by Jody Morse
Looking for my father—or at least buying time to figure out some sort of plan—was the only thing I could do to potentially save my coven. I had no other choice.
I met my aunt’s gaze. “I need to find my father. If I can’t prove that he’s dead, the coven is yours to rule.”
She seemed to consider it for a few long moments before finally nodding. “Very well. I will do everything I can on my end to honor the Stark Coven Doctrine. You have two weeks to look for your father. If you are able to prove that Charles is, in fact, dead, I will step down. If he is alive or you are unable to learn anything about his current existence at all, the throne shall be mine to rule.”
“Fair enough,” I agreed with a nod.
“In the meantime, I will keep my ship anchored on your shore. That way, it will be convenient for you to come to me with the news that you’re unable to locate Charles.” She smiled at me. “It was nice to see you again, Sebastian. Send your brothers my love.”
She walked past me and Alessandra until she reached the front door.
Once she let herself out, Alessandra turned to me. “Don’t worry. Even if we are unable to locate your father—and I suspect that we won’t—you will still remain the ruler of the Stark coven.”
“How do you figure?” I asked with a frown.
“Because there are two other exceptions to the abandonment clause, and I believe we could make both of them work to our advantage.” She smiled.
“And those would be what, exactly?”
“Well, one of the exceptions is that we would need to prove that Caroline is unfit to rule,” Alessandra explained. “There’s another section of the doctrine with more details on what qualifies and disqualifies someone to rule your coven.”
“It seems like a bit of a stretch, doesn’t it?” I questioned, more to myself than to Alessandra. “We hardly know anything about this woman. She’s been missing from our lives for over two-hundred years.”
“That may be so, but I’m sure we can find something that we can work to our advantage. All I need is a copy of the entire doctrine that I can review.”
“There’s one in my office.” I paused. “What is the other exception to the clause?”
“If the majority of the coven doesn’t want her to be their leader, she won’t be,” Alessandra explained. “That should be easy enough to prove. All we would need to do is hold an election.”
I frowned. “Do you think our coven would actually vote for me?”
“I don’t see why they wouldn’t, personally. It’s a bit hypocritical that Caroline could even be contesting your father as a ruler of this kingdom,” Alessandra said. “If she wants to talk about someone abandoning their coven, she really needs to take a good look in the mirror.” She paused. “Actually, I wonder if we could somehow use that to prove she’s unfit to be Queen.”
I thought about it for a moment. “I suppose that might suffice.”
“I’ll know more once I see the doctrine,” Alessandra said.
“I have some other business to attend to first, but I’ll bring it to you once I’m finished.”
“Okay.” She paused. “And Sebastian?”
“Yeah?” I glanced over my shoulder at her.
“No matter what, we will become King and Queen. Even if that means we need to kill your aunt Caroline.”
I half-wondered if she was joking at first, but the proud grin on her face told me she was completely serious.
Chapter 9
Alessandra
AS I WALKED AWAY FROM Sebastian, my stomach grumbled.
I still hadn’t gotten to drink any blood yet, and I was incredibly thirsty.
As I headed back outside to check on the party, I was disappointed to find that many of our guests had left. Of course, it was three a.m., so I supposed it was to be expected. I’d just been hoping for everyone to congratulate me and Sebastian before they left.
I could hardly believe what a fool Sebastian was. And to think that I had once loved him. It made me feel embarrassed of my romantic tastes. If I hadn’t been there to help him, he would have given in to exactly what his aunt wanted. He would have vacated the palace, allowing her to simply step in as ruler.
Well, not if I had my way. I was going to make sure, one way or another, that Caroline Dezerea did not become the next Queen of the Stark coven. My reason was simple.
I was going to be the next Queen to rule the Stark coven and, eventually, it would be with Kade by my side.
Once we got rid of Sebastian, the coven would have no choice but to make Kade their next King.
I wasn’t sure yet how, exactly, we would get rid of him. Kade was set on killing his brother, but I thought that was being too kind.
No, if it were up to me, we would find a way to either banish Sebastian from his own kingdom or to completely destroy his sanity and have him locked away somewhere for all of eternity.
Now that I knew he’d lied to me about his precious slave being dead, the latter sounded like the most appealing option.
I scanned the courtyard for my slaves. I spotted them all in one corner of the yard, still talking and dancing with Sebastian’s slaves. I rolled my eyes as I approached them.
“Girls, I think it’s time for you to return to the Slave Chambers,” I commanded.
Lexi turned to me. “We don’t answer to you. We answer to Sebastian.”
I leaned in closer to her, so close that our faces were nearly touching. “I hate to break it to you, lovely, but Sebastian and I are about to wed. Perhaps your prince has spoiled you with how long he’s chosen to be a bachelor, but he won’t be a single man for much longer. And once he’s married to me, that means you will answer to both of us. What’s his will soon be mine.”
“Are you saying that you’ll...drink...from us?” Lexi looked horrified.
