by E. J. King
“Premier, the reason that I left the Darkness was because I no longer felt safe here,” he said, instantly exciting the audience. He waited for their loud whispers to fade before continuing. “We all know that attacks against our home have been increasing radically over the last few weeks. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Victoria Covington and her vampires now call this place home.”
“Are you making an allegation?” I demanded hotly.
“I’m saying that the Covingtons have long expressed an interest in the Darkness and have always been reluctant to abide by our rules. Staging a coup from the inside isn’t exactly against the realm of possibility.” Drake turned to address the room, something I had never seen anyone do when speaking before the Council. “The Covingtons have done nothing to prove that they can be trusted in our home. The type of attack that occurred on the beach is just the beginning. They will continue to tear down everything we have been fighting to protect. I urge the Council to act now to eliminate this threat.”
There was an outburst of agreement from the audience. I slowly began to understand what Drake was doing. He was building a case for evicting the Covington clan. If I agreed, I would be going back on my word to Victoria and losing two dozen vampires that would fight on our side in the event of an actual attack from the outside. If I refused the eviction, Drake would use that as evidence that I was no longer fit to lead the Darkness. Drake was making a move for my Premier title.
“You have no evidence,” I said loudly, attempting to regain some control in the room. “Victoria’s clan has pledged fealty to our cause and we have no proof that this loyalty has been violated.”
“What further proof do you need?” Drake asked with a mocking laugh. “Are we to believe that Kathryn, one of the most honorable vampires in the Darkness, acted of her own accord when she attacked that companion?”
Now was my opportunity to make my allegation that Drake and Octavia had conspired together to stage the attack. Drake had opened the door for me and I just need to open my mouth. However, I had no actual proof. Making an allegation against him would be no different than his accusation against Victoria.
“I believe that we need to be confident in our allegations and use actual evidence as support rather than appealing to emotions,” I said through gritted teeth.
“If the Premier isn’t going to face the truth, perhaps we need to reconsider our leadership,” Drake said, glaring at me with more fury than I would have thought was possible. As much as the two of us had disagreed over the years, we had never hated each other. Until now.
“Are you asking for a recusal?” I said.
“No, I’m asking for a recall vote.” He looked at each Councilmember. “I would like to call for a vote amongst the Councilmembers regarding the removal of the current Premier from his role as leader of the Darkness.”
Loud gasps filled the room, followed quickly by excited chatter. I slammed a hand on the table in front of me and yelled, “Order!”
It took several seconds, but the disruption quickly faded. I glanced at the Councilmembers and quickly assessed that half of them were stunned by the turn of events, while the other half looked pleased.
“We have a motion before the Council for a recall vote.” I paused, controlling my emotions before adding, “Does anyone second the motion?”
“Seconded,” Octavia said almost immediately.
I looked at her and nodded, acknowledging her betrayal. She stared right back at me without any sign of remorse. “Motion approved. We will convene the Council one week hence for a recall vote. In the meantime, we will embed guards with the Covington clan to ensure there are no further altercations. Kathryn Blackwood will also be set free. We are convened.”
I stood and removed my black robe, quickly draping it over my chair before walking around the Council table. Grace was already on her feet, but I didn’t stop to collect her like I usually did. Instead, I headed straight to the aisle that led out of the chambers. I knew that Grace would have a dozen questions about what had just happened and I wasn’t ready to answer any of them.
“William!” she called after me as I stepped outside. “William, wait. Please.”
I didn’t stop walking away, but I did slow my pace enough for her to catch up with me. As she got closer, a familiar electric charge ran through my body. “Grace, not now.”
“What?” The catch in her voice was hard to hear. My cold rejection had hurt her.
“Wait until we are home,” I added, somewhat softer.
“Will!” I recognized Alexander’s voice even from a distance, but I didn’t stop walking. He caught up with Grace and said, “My feelings would be hurt except he didn’t even stop for you.”
“He doesn’t want to talk right now,” Grace said in a clipped tone that was hard to decipher without seeing her face. “You should definitely feel encouraged to follow us back to the house. It won’t be annoying at all.”
“I think you might have a crush on me, Grace Hardwick,” Alexander said.
“I would like to crush you, yes,” Grace replied, but she didn’t sound as annoyed with him as she usually did.
“Scandalous!” Alexander faked a gasp. “Your boyfriend is right there.”
I had tried to ignore them for as long as possible, but my patience was gone. I whirled on them and yelled, “Enough! If you two want to flirt, do it somewhere else.”
“Whoa,” Alexander breathed.
Grace looked at me with surprise and a little irritation. “I know you’ve just come from a pretty shitty meeting, so I’m going to let that slide.”
We exchanged a long look, neither of us willing to back down from our annoyance. I knew that I was the one being unreasonable, but given what had just gone down, I needed some space to think that didn’t include their pointless banter. I was also fighting an overwhelming pang for blood and Grace’s close proximity was not helping.
“Just give me a few minutes to clear my head, okay?” I said.
She nodded slowly. “Adjust your attitude while you’re at it.”
