She will always be there.
Vesper or Cedar crossed my mind at any given moment. The urge to run to them was almost more than I could handle. Especially as the gross-smelling general’s skin brushed up against mine.
I looked up at him, trying not to show just how much I was yearning for any news of her. I had been lingering in the halls among the staff and guards, trying to eavesdrop on anything at all, but there was not even so much as a whisper about the silver-haired hunter.
“She’s been given to the Leclair family,” he whispered. “Weird how they didn’t show up here today, isn’t it?”
“Many vampires didn’t show up today,” I noted. “The Leclair family already sent in their gifts.”
Feeders. Elegant ones, reserved for royal feedings and decked out in jewels and fabrics that oozed wealth.
I filed the information away. I would need to figure out a way to call upon their daughter. Maybe I could send her a letter and convince her to come in person?—
“Aren’t you worried your pet will find a new master?”
My gaze snapped to him, a growl forcing itself from my chest. I got it under control the moment I saw the triumph of getting to me flash across his face.
“What is your game here?” I asked. “The council sent you here tooversee, but I’m starting to think that’s complete bullshit.”
He raised a brow at me.
“Do tell me, princess. Why do you think I’m here?”
I turned to face him fully, letting a smile of my own spread across my face.
“I think Kyan doesn’t care about you anymore,” I whispered, running my hand down the shiny bits of his uniform. “I think you wormed your way here and are trying to align yourself with the strongest. Almost like…you’rethepetlooking for a newmaster.”
His hand grabbed mine harshly just as it got to the center of his chest. A sort of power radiated from him, one that caused me to panic and try and pull my hand away.
I tried to play it off.
“You’re not the only one,” I added. “In fact, there is a line out the door of vampires willing to bend for him. What makes you stand out, especially if Kyan has turned her back on you?”
Anger flared.
“Kyan hasn’t turned her back on me,” he hissed. “I rose to this position myself. I protect and oversee entire armies. You have no idea just how important I am to the council.”
With a forced smile, I snatched my hand back and made a show of wiping it off on my dress.
“People of real importance don’t have to prove it to anyone,” I said and started walking away. “Let’s just hope my brother hasn’t gotten close enough to smell theroton you.”
He didn’t reply. I took one last glance at him as I walked on, only to see him clenching his fist and shaking.
There’s something about him. Something wrong.
It wasn’t until I was safely up on the fifth floor of the castle that I let out a breath and sank against the cool window that looked out over the palace grounds.
I was a rat stuck in a den of snakes, each one looking more venomous than the last.
Vesper, Cedar, hold on. Don’t give up on me.
Cedar
“Don’t do anything funny, witch,” Aurelia’s brother, Adrian, warned, giving me a deadly smirk. He wore an all-black royal ensemble, his cape squished between him and the chair, something that showed he hadn’t grown up in the presence of royals.
We had been brought to a sitting room right off the entrance to the palace and weren’t allowed any further. It had changed since Adrian had taken over, with white and red replaced with mostly black and silver, expensive furs covering the floor, and couches and chairs in a rich velvet.
The entire time I was taking it in, he just stared at me.
