by Sara Snow
I continued on my way, leaving her and the other vampires staring behind me. After making it to the sixth floor of the castle with no one else stopping me, I stood outside my mother’s chamber. My scent had returned, but she wouldn’t have been curious about why I had masked it. Vampires often masked their scent to blend into crowds when outside of Vampire Territory.
I pushed the door open and walked in.
The double doors to my right were open, leading out to a large balcony. I could see my mother's shadowy silhouette behind sheer white curtains where a vampire servant helped her to dress.
“My son,” my mother drawled happily.
“So, the prodigal son returns.”
I looked to the left, where my brother Cain lounged on a chair, his blond hair pooling in his lap. We stared at each other unblinkingly, neither of us saying anything more. I felt his power flare as he tried to pry into my mind, searching for my greatest fear so he could use it against me. I arched a brow, a clear indication that I knew what he was doing and that he was wasting his time. I had mentally prepared myself before coming here—not only to face my mother but also my brother and his ability.
He smirked, and his power died away.
Cain was one of many who’d wanted me removed as a general. That hadn’t surprised me—he'd never bothered to hide his hatred of me. My mother had declared that I was to be the next King, but as the older brother, he felt he was entitled to the crown first. He not only hated me for the title I didn't want, he coveted the powers I possessed. And that made him hate me even more.
“Hello, Mother,” I answered as she stepped out from behind the curtain.
She was wearing a black mesh dress, its tight sleeves covering her arms to her wrist and hanging off her shoulder. The dress contrasted with her milky skin and left nothing to the imagination. I cast my gaze downward, both out of respect to her and because only her long black hair was covering her bosom.
“I missed you.” She came to a stop in front of me, and I held my head up. “But why are you here? You didn’t send word you’d be returning. How are things at Vivian’s coven?”
Her eyes were a dazzling ruby red, the color covering the white of her eyes to reveal her true nature. As beautiful as she was, she was also clearly a predator.
I got straight to the point. “I'm here to speak to you about what is going on outside of Vivian's coven. Supernaturals are being abducted and branded with a symbol that leaves them compliant to somebody’s wishes. And they’re much more powerful.”
“So?”
“Are you involved, my Queen?”
Cain stood up. “This is nothing you need to concern yourself with, brother.”
“I’m not speaking to you, Cain. But I’m a general. If you two are involved in this, I have a right to know.”
Cain laughed loudly, but it was dry and without humor. Our mother turned away, no doubt sensing an argument on the horizon.
“You haven’t been a general in a long time.” Cain stepped forward, and I sucked in a breath, causing my teeth to graze the inner flesh of my mouth. “You don’t care about the covens or our species. You wander around, living among those lesser supernaturals, living among our food. You care even less about being our mother’s successor, yet still you walk in here and demand answers. Know your place, brother.”
I wasn’t interested in arguing with Cain. I was here to speak with my mother, not him. But, of course, he would be present. The Queen was rarely seen without him by her side. Yet she didn’t want him to be King. I wondered how much that stung him.
“That hasn’t changed the fact that I will be King, brother. I am a general, and if something is happening that affects our species, I need to know about it. End of discussion.”
Cain took another step forward, his fangs descending. “You don’t deserve the throne. You never have. I’ve been here by our mother’s side, while all you’ve done . . . ”
I stepped forward, dismissing Cain by turning my attention to our mother. She waved her hand at her maid, and the female bowed and hurried from the room.
“Are you behind all the supernatural disappearances?” I asked her. Behind me, Cain hissed, but I continued to ignore him. “If you are, Mother, I need to know about it. I’m the one who is out among them. I can uncover far more information than whatever you’ve been given.”
She sauntered to the open balcony doors. “For centuries, they have forced us into this lonely little corner of the world. It’s time for us to occupy the land my father and forefathers once did.”
I tried not to react, but my fists clenched nonetheless. Vampires, by their nature, caused many deaths, but this was taking it too far. This scheme stunk of Cain. I knew that much for sure.