“I’ll get right on that,” I muttered, feeling a little embarrassed by my outburst. “Alexander, will you make sure Grace gets back to the house alright?”
Grace frowned at me, but then seemed to remember that Drake was back in the Darkness and her safety was no longer guaranteed. Alexander understood immediately and said, “I’ll stay with her in your chambers until you get there.”
“Thanks.” I let out the breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding. Breathing was only a reflex for vampires and it was possible I’d been holding that breath since back at the Council meeting. To Grace, I said, “I won’t be gone long.”
“Do whatever you need to do,” she said, still sounding cold and distant. I would have to make it up to her later after we had both taken some time to cool down.
As she and Alexander continued on the path home, I turned in the other direction. I wanted to make sure that my orders were being followed and that Kathryn had been freed from her cell. Just as the prison came into view amongst the trees, Kathryn stepped outside. She spotted me and a huge smile lit up her face.
“Liam!” She practically skipped in my direction, throwing her arms around my neck. “How did you do it? How’d you get him to confess?”
“That’s not exactly what happened, Kittie,” I said, the weight of the meeting finally coming down hard on my shoulders. As quickly as possible, I summarized the events for her and tried to ignore the pity in her eyes.
“You can’t let him do that, Liam. You can’t risk this place falling into his hands.” Kathryn’s eyes had darkened to a shade of bronze. “Why would you agree to a recall vote?”
I shrugged. “I didn’t have a choice. If I had denied the request, Drake would have taken matters into his own hands to go after the Covington clan. His primary intent is to sow discord in the Darkness because that will make it easier for him to carry out his twisted plan.”
“And what is that twisted plan?�
� she said.
“No clue.” I ran a hand through my hair and shook my head. “I really don’t know what I’m going to do, Kittie.”
“We should talk to Grace,” Kathryn suggested happily. “She always has good ideas.”
“I’m afraid Grace might not be too keen on seeing me right now,” I admitted.
Kathryn slapped my arm. “What did you do? You better not have screwed things up with her. I adore Grace.”
“Join the club,” I said, forcing a smile. “Don’t worry, I’ll fix it.”
“Good.” Her eyes went wide. “You can make it up to her by bringing her to my party!”
I groaned. “Really, Kittie? You just got out of jail two minutes ago and I’m about to be voted out of the Darkness. Is now really a good time for a party?”
“Dear brother,” she said with a grin. “It is always a good time for a party.”
CHAPTER FIVE
GRACE
“Something happened to William while he was gone,” I said once Alexander and I were safely inside William’s chambers.
Alexander had walked straight to the kitchen and was helping himself to some of William’s bagged blood. “I think you’re being paranoid. Will was just flustered from what happened during the Council meeting. Don’t get your panties in a twist.”
“Please don’t ever mention my panties again,” I said. “It’s not just about what happened after the meeting. He was different before the meeting, too.”
“Before the meeting? You saw him for a few minutes. What happened in such a short amount of time to bring you to this conclusion?” Alexander gave me a skeptical look.
“He was more aggressive than usual,” I said hesitantly. This wasn’t something that I wanted to discuss with William’s brother. “He wasn’t himself.”
“Aggressive, huh? About time. Will has been tiptoeing around this place for years. Maybe you’re finally bringing out his wild side.” Alexander winked at me. “You should just learn to enjoy it, Hardwick.”
I groaned. “I really want to thank you, Alexander, for being so completely worthless. I expected nothing less of you.”
“Alright, alright. Let me think.” Alexander took a long drink before saying. “You know, the last time William showed a more aggressive side was when he was still drinking from the vein. Maybe he relapsed while he was away.”
“No. William would never do that.” I was completely sure of that.
“I wouldn’t be so sure, Grace. Being so close to you these last few weeks and not drinking from you has likely been torture for him. Will would never tell you that, but controlling the thirst is a whole lot easier when you aren’t constantly being tempted.”
As much as I didn’t want to, I wondered if Alexander was right. It would explain why William hadn’t been able to control his fangs earlier. It would also explain why he hadn’t been able to look me in the eye since he got back.
“How hard would it be for him to abstain again if he relapsed?” I asked quietly. I wasn’t sure when William would be back and I didn’t want him to overhear our speculations.
“It won’t be easy, especially around you. Your blood has something extra that makes it even more desirable. It’s probably why Drake couldn’t keep his hands off you and why I’m sitting here with you drinking out of this glass instead of my companion.” Alexander noted the look of contempt on my face. “Get over yourself. You want to date a vampire, this is part of the package.”
“Her name is Holly,” I said.
“Holly?” He tilted his head questioningly.
“Your companion’s name is Holly.” I glared at him. “Do they really mean nothing to you? Are they just a source of blood and sex?”
“I know her name is Holly,” Alexander snapped. “I’m just confused why you care so much about my human. She’s a companion, just like you.”
I said with extra bitterness, “I am not William’s companion, I’m his girlfriend.”
