“So my dad is a piece of shit. Figures.” Idris was vibrating slightly, and his jaw was clenched tightly. He was staring at me so intensely, that I felt like a mouse about to be pounced on by a lion. I reached out a hand, and then drew it back. “Are you okay?”
“This is hard to say, because I hate your father more than anything. But he has his reasons. He thinks soon there will be widespread human knowledge of our existence, and that will lead to our demise. He thinks we will be hunted and killed.”
There was more to what he was saying—his eyes were blazing. “And your clan?”
“We have a partnership with humans. We don’t see how we would win any war with the humans by enslaving them. And we don’t want to.”
“So you both believe that what you are doing is what’s best for your clan?”
Idris was breathing deeply, and his hands were clenched tightly around his knees. “Yes.”
I stared at his fingertips, nearly white from the grip on his legs. The tip of his middle finger on his left hand—down to the first knuckle—was missing. Just gone. As if he could tell I noticed, he quickly curled his fingers into his palm and stood up quickly. “I need to—”
“What happened to your hand?” I asked.
He whirled around, face contorted with fury, fangs descended to his lower lip. “None of your fucking business,” he hissed.
His eyes burned into mine like lasers and I wasn’t able to look away, paralyzed with fear. I didn’t think he’d hurt me, at least not yet, but I was afraid of what he was hiding. Something scared him, this big vampire. And if he was scared, then I was out of my mind terrified. “Idris,” I whispered.
“I need to feed,” he said, eyes still blazing, “and you’re coming with me. Get your shoes on and let’s go.” He flung open the door and waited for me.
The door was open. Open. All I could see were concrete walls, but it was a chance to get out of this room. Who knew how long I’d have to stay here? I slipped my bare feet into a pair of beat-up red Converse shoes and walked toward him. He’d calmed somewhat, although his eyes were still swirling. When I reached him, I stopped, and he stared down at me, mouth still tight.
“I’m sorry I asked,” I said. “I won’t pry again. I don’t want to upset you. You’re the only option I have to finally meet my father. So I promise to be good and listen to what you say.”
I took a step out into the hallway, waited while he shut the door behind me. He took a while, and when I glanced back, his hand was on the doorknob, eyes closed, lips moving silently. Finally, his big shoulders heaved, then he locked the door and faced me, his expression stone. With his hand at my back, we took off down the hall.
He didn’t take his hands off me the whole time. He was either guiding me by touching my back or had my wrist clamped in his giant hand. Not in a way that made me feel like a marched prisoner, but in a way that made me feel like he was protecting me. Of course, that was his job. If something happened to me, his collateral was gone. It wasn’t that he had an intimate reason for touching me.
Still, I didn’t mind. No one ever looked out for me my whole life. I didn’t know what it was like to have anyone watch my back. Even if it was for reasons meant to get to my father, I’d take it. I was a little ashamed at my desperation.
I wasn’t sure how long we walked, because we turned so many corners and went down so many hallways that I lost my bearings. At one point we walked along an abandoned subway track, the wooden boards cracked and warped.
Sometimes we passed vampires. They ignored me, but would nod at Idris with a sort of reverence. He had said his brother was the king, so Idris must have been somewhat royalty, too.
He took out his phone and texted someone, but I couldn’t see the screen. Were humans like takeout here? He could just order up one like sushi?
Finally, we reached a door and Idris knocked. A large vampire opened the door, a big grin on his face, which faded a bit when he saw me. His eyes widened before he jerked back to Idris. “Fuck, you and your brother. Always bringing humans here. Let me guess, she’s special and I can’t have her.”
“You touch her and I’ll take your head off, Zeb,” Idris growled, his deep voice sending a shiver down my spine.
The other vampire didn’t even flinch. “Yep, figured that.” His gaze went back to me, and when it did, his body locked. His nostrils flared and he stared at me like I was an enemy. How did he know?
I waited a beat for Idris to say something, and when he didn’t, I answered, “I’m Celia.”
Zeb backed away from the door. “Come in. Idris, got your human waiting for you.”
Idris tugged me inside and I immediately spotted a woman on the couch. She had long, blond hair, blue eyes, and wore a short skirt with a tight tank top. She grinned at us. “Hey, I’m Cassie.”
Idris didn’t answer her. He strode toward her, and her eyes shifted from Idris to me, a bit of wariness creeping into her expression. Idris sat down beside her, and she gasped, but before she could say anything else, he passed his wrist in front of her face. Just as her eyes went a little unfocused, he picked up her wrist and bit down.
I squeaked and then covered my mouth. Zeb stepped closer to me and leaned back against the door, arms crossed over his massive chest. Cassie was listing slightly, a small smile on her face, cheeks rosy. She looked…blissful. Aroused. Turned on.
I couldn’t look away. No matter what Idris had told me, or the fact that I’d seen his fangs, nothing prepared me to watch him actually feed from a human. And I was half vampire. Half of me…wanted that?
“Is she okay?” I said out loud, not sure who’d answer me.
“Is she okay?” Zeb repeated. He laughed. “She’s fucking fine. Happy as a clam.”
“So she likes this?”