True, centuries ago, some lands now occupied by supernaturals were considered part of Vampire Territory. But that was before I was born and before Amythia was Queen. From the stories I’d heard, things were very different back then. Vampires mixed with society. Vampire Territory flourished with life. The kings and queens ruled differently than my mother did. Amythia allowed Bleeders and Skins alike to run amok . . . and the land showed it.
“They—” She pointed outside. “—didn’t stop until we were forced permanently into a corner. There are animals who have more freedom than we do, William. You know it’s true, and that needs to change. We can’t walk during the day, but we won’t need to. Don’t you understand? The supernaturals we take will help us regain what is ours.”
“Why was this kept from me?”
She turned to face me, clasping her hands behind her back. “I sent you to that town for one purpose. That is all you need to concern yourself with!” She began pacing the room, then stopped in front of me again. “You’re to be my successor. I’m doing what I must to expand your domain. That is all you need to know.”
I shook my head. This wasn’t what I wanted to hear. I hated that Elinor’s pack had been attacked and couldn’t help feeling as if it was somehow my fault. “Mother—”
“Enough!” She held her hand up, cutting my words off. She was my mother, but she was also the Queen. She could still kill me in seconds if she wanted to. “You got the answers you came here for, didn’t you? Why are you pestering me about this, William? I know you’ve changed—I can see it—but I thought this would make you happy.”
I thought of Elinor, of her courage, of her determination to live her life on her own terms. For too long, I’d been the Queen’s puppet. But no more. “Cain can have the throne, and I’ll remain a general. I don’t wish to be King.”
“Ungrateful,” Cain hissed. “My Queen, I told you he would not see the beauty in our plan to reclaim what’s rightfully ours.”
“Why should I be grateful to inherit a place that’ll be destroyed because you’re starting a war? Why should I be grateful for lands that will be empty of supernaturals and humans—or our food, as you call them—because this ridiculous plan you came up with turned them all into mindless things, and those left will fight to the death? You didn’t think this plan through, Cain.” My eyes remained on the Queen as I spoke to Cain, and I knew they turned to red as I grew upset. I wasn’t going to let Cain or my mother pin this on me. “Vampires have been pushed into a corner for decades. We’ve been behaving the way we’re expected to. Why were we not pariahs back then as we are now, Mother?”
I could feel Cain’s eyes burning into the back of my neck. “How fucking dare you!” he shouted.
“Leave,” my mother said to him, her lips barely parting. But the command was explicit. “Leave!”
I could almost hear Cain grinding his teeth on his way out. The second the door closed, her hand came down hard on my cheek, the slap echoing through the room. I staggered backward, blood immediately rushing into my mouth as I adjusted my broken jaw. Her long pointy nails had sliced my skin as well, and I held my jaw until the skin healed enough to stop the bleeding.
“I never again want to hear you speak like that, William. I forbid it. That attitude is the re
ason you’ve lost favor among our kind.”
“But did I lie?”
Her jaws clenched visibly, and she paled. When her white skin turned gray, I knew I was pushing her to the limit. “You’ve forgotten what it was like when you stood by my side, as Cain is now. Things were better then, so much better.” She reached out, as if to touch the cheek that she had just slapped but stopped herself. “Have you truly forgotten what it was like?”
I hadn’t. And that was why I had no desire to recreate that world. My days of being her lap dog were over. I wasn’t fooled by this journey down memory lane or her reasoning for doing this horrible thing.
One thing still wasn’t clear, though. I frowned. If this was Cain’s initial plan—and I was sure it was—I didn’t put it past him to be planning something else, too.
Reclaiming land that had been lost couldn’t be the only purpose behind targeting all these supernaturals.
She waved her hand, dismissing me as she turned away. “Focus on your duty in preparation to take my throne, and allow Cain and me to do what we must. If I hear you complain about this again, I’ll have your head. Do you understand?”
