by Bea Paige
“Tell me, Devin,” she says, her tongue snaking across the strawberry juice that glistens on her lips, “why did you not kill the boy as I asked?”
“Because he did not deserve to die,” I say, the words tumbling out before I can stop them.
She moves back slowly. “And why is that?”
“Because he’s innocent of any crime, apart from loving you.”
Queen Adrielle snaps her fingers back, her obsidian eyes darkening further, if that is possible.
“Abanthe, Lissandra, get back in here,” she screeches.
“My Queen?” Abanthe says as he rushes back into the room.
“Lock Devin up with Sebastian. I have no use for either. They will both perish the moment night turns to day.”
“But, my Queen,” Lissandra protests, as Abanthe manhandles me out of the chair.
“One more word, Lissandra, and you will join them both.”
Lissandra snaps her mouth shut and watches as Abanthe escorts me from the room. It is my death I walk to and all I can think of is the woman who smells of roses, before the darkness smothers her from my thoughts once again.
Chapter Fourteen
Accacia
“Cia? Cia, Lights damn it, wake up.”
Opening my eyes, I find Rhain leaning over me, his palm pressing against my face.
“Thank the Goddess Solaria,” he says, pulling me into his arms. I breathe him in, savouring the feeling of safety, of warmth, of desire. He kisses me. It is a brief kiss and not nearly enough.
“Rhain, what are you doing here? Where is Ezra? Devin?” I ask, frantically looking about the room.
He pulls back, letting me sit up.
“Tonight is the Jubilee ball. We must leave now, especially since...”
“You haven’t answered my question. Where are they?” I press.
Rhain swipes a hand over the stubble of his jaw. “Ezra has taken the wolf-shifter to Nostra’s hamlet.”
“Lissandra got the message to you?” I say, relieved.
“Yes. The ball begins in a few short hours. Tonight is the Bloodletting. All of Clan Lux have been called to the Grand hall. The chambers have been empty of Punishers for the last hour. It was our only chance to help Blake, so we took it.”
“Thank God… Hold on, another day has passed?” I stand, swaying on my feet slightly. Rhain steadies me. Have I really been asleep a whole day?
“Yes, it would appear so.”
Dark spots splatter across my vision. I feel strange, light-headed, woozy.
“Take it easy. You are weak.”
“Where is Devin?” Panic fills me as I realise he is no longer in the apartment. It is a feeling I am beginning to get used to, and I hate it. When will we ever get the chance to just be?
“I was about to ask you the same thing. What happened here, Cia? His bedroom is destroyed. Did he hurt you?”
I shake my head. Long dark hair whips against my face. Wait, long dark hair? Where have the curls gone? I look at my hands, they are no longer small, and my skin is now a familiar porcelain white.
“The spell has worn off?” I say, aghast.
“Yes. We need to get you out.”
“Not before we find Devin.”
“Did you bind with him?”
“Yes, I can hear his thoughts…”
“But?” Rhain says gently, knowing there is more.
“The poison is still in his system. They are jumbled, unclear,” I sigh. “I think whatever was in that poison is blocking him from hearing me somehow. I don’t know what else to do.”
“Don’t worry, Cia. We’ll find him, and I will drag his arse back to Nostra’s myself.”
“It may already be too late,” Lissandra says, entering the room with a long red dress folded over her arm.
“What do you mean, Lissandra?”
“It’s Queen Adrielle. She has Sebastian and Devin. She plans to kill them both as soon as dawn breaks.” I see the anger blaze in her eyes, it reflects my exact same feelings.
“Lights damn it,” Rhain curses under his breath.
“Why?” I say. A cold hatred settles in my stomach.
“Devin was supposed to end Sebastian’s life. He didn’t, and now they are both about to pay for it. She is making an example of them.”
“Not if I can help it.”
“What are you thinking, Cia?” Rhain asks. He knows me well enough now not to question my actions. I am glad that this time he isn’t trying to stop me. He knows just as well as I do that Devin is as important to Ever Vale as he is important to me.
I point to the dress Lissandra is holding. “That for me?”