“In the Darkness, those are the same thing.” He smirked, satisfied by the disgusted look on my face. “Vampires aren’t capable of real emotions and attachment, Grace. I’m sorry if you don’t want that to be true, but it’s a fact. I don’t think William is lying to you on purpose. I’m sure he wants to believe that he’s capable of loving a human, but it’s just not possible.”
“Please don’t speak as if you know anything about my relationship with William,” I said, forcing back a wave of emotion that threatened to manifest itself through tears. I would not let Alexander see me cry. “You may not be capable of love, but don’t project that onto other people.”
Alexander opened his mouth to reply, but he froze before saying anything. His eyes darted briefly to the door and he clenched his jaw. From that reaction, I knew that William was home. My heart did a small jump and Alexander heard it. He smiled softly and said, “You’re right. What do I know?”
“Nothing,” William said as he entered the room. “You know absolutely nothing.”
“Touché, brother,” Alexander said with a forced laugh. “Guess I can take off now. I’m sure the two of you have a lot to discuss.”
“Thanks. We’ll see you later tonight.” William gave Alexander a look of resignation. “Our sister is insisting on having a party to celebrate her newfound freedom.”
Alexander laughed genuinely this time. “Of course. Kittie loves to throw a party.”
“It might be the last party the Blackwoods have for a while.” William frowned and headed away from us.
Alexander watched him thoughtfully for a moment and then left the room, leaving me alone. I waited a long time before following William to the kitchen. He was finishing off a large glass of blood as I entered the room. I was unsuccessful in hiding my discomfort.
“Sorry,” he said automatically.
“You don’t have to be sorry,” I replied. “You’re a vampire, William. It’s not a secret that you drink blood.”
“That’s not what I’m sorry about.” He put the glass down and came closer. “I was an asshole earlier. I’ve been under a lot of stress the last couple of days and I took it out on you. I’m sorry.”
I didn’t say anything for a moment, choosing my next words carefully. “What happened when you were with Drake? You’ve been different ever since you got back.”
“Let’s not do this,” William said with a sigh. “Whatever happened with Drake, I only did it to get him back here. It doesn’t matter now.”
“I’m not going to make you talk about it, but don’t expect me to pretend like it doesn’t matter. You almost bit me earlier, William,” I said. The flicker of remorse in his eyes made me feel a little better. Even if he wasn’t saying it out loud, at least he knew that his behavior had crossed the line. “You swore that would never happen. You promised me that you had control of your urges.”
“I do,” he said forcefully. “Grace, I do have control. What happened earlier was just… a lapse because of all the stress. It won’t happen again.”
He reached out a hand as if he was about to touch me, but I shook my head. “That’s not good enough. I have to be able to trust you, William, and until you tell me what happened, there’s going to be this secret driving a wedge between us. How can you expect me to trust you when you don’t trust me enough to tell me what happened?”
“I can’t.” William ran a hand through his hair as he looked at me with a pained expression. Now, I was the one that wanted to reach out and touch him, but I resisted. “If you don’t trust me, what does this mean for us?”
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “I love you, but I don’t know if that’s enough.”
“Are we breaking up?” he asked, eyes widening.
I stared at him, unblinking. “I don’t want to break up, but you aren’t giving me much of a choice, William.”
“Please don’t do this. You can trust me, Grace. I love you more than anything in my 500 years of existence. Can you please just trust in that love?” This time, he didn’t stop himself from touching m
e. His hand curved around the side of my neck and he pulled me closer to him. “Trust in us. We belong together.”
“William…” My heart was beating erratically and I couldn’t stop looking at his lips, wishing they were on mine. I couldn’t concentrate with William looking at me so adoringly. With every ounce of remaining will-power, I took a big step backward. “I can’t do this right now. I just need some time.”
“Time?” He blinked once. “I have all the time in the world, Grace. Take whatever time you need, just promise me you aren’t giving up on us.”
“I can promise you that,” I said with a sad smile. “I’m yours, William Blackwood. Now and forever.”
“Forever,” he repeated, returning my smile. “Not an insignificant promise for someone that is immortal.”
Before I could change my mind and let his smile break my resolve, I whirled on my heel and hurried from the room. It wasn’t until I was safely behind my bedroom door that I let the first tear fall. I swiped at it harshly with the back of my hand and took a deep breath. The entire conversation with William had been torture for me. As much as I wanted him to tell me what happened, I had equally wanted it to be his decision. That meant I’d had to check myself constantly to make sure I wasn’t using my siren powers to get what I wanted.
Somehow, I’d managed to control my power. I wasn’t sure how long I would be able to keep my powers in check, but I knew I couldn’t wallow in my sadness. If I thought too much about how much I wanted to fix things with William, eventually I would lose control and force him to do something he clearly didn’t want to do.
In an effort to clear my mind, I took a long shower and then did something I hadn’t done since arriving in the Darkness– I watched television. I had no idea how we got cable service in our weird little sanctuary, but I had over 200 options to pick from as I scanned the channel guide. I settled for a true crime documentary knowing that anything romantic or sad would be a bad idea. Just as the accused murdered was about to be found not guilty, my bedroom door flew open.
“What are you doing?” Kathryn demanded, hands on hips.