by Kim Loraine
My skin crawled, but I didn’t let the barriers around my mind fall. “I thought you exiled them.”
“I did, they just don’t know it yet. And as soon as I find them, I’ll ensure they’re imprisoned. Or perhaps I’ll kill them.” She trailed her fingernail over my cheek. “Perhaps I’ll have you kill them. You should be honored to have the chance. They did nothing to protect you from yourself and your weakness for that human. They let you lose yourself to her.”
I knew what she wanted me to say. And part of me agreed with her. They did nothing to stop me from falling in love with Olivia. In fact, Lucas might have fallen a little right along with me. But was that a bad thing? I wasn’t convinced. “What does it matter now? She’s gone. You have the throne.”
“I do. And that brings me back to what I wanted to discuss with you. In one month, we’ll be hosting my coronation. I’ve sent the announcement to all the clans.”
“All of them?”
“Yes. The celebration of my return to my rightful place is something vampires the world over should be present for. Don’t you think?”
It was something my father would have done. A spectacle. A show of his power. “I suppose.”
“A few of them are…resistant. But I think if we appear as a united front, they’ll come around. After all, only a Blackthorne should be seated at the throne. If we can convince them of the Kingdom’s stability even after Elias was overthrown, we can assure there’ll be no treachery. Well, no more than what you’ve already doled out.”
“How else are we supposed to convince them? You pardoning me after my crimes isn’t proof enough of our alliance?”
“My spies have said there are whispers of weakness in the Blackthorne royal line. They’ll use this as a way to usurp me and throw you back into prison to await an execution.”
I crossed my arms over my chest and stared at the woman. So small in stature, but terrifying in demeanor. A mad queen. But, that didn’t make her incorrect. I couldn’t risk the throne being taken by another clan. “Then why banish my siblings? We should bring them back to the manor. Let them throw their support behind us as well. Sorcha is smart, a powerful fighter. Callie has so much to offer when it comes to her studies on sun sickness and vampire genetics. Lucas…well, he’s strong and fast, and cares too much about living to be stubborn about loyalty to our father.”
“That idea has merit. But, like I said, I don’t know where they are.”
“I can find them. I’m sure of it.”
She nodded and tapped one long ebony lacquered nail on her lip. “With all the Blackthornes on my side, it’ll be nearly impossible for the leaders to doubt me. But there’s one more thing.”
“What do we need?”
She grinned. “Why, the blood of the sun, of course.”
My chest turned cold at the malice behind her tone. “I thought you didn’t care about her.”
“It’s simple, Cashel. She is an asset, whether I care about using her blood or not, she will give me an advantage.”
“And you want me to find her for you?”
Her small hand patted my cheek in a placating and demeaning way, sending a wave of rage through me. “Yes. Find her. Bring her to me. I don’t care what you do to her. Take your revenge for everything she’s done to you now that you’re freed of her influence. Fuck her, feed, break her. But bring her to me with a beating heart and untainted blood.”
I nodded. “Where is she?”
A wicked smirk twisted her lips. “Right now, she’s falling for that hunter you hate so much.”
Everything in me seized, but I kept control of my expression, carefully masked my thoughts. “Then it’ll be double the punishment for her to be taken from him. I’ll seduce her away, make her think I love her.”
Anne’s smile grew wider. “I like what I’m hearing.”
I continued, hating myself with every word. “When the Blackthorne bloodline has the blood of the sun at its disposal, no one will dare threaten us.”
“Oh, not just the Blackthorne bloodline. We’ll sell her blood and body to the highest bidder as our prized mare. That’s the way to ensure loyalty from the clans. Give them a taste of the possibility of power.” She chuckled. “Maybe your father was on to something with his breeding plot. Just not in the way he thought.”
Gut churning, I fought back a retort, my body desperate to claim Olivia as mine. Instead I bit out words I never wanted to say. “Yes, my queen.”