“Yes. I knew you wouldn’t leave without Devin. If you put this on, you can blend in amongst the others. It is a masquerade ball, everyone will have their faces covered.” She hands me the dress and the mask.
“Blend in? It is red, like the dress I wore for my Joining ceremony with Ezra. It doesn’t feel right wearing it. I’ll wear anything other than red.”
Lissandra’s laugh is hollow. “Queen Adrielle will have your head cut off if you were to walk into her ball wearing any other than what she’s demanded. All the female clan members have been asked to wear red, the males black, just like her. You realise all the women are wearing red precisely because she wishes to twist Clan Lux’s traditions. You have joined with Ezra, you know what that entails. This is the night of the Bloodletting, after all.”
I glance at Rhain. He is wearing the required garments, a black suit, shirt and shoes. He looks incredible, granted, but it pisses me off that the Queen gets to dictate whatever she chooses and everyone must follow without question. That she persists in her cruelty by twisting Clan Lux’s hallowed traditions.
“But how are we to get Devin and your friend Sebastian out?” Rhain asks.
“In a few short hours the sun will begin to rise. At that point, none of Clan Lux will be able to step into the light. That will be our opportunity.”
“But neither will we, Lissandra.”
“We have friends who are willing to help.”
“Who?”
“Ether, Mihr, Gabe. The Angels of Death. We are not alone. They will get them out.”
“But at what cost?” I say, concerned that their cover will be blown. “They still need to find their clan’s missing daughter. That can’t be compromised.”
“They have offered, we need their help,” Rhain says. “Besides, if Devin returns to the Light it is all over anyway. They understand this. We have little choice.”
“But the Queen…”
Lissandra gives me the dress. “Accacia, you’ve come this far. We all have. Put the dress and mask on. There is no way around this. This night, the lines will be drawn.”
Without saying a word, I take the dress and remove myself to the bathroom, Rhain following behind. I lay the dress over the side of the bath.
“Cia, this may be the only chance I get to say this.” He takes both of my hands in his and brings them up to his mouth. “I am sorry if I hurt you the night we arrived here. I had no other choice. If I did not feed from you, the Queen would have killed you herself. I will never hurt you like that again,” he says fiercely.
“Rhain, stop. I know you wouldn’t. I understand that you had to do it.”
“I am so proud of you, your bravery, your courage. I can see it has not been easy for you here with Devin. I smelt the stain of blood and death when I walked in the room and for one moment I thought he had killed you. That he’d taken a bite and couldn’t control his bloodlust; it was hard enough for me and I am not under a spell.” He tips his head down, leaning it against my clasped hands. When he sits back up, I can see by the tightness of his jaw that he is trying to keep his emotions in check.
“He didn’t hurt me. I’m okay.”
“Damn it, Cia. This world we’ve brought you into, the dangers you’ve faced. You still face…”
“I would do it all again without a second thought.”
“If I lose you,
if we lose you. My love, I cannot bear the thought.”
“Then don’t think it. We will succeed. You are not alone anymore, any of you. I am here. We have Nostra, Lissandra, the angels, Blake, Clover and her men, Solomon. Most importantly, we have each other.”
Rhain pulls me into his arms and runs his hands up and down my back. “You are a miracle. Do you know that?”
“I’m not sure about that,” I laugh, despite the enormity of the situation.
“When this is done, and we are safe, nothing and no one will stop me from making love to you until we are both spent.”
“I think Ezra might have something to say about that. I hope Devin will too.”
Rhain laughs. “I’m excluding my brothers from such a statement.”
“Are you still not dressed?” Lissandra says, interrupting our conversation. Rhain presses a quick kiss on my lips then steps back.
“I have missed her,” he says by way of explanation.
Lissandra clucks her tongue. “There is no time for this. Will you leave us so Accacia can get ready in peace.”
“We are not strangers to each other’s bodies,” Rhain says a little sharply.
“My point entirely. Now shoo,” she says, ushering him out. Interestingly, though he is grumbling he does as Lissandra says.
