Ruin: A Reverse Harem Dark Fantasy Vampire Romance (Fire & Blood Book 1)

by Alexa B. James

  The flickering light also illuminated my siblings’ faces, as they stood surrounded in a crowd of courtesans. My gut twisted, and I turned to Shark, who the kings assigned to guard me this morning along with Shank.

  Shank and Shark might have been flippant and friendly in the basement over cards, but all morning they’d been distant and ever vigilant. Their gazes constantly scanned our surroundings, and I could barely coax one-word answers out of them.

  “I thought it was just the warriors and us going,” I said to the burly, bearded vampire.

  Shark scanned the crowd and rubbed a hand over his braided beard, making the beads clack together. “Nightendale sent a message requesting that the kings invite some of the courtesans. No one’s been allowed to visit there in the better part of a century, so it drew quite the crowd.”

  With a shiver, I remembered the strange vampire in the garden. Maybe it was paranoid and egotistical, but my immediate thought was that King Ravage was inviting all of the courtesans because he was trying to get me to come back. “He wanted courtesans in particular.” I hugged my chest. “Did he say why?”

  Shank and Shark shared a glance.

  “Aside from the obvious,” I amended. “Did you say that no one has entered there in a hundred years, and now he’s inviting a big party to visit him last minute?”

  “Maybe he’s lonely?” Shark sounded like he was only suggesting it to be polite as his attention moved back to the crowd.

  “I need to talk to my siblings,” I said on a sigh. “They’re just right there.”

  Shark nodded. “Don’t go any further, please.”

  When I approached, Genevieve and Brendan broke away from the other courtesans. More than one vampire watched my brother and sister with ravenous gazes as they crossed over to me.

  We kissed each other’s cheeks in greeting, and then I said, “You didn’t mention that you were coming.”

  “It was a sudden change of plan after a late night patron. We decided that you could use some company,” Brendan said with a nonchalant shrug.

  His answer made my insides squirm. “I love your company,” I said through gritted teeth, “But, I was looking forward to spending some time alone with King Death. Why don’t you head back to the palace?” My voice broke halfway through my suggestion. “Please. Please go back.”

  Genevieve reached up and touched my cheek. “We’ll stay out of your way, but it’s always good to have extra support.”

  “Listen to me, King Death has been having bad feelings about this trip,” I said, emphasizing the words bad feelings. “He’s afraid there’s a plot to kill him and something bad is going to happen to me while we are there.”

  Brendan’s eyelids narrowed. “He still has intense fears, then?”

  “Yes.” I hugged myself. “He has them about this trip. My nightmares are about Nightendale, too.”

  Genevieve’s hand moved to my shoulder. “All the more reason to take us along.”

  Tension buzzed between us, and I wanted to tell the guards to take my siblings back to the palace. I honestly didn’t know if I would do it for their safety or for Death’s. Obviously, the Sorcerer was the late-night patron, and he had a mission for them too. After what Death had predicted, I was afraid that I could guess what that mission was.

  “I’m not really comfortable with our present company.” I nodded toward where Luca talked animatedly to a group of courtesans, smiling and gesturing widely. Beside him stood the ever-present Hades. Ever since I saw the burly vampire in the hedge maze, I’d become increasingly sure that he was trying to catch my siblings and me conspiring with the rebels. The vampire’s verdant gaze landed on mine, and he smiled wide. His brows lifted in a challenge as he thoughtfully rubbed the dark scruff on his chin.

  I turned back to Genevieve and Brendan. “If I can’t convince you to go back, swear to me that you’d stay with the party and not go off with anyone.” When they didn’t say anything, I grabbed both of their wrists and squeezed. “Otherwise, I’m dragging you out of here right now, and none of us are going.”

  Brendan nodded. “Of course, Kori. We’re just here to support you.”

  “Yes, Kori.” Genevieve touched my shoulder. “Please don’t worry about us, concentrate on what needs to be done.”

