“Why?”
“Why not?” Marabella stops on the apex of a small wooden bridge over a creek filled with colorful koi fish. I study her, trying to deconstruct her motivations. The madam is an unrepentant capitalist. It doesn’t make sense.
“She’s human,” I say, “pitted against the deadliest vampire queen of the last five generations. Why would you expect her to win?”
A slow grin spreads across her face, the type that’s condescending in its smugness. “When she showed up at Wicked Divine with Cassius’s name on her lips, I knew she was no blood whore. Despite her wild red hair, Eloise is possibly the sweetest thing that has ever entered this city. Truly a kind heart. Not a mark on that creamy skin of hers. No addictions. As pretty as a doll. But that wasn’t why I chose her.”
“Then why did you?”
“She enchanted my taster.”
“Perceval?” I sneer, wanting to slit the vampire’s throat.
“That’s the one. One sip of her blood and if she’d have asked him, he would have knelt and licked her boots. I knew then that her blood was not entirely human.”
I turn to watch the water babbling beneath the bridge. “You’re wrong. She is human.”
“What she is, is rare,” Marabella snaps. “Call it a hunch.” She leans her elbows against the railing. “And I have excellent intuition. I heard rumors that the queen was keeping you prisoner in the palace. The girls hear everything, you know, and the guards couldn’t stop talking about how you’d ripped a donor’s bones from their flesh to fight your way out of the silo. I thought to myself, why would Cassius send this woman with the strange blood to me? Why was she so desperate to become a blood donor at my house? Unless… No one knew your mate’s name. The queen would have done anything for her identity. You’ve been one of my best customers over the years. I know enough about you to make some assumptions about the type of woman you’d choose, and Eloise fit the bill.” She laughs to herself. “So yeah, I put my money on Eloise, and I will do it again.”
“She’s a regular ATM for you,” I say through my teeth. “Between forcing her to sell her blood for three months and gambling on her welfare.”
“And saving her life. And getting her into the palace to save yours. You should be thanking me.”
“Don’t hold your breath.”
“Have you even paused to consider why I introduced her to the clients I did? The commander of the guard. The master of Liberty coven. The wealthiest merchant in Night Haven.”
“Eloise told me you convinced her she needed a cheering section.”
“And you couldn’t see through that?”
I stare at her, waiting for an explanation.
She scoffs. “Damien, Valeska mating you would be the worst thing to ever happen to Marabella’s. The queen forcibly incorporated sixteen covens into her hive since she took power, and with you forced to do her bidding, no coven would be safe. No coven in America. No coven in the world. And with that kind of power, why pay human blood donors? This hive would be strong enough to enslave all the humans they wanted. So while Valeska does have her supporters, I’m not one of them, and neither are the three vampires I arranged to take Eloise’s blood. Your mate is a godsend. I want Eloise to win this thing as much as you do. So when I tell you that her blood has enchanted the most powerful vampires in Night Haven, please know that it is no coincidence that they found their way to her room.”
The pieces fall into place, and it all makes sense. “This isn’t just about money for you. You’re hoping the queen loses. You and your friends want an end to the hive.”
She folds her arms, drumming her fingers on her cashmere-clad biceps. “Oh, Damien, money is always the priority with me, but in this case, overthrowing the queen is a close and very sweet second.”
36
A Light in the Shadows
ELOISE
Everything is white. Are the walls of the silo made of sunlight again? I take a deep breath, smoothing my hands across soft cotton sheets. A bed. I blink and the room comes into focus. I’m facing a wall of glass, looking out onto the Japanese garden at Marabella’s. My head is up. I’m in a hospital bed. An IV runs from my arm to a dark bag dangling from a pole, and the stiff edge of a bandage pokes above my bottom rib. A tube runs along my cheek to my nose.
“Finally!” A woman in blue scrubs comes in, smiling in my direction. “You’re awake.” She starts hastily taking my vitals.
My mouth is dry, my throat thick from lack of use. I clear it with a cough. “Did I win?”
Her bright red lips spread into a smile that twinkles in her large blue eyes. “Yes, you won. Valeska was mightily pissed about it too.”
My lips feel like they might crack, but I manage a shallow smile. “Are you a doctor?”
“Nurse. I’m Karen.”
“Eloise. Nice to meet you.”
