His chuckle was deep and darkly forbidding. “As I said, you want the answers, you woman the fuck up and bite me. Then we’ll talk.”
I couldn’t look him in the eye.
I turned my face away.
King Belshazzar studied me a moment longer, quiet and grim, and then turned on his heel. He headed straight to my horse, stating grouchily over his shoulder, “I’m riding with you now. Get your bag, and get your ass over here.”
From above, Dorian directed—so quietly I barely heard it, “Get on your horses now.”
My hands were shaking. Not from the scene so horrible it even turned my vampire’s stomach. I quivered where I stood from the possibilities, the scary as fuck possibilities Bel had hinted at. I had wondered in my most private, frightened moments…
Except one thing didn’t add up.
Even if everything else did.
He had not fainted when drinking my blood. He was not that different. He would have dropped to the ground if we were soul mates.
I shook my head hard. Too many men had fucked me over. I wanted nothing to do with a lifetime commitment, especially to a man as powerful as Bel.
Men only hurt me in the long run.
It was inevitable. I was the Black Widow.
“I know you heard me, little one.” King Belshazzar sat upon the horse, contemplating me from under his eyelashes. Still no emotion showing. “If you need to puke, go do it. But get back here quickly.”
I sucked in a lungful of oxygen. “I am fine.”
Bel snorted quietly.
I bent and grabbed my bag. I handed it up to him, keeping my gaze averted while he managed to tie it to the horse’s saddle on the back. I took the hand he held down and allowed him to lift me in front of him, sitting my body sideways. I didn’t bother to move from that position.
I just rested my head against his chest.
He sighed quietly and wrapped his arms around me, prodding the horse forward. Bel whispered gently, “I also said before that if I am too much for you, I will wait. And I will. It is all right, Gwen. I know I am a lot.”
“You are a man.” I stared at the trees, unseeing, speaking truthfully, not holding back in my numbed state. “That is the real problem.”
King Belshazzar dipped his face down and pressed his lips to the top of my blood-covered head. He left his kiss there for a long moment, soothing me gently, before leaning back and firmly placing my limp form on top of his lap. He held me close and—finally—admitted on a whisper, “I am the man who killed every man who has ever wronged you. I have no plans ever to treat you as they did. Know that well, little one.”
I whimpered on the inside, even as my heart swelled with adoration. I was truly one fucked up individual to find that romantic, but I absolutely did.
We rode in silence, my nerves calming inside his hold, as the day turned to night, the gentle rocking of the horse slowly lulling me to sleep. Only when Bel shook my shoulder softly did I wake.
I stared with sleepy eyes at a quaint inn right from the olden centuries. “Will you sleep with me tonight?”
“I wouldn’t be anywhere else but with you.” He cleared his throat softly. “I’ll even let you on my half of the bed tonight.”
“How very kind.” My smile was small, content. But my eyes snagged on a vampire who was astride Bel’s previous horse. I stared in confusion. “Who the fuck is that?”
Bel snickered softly and leaned down to speak directly against my ear. “He was the lone vampire the gem did not kill. His name is Aiko. He followed us from afar until our horses met up. He is another friend of Kimber’s. My brother isn’t happy with this. I believe this vampire took him by surprise—and not the way you would think.”
I blinked, stunned. “Damn. I slept well.”
Mischievous blue eyes looked down into mine, a scrumptious smirk lifting his lips. “Maybe you won’t sleep tonight, then?”
“Oh, yes. I will sleep tonight. All night long.” I raised my black eyebrows on my disgusting, blood-covered face. “You are still in the doghouse. Do not think you are not.”
Bel immediately glowered.
“Truth.” I smiled with fang. “It will set you free from that damned doghouse, don’t you know?”
He grunted. “So we are back to that now?”
“Denial. It is a wonderful thing,” I singsonged.
King Belshazzar kissed my mouth softly, speaking against my lips. “Stay in denial as long as you need. I’ll be strong, even when you can’t be.”
It was my turn to scowl.
My lover chuckled deeply.
He was such a bastard.
4
KIMBER
S’Kir
Island of the Unseen Gods
“Niallan was my son.”
The words tumbled over and over in my head.
Of all the things that had happened in the days it took us to return to the city, those words just kept spinning in my head.
Dorian had a son, and he was glad he was dead. His twin brother had murdered him, took his head, and brought it back—after three thousand years.
I looked out over the countryside from the window of the room I had been given. I could see the pale glow of the city ahead. We were only a half a day out, but after the insanity that was this afternoon, I needed to stop riding. I needed to sleep in a bed.
All of Savion’s men had dropped dead when they tried to attack the queen.
What kind of power did that amulet have? It was the kind of artifact that the council would have crushed and destroyed. It was too strong. And certainly too dangerous to wear as if it were a bauble.
What if it accidentally struck out at someone? Aiko had survived it, but what if he hadn’t?
I had to admit that I was very glad the queen ripped it off and threw it at King Belshazzar. He seemed too casual about such power.
What strange people they were. I wondered about the world they lived in. They spoke our language fluently, but it was peppered with words I didn’t know or that didn’t have an equivalent.