“What does it look like? Plus, she gets paid, too. So she gets cash to feel good. It’s a win-win.”
I couldn’t argue with him, and if I thought about it, it didn’t feel wrong. None of it did. And that scared the shit out of me. I imagined sitting on that couch, sinking my teeth into that human’s wrist, drinking her warm blood and enjoying the flow of it through my body….
Oh, God. Why didn’t this disgust me? I wanted it to disgust me, but it didn’t. Not at all.
Idris lifted his head, dark eyes blinking slowly. He looked bigger—his hair was shinier, his eyes brighter. He had needed to feed, and that woman’s blood coursing through his veins made him look almost human.
Almost.
Zeb was already pulling Cassie to her feet. “Up you go, girl.”
“Hmmm,” she mumbled. “You wanna come back with me?”
Zeb seemed to consider that. “You know I’d love nothing more than to fuck you, sweet girl. But I got a situation here with my friend and his human, so I gotta deal with that.”
She pouted and for the first time, she seemed to notice me. “Oh, hey! Were you at Bite? I didn’t see you.”
“Bite?” I asked.
“Our club,” Zeb answered. “Humans go there to be fucked and we go there to feed. See? Win-win for everyone.”
Cassie smiled a blinding smile. She sure as shit didn’t look distressed. For a split second, when Zeb opened the door for Cassie, I thought about escaping, just hauling ass out of here and finding a way street-side.
But then I’d never know. I’d never meet my father; I’d never find out why I’d been left at birth. In fact, I’d have to live with so many questions that they might bury me. So I stayed put with a wave to Cassie and watched as Zeb shut the door before turning around with his hands on his hips. “Someone want to explain why you brought the fucking Valarian princess into my fucking apartment?”
Chapter 5
Idris
The taste of the human’s blood lingered in my mouth and I wanted to savor it. My vei
ns had refilled and my heart rate was increasing. My bones hardened beneath my skin and my muscles were filled out. I’d heard humans talk about how our somnus made them feel “high,” but I doubted that feeling was anything like what blood did to us. When I was finished a feeding, I felt like I could do anything. Hell, maybe even fucking fly.
Oh, right. Athan—the real king—actually could fly.
At Zeb’s question, though, my eyes flew open from where I’d been resting on the couch. I sat up. “You can smell her?”
“Yup.” Zeb was eyeing her where she stood in a corner, arms wrapped around herself. Fuck, she was shaking.
“Celia, come here,” I said softly.
She didn’t hesitate. She straightened and walked right toward me, then sat on the couch, her thigh touching mine. She looked shell-shocked, her eyes wide, pupils blown. Her throat worked, like she was trying to talk or swallow and couldn’t quite function.
“Look at me,” I ordered.
She did, but her eyes were glazed. Fuck. “Are you okay?”
“That’s what I am,” she whispered, eyes still wide and unseeing. “I am half vampire.”
“Cel—”
“I want that.” She was still whispering. “I want the fangs, and the blood. Instead of hating you for what you just did, I’m jealous. I’m jealous of you.”
I drew her into my arms, worried she’d have another panic attack, or burst into tears, but she didn’t. Her body shook, and her fists clenched and unclenched in her lap. I knew what all this felt like. I knew what the dreams were doing to her sanity, and I knew what it felt like to watch a vampire feed for the first time and want that for myself. I now wondered if her panic attacks were a result of her vampire side taking over her mind. She said they were normal for humans, but she was only half human. If she wasn’t turned, would the panic attacks eventually kill her? I could turn her—any vampire could; it didn’t have to be her father—but I couldn’t figure out why he hadn’t. It didn’t make sense.
I hated this for her, truthfully. Her life had been uprooted, and now she’d learned she wasn’t fully human, and that her sanity was slowly chipping away.
I knew what it was like to have your entire planned future wiped clean before your eyes.
“I’m sorry,” I said into her hair. “I wish I could take this away, but I can’t.”
She didn’t respond and I wondered if this was it. This was when she’d break. A glass was thrust in front of her, and we both looked up to see a concerned Zeb. “Humans always want water when they’re upset, so I figured…you know.”
She took the glass from him with a muttered thanks, and I nodded at him. He sat down in a chair near us as Celia chugged the entire glass of water. She placed it down on the table in front of us. “I’m okay,” she said softly. “I’m okay.” I didn’t know if she was reassuring me or herself. She looked up at me, then. “Did you mean it?”
“Did I mean what?”
“That you’d take this away if you could?”
I wished the Valarian king’s daughter was another human. One that didn’t have her pretty hazel eyes or her full, thick hair. One that wasn’t as strong, or as smart, and certainly one that didn’t look at me like she was looking at me. Because I wasn’t her savior. You’re the only option I have to finally meet my father.
Except I planned to kill her father. There’d be no happy reunion.
In that moment I wished she was someone else, and I wanted to make this all go away for her, and restore her to her quiet life as a nurse. So I squeezed her shoulder. “I would, Celia. I would.”
She nodded, her eyelashes fluttering, and a brief smile passed her lips. She turned to Zeb. “Do you have a bathroom?”
He nodded. “Not many of us do, because…vampires. But I have one for human use. Sorry if it’s not super-clean.”
