“W-what the hell?” I gasped. My eyes flew to his. “Are you suicidal?”
His lips quirked, and he chuckled. His arm was still down in the mixture. “It won’t hurt me. Or any other overlord. But, watch… You’ll like this.”
I blinked, and my attention slammed back down to the magic before me.
My jaw started to fall down, gaping wide as Cato lifted his arm out of the mixture. His arm was merely wet, but that wasn’t what held my attention. The golden chain he was dragging out of the cauldron did. Because I knew what that was. Every child learned about it at some point.
A blood-red jewel the size of my fist finally surfaced as Cato stretched the chain.
He pulled the necklace free of the cauldron, the jewel twinkling under the stars.
“The Original vampire amulet,” I breathed in awe. I reached out a hand, in a daze of wonder. “May I touch it?”
Cato quickly jerked it back, away from my reaching fingers. He shook his head once, his tone quieting in seriousness. “Only overlords can touch it without dying. Never try that again.”
I dropped my arm, and muttered, “What if I become queen?”
“Only overlords, Gwynnore.”
“You mean, only men,” I clarified. Then I crossed my arms in frustration. “That’s bullshit.”
“And yet it doesn’t change anything.” His head cocked, eyeing me.
I jerked my regard away from my loser father and found Adelie. She was standing off to the side, bouncing on the tips of her toes trying to see the Original vampire amulet. I waved her closer, offering, “Come and look before we begin whatever this is.”
She practically plowed into my back in her haste to take my place. Lord Belshazzar grabbed my elbow, stopping me from taking a header into the cauldron.
I muttered, “Thanks.”
He grunted and released me.
I moved to the side and let her through.
She stood blinking. And blinking. And blinking.
Cato bit his bottom lip and lifted the necklace, gently swinging it back and forth in front of her face. “You are getting sleepy. So sleepy—”
I grabbed her shoulders and yanked her back. I hissed, “What the hell are you doing?”
He tossed the most powerful vampire artifact back and forth between his hands like it was a baseball. “It was a joke, Gwynnore. I wasn’t doing anything.”
“That wasn’t funny,” I growled, studiously pretending not to hear all of the overlords chuckling at his kidding nature—if that was what you called it. I gently pushed Adelie toward the closest couch. “Go sit over there. I don’t know how long this is going to take.”
She followed my order without hesitation but kept stealing peeks at the jewel.
Who wouldn’t? It was magnificent and awe-inspiring.
And I didn’t feel any power coming off it at all. Weird.
My attention snared on the overlords. “What happens now?”
“For this Challenge, you must bleed on the amulet. We will then combine our powers to bring forth the men who are a possible match for you,” Lord Xenon issued the Challenge. “We don’t believe it will take long because most vampire bachelors of a certain age have already traveled to the castle in anticipation of this. Those doors will flood with males and will be unable to leave unless we allow them to.”
My lips pinched before I growled, “Do I even get a say in who will be my king?”
Lord Xenon explained patiently, “Remember, Gwynnore, he will not only be your king, but he will be the king of the entire vampire race.”
My eyebrows shot up. “So that’s a no?” Give me a damn straight answer.
