help it. It’s not like I can think of anything else right now,” I said.

  He tilted his head to study me, smile fading. “Did you know that vampires mate for eternity?”

  The change in subject surprised me—and distracted me, like I knew he’d intended. I shook my head. “Do you mean, like … forever-eternity or is that figurative? Because, I’m going to live a long time but not—”

  “Yes. Our marriages are unlike those of humans, or your wolf pack. What we do to bind ourselves—our beliefs and rituals—have been carried through generations of vampires.” He trailed a hand down my shoulder. I leaned my head on his chest and gazed at the line of his jaw from below. “Vampires are immortal, and so are our relationships.”

  “Even if you outlive your mate?” I asked, feeling funny on the last word. I couldn’t wrap my mind around eternity with one person. Having been raised by a single mom, there had had been a parade of potential father figures through the years. She’d never stuck with any of them longer than a few months in order to keep our secret. What would it be like to have someone you could share everything with? Someone you could keep?

  Owen gazed out the window. He looked distant, like his mind was with his ancestors in centuries past. “Our marriage ritual binds the souls together. We call upon the ties of blood, the power of the heart, the integrity of the mind…” He turned that intense gaze on me. “To marry, we must truly give our entire selves to our mates.”

  “It sounds…” I hesitated. Scary? Wonderful? Both? “I can’t imagine it.”

  He smiled. “You will.”

  Owen leaned down to kiss me. Standing together in the moonlight almost warmed his cool body to the temperature of a normal human.

  “Tell me more,” I said.

  He brushed a lock of hair behind my ear. “A vampire marriage involves a small exchange of blood. Nothing more than a light nip, of course.” His finger trailed along my throat, and I shivered. “The blood tie binds the heart. And then we share an oath to bind our minds.”

  “What’s the oath like?”

  He looked deep into my eyes. “I, Owen Rossi, solemnly swear to guard and uphold you. To protect your heart, your body, your soul. To dedicate myself to your comfort and joy. With your blood as my blood, we will be one for all of time to come.”

  Something l
ike static shot through me and I jolted. It was the sort of twitch you feel when your body involuntarily reacts to some nerve just before you fall asleep and your whole body jumps. Owen’s arms came up and gripped my shoulders. His body shuddered as well.

  A pit of warmth had formed in my stomach at his touch. It was spreading now; Owen’s touch no long felt cold against me. Owen and I stared at each other. I wondered if he’d felt it, too.

  “That was beautiful,” I whispered.

  “And it will be real very soon,” he said.

  It was probably meant to comfort me, but my hands started shaking again at the reminder of our uncertain future. “What if Regan tells someone? What if we’ve ruined the treaty? What if—”

  “Your sister will keep her word,” he said.

  “How do you know?”

  “Because she is your sister, and despite what you may think, that means something to her.”

  I opened my mouth to argue, but he pressed his finger to my lip and silenced me with a look. I sighed, torn between believing his assurances and accepting the reality of Regan’s anger at what I’d done. Evidently satisfied at my silence, he dropped his hand, letting it graze my chin as it fell.