“How do you cope with them?” Lissandra asks, after closing the bathroom door on a rather stunned looking Rhain.
“Believe me, it took a little getting used to,” I say, picking up the dress. Lissandra holds it whilst I remove the shirt and slacks that I am wearing, then helps me wriggle into the dress, fastening the hook and eyes that hold it together at the back. It is a tight fit and hugs the shape of my body, flaring out just as it hits the curve of my bottom. I’m no expert, but I think this is a fishtail dress and not a style I thought I’d ever see in Ever Vale. Lissandra hands me the mask which covers the top half of my face, leaving only slits for my eyes.
“There, you should blend in perfectly,” Lissandra says.
“Don’t you need to change?” I ask, pointing to the plain shift dress she is wearing.
“I am the Queen’s chambermaid, Accacia, her slave. I am not invited to the ball as a guest.”
“But…”
“I am to attend only when it is time for her to murder my friend. The Queen has insisted on that part. She wants me to witness his final moments, just as I witnessed my parents’ deaths.”
“I am sorry, Lissandra,” I say.
“Don’t be. It isn’t your fault.” She draws in a breath then walks over to the window sill, looking out at the view below. “I’ve heard the stories of what Ever Vale was like before the Queen cursed all the Clans. I hope one day that it will be like that once again.” She leans over, resting her hands against the stone. “When the light dawns on a new day tomorrow, I hope that we’ll all still have a future to fight for.”
“I hope so too,” I whisper.
“We should leave, the ball will begin in a few minutes,” Lissandra says, standing upright. She walks towards me and takes my hand, squeezing it gently as we both exit the room.
On the windowsill a small, clear crystal sparkles in the moonlight.
Chapter Fifteen
Lissandra takes another route back to the Queen’s apartments whilst Rhain and I head towards the grand hall. There are plenty of others walking the same way and all are dressed in red and black, apart from the castle staff. I notice that none of the men wear masks, just the women. Rhain’s hand is pressed lightly to my lower back as he guides me through the throng of vampires. Out of the corner of my eye I catch Ether standing next to two other men, both of whom have a similar aura. I have no doubt that they are Mihr and Gabe, his fellow Angels of Death. Our eyes meet, and Ether dips his head minutely in recognition. I don’t understand how he knows who I am, given I look completely different now. I do not respond for fear someone will notice and a sudden chill runs over my skin at the very real danger I am in. I am surrounded by goddamn vampires who would drain me of blood given half the chance, and angels who can strip the life from me with one touch. I swallow a nervous laugh.
“This way,” Rhain says, sensing my growing unease. He steers me away from the crowd, along another corridor and to a door set back in an alcove. He pushes the door open and we slip into a small, dimly lit room. It is nothing more than a musty smelling store cupboard.
“What are we doing in here, Rhain?” I ask.
“You need a moment to calm down,” he says. “I can hear your heart’s frantic beat. It is too human, Accacia. If anyone cared to stop and listen, they would know you are not truly one of us.”
“Tell me, Rhain, how am I supposed to calm down?”
“Take my blood.”
“What?”
“You heard me, Cia. Take my blood.”
“Why would taking your blood calm me down?”
Rhain lifts off my mask, pushing it back against the top of my head. “When you took Ezra’s blood, how did it make you feel?”
My cheeks redden at the thought.
Rhain smiles, clearly noticing the flush of my cheeks. “Apart from the sexual desire?”
I let out a tiny laugh. “I felt good. He healed me. But how will that help in this situation?”
“Your heart beats faster than ours because, like the common folk, you are still human, despite our similarities. If you take my blood, it will calm you. It will lower your heart rate.”
“I didn’t feel very calm with Ezra,” I protest. “Perhaps it doesn’t work like that for me?”
“Not at first, granted. But once the initial euphoria, excitement, had passed, your heart slowed and you were calm. Remember, prior to taking Ezra’s blood, you had stabbed him in the heart and run out into the sun, so afraid you risked your own life to get away from us. Yet after all of that, you didn’t try to run again. You sat and spoke with us, finding out all about your history, Ever Vale, the curse, everything. You were calm enough to do that. Ezra’s blood made it so.”