  A red light above the door flashed, and an alarm blared, making my heart jump in my chest. Everyone turned to the large metal containment doors to the dome as all three kings walked out. They looked as regal as the first time I saw them on their thrones, surrounded by warriors and wearing their golden crowns.

  Death walked in great strides, covering the distance fast. His white-blond hair was braided to one side, and he wore a tailored suit. His gaze surveyed the space, looking over the assembled vampire nobles before finally landing on me. He lifted a hand, and even though I wanted to shake answers from my siblings, I crossed over to him and wrapped my fingers around his leather gloves.

  When King Death turned to the assembled crowd, I turned with him, staring out at the waxen features of the vampire nobles. Ash stood just a little way back with his arms crossed over his chest, glowering at the crowd.

  Hands landed on my shoulders, and I looked back to see Ruin behind me. He leaned in and whispered into my ear, “Death hates talking in front of people—or to people in general, really, but there are nobles spreading rumors that he’s not actually a ruler.”

  “Those nobles are idiots.” I squeezed Death’s fingers, and he gripped me back.

  “Thank you for coming,” King Death said beside me, and when I turned to look at him, his expression was a stoic mask. “Today, we’re hoping to…” He trailed off as his gaze suddenly went distant for a moment, and then he called, “Get down.”

  Shots erupted through the air, and Ruin yanked me into his chest. Suddenly, we were falling, and I collided into hard muscle before Ruin rolled me under him. I was pressed into the floor as more shots cracked through the air.

  “Are you okay? Were you shot?” Ruin called down.

  “Fine,” I said, though I could barely eke out the word because he was squishing me so much.

  Screams and the sound of running feet echoed throughout the tunnel.

  “Get everyone into the train!” someone called, and immediately Ruin rolled off me. Vampire soldiers in tactical gear closed in around the kings and me. More cries rang out, including my brother shouting my name.

  “Are you injured?” Ash asked as he grabbed me and smooshed me against his wide chest.

  “Get her in the train,” Death said as warriors closed in around us and pushed us toward the front of the silver train.

  “I am fine,” I managed.

  Ash ran toward the train with me dangling in his arms like he didn’t even notice that he was still bearing my weight and clutching me to his chest. A door swooshed open before us and closed us into a small private room at the end of the train. The room had a full bed and a private gleaming wood bar. Ash set me down on the bar and immediately started checking over my body. His hands lifted my hair and then my arms.

  “Ash,” I said, grabbing his face. “I’m fine. I wasn’t shot.”

  “I knocked you to the ground pretty fast. Are you sure you’re okay?” Ruin asked as he peered over his brother’s shoulder.

  “You took the impact, Ruin,” I said as I leaned in to catch Ash’s attention. Then, I saw past him to where Death was holding his arm. Blood seeped through his suit jacket.

  “Ash, let me up.” When he just continued to check me over, I scooted back on the bar and climbed down the other side.

  Death shouldered off his suit jacket, and I helped him with his buttons before peeling away his shirt. A long graze mark wept blood down his tattooed arm.

  I took his shirt from him and pressed it into his cut. The material immediately turned red. “Shouldn’t this have stopped bleeding by now?”

  Death winced. “Not if they used silver ammo.”

  The door to the train whooshed open, and Shank and Shark stood framed i
n the doorway surrounded by warriors. “We can’t find the shooter. No one else was shot. The bullet trajectory came from the tunnel, but it’s guarded, and there’s no one there. Did you see what they looked like, King Death?”

  Death shook his head and started to open his mouth when I reached up, cupping his cheek with my free hand. “I saw someone. He was really tall and lean. There was a scar on his face, and he had red hair—that’s all I managed to see.”

  Death lowered his gaze to mine, and I couldn’t read the expression in his eyes.

  “You saw the gunman, right?” I asked him. “I saw him, too, but it was just a quick flash.”

  King Death’s eyelids narrowed, and a pang of guilt thrummed through me, but I had to lie.

  It was lie or die.

  Death’s voice lost all inflection. “I must have missed the gunman. It all happened so fast.”