“Well, what are you waiting for? Go find your siblings and return them to their home. Let them know their exile is over, as long as they offer their loyalty to me. Then you can collect your pet.”
I nodded, my body humming with the need to release the pent-up tension this conversation had caused.
“Don’t worry, Cashel. I’ll let you have your little bird all to yourself after I’ve had a taste. Then you can have the honor of creating the first hybrid. A Blackthorne heir with the power to walk in the sun. Unstoppable.”
6
Cashel
The mouth of the cave shone with condensation, a damp, earthy scent filling the air and adding the tang of minerals at the back of my throat from the simple act of inhaling. It’d been nearly a hundred years since I’d stood outside of this place. The last refuge of my family. The place my father had sent us to hide from sun sickness when it had run rampant and destroyed our mother.
I moved slowly, familiarizing myself with the path filled with craggy rocks and low hanging stalactites that seemed to drip from the ceiling. A deterrent forged by nature. The temperature dropped with every step I took that led me deeper into the mountain. I walked until I reached the end of the cave where a secret pool sat. It appeared nothing more than stagnant water, but I knew better. I dove in and swam under the rock in absolute darkness. No creature that relied on breath to survive would make this journey without meeting death.
I came out the other side five minutes later, my head breaking through the water’s surface and my gaze catching the glint of a silver blade. I darted away and out of the pool, meeting the shocked expression of Sorcha.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” she asked, still brandishing the knife. “Traitor.”
“Sorcha, you know Father was mad. He’d reached the peak of his illness. He would have brought us all down with him.”
“That’s not what I’m talking about, brother. I’m talking about the woman who stole your throne. Anne Blackthorne.”
“You don’t understand.”
“I do. You’ve taken her side. She pardoned you, and you went with her. I can’t believe you. We were working on rescuing you from the council, but you went with her instead. You’ve been glutting yourself on blood, throwing your support her way, even—and I hate to say this because I shouldn’t care—sacrificing Olivia.”
I dragged a hand through my hair, angry that she’d have so little faith in me. “You know nothing of what I’ve done. Anne thinks she’s got me compelled. She thinks I’m on her side and that Olivia means nothing to me now. I have to play along until I can get Olivia somewhere safe, and I can bond with her and ruin her for anyone else. Then, we overthrow Anne. Take back the Blackthorne crown, and rule together. All of us.”
“Not all of us, I’m afraid.” Callie’s voice echoed in the tunnel that led into the small space where we’d all passed days and nights until Father had rid the area of hunters in his rage after mother died.
Dread twisted in my chest. “Callie?”
Sorcha’s expression was heartbreakingly open and desperate. “You should be resting.”
“Callie, what’s going on?” I asked, but my littlest sister came out of the tunnel and rested her arm on the cave wall and I knew. I knew the terrible truth of what had happened since I left. “Sun sickness?”
She nodded, her skin an ashen hue more befitting a corpse. Hair that had once been vibrant and thick now hung in stringy clumps, dull and thin.
“How? You were fine. How is it so advanced?” I asked, rushing to her
, but she backed away and snarled at me.
“Don’t touch me, Cashel. I can’t risk getting you sick too.” I frowned. Sun sickness couldn’t be passed by contact. It was transmitted by the exchanging of fluids. Mates often gave it to each other through sexual feeding. Or in the end stages, when the unfortunate victim of the illness was beyond sanity, they’d fight so hard they’d draw blood on themselves, and their caregivers.
“Callie, you need to lie down and rest.” Sorcha chastised her, but there was such sadness in her voice, it didn’t come through as an admonishment. “Let me give you some of Olivia’s blood. Why else did we get a donation from her?”
The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. “You’ve seen her?”
Sorcha nodded. “Yes. Her and that hunter. But she allowed me to take her blood. So, I suppose she’s not completely a waste of space.”
“Does she know Callie is sick?”
“No. I couldn’t risk her telling the hunters. She’s theirs now, brother. She wants to be one of them.”
