When Emerald finally stepped back, her chest heaving, sweat glistening on her skin, Zander didn’t think she’d ever been more beautiful. Even paler than she should be, her frame thinner than acceptable, she glowed with power.
“Let’s have a round of applause for our esteemed dragon!” Zander said, stepping forward. “Her vengeance was a poem written with pain, was it not?” He motioned towards the pillories. “And the once mighty vampires? Kind of pathetic, yes?”
More clapping along with some laughter, and he stepped to Emerald and wrapped his arm around her from the side.
“The staff has much to do so we can be ready for tonight’s Feeding Frenzy, so please exit the theatre in an orderly fashion.” He consideredthe timing. “And while we’re at it, let’s start the frenzy thirty minutes later than usual. I will see you all back here shortly.”
He telepathed Spencer about the time change, and then his comms officer, with an order to send a text to flock, guests, and security, letting them know of the new start time.
Chapter 3
Emmy was beyond exhausted, so she didn’t argue when Zander held her and flew her back to the suite. She took a quick shower, climbed into bed, and then smiled at Spence when he put a food tray over her lap with three mushroom-and-Swiss burgers, steam curling from the melted cheese, the scent of seared beef and sautéed onions permeating the suite with warmth. She hadn’t realized how ravenous she was until the smell hit her and her stomach growled.
“Thanks. I may only manage two, but wow, do these smell good.”
“I figured, but it’s better to have too much than not enough.” He grinned. “I’ve already eaten, but I’m pretty much always up for a snack, so I can eat whatever you don’t.”
Zander sat in the chair, his presence quietly filling the room. “You have us for another forty minutes before we haveto head upstairs to prepare for our part in the evening’s feeding frenzy. Anything you need to get off your chest about the day’s events?”
Emmy took a huge bite, savoring the explosion of flavors, and chewed and swallowed while she considered. “Nothing especially comes to mind. I think Felix would be better off if he’d just been told about what happened and hadn’t been required to attend, but I totally understand why you made it mandatory. I actually had to practically order him to stay away for my grand finale. He wanted to support me, but…” She shrugged. “I held his hand during the punishment rites, so I knew how hard it was for him to be there, and I wasn’t exactly going to be able to hold his hand while I fucked them.”
Zander’s eyes softened, and he gave her a gentle smile. “When you were quite young, perhaps three or four, a powerful vampire was in Virginia, just over the line outside of my territory, and he tried to hurt you, your siblings, and Lauren. Do you remember?”
“Yes, and Kirsten, too. He got into our dreams and made us hurt people.Reallyhurt them.”
“And you came up with what you could do to help fight him, and demanded Kirsten and your father remove the shields they were holding to protect you from him after the attack. You wanted them to drop them so you could locate him for us — a vampire even I would’ve had trouble handling, and you were willing to jump into the fight and risk your own safety. You’ve always been ready to fight forwhat’s right, and now you have the ability to fully think it through and use your power.”
The memory tugged at her chest, and she sighed. “We got sent to Faerie, so there was nothing I could do. I adore my aunts, and I love spending time there, but this realm is home.”
“I’m happy Rinaldo is dead,” Spence said. “The war was horrible, and I’m glad we’re past it. I still…”
He made a sound as if he was swallowing a sob, and Emmy put her burger down and reached for him. He came willingly, folding into her hug. She pressed her cheek to his, felt his body tremor. “You were close to the flock. I’m so sorry you lost so many of them.”
Spence kissed her shoulder and stayed where he was, in the comfort of her arms. “Thank you. Zander was right to get us out of there earlier than planned. It still hurts, but it was good to start over in Alaska, rather than trying to start over where we’d had so much pain.”
“And yet, we have friends we miss,” Zander said. “Your parents especially for me, and Spencer misses Matty and Cam, and…” he shrugged. “Chattanooga was complex and different. We broke new ground, changing the way groups within groups can work with each other instead of against each other. It’s easier in Alaska, but sometimes I miss the complexity.” He sighed. “And then I come here for three months and appreciate going back to Anchorage.”
“From the flock’s point of view, we don’t see any big power struggles. I mean, I figure there has to be some, youcan’t put this many powerful vampires into a small space and avoid it.”
“The contracts are iron-clad,” Zander said, “and anyone breaking truce can be dealt with outside of normal vampire rules. I still went to both the Concilio and Senatus for approval to permanently enslave our two problem children, but legally, I didn’t have to. The contracts everyone signs give me a lot of leeway.”
“Since there’s no guarantee a vampire will be invited back again, no matter how much extra money they offer,” Spence said, “most are on their best behavior so they can be certain they don’t get onto either Zander or Lucien’s shit list.”
“I would think the competition to buy into this region would be immense,” Emmy said. “You get to go every year.”
“It was, and the former Master had a long list to choose from. I imagine he wanted someone fair, who’d do right by his creation. For whatever reason, he chose me. He’s in Brazil now, wanting to avoid the swings in nighttime lengths for this identity.”
“He was also looking forward to moonlit nights on the beach,” Spence said. “Heat rather than cold. Also, I’m pretty sure he chose Zander because he felt certain he could manage the silo with aplomb. He wanted a business savvy Master who knows when to use tact and political strategy, and when to leverage cruelty.”
Zander smiled. “Quite possibly, yes. Come, Dearest, it’ll soon be time for me to ravage you on stage, and I believe Emerald will be asleep before long. She’s had quite a day.”
When Emmy woke, she was alone. She’d been exhausted the night before, but she felt fine this morning. Of course, she hadn’t actually moved yet. She considered reaching for her phone to text Spence, but he was probably busy. Maybe she’d get dressed and go eat. See who was in the cafeteria.
Zander stepped into the room and told her, “I sent Spence upstairs to spend time with the flock and pick up on any gossip. How do you feel?”
She looked at him a few minutes, deciding how honest to be, and decided to just say what she was thinking. “Undetermined until I move, and honestly, I figured you went through their heads to get that information.”
“I do. It isn’t that I need the information so much as making sure the flock members feel heard. Spencer is their connection to me.” He tilted his head. “Also, I wanted some time to speak with you when he isn’t around. Do whatever you need to do to get ready, and if you know what you want to eat, I can have it brought down, so you can have breakfast while we talk.”