“But if I drink your blood, won’t your life be in danger again, like Ezra’s was?”
Rhain shakes his head. “No, of course not. I’ve already tasted you, remember. Now I am just returning the favour.”
“Fine. Let’s do this quickly before I change my mind,” I say, trying to supress the tiny streak of excitement at the thought of drinking Rhain’s blood.
Without wasting anymore time, Rhain bites into the tender flesh of his wrist. “Here we are, my love,” he says, bringing his wrist to my mouth. He watches me intently as I part my lips over his skin. The first thing I notice is that he tastes completely different to Ezra. Where Ezra’s blood is like rich, dark chocolate, Rhain’s tastes of the sea, of oysters, and indulgence, like the crisp, sharp taste of champagne.
I find myself gorging on his blood, the same tingling sensation that I’d had when I drank Ezra’s overwhelming me once again. Rhain pulls me closer, a low moan escaping his lips. He lets me drink for a while longer before pulling his wrist away.
“That’s enough, my love,” he says, leaning down and pulling me in for a passionate kiss. I want more of him, of his blood. My heart rate is not slowing down. Not in the slightest. I tangle my hands in his hair, drawing him closer still.
Rhain smiles against my mouth. “Enough, Cia,” he says gently, stepping back. “Take a few deep breaths, okay. This will pass momentarily.”
“I doubt that,” I grind out, feeling frustrated.
“Think of Devin.”
Those three words act like a bucket of ice being thrown over my head. I look down at my red dress, reach up for the mask sitting on my head and am instantly reminded why we are here in this damn broom cupboard. The cold reality of our situation settles over me.
“Better?” Rhain asks after a minute.
“Well not better exactly, but I no longer want to jump your bones.”
“Jump my bones?”
“Never mind.”
Rhain reaches up and places the mask back
over my eyes, resting his palms against the side of my face. His ocean-deep eyes are fearful. “There is nothing about the next few hours that I will enjoy, but I still must play my part. Understand that whatever you see or hear, it is not me, Cia.”
“I know that,” I respond, feeling much calmer now. Rhain had been right, even his obvious fear is not worrying me as much as it should.
Placing his hand on my lower back, he leads me from the storeroom and back to the Grand hall. We are one of the last people to enter.
He stops at the door. “We go in separately. Being with me will draw attention your way. When we enter I want you to move to the shadows of the alcoves. Stay there. I will return for you when the time is right,” he says, before stepping through the door and away from me. I follow a few steps behind.
Inside, the pure black flames have been replaced with burning red ones, only the tips are edged in black. They are not like the beautiful lanterns of my Joining ceremony; no, these flames that burn give off a sinister light, casting a shadow of blood and death about the room. There is no passion or love here.
Standing in the Grand hall are about three hundred people, and just like Lissandra said, all the women are wearing blood-red dresses. Rhain’s entrance is noticed by a few of the clan members closest to him. Their eyes rest on Rhain and they look at him with a respect born from both fear and loathing. Although I feel far safer with him than without, I follow his orders and make my way to the dark recesses of the room where I step back into the shadows and watch the events unfold. I am thankful that Rhain’s blood has relaxed me enough so that I am calmer than I ought to be in this situation.
Rhain moves through the crowd, stopping every now and then to speak with his fellow clan members. He moves like a man who is self-assured, powerful, and he is both of those things, but he is also loyal, loving, courageous, and the man I love. A loud bell chimes suddenly, and the flames around the hall burn brighter. I watch the crowd part and the doors to the hall open.
In walks Queen Adrielle, and holding onto her arm is Ezra.
Immediately all the men drop to their knees, including my beloved Rhain, but not before he catches my eye. There is confusion there, followed swiftly by concern. What the hell is Queen Adrielle up to? More to the point, what is Ezra doing with her? I thought he was in the hamlet with Blake. My stomach dips and I feel sick. I watch as all the women curtsey, their heads bowed. I do the same, just in case anyone bothers to look my way.