If only my mother could see me now. Wine buzzed and blood drunk, I gripped onto one of the most famous vampires in known history for balance.
“Gorvin will meet you in your room,” Rhazien said, filling the space with something other than darkness and the occasional creaking and scraping of the rising platform.
“And then what?” I lost my battle with balance and nearly stumbled forward into the wall of the stone shaft. Strong hands caught me, pulling me back to safety before I collided into the unforgiving rockface. Rhazien held me tightly, our bodies flush from my shoulder to our ankles. Involuntary heat crept in again as the blood sought its connection back home.
“And then we wait.”
“Wait for what?” I lifted my chin in his direction. I pushed down the almost insatiable need to be near him—it wasn’t me. His blood wanted to know how long until its master would sink his teeth into me, pulling it from my body into his.
“So many questions.” His hand found my chin and his thumb caressed my jaw.
I hummed at his touch. The platform stopped abruptly and a sister setof bronze doors swung open. Our armed accompaniment fell back as we approached a new pair of waiting soldiers.
“Ah, Your Majesty, Lady Reyva,” Gorvin greeted us.
How did he beat us here?
Beyond the polished steward was a grand, empty ballroom.
A paper slipped between the regent and his steward, which he tore open while I admired the meticulous details. Golden pillars featured intricate gilded designs, towering up and up and up until they spilled across the expansive ceiling. Murals looked down on sparkling chandeliers and I could almost hear the memory of a song shared between the hundreds of crystals dangling from their golden rungs.
Rhazien cleared his throat and handed the missive back to Gorvin. “I must go and give my attention to some urgent matters. Gorvin will ensure you’re attended to and we will see each other again tomorrow at dusk.” The blood panicked inside of me and I clutched him tighter.
“It’s not you. It’s the blood,” he whispered as he planted a gentle kiss on my hand. My skin cried out for his touch the second his lips parted.
It’s not me. It’s the blood.
“Tomorrow,” Rhazien repeated.
With that, he turned, guards falling in line to their dutiful choreography. I stood, vulnerable, in an unknown place, fighting the foreign blood inside of me screaming at the distance.
Deep breath in.It’s not me.Let it out.It’s the blood.
Gorvin provided a welcome distraction from the foreign panic as he elegantly gestured for me to follow him down an opposite hallway.
He explained which rooms were accommodations for aides to the regent and which were for guests of some nature. “Your chamber will be at the very end of the hallway amongst some of the other human boundlings of high-powered individuals of the vampire court.”
Beyond the fortress walls, a clock chimed. The commanding note rang through the halls, surprising me enough to pause my already blood-heavy gait.
Gorvin stopped in front of a massive door with Rhazien’s royal symbol. “The tower informs us how long we have until dusk and dawn. It chimes one hour before sunset and one hour before sunrise.”
Ornate, iron keys appeared in Gorvin’s steady hands. “We will continue to improve your quarters, Lady Bergmont. Just give us a bit more time.”
The door groaned open and Gorvin gestured for me to enter.
A gasp tumbled from my lips as I peered inside. They put any other chamber at the Ashford estate to shame. Even the Illica summer castle didn’t have rooms this grand.
I walked through a spacious entryway to a formal, but cozy sitting area. Plush furniture angled toward a towering stone fireplace. I wandered to the double doors to my right, behind which I found my sleeping quarters. The oversized bed, enough for four people, would have made a lesser room feel cramped and crowded. An armoire with double doors, purposefully left open, displayed a stable of exquisite gowns. The grandiose decor perfectly complemented the dark and moody style of the Hive’s exterior.
I rejoined Gorvin in the sitting area and as Rhazien mentioned, there were surprises—gifts—throughout the room wrapped in glossy black paper with matching velvet bows. Huge bouquets of out of season lilies adorned with the same matching decorative fabrics were placed on end tables, filling my quarters with a fresh, earthy aroma.
I caressed a petal, admiring its enhanced colors thanks to Rhazien’s blood but immediately sneezed. They were beautiful, but I was terribly allergic.
“Lady Reyva, is this to your liking?” Gorvin inquired, ready to serve.
I straightened and folded my hands in front of my dirty, ill-fitting gown. “It will do.”
“Very good.” He adjusted a decorative vase I wouldn’t have noticed if he wasn’t fussing with it. There was simply too much to look at. “We’ve assigned a most adequate chambermaid to assist you. She’ll bring hot water for a bath shortly, and a hot meal after that.”