I shook my head. No. She was mine. “She’s playing a part until I come for her.”
“You think so? Go see for yourself. She’s entrenched in their world. I saw it. I saw her in his arms, happy. She was happy without you. And, she told you the truth about him already. She loves him. Let her go. Haven’t you lost enough already?”
Pain and jealousy sliced through me, but I pushed them aside. I didn’t want to have this discussion with her. I needed to see what I could do for Callie. “How did this happen, Callie? How did you get sick?”
“I thought I was close…to a cure. I figured out how to isolate the infection in a sample from the first known case of sun sickness. Olivia’s blood didn’t do much to stop it, but after I spliced yours with hers, there seemed to be some progress. Until the hunters came for us. It’s like they knew you were gone. They attacked, but we escaped mostly unscathed. I got sick a few weeks later.” She lifted her shirt to show a gash on her side, mostly healed, but still angry and red. It should have healed completely within a few days, even if it had been a silver blade.
“Poisoned?” I asked.
“Likely. They’ve figured out a way to concentrate the virus. It’s faster and stronger. If we weren’t down here, I’d probably already have met the sun.”
“And you’re dosing her with Olivia’s blood?” I looked at Sorcha with understanding dawning.
“It’s all I have. She gets one drop a day, but…I’ve used everything we have except for this last vial. I don’t think I can get Olivia to give me more.”
“Come back to the manor.”
Sorcha’s brows rose. “Excuse me?”
“Anne has lifted your exile if you swear loyalty to her. Do it, then we can take her down.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?”
Callie stood up a little taller. “Sorcha, yes. We have to. My notes. All my research. It’s all still down in my lab. The door is hermetically sealed and as secure as a bank vault. We can finish this. We can find a cure.”
“Are you strong enough to swim?” I asked, looking to Callie and praying she’d say yes.
She nodded. “It’s my last chance to survive this. I have to be strong enough for anything that comes my way.”
Sorcha pulled out a small vial filled with deep red liquid and I couldn’t help myself. My fangs elongated in reaction to the sight of Olivia’s blood. Once the cap was removed and Sorcha captured a glistening crimson drop inside the dispenser, my hunger blossomed into a nearly violent thing. But Callie got there first, snarling and vicious. She snatched the entire vial from our sister’s hand and downed it, sighing in relief before coming back to herself with horror on her face.
“That was everything we had,” Sorcha said, despair clear in her tone.
“Don’t worry. I’ve been instructed to bring Olivia back to Blackthorne Manor. We’ll have what we need close at hand.” I looked around the cave one last time, then asked, “Where’s Lucas?”
“He went to see a coven of witches about a cure.” Sorcha didn’t sound impressed.
“It was a last-ditch effort.” Callie’s voice was soft and resigned. “I told him it wouldn’t work. And they might owe us for saving them from the plague so long ago, but I don’t think he’s coming back. I think they’re keeping him.”
“I’ll add finding him to my list of things to do after this is over.” I didn’t want to tell her what I really thought. That Lucas had abandoned her to her death because he couldn’t deal with the reality of her situation. If that was the case, my brother would have hell to pay when I claimed my crown.
“Are we ready?” Sorcha asked. “Callie needs to rest…and I think it’s time we consider restraints.”
Callie’s expression crumbled into one of fear and acceptance. “It is. I could have exposed you to the disease, Sorcha. I’m so sorry.”
“But you didn’t. No apologizing. We need to get you home and contained until we can get you cured.”
Together, the three of us left the protection afforded by our secret cave hideaway, and readied ourselves to return home to Blackthorne Manor.
Anne was nowhere to be found when we arrived. Only Martin greeted us at the door, his face drawn and haggard. He looked…almost human.