“If I so choose.” I grabbed her chin and fixed my gaze on her eyes. “But I wouldn’t worry too much about that if I were you. Sebastian has let me sample your blood in the past. It’s certainly not of the best quality. I can hardly understand why he chose you to be his slave.” My lips curved into a smile. “Now I suggest that you be on your best behavior unless you want to be the first slave I ask Sebastian to get rid of.”
“Yes, Princess Alessandra,” Lexi replied obediently.
As I released her, she turned in the direction of the palace. All of Sebastian’s other slaves broke away from mine and followed after her, giving me small nods as they walked on by.
“Guys, I’ll be taking you back to your rooms. Follow me,” I announced.
My slaves all got into line and followed me back into the palace. The rooms, which would now become the permanent Slave Chambers for the guys, were located on the first floor.
I’d made sure that Prince Sebastian had given me rooms that were far enough away from the girls. While I knew they would be spending a good deal of time together now that we would all be living in the palace, I still wanted them to maintain their distance. The last thing I needed was for the girls to know what went on in my Slave Chambers.
Once we approached their rooms, I turned to them. “You may all settle in for the night. Vernelle, I need you to stay with me.”
He nodded as his gray eyes locked on mine. They sparkled beneath the light in the hallway, causing something to stir within me.
What was it about this guy—this human guy—that I was so attracted to?
Actually, I knew. I was about to be reminded of it in just a few moments.
As the last of my slaves stepped into their Chambers and closed the door, I grabbed a key from an artificial plant that rested on a table in the hallway.
“So, that’s where the key is hidden, huh?” Vernelle asked as he loomed over me.
I glanced over my shoulder at him. “Yes. I would find a new hiding place for it, but I trust that you won’t do anything with that knowledge.”
“Have I ever disobeyed you, Princess?” he asked as he leaned in closer.
As his lips fell on min
e, he kissed me deeply. As his tongue began to get tangled up in mine, I pulled away.
“Not here, Vernelle,” I whispered. “Wait until we get to the drinking room.”
“My mistake. I thought you were all about living life on the edge,” he replied, his eyes locking on mine intensely. “Unless you’re afraid, perhaps, that Prince Kade will catch us together.”
My stomach dropped. No one was supposed to know about my affair with Kade. I didn’t care how much Vernelle had helped me out tonight; he wasn’t to know.
“You must be confused. I’m sure you meant Prince Sebastian,” I corrected, hoping that he had simply confused the two Stark princes. It wasn’t like Vernelle had been in Deadwood for very long.
“No, I’m not confused. I meant Prince Kade, the prince who isn’t your fiancé.”
Grabbing onto his arm, I pulled him down the hallway and into the room I’d chosen as my drinking room.
Closing the door behind us, I folded my arms across my chest and studied his face. “How much do you know?”
“What I know is that I saw you and Prince Kade leave the party together. When you came back, you reeked of sex. So, tell me, Princess. You’re engaged to Prince Sebastian and you’re running off with Prince Kade.” A smile hit his lips. “Which prince is it that you’re really into?”
“You will speak a word of this to no one.”
He shrugged. “That won’t be a problem. Who would I tell?”
“Sebastian... anyone.”
He ran his hand over his lips in a zipping motion. “My lips are sealed.”
“They better be. If you run your mouth, I will have no choice but to kill you,” I said firmly. “Do you understand me?”
“You couldn’t be more clear.” He met my eyes evenly. “I don’t believe you, though.”
“Oh? And why is that?”
“Because I’m your favorite slave. You wouldn’t want to miss out on this,” he whispered. As his hard, muscular arms braced me, he lifted me up against the door. Then he slipped his fiery hot tongue into my cool mouth.
This time as he kissed me, I kissed him back heatedly; my feelings of excitement were evenly paired with the rage I’d felt watching him kiss that stupid slave girl earlier.
I broke away from him and, through my breathlessness, managed to say, “You will not kiss Julia again, unless I instruct you to do so. Do you understand me?”
“I would never dream of it,” he whispered onto my lips as he brought his mouth down on mine again.
Allowing my fangs to come out, I bit down on his bottom lip—gentle enough to not hurt him but hard enough to puncture his skin.
As a few droplets of blood hit against my tongue, there was no going back. I needed more of his blood. I needed to drink from him.
I pushed him down onto the bed and climbed on top of him. He wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me closer to him.
Kissing his neck, I inhaled him, taking in his heavenly scent. Every part of my body felt like it was on fire against his warm touch.
The heat was one of the things I loved most about being with a human, one of the things I loved about Vernelle...
As I tore off his shirt, I glanced down at him.
He stared up into my face. I knew he was just as eager as I was for this; I could tell from the intensity in his eyes...
He tilted his head to the left, giving me access to his neck.
Sinking my fangs into his skin, I closed my eyes as his blood streamed into my mouth. It was the most decadent blood I’d ever tasted, the perfect blend of sweet and savory.
I could feel the warmth of the blood as it flowed through my cool body.
Vernelle’s heart thumped louder than it normally did. And if that weren’t indication enough that he liked what I was doing to him, he moaned softly under me.
I could have allowed myself to drink his blood until there was nothing left, but I needed Vernelle. And not just because his blood satisfied me like no other but because he was my tool—myweapon—against Julia.