  “Somebody really doesn’t want you to go talk to King Ravage,” Ruin said, clapping Death on the back.

  Death turned to the two guards. “Lock down the city until noon tomorrow. All three of us are going to Nightendale for the night. We need to depart as soon as everyone has boarded the train.”

  Ruin stared at Death with wide eyes, but he didn’t contradict the order. The vampire warriors bowed and backed out of the train car. The doors swished softly closed behind them, and I was alone with the three kings. My heart raced as I stood with the three men, who said nothing.

  “You should call in someone to heal you,” I said. The shirt I pressed against Death’s arm was soaked with blood.

  His gaze skipped over to mine, and his dark eyes glared at me. “I don’t feel particularly trusting of blood mages at the moment.”

  The train suddenly jolted forward, and I grabbed Death’s arm to steady myself. It jolted one more time, and then we started to speed forward. As soon as we were moving, Death said, “I didn’t see the gunman, but you already know that, don’t you?”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  KORI

  My heart pounded, and I covered Death’s red lips with my hand. It was a ridiculous reaction because there was no way that Ruin and Ash didn’t overhear.

  Death’s fingers wrapped around my wrist and gently pulled my hand away from his mouth. “What aren’t you telling us, Kori?”

  “I saw the gunman.”

  Death’s expression lost all emotion; his visage became cold and flat. He took the bloody shirt from my hand and threw it down to the floor. His cut looked raw, but it had stopped bleeding. “You’re lying to me,” he said. “There was a voice in my head that told me that we were going to be shot. I didn’t even know which direction the shots were coming from. I’ve been hearing a voice that tells me the future, and you clearly already knew.”

  They all just stared at me, but there was no way that I could make them believe the lie anymore. But my confession caught in my throat. My heart was beating so fast that I felt lightheaded. and I dropped my bloody hand to my side and backed toward the bar. My butt hit the smooth wood, and I reached over and gripped onto the lip.

  “Drinking my blood gives you the power to predict the future, Death. I’m a latent Tempus as well as Ignis,” I whispered.

  “You’ve been giving him this power, and you knew?” Ash stepped up beside Death. “This is so much worse than just lying to us, Kori.” Fury filled his eyes, and the lines of his face were rigid with anger. “You’ve been telling Death that he was delusional, and he believed you. He doubted his own sanity because of your deceit.”

  “Why would you do that?” Ruin asked, his voice noticeably softer than Ash’s had been.

  “I didn’t mean for that to happen…” I trailed off as hot anger surged up in me, boiling away the shame. “But I didn’t have a choice. Vampire law says all Tempuses must die the moment they’re discovered. You really expect me to confess something that would mean that you have to kill me?”

  “Kill you?” Ruin stepped up to my side. “All this time you thought that we were capable of killing you?”

  “Of course, I did,” I said, shaking my head.

  All of the men’s mouths fell open, and their eyes filled with hurt. My stomach churned at the sight, and I raised my hands. “Wait, please. Just let me explain this, okay?” I leaned my head into Ruin’s shoulder and was a little surprised when his arm went around my back. “Every time that someone fed on me before you three, I only transferred Ignis power. Then, when you all three fed from me at once, Death started making predictions. I knew that we had Tempus in our bloodline, but I had never guessed that it was in my blood. I thought that the reason it finally came out was that you three drank so much, so I’ve tried to switch to individual feedings. I thought the predictions would go away when the blood faded.”

  “Well, it hasn’t,” Ash said as he came to stand before me. He crossed his arms over his chest. “It seems like that’s what Death takes from your blood. He never made flames.”

  “You didn’t say anything.” I looked past Ash to Death.

  “It seemed like the power transfer bothered you,” he responded.

  “Well, somebody is trying to kill us, and I don’t have access to my powers. So, right now, my power transfer to you is our best hope for survival.”

  Ruin leaned down and whispered into my ear, “I hope you don’t think that will play a part in why Death wants to drink from you. None of us were in it to take your powers, Kori. I hope you know that.”