I turned to leave the room. “Yes, my Queen.”
“And William?”
I paused without turning to face her.
“No matter how far you run, you’ll always be my son—and once the worst among us. You contributed to the way we’re perceived, remember that.”
13
Elinor
Cyrus, Skye, and I had been sitting in a comfortable silence for the past fifteen minutes as a candle burned beside a small painting of Ms. Clementine. Cyrus had gifted it to her on one of her birthdays. He had done one for Skye and me as well.
Because there’d been no body, a proper werewolf burial could not be done, so this would have to do. Skye was sitting between me and Cyrus, which allowed us both to hold her hands. She’d stopped crying a few moments ago, and now a peaceful silence filled the house.
“The Goddess has her now.” I squeezed Skye’s hand, and she nodded, but her bloodshot eyes remained on the painting.
Beside her, Cyrus was looking at the floor, his fist clenched so tight, the knuckles were white. I knew he was trying to contain his need to act against the Vampire Queen. But all we had to go on right now was the fact that Scarlet and Saleem had encountered a general. I hated to say it, but Levi was right. We couldn’t move forward without confirmation that the Queen was behind it all.
I hadn’t said anything, but I was hoping Will could confirm her involvement, or if she was, in fact, the master villain.
As for myself, I felt depressed because things had just taken a turn I wished they hadn’t. I was growing more and more eager for Will’s return, to see that he was safe and to confirm what he’d learned. I was forcing myself to not think negatively, but it was giving me a headache.
Theanos had left to go home, carrying news of what was transpiring to the Dragon King. He doubted they would target the Dragon Territories—vampires were simply no match for dragons. Still, it was best to make them aware of what was happening.
In the meantime, Cyrus planned to work alongside the Werewolf Guards. The following day, he would leave us to visit the last two packs that had been attacked. Darian would go with him.
“Supernaturals weren’t the only ones taken. Humans were taken, too. But we haven’t seen a human that’s somehow been changed,” Skye grumbled as she sniffled loudly. “Don’t you guys find that weird?”
“Or maybe we just haven’t run into any newborn vampires yet,” Cyrus added. “The supernaturals can attack during the day, and the vampires can do the rest at night. I’m sure that’s what their plan is. Humans don’t have any magic to be enhanced. But if they’ve been turned, they’re more useful.”
Skye inhaled deeply and then blew out the candle. We all stood up and placed our fists over our hearts before bowing to the painting. “Why are they doing this now, though? That’s the question.”
“Will didn’t know,” I blurted out, and Skye and Cyrus looked my way. “He didn’t.”
“You don’t know that, Elinor,” Cyrus said. When I shook my head, he continued. “Why did he come here? Did he tell you? Did he ever tell you what brought him to our town, mmm?”
I frowned, and my headache grew worse. “I—I trust him.”
I can’t be wrong about him. I just can’t be.
I turned away again when a slight buzz of electricity danced under my skin. Cyrus’s question was a valid one. Will had never been specific about his reasons for coming to our town. He’d said he preferred living away from his mother’s castle. But what if he’d had another motivation?
I love him, and he loves me. He revealed his secret to me. Why would he betray me? What would he possibly gain from using me? It’s not like he could’ve known that I’d receive these powers from the Goddess.
“Goddess, my head is killing me.”
“I’m sorry, Elinor,” Skye murmured, and I clenched my jaw.
“There is nothing to be sorry about, Skye. I will find out if he lied to me. I will.”
“How do you expect to do that?” Cyrus pushed, and my wolf growled with irritation.
“If he’s been lying to you all this time, how will you get him to tell the truth?”
“I just will, okay!” When I turned to face them, Skye’s face morphed from worry to fear, and I looked away, forcing my eyes to change back from white. “He said he was going home to find out if his mother knew anything,” I said more softly. “That’s what he told me. So he’ll be back.”
But what if you’re wrong?