When I pulled away from him, I wiped my mouth on the back of my hand and then licked the bloody mess I’d created.
Vernelle remained on the bed, allowing his heart rate to return to normal.
“Let’s take you back to the Slave Chambers now, shall we?” I asked as I smoothed out my black dress.
He nodded and climbed off the bed. Once he stood alongside me, I turned to him. “You shouldn’t fool yourself, you know. Just because you’re my favorite slave doesn’t mean that I wouldn’t kill you.”
“Oh?” He looked amused and entirely unconvinced. “Knowing how much you like me makes that very hard to believe.”
“Well, you should believe it.” Even though I knew I couldn’t say it out loud, a thought crossed my mind.
I’d liked my brother Angelo, too, but that hadn’t stopped me from having him killed.
Chapter 10
Sean
“SO, WHAT’S THE CASTLE like?” I asked as I stared at Lila, who was slumped against the wall in her cell next to me.
“Like a castle, I guess. Not that I have anything to really compare it to.”
“Descriptive,” I muttered under my breath. “Do you get along with the other slaves?”
“Well enough, I guess,” she replied with a shrug.
I paused for a few long moments. “What do you think Sebastian is planning to do with me?”
Wrapping her arms around her knees, she stared ahead, avoiding my gaze. “I have no clue.”
“I feel like there’s something you’re not telling me.”
“What?” She let out a little laugh. “I’ve answered everything you asked me.”
I shook my head. “No. I can tell that you’re keeping something from me. I’m not sure what it is, but there’s something you’re hiding.”
“You’re just imagining it, Sean,” she replied, running a hand over her chocolate brown hair, which was still curled from the ball she’d told me about.
“See! That’s something you do when you’re lying. You play with your hair.” I paused and then added, “Talking to you right now is like pulling teeth, and you seem like you don’t even want to look at me.”
Her emerald green eyes flicked over to meet mine then. “I’m looking at you. See?”
I shook my head. “It feels forced, Lila. Why don’t you even want to look at me?” I paused and then asked the question that had been running through my mind since I’d ended up in Deadwood. “Did he rape you, Lila?”
“What? No! God, no,” she said, shaking her head firmly. “Sebastian would never do something like that.”
I wanted to argue with her. I wanted to tell her she was wrong and that she shouldn’t trust him, but I knew I would have only been wasting my breath. It felt like Sebastian had Lila brainwashed. That was the only thing I could think of that could possibly explain why she was so defensive over this guy who was holding her hostage.
“Has he done anything else to hurt you?” I pressed.
She shook her head. “No. Sebastian has done nothing but protect me when he had no reason to. He hasn’t even drunk from me yet.”
“Drunk from you?”
“My blood, Sean,” she said softly. “Sebastian hasn’t even drunk my blood, even though that’s the reason he’s keeping me here. Supposedly.”
“If all of this is true—if he hasn’t hurt you—then why are you acting so... strange?” I knew I should have dropped it, but I just couldn’t shake the thought that something wasn’t right.
“If you think I’m acting strange, I’m sorry. I don’t mean to, but we’ve both been through a lot, Sean. This feels like a dream world, sometimes—like it shouldn’t be reality. Forgive me if I don’t feel like staring at you while we’re locked in this stupid dungeon, wondering what our futures will hold,” she said.
Well, I couldn’t argue with her there. I had no idea what our futures held, and part of me wasn’t sure that I even wanted to know.
The only thing I d
id hope was that no one tried to kill Lila before me. I couldn’t bear the thought of living without her, not even for a minute.
The worst part of all was that I knew there was a chance that could happen. Peter had warned me that the prophecy put Lila’s life at risk. He’d said that if anyone found out the truth about who she really was, one of the vampires would drain her of all her blood, without thinking twice, to become the most powerful vampire.
It scared me to know that Prince Sebastian knew who Lila was. And yet... he hadn’t done anything to hurt her. He hadn’t even drunk from her, knowing full well that her blood had the power to make him the most powerful vampire in the world.
If she was telling the truth, if she wasn’t lying to me, it just made me wonder one thing.
What was he waiting for?
Chapter 11
Lila
SEAN WAS ASKING ME too many questions. He was so suspicious. Not that his suspicions weren’t for good reason. I was sure that, if our roles had been reversed, I would have been asking him the same exact questions.
But it was impossible for me to answer his questions without telling him everything, and there was no way I could do that without telling him the truth. I knew the truth would break his heart.
The truth was that, while I loved Sean in the way you loved someone you’d known your whole life, I was in love with Sebastian.
How could I tell Sean that without completely breaking him? Honestly, it broke me.
I felt like a horrible person. I hated knowing that Sean had sacrificed everything in an attempt to save me from the vampire who was holding me hostage—the vampire who I was now in love with.
At that moment, I heard the sound of the dungeon door opening and footsteps as they made their way down the staircase.
My heart froze in my chest. What if it was Alessandra? Would she kill me right there on the spot?
When the person came into view, I breathed a sigh of relief.
It wasn’t Alessandra. It was a man, followed by a girl, both whom I’d never seen before.