There were other courtiers behind him, peering out the doors, whispering and giggling.
“What are you doing back here?” Stephen sneered, posturing and playing for the benefit of his vampiric audience.
“We are here to see my Little Bird’s mother,” John refused to take the bait, one corner of his full lips turned up in a contemptuous smile. He was back in his black hat and battered duster, carrying himself so regally that the others in their silks and velvet looked like frauds.
“You have no-”
“Run, little boy. Tell your papa that he has visitors,” he was chuckling now, which was likely unwise, but the outraged, petulant expression on Stephen’s pretty face was really too good not to enjoy.
Watching the seething prince of the Tyrrell clan shake and sputter, a tall and beautiful vampire stepped forward silently. “Welcome on behalf of the Night Brethren,” his dark face and eyes were motionless, as if his lips had never moved. “I am the aide to Lord Tyrell, will you come in?”
He watched as John slid an arm around the waist of his silent woman.
“No,” he shook his head, “we will wait here.” The aide’s brow raised elegantly, but he inclined his head, disappearing down the great hall.
John looked down at his Little Bird, who was staring at the open door and ignoring the infuriated Stephen. Her body was stiff, and she hadn’t spoken or moved during the exchange.
It was the haughty laughter that brought his attention back to the entrance, Lord and Master, the King of the Night Brethren stood majestically on the top step, the mansion his stage. “Really,” Lord Tyrrell chuckled, “crawling back so soon?” The pale forms behind him, glittering in jewels and feathers, tittered with a high, excited pitch. This was rare entertainment, they would feast on it for days. “Lord John Barnes and his half-human, cowering on my front steps?”
“Please, Lord Tyrrell,” it was the sweet voice of his Little Bird and even the pompous bastard who ruled them all paused for it. “I would like to see my mother. It’s all I ask. Just for a moment? Please?”
His silver-blond hair waved in the light breeze in the courtyard, his venomous blue eyes fixed on her. Greedily, John knew, because after all, this was still Tyrrell’s daughter and the only one of the Night Children to be born whole. He might hate her, but even Tyrrell yearned for her.
“And why, you ungrateful spawn, would I do that?”
Her foot, elegant and tiny in the finely-made leather boot, took the next step up. “Because you know it will make it even more painful for me to say goodbye again.”
Tyrrell’s mouth thinned, looking down at her, his resentment obvious and not quite king-like, John noticed with a bit of a grin.
He finally sniffed and spun on his heel, his glittering black coat swirling around him as Tyrrell looked over his shoulder. “You may enter. Stand here in the hall. You are not fit to join the court.”
They stood together in the chilly hall, the ceiling rising three stories above them, rich with tapestries, paintings, and ornate stained-glass windows. The blaze in the gargantuan fireplace gave no warmth. And the other vampires clustered together, whispering and giggling behind fans.
Placing a kiss on her temple, John tightened his arm around her waist. “My strong, lovely girl…” He watched the younger Tyrrell seethe as he gave her another kiss.
Little Bird…
“Mama!”
You broke free from John to race for her, seeing the shock, mixed with happiness and fear on her dear face.
“My darling,” she was weeping, holding on to you, patting your arms and hair as if marveling that you still existed. “My girl you should not have come back. It will never be safe here for you.” She was whispering in your ear, the soft smell of lavender that always made you remember her filling your senses as you hugged her harder.
Pulling back slightly, you smiled, feeling your breath hitch and taking a moment before you tried to speak. You could hear the murmuring, the whispers in the back of your mind, it was comforting in a way, like some small puzzle piece that matched and finished it all.
Taking her soft, warm hands, you pulled her toward the door. “Mama, whatever you hear, don’t open your eyes. No matter what.”
“Wh- what’s going to happen, sweetheart, what have you done?”
You felt like the grownup now, protecting your mother after all the years she’d protected you.
It’s time,you thought. You could hear the skittering like claws on bone and the yearning groans.So hungry, my poor brothers and sisters. My family. It’s time to take what you want. You deserve it.
When the screaming began, it sounded just like the high, terrified shrieks of the poor souls John and then Stephen had fed to the shadows. But those heartbreaking human lives never really satisfied them.
Revenge can be very nourishing,you soothed them.
Keeping your hands over your mother’s eyes, you allowed John to guide you both to a corner away from where the screaming beasts of the Night Court were being torn to pieces. You kept your gloved hands over Mama’s eyes, but you watched. You wanted to.