Scrubbing a hand down my face, I let out a breath.
“Niallan was my son.”
But then, at the same time, we had brought Savion’s with us to… trade, I suppose. Was Niallan as bad as Savion in his mad lust for power? I knew that Savion and his co-conspirators were horrible people. Selling children. Stealing and selling.
Dorian’s wife and son had been part of that.
Taking a deep breath, I realized it was better the three of them were now dead. I’d never know Niallan now, and it didn’t matter. I saw the insanity in Savion, and that was all I needed.
“Where the hell is the bathroom?”
A smirk crawled to my face as I turned to find the queen standing there.
“I’ve opened every door I’ve come across, and I can’t find a bathroom.”
“Are you looking to take a bath, or are you looking to relieve yourself?” I asked.
“I have to pee, lady. I really gotta pee.”
“The loo is out the backdoor, about one hundred feet back. There will be a path.”
“Seriously? Even this close to a big city, you’re still peeing in wooden boxes?”
“What else would you have us do?” I asked, twisting my lip. “Bedpans are gross enough.”
“Toilets? Water closets? Something you flush?”
I realized what she was talking about. “We don’t have those here, yet. I’m sure we will soon enough.”
“You don’t…?” The queen let out a rough huff. “Fine. Just tell me there’s paper to wipe with out there?”
“We aren’t savages, Your Highness.”
She snorted and turned out of the room, letting the door close.
I giggled. She was a strange one.
The door popped back open. “Do you have a flashlight? It’s dark out there, and I don’t know your wildlife.”
“Our most dangerous birds are safely flightless.”
“I… Jesus.”
&nbs
p; Walking to the table, I grabbed a lantern. “Come on, Your Highness. I’ll guide you to the loo.”
I flicked the light on with a touch of power when we reached the stairs. I led her down the three flights to the door that led to the outside of the inn.
“You don’t have any crazy animals?” she asked, staying extremely close to me.
“We have several venomous snakes in the south, the iruki birds, but they are on an island. We have a large rodent that has a bad habit of going senile if it gets too old, the pamada, but they live in the forest. There are golodorol, but they live on the plains. Sort of massive cows that can stampede.” I paused. “There is always the rigali.”
“What are they?”
“Hmm. Long spindly legs, but completely clumsy. They have been known to fall over and crush their own young. They kind of look like someone took a horse and stretched it but swapped out the head for a rabbit’s.”
“Damn, this place is weird.”
I chuckled, holding up the lantern to show her the little house. “We’re here.”
She pulled the door open and started smacking the wall on the one side. She grunted and smacked the wall on the other side. “Where the hell is the light?”
“I just conjure one, usually,” I answered and held out the lantern. “But a lot of people use this.”
She grabbed it and hauled herself inside.
“Would you like me to wait, Your Highness?”
“I’ll be fine,” she called out. “And stop calling me that. I’m Gwen.”
“Kimber,” I answered. “I’d shake your hand, but… ew.”
I heard her chuckle.
“I’m going to head back in, Your—Gwen. Good luck.”
“I’m going to need it.”
Doing exactly as I told her, I created a small ball of light to show me the path to return. Heading back to my room, I caught a glimpse of the lounge where Dorian and his brother were seated on two chairs and talking softly.
I watched their backs for a moment, not knowing how to feel about any of this.
“Niallan was my son.”
Now wasn’t the time. I needed sleep, and there was a wonderful, serviceable bed up three flights. Tearing myself away, I answered the siren’s call of my pillow.
Tomorrow, we would be back in the city.
As I headed down the hall back to my room, I saw Rilen walking away from my door. I cleared my throat, and he spun around.
“Ilati,” he whispered and turned back to me. “I was just coming to check on you.”
“I had to show the queen where the loo was,” I answered and pushed the door to my room open. He followed me in and closed the door behind us. “Rilen, do you think it’s okay to use some of the ideas and inventions from the Stronghold? Savion was mad, oppressive. But there were things there that were… useful. Logical. Things that helped everyone.”
“What are you thinking?” He sat on the chair in the corner.
“Well, their cold boxes. Refrigerators? They could keep the blood cold indefinitely. Could we keep other things that were perishable in them? Harvests would be amazing if we could have fruit and vegetables well into the early spring.”
“It sounds like an excellent idea,” Rilen said.
I frowned and turned back to the window.
He was behind me a moment later, wrapping his hands around my waist. “What bothers you about that?”
“It’s tainted by Savion.”
“Then let our scholars and scientists go at it and make it our own. We can’t get our hands on them right now anyway.”
I sighed and leaned against him. “I’m so glad to know that my father’s wife will continue his insanity in ruling over the vampires.”
A knock on the door startled me, but only because I’d been so on edge lately. Opening the door, one of the maids was standing there, holding out a piece of paper.
She looked a little frightened. “From the vampire.”
“Which one?” I snapped. “There are four of us.”
She pushed the sheet at me. “The Lord Aiko.”