  “It will work out. We’ll get through it.” He wrapped his arms around me and rested his chin on top of my head. It wasn’t the passionate embrace that we had shared earlier, but it was exactly what I needed. “Together.”

  ~~~

  Breakfast the next morning passed in a blur. I was terrified someone was going to say something about Owen and me—or maybe try to feed me a bloody heart along with my oatmeal. But nothing happened. I sipped coffee and tried to look like I didn’t know what was coming.

  When Dad made the announcement of the Test of Knowledge, Regan and I were tense and hopefully surprised-looking. It was strange to be so aligned with her for once.

  “Shall we?” The sound of Owen’s voice made me jump and I found him standing expectantly beside my chair, his hand held out for mine.

  Everyone else around me had already risen and begun to exit. I shoved back from my chair and dropped my napkin onto my still mostly full plate.

  “Coming,” I said, following him from the table and out the door.

  The gardens had been roped off with stakes and twine. The path to the lower level was clearly marked. The rest were dead ends, blockaded or otherwise protected from curious hands. Mrs. Rossi stood on the deck, a glass of something dark in her hands, glowering at the crowd as they passed her on the way. Her expression lightened as she caught sight of Owen. Then her eyes flicked to me and suspicion clouded her features.

  “Your mother seems … pleasant,” I said and Owen laughed. A few people glanced our way, but he ignored them. He raised his arm to wave at her. She raised her hand and let it fall stiffly to her side again.

  “She’s not a fan of change,” he said. “Or houseguests.”

  “You seem close,” I said, finally giving voice to my own curiosity. Owen just laughed. “Close as any vampire mother and son can be, I guess.” At my frown, he went on. “Mother wasn’t thrilled when she found out Dad had made the treaty. Or to hear I wasn’t against the idea of getting closer with the werewolves.”

  “She doesn’t want peace?” I asked.

  “She’s afraid to want it, I think,” he said, slowing his steps as if lost in thought. He lowered his voice as we walked. “She was devastated when we were turned—destined to be frozen in time for eternity. She wants grandkids. A future. To move forward. But we don’t age and even so, progress has always resulted in betrayal and loss over the years. She’s skeptical, maybe to the point of bitter.”

  “I’m sorry, that sounds … disappointing,” I murmured, distracted.

  Owen caught my gaze and my cheeks flamed.

  “You’re still stuck on the grandkids comment, aren’t you?” he asked and I could hear the teasing in his words. I swatted at him, refusing to give him the satisfaction of voicing my question aloud. Owen laughed and danced away.

  A vampire I didn’t recognize sped to match our pace. He had greasy hair and a pointed chin and he didn’t look happy at mine and Owen’s familiar behavior. “I see you’ve already chosen a favorite, Prince Owen.”

  “Reddek,” Owen said coolly, “I see you haven’t lost your knack for offending upon first impression.”

  The vampire’s mouth tightened and he fell back, a nasty curl to his mouth.

  “Who was that guy?” I whispered when we’d put some distance between us.

  “Vance Reddek. A member of my father’s council and an ass.”

  “He’s on the council and you spoke to him that way?”

  Owen lifted an eyebrow at me. “He spoke out of turn in front of a lady. I’m the prince. Why shouldn’t I remind him of his place?” He made it sound so simple. Having ultimate power over a kingdom must be nice—and kind of scary.

  “It doesn’t work that way for us,” I said ruefully and thought of Brent. I wouldn’t mind telling him a thing or two but I knew without even trying it that Dad would not be happy.

  “What way is that?”

  “Saying whatever we want. I could never talk like that to a council member. Sheridan would have my head. It’s all about respect and political correctness.”

  “And if that person disrespects you first? What then?”

  I shrugged, because I wasn’t sure. From what little I’d seen, those at the top could do what they wanted, but everyone else? What sort of respect did they get, really? “I guess they let it go.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with demanding to be heard,” he said. A smile played over his lips. “You’ll learn that once we’re ruling together.” His whisper was heated. He made it sound like a promise of so many wonderful things. But all I could think about was the danger we had to get through first.

  I wanted to bury my face in his shoulder, inhale his musky scent. But I made myself keep walking.

  We followed the trickle of people through an orchard of what looked like various fruit trees before emerging on the other side into what Mr. Rossi had called the lower gardens. The plants here were more like hedges, low-lying and trimmed to border pathways and fountains. Green on green dappled with tiny, white flowers as far as I could see. A purple tent stretched across the grass, with rows and rows of white chairs set up facing the center. A wooden podium had been erected on a low stage in the center.

  Sheridan, Mr. Rossi, and my dad were there, standing just below the stage in a three-way huddle. My dad shook his head at something Sheridan said, his mouth pulled into a tight line.

  “Dad?” I called as we neared. Anxiety pinged in my rib cage and I realized it was the first time I’d addressed him that way in public. But he rarely ever looked worried and it had me rattled.

  The conversation halted and the three of them looked over at Owen and me, clearly not wanting us to hear whatever they’d been discussing.

  Sheridan gave my dad a pointed look and then broke away from the huddle to put a manicured hand on my back and lead me to the other side of the dais. “Charlie, dear, we were just finalizing the order of events. I can’t allow you to hear it and gain any sort of advantage over your sister. If you’d be so kind as to wait here until we call for you.” She gestured to a chair at the end of the front row and pushed on my shoulder with sharp nails until I sank down.

  “Owen.” She snapped her finger as she called him. I watched his brow raise, but he didn’t argue at being snapped at. I, however, wanted to poke her eyes out with her own nails. “Would you please sit with Charlotte? Keep her company until the test begins?” She didn’t wait for him to answer. “You’re such a gracious host. Thank you.”

  Owen sat next to me, leaving an open chair between us. I frowned at the space it left but didn’t protest. More people were arriving and taking their seats. It wouldn’t be good for them to see Owen and I cuddled up together.

  “Owen, I—”

  “Shh. It’s going to be fine. We’ll talk later,” he said. I knew he
didn’t want me saying too much in front of listening ears.

  Regan arrived with Carter and took a seat at the opposite end of our row. Sheridan and Mr. Rossi finally ended their huddle with Dad as Mrs. Rossi arrived. Dad wandered over to us while Sheridan greeted some of the other guests.

  “Owen,” Dad said, nodding stiffly.

  “Mr. Vuk.” Owen rose and stepped aside, gesturing for my dad to take his chair. “Miss Vuk, a pleasure, as always.” He nodded at me and then walked away, taking the open seat beside his mother.

  I forced myself to focus on my dad instead of where Owen had gone or the hordes of people now assembled to watch the test.

  “How are you feeling, Charlie?” Dad asked. I found him watching me, his mouth tipped into a severe frown. His eyes were shadowed with dark circles like he hadn’t slept. How much did he know about his late wife’s secrets? Did he know about Valentino? Or that someone from his own pack had arranged his wife’s murder?

  “Um, okay,” I said. My mouth felt dry.

  “Listen, I know things have been tough for you lately. The pack hasn’t made it easy or welcoming, but I want you to know…” His gaze shifted to Sheridan and then back again. He licked his lips. “I’m here for you.”

  “Sure thing,” I said, unable to hide the false note in my words. This was so unlike my dad, or at least it had been until now. Had something happened between him and Mr. Rossi? Did he know something about the traitors in our midst?

  “Right, well.” He rose and brushed his hands through his hair. “I’m going to say hello to your sister, but, uh, good luck today. You’re going to do great.” With that, he slid into the crowd.

  I sat back in my chair and tried not to let the empty chairs on either side bother me. Across the tent, Dad huddled with Regan, Carter, and half the pack elders. They didn’t exactly look at ease in the midst of an entire coven of vampires, but they didn’t look worried. Not about the test, anyway. Behind me, Owen was bent close to his mother in quiet conversation. He didn’t look up at me. I crossed my arms over my chest and stared ahead until Mr. Rossi went to the podium and cleared his throat.