She waved him off. “It’s fine.”
“Down the hall, last door on the left.”
She rose and with a squeeze of my hand, left the room.
The room was quiet for a long moment, until we heard the door of the bathroom shut, and the sound of a sink turning on. I turned to find Zeb’s gaze on me. He was an old friend. We’d all grown up dhampirs together until we’d been turned. That was the way of our clan. All humans who were turned had to be approved by our Council. Of course, Tendra hadn’t been approved but then, she’d saved Athan’s life by allowing him to feed. Our somnus was what protected humans from the venom in our saliva. If we bit with no venom, then the human would turn.
“So, you realize you didn’t even say hello to that human,” Zeb said.
I turned away. Of all things, this was what Zeb wanted to talk about. He was still muttering, “Manners, man. Like I know you have ’em—”
“Zeb, I just needed to feed,” I cut him off. “She agreed and she’s getting paid. I don’t have to be the good brother anymore, remember?”
Zeb’s jaw tightened. “Look, I’ll be honest. I had reservations you would make a good king.”
“Gee, thanks—”
“But I always knew you’d make a strong strategic leader. You trained the Gregorie soldiers. They listen to you and respect you.”
“I nearly got them all killed because I had no idea my father was planning treason right under my nose.”
“There were a lot of people he duped, Idris. You taking the full blame is stupid, and you know it.”
Sure, I could tell myself that every second of every day, but the failure still balanced on my shoulders like a two-ton boulder. What kind of leader was I if I missed that? Athan hadn’t been at the family compound as much. He’d been raised to be the Blood Guard, the protector of Tendra. It’d been me with our father, day in and day out, learning the inner workings of the Gregorie vampire clan so that I’d one day take it over.
Sure, it worked out in the end—Athan was the powerful king and Tendra, his queen. But maybe I could have saved my father if I’d known, and prevented him from carrying through on his plan. He’d been committed since we were born, though. He’d killed our mothers to hide the evidence of our birth order. But maybe I could have prevented his ultimate goal and saved lives.
And part of me, a small part, wondered how much of him I carried in my veins. Would I betray my clan, too? Could I trust myself?
Zeb thankfully changed the subject. “So based on her reaction to what just happened, I take it Celia doesn’t know who she is.”
Even now, with her out of my sight, my skin felt too tight, like the distance stretched me thin. “She’s either the world’s greatest actress or she doesn’t know.”
Zeb whistled long and low. “I’ll say it now. That’s what my information told me. That she was ignorant of everything. But I couldn’t believe it. How could that be? Hadn’t her father tried to turn her by now?”
Most dhampirs were turned shortly after they reached eighteen. Celia was twenty-five.
“Athan told me what happened. What’s she like?”
I swallowed. “She’s a lot of things. She’s scared but curious. Her father is a carrot in front of her nose to behave.”
“She seems attached to you.”
I kept my rising anger under control. Of course she was, and I was attached to her. I had to be, because she was my duty. I didn’t want anyone near her. Before my sense of protectiveness had been abstract. It’d been to protect my clan, my soldiers, and keep humans free. Now I had a singular focus—Celia. I understood Athan a bit more now—how consumed with Tendra he had to be as his entire being was wrapped up in her safety and survival.
“I’m the only thing she knows right now. She feels safe with me, and that’s how I’d prefer to keep it.”
The bathroom door opened and a few seconds later, Celia was walking back down the hallway. She’d pulled her hair back and the edges we
re damp, like she’d splashed water on her face. Her color was brighter, her eyes more focused. She ignored Zeb and looked right at me. “Okay, I’m better now.”
I stood up. “We’ll get back, then. Zeb, thanks for everything.”
Zeb rose slowly, his gaze darting between us. “Anytime, man. How long will you be here?”
“Till I get word from Athan.”
Zeb nodded.
We walked to the door and I opened it, then stopped when Zeb’s hand fell on my shoulder. “Be safe,” he said. “Watch yourself.”
There was a lot of caution in those four words. I nodded at him, then took Celia’s arm and began our walk back to the apartment.
Celia
When we got back to the apartment, Idris wouldn’t make eye contact with me. He sat in the corner, typing away at his phone and cleaning weapons. Yes, weapons, plural. All knives, all vicious, all things that could cut through flesh.
“So what’s going to happen when you get word from your brother?”
Idris paused as he wiped a glittering blade. “Use you to get him to promise to meet with us peacefully to discuss a truce.”
“Then why are you strapped with weapons?”
Idris eyed me. “Because I don’t trust your father or your clan.”
I bristled at that. As if I had any control over them. “But the meet is supposed to be peaceful?”
“My brother wants to avoid war.” A muscle ticked in his jaw.
It seemed to me the two clans were already embroiled in something. “Are you at war now?” I asked.
Another muscle tick. “My brother says not yet.”
I was prying, I knew it, but I couldn’t stop. This impacted me. “And what do you think?”
He didn’t answer for a long time, so long, in fact, that I thought he wouldn’t answer. I had turned away when his voice filtered over my shoulder. “I think it’s already begun.”
When I faced him again, his back was to me, weapons laid in front of him. The conversation was over.
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