  I shook my head and squeezed my fingers around a handful of my satin dress. “I really want to believe that.”

  Death crossed to my other side, and the three men surrounded me completely, but for some reason, I didn’t feel afraid.

  “Kori.” Death’s fingers cupped under my chin. “I made a prophecy that someone will consume you on this trip.”

  “I know.”

  “Yeah. You knew, and you knew it was real.” Ash sighed. His hand went to the counter past me, and he leaned in closely, his eyes inspecting mine. “And you decided to come anyway. What else are you keeping from us that could end up getting you killed?”

  I swallowed hard. “It’s complicated.”

  Ruin’s arm squeezed around me. “Will you tell us anyway?”

  I looked between the three men, knowing that if I held back secrets and lies now, they would never trust me again. I had gone so far down this path. There was no turning back. “I never left the rebellion, not really. The rebels have sent messages to me. They wanted me to convince King Ravage not to send his soldiers. King Ravage’s warriors are notoriously brutal and bloodthirsty. The rebels think an alliance between you and King Ravage will lead to another massacre. But I have a history with King Ravage, and it’s not a good one.”

  Ash clenched his jaw. “Was he one of your patrons—?”

  “No.” I put a hand on Ash’s shoulder. “Not at all. During the massacre, there was a vampire chasing me, and I fell down the hole under Pioneer Courthouse Square. Somehow, I survived the descent, and it was a really long fall all of the way to a garden in Nightendale. When I was there, I stole a flower from the Tree of Life.”

  “What is the Tree of Life?” Death asked.

  “It’s… I don’t know, really. It’s a tree that contains rare magic, but King Ravage caught me stealing the flower and let me go.”

  “Why did you steal it?” Ruin asked as he took my bloody hand in his and squeezed.

  “Someone told me a flower from that tree had the magic to bring back people from the dead, and it did. I went back to the square and brought my brothers and sister back to life. The vampires had killed everyone there. I was the sole survivor and only because I fell through that hole, dragged my body to the Tree of Life, and ate a petal from that flower. King Ravage told me that I would have to pay a price for what I stole. He didn’t tell me what that price was.” I scrubbed a tear from my cheek. “I’m begging you not to form an alliance with someone who uses the same tactics as Duchess Dread.”

  “Fuck,” Ash muttered as he turned away. �
�We weren’t going there for a military alliance. We’re trying to form a trade alliance. King Ravage has mushroom and algae farms. He has aqueducts, medicines, and other essential supplies if we’re ever going to make Portland a functional city for humans to live in. The rebels had it wrong, and we all almost died for it, including you.”

  “Who is the tall man with red hair and a scar on his face?” Death asked as he stared down at me. “Did you actually see a shooter?”

  “No. It’s a guess. There’s a blood mage named the Sorcerer who joined the rebellion after we lost Portland. He came out of nowhere. He’s found me twice, and I accused him of plotting to take over the army and win Portland for himself. He denies it, but he’s a liar. I wouldn’t be surprised if he had a bullet for me too. I’m a big risk to his plans.”

  Ruin’s arm squeezed around me. “So many enemies.”

  “Kori, we overheard rebels conspiring in the hedge maze last night,” Ash said as he crossed his arms over his chest. “A man claimed that the rebels think you may have changed sides, and threatened that if you did change sides, the rebels would shoot you.”

  My heart leapt into my throat. They had to have overheard my siblings meeting with the Sorcerer. He threatened my life, and they came on the trip to protect me. This also meant that the kings already knew that I was still in the rebellion before I admitted it, and they probably knew about my siblings too. “Do you know which rebels he was talking to?”

  Ash glanced over at Death, and they shared one of their silent communications. “No. They were a hedge away, and we couldn’t see anything. But, do you think it was this Sorcerer?”

  “I can almost guarantee it,” I whispered as heady relief washed through me, releasing the tension in my shoulders.

  “So, this Sorcerer guy was coming and going. You knew he was a threat to you, and you didn’t tell us,” Ash accused.