“Master Blackthorne, welcome back.” His tall, lanky frame and thin gray hair were frozen in the state they’d been when he was turned at seventy-two years old. Ancient and astounding for the time. When my father turned him, most men who reached fifty were considered old. “Mistress Sorcha, Mistress Calliope.” He bowed slowly with pain on his features.
“Martin, what’s wrong with you?” I asked.
“Her majesty is punishing me for my loyalty to your father.”
Sorcha’s posture went defensive and rigid. “How?”
“I’m only allowed to feed on dead blood.”
I could barely contain my anger. Dead blood was the equivalent of feeding a human spoiled food. Eventually, he’d be so ill he’d be confined to his bed. Useless to her. And then she’d be able to dismiss him…or kill him. “We’ll see to your needs. This can’t continue.”
“Thank you, sir,” he murmured.
Martin’s eyes locked on my littlest sister and fear flashed in them. “Sun sickness?”
Callie nodded.
“Oh, my dear. She’ll kill you if she finds out.”
“Where can we hide her so she’s not found by Anne?” Sorcha asked. “You know this house almost better than anyone.”
“The King’s rooms.”
I frowned. “We need the King’s blood for that.”
“We do.”
He turned away, walking slowly toward the sweeping staircase. The three of us followed with Callie held between Sorcha and me. “Martin, this won’t work. Unless you’ve got a stash of our father’s blood hidden somewhere.”
The man didn’t answer.
“Does he have Father’s blood somewhere?” I asked, casting a look of disbelief at Sorcha.
“No, you idiot,” Callie managed. “You. He has you.”
“She hasn’t been able to get inside.” Martin’s thin, papery voice floated through the hall. “It’s been driving her mad. The magic won’t work for her.”
Hope lit inside me. “But she has the crown.”
“Does she really? If the King’s rooms won’t open for her, she has nothing.”
We walked down the seemingly endless hallway that led to the intricately detailed door. Behind that door, so much had happened to change and shape everything. My father had assaulted Olivia, taken her blood nearly to the point of no return, locked us inside until he thought I’d bred her, and destroyed all respect I had for him. No one knew what hell others had experienced behind those walls. My skin pricked with unease at the thought of revisiting that space.
The tree of life carving stood out, calling me, but I hesitated. Did I want to go back inside that prison?
“Cashel, what are you waiting for?” Sorcha hissed.
&n
bsp; It was the safest place for Callie. The only place Anne couldn’t find her. She couldn’t get inside without me. If it worked.
I took a breath to steady myself, let my fangs descend, and pricked my finger on one of the sharp points. Dark crimson sat on my fingertip, pure power humming through the single drop, the blood pulled toward the carving. Heat flashed through my hand the instant my finger touched the base of the tree. My blood flowed through each groove and filled every branch and root. Then, the door opened with a soft hiss.
We stepped inside, the air weighing heavily on my shoulders. Sinister and dark. A reminder of our father’s descent into madness, of his cruelty, and his fear of death. His fear of losing his seat of power. My gaze immediately fell to the floor in front of the fireplace where I’d lain with Olivia and shared a nearly painful intimate moment. Her fire and spirit, her unwavering willingness to give me her body. Everything in me felt twisted and cold. The memory of feeding from her was so strong, I could practically taste her blood on my tongue.
“Cashel?” Sorcha’s voice was soft and tentative, nothing like her usual tone. The room came back into sharp releif, my focus broadening as I took in my surroundings rather than tightening on that one spot.
“Callie, there is a bedroom at the end of the hall,” I forced through a tight throat. “It’s windowless, so no risk of you being seen.”
“Or of me breaking the glass and throwing myself into the sun.”
I hated the despair I heard in those words, but we all knew the truth of what sun sickness could do. We’d watched our mother fight to meet the sun.
“Correct. Also, there’s no way you can leave these rooms without me to open the door. You’ll be alone. You understand?”
She nodded. “It’s the safest option for me—for all of us.”
“I’ll bring you blood nightly. I swear it.”
Her eyes widened. “Not from the source.”