I was about to grab it when Rilen reached around and took it out of her hand. “You have nothing to fear from the vampires.”
“Don’t we, though?” the maid whispered.
Rilen’s whole body stiffened behind me. “You’ve delivered the note. You’d best not show your face to me or Mistress Bre—Kimber again unless and until you are able to apologize for that remark.”
He slammed the door in her face.
“Rilen…”
“She was wrong.”
I put a hand on his arm. “I know she was. She knows she was. I appreciate that you’re trying to protect me, but I can handle it. It didn’t bother me that she was being childish. You must remember that most of S’Kir doesn’t remember the vampires were allies. Or at all. And right now, the only vampires we know as allies are Aiko and the king and queen—and they aren’t even from here.”
He took a deep breath and held out the note. “You’re right. I just get defensive around you. You’re such a good soul that I don’t want you corrupted.”
My lips quirked up in a smirk. “Corrupted, Rilen? I’m sleeping with three different men, sometimes at the same time. I’m plenty corrupt.”
As I flipped the note open, Rilen chuckled and walked around so he could read what Aiko had written.
My dearest Mistress Breaker,
It distresses me that I must ask again for your company, but it has become even more difficult to find someone willing to share their blood with me. I wish that it wasn’t so, but it is necessary. Your generosity has gone beyond the reasonable, and yet I find myself in need of you again.
At your convenience, as usual, my sweet Kimber.
And as always, I will understand your refusal.
A faithful servant,
Lord Knight Aiko
Rilen took the note and read it again to himself. “Until we fulfill this deal, we’re going to have to remind everyone—and I mean everyone—that they need to not call you Mistress Breaker.”
“It’s just a title of respect.”
“Then we’ll get them all to use Lady Stormbreaker. At least then, if someone calls you the Breaker, we can cover with that.” Rilen was quiet a moment. “I hate lying.”
“I do too,” I said. “But they’re such an unknown. We’re not really lying…we’re just not telling them the whole truth. If the king and queen are formidable fighters—and I’m not convinced the queen is—we’ll need their help with Niniane.”
“No, I understand. I understand deception, ilati.”
“I wish I didn’t.” I sighed, staring at the note.
“Do you hate doing this for him?” Rilen asked.
“No, I hate that he thinks I’m somehow put out by his request. It’s not that it’s really difficult. I just wish I could control the…” I blushed hard.
“Why?”
“Because I am in your bed. It’s bad enough there are three of you! I now come at his bite on my wrist.”
Rilen stared at the paper. “Does he always send notes like this?”
“Not always. Sometimes he’ll send a messenger with a flower. I’m curious about what he’ll do when we reach the city again. While we were there, he’d send me delicate chocolate and a fresh piece of vilaratu fruit. It was a delicacy in the Stronghold.”
“Have you ever said no?”
“Not no, really. I’ve had to delay a day, which was a risk. But it was after one of our skirmishes on the way to the Stronghold to rescue Dorian.”
“Are you going to delay now?”
I shook my head. “No. I’ll go to his room and be back in twenty minutes if you care to wait.”
He placed the paper down on the nightstand. “I’ll go with you.”
“Rilen—”
“No, I’ll go with you. There is no reason either of you has to feel like this is wrong. It is what it must be. You are half vampire, and no one can change that.”
Taking
a deep breath, I nodded. “If you wish. But I will be back shortly.”
He held out his hand for me. His way of saying he wasn’t staying and that he didn’t disapprove of this.
I tapped on Aiko’s door, and a moment later, he swung the door open. “Mistress, I didn’t…” He stopped. “Oh. Master Rilen.”
“May we come in?” I asked.
He stepped out of the doorway. “Of course, your graces, please.”
Once we were inside, and Aiko had shut the door, the tension in the room rose to an uncomfortable level. I didn’t know why Rilen had come with me, and I didn’t like the way this room felt.
Aiko was standing and facing the door, and finally let out a breath, turning around. “Master Rilen, I would not ask your mistress for this favor if there were anyone else who would share their blood with me.”
“I know,” he said.
The silence was thick for another moment.
Aiko sighed and stepped to the side of the door. He pulled it open. “I understand. I will find another way.”
Rilen flicked his hand, and the door shut. “I am not here to deny you what you need. I am here to offer another avenue.”
I gasped and stepped away. “Rilen!”
He put a hand on my shoulder. “There are going to be times when you both will be too tired, too beaten to exchange blood. And if you’re hurt, you won’t have enough.”
“Rilen…”
“Master Rilen…”
He shook his head. “Aiko, you’ve been in battles before, and mistress—Lady Stormbreaker has limited experience. You know, from the last attack, this is not going to be an easy war. Our people are scared of the vampire now, and without them, without people who are willing to offer a vein even to our allies, this is going to be all uphill.” He looked between the two of us. “Lord Knight Aiko, I offer my vein. You may ask it of me when you have need.” He looked at me. “And the same of you, Kimber.”
Aiko walked deeper into the room. “Master Rilen, we have no way of knowing if mistress can survive on your blood.”
“And you, Lord Knight?”
Blood of Gods Page 3