I sighed at that thought. He was a general, a son of the Queen. How could he not know if the Queen was planning something this big? He’d told me about his broken relationship with his mother, but he could have been lying. Everything between us could have been a lie.
Will was the first man I’d ever allowed to get close to me. What if I made a big mistake? I shook my head and walked over to a chair on the other side of the room and sat down. Pinching the bridge of my nose, I took deep breaths to try to calm myself, but it wasn’t working.
Will’s words from the night he professed his love for me echoed in my mind, and my rapidly beating heart slowed. I focused on the love I’d seen in his eyes and what I’d felt when he’d kissed me. He couldn’t have faked all of that. There was no way. I inhaled and sat forward as Cyrus and Skye watched me warily.
“He may have been lying to me—I won’t say it’s impossible—but I’ll wait until he returns to find out. If he’s really just been using me, if he’s really a spy for the Queen, he’ll come back. Until then, there’s no sense in jumping to any conclusions.”
My head was on the verge of exploding.
“Look, I apologize if I was pushing you just now.” Cyrus came over and sat down on the chair across from me. “I know you care about him. I’d be upset too, if someone tried to turn Skye against me simply because I was a demon.”
I shrugged, finding it hard to look him in the eye. I couldn’t get the memory of what I had almost done to him out of my mind. We’d had no time together before this, but I’d been on edge, not knowing what to say to him. After all, I had almost killed him.
Like the Guards that I’d hurt, he didn’t seem to hold my lack of control against me. But I couldn’t help feeling guilty every time I thought about how much I must have frightened my own people.
“It’s okay,” I finally answered.
Skye joined us as well, and Cyrus pulled her onto his lap. I smiled at the loving way they gazed at each other, and I prayed to the Goddess to give me a sign that I wasn’t making a big mistake with Will.
If I am wrong to trust him, wouldn’t she have told me?
I sighed. “Maybe the universe is trying to tell me something.”
“About what?” Skye asked. “About Will?”
“Yeah,” I drawled, the throbbing at my temples increasing. “Each time we’ve grown close, something comes between us. W
hat more proof do I need that maybe we aren’t meant to be?” I rubbed at my tired eyes.
“Okay, look, maybe I should have kept my mouth shut. I didn’t mean to fill you with doubts. I just wanted you to keep an open mind. That is all,” Cyrus said.
He looked truly regretful, and I gave him a tight-lipped smile. It was genuine, but it was all I could muster.
“I know. It’s just hard to think that after everything that’s happened, it was all a lie, you know?” I placed a hand over my chest where I kept the flower that the forest spirit had given to me in the dragon forest. I hadn’t even thought about using it while fighting Arden. We had been in a tough spot during that fight, and using the flower to summon help might have been a good idea.
In the end, though, we’d been saved. Will had saved us, and I was glad. I doubted I would have found out that he could walk in the sun otherwise. Not for a while, anyway.
“I understand. I’m not sure how I’d handle it if Cyrus turned against us,” Skye added.
Cyrus huffed and made a face. “Excuse me, what? That’s not remotely funny.”
Skye kissed his forehead. “I wasn’t saying you’d actually do that. I’m just saying, I can imagine how conflicted I’d be if I was in Elinor’s position. I know you’d never do that, Cyrus. You wouldn’t want to make me have to come after you.”
They bickered back and forth, something I hadn’t heard them do in far too long. I was busy, however, staring down at my hands. Beneath my fingertips, electricity was buzzing. If I didn’t learn to control this new power, Levi would get his way, and I would become an experiment.
“Are you worrying about your divinity?” Cyrus asked.
I looked over at him and saw him looking at my hands. “I never apologized to you.”
He shook his head. “You don’t need to. What you did, Elinor, was—”
“Incredible.” Skye finished the statement for him, and I relaxed my tense arms. “I wish I could have seen you in action.”
“I probably would have attacked you, too. I just don’t want that to happen again. I need to get a handle on this power.”