Page 59

And stop short.

“Are we having a meeting?” It’s the only reason I can think of for everyone to be sitting at the table like this. Oh, wait—Lauren’s not here. She has uni this morning, though, so maybe the meeting didn’t get called until after she left.

That still leaves me in the dark.

“Good morning,” Anna says as Clive gets up. “Come and join us.”

“Uhh—”

“Eggs for breakfast?” Clive asks, pushing buttons on the coffee machine.

“Toast is fine,” I say, because I get the feeling there’s important stuff going on. It’s pointless, though, because the look he gives me as he brings me my coffee says that he’d rather die than serve only toast. “Eggs are fine,” I concede weakly.

He starts getting out ingredients as I take my first sip of life-giving elixir. “So… what’s going on?”

Anna and Pierce exchange a look, but it’s Tristan who says, “The remains of Steven’s body were found early this morning.”

I choke on my coffee. “What?” I wheeze. My plan to avoid looking at him fails, but there’s nothing in his face that reflects what happened last night.

“He’d been decapitated,” Anna adds. “His body was burned to ash, and his head was left in the middle of the pile.”

Holy fuck. All thoughts of that foolish kiss race out of my head. “Where? Who?”

“In Paul and Selene’s backyard, and we don’t know.”

I slump down in my chair. “In their backyard? That’s… Someone’s making it about me?” Why else would he have been left there? He wasn’t killed there… was he? Did Misha stash him somewhere nearby, then come back to finish the job before he had a chance to heal?

“I believe they’re making it about me,” Tristan corrects. “Especially since a visit to Steven’s lodgings this morning produced a stash of trinkets and other small items that belong to the humans who’ve been attacked recently.”

I gulp down my coffee, trying to make sense of it all. “So either Steven did it, or he’s being used to take the fall now that he’s dead… and his death is being pinned on you? Which could also mean that they’re still trying to frame you, because if you killed him, you could also have planted the stuff at his place.” Fuck, this is complicated. Mustering my courage, I venture, “Did you kill him?”

The moment before he answers seems to stretch into eternity. Under vampire law, what Steven did to me gives Tristan the right to kill him. Not only the right, but the obligation. Failure to do so would be sending a message to the whole vampire world that he’s weak, and more, doesn’t value me or feeders in general. Steven’s death was a foregone conclusion from the moment he touched me; the surprise is that it’s happened already and the anonymity around it. Maybe another vampire would have slipped off in the night and left the remains of their hunt set up like a museum display, but not Tristan. He takes his position as regent seriously, and he’d have carried out the whole process of retribution publicly. Maybe even to the point of a challenge and fight in front of witnesses. That’s why I don’t believe Tristan killed Steven… but it’s possible I don’t know him as well as I think I do.

“No,” Tristan says. “My evening was taken up by other pursuits.”

My neck and face go hot as I vividly remember what those other pursuits were. There’s nothing in his statement or expression that suggests I was rubbing myself all over him just eight hours ago, but it feels so obvious to me.

“What do we do now?” Anna asks, and I’m grateful for the reprieve when Tristan looks away from me.

“Your priority remains the same,” he tells her. “Until we confirm who killed Steven and why, Adam’s safety is paramount.”

“Isn’t it obvious who killed him?” I smile gratefully at Clive as he puts a plate of scrambled eggs, toast, and sliced avocado in front of me. I’m pretty sure he stalked my Insta, because I swear he’s made me every food I’ve ever posted and raved about. That makes me feel a bit bad about giving him a hard time, but I also think he’d get mad if I was nice to him. Clive and I have our own special system of communication. “Geoffrey and Misha did. Geoffrey’s going to blame Steven for all the attacks and act like he knew nothing about any of it.” I fork up a big chunk of fluffy eggs.

“That’s possible,” Pierce muses. “Even if it wasn’t he who killed Steven, he’ll likely take advantage of this opportunity.”

Anna pulls a face. “Doesn’t it contradict his claims that Tristan is behind the attacks and trying to frame Vam—uh, Blood Reign?”

“That only works in his favour,” Pierce counters while I apply myself to my breakfast. Last night’s scare and extra feeding have left me ravenous. “Steven being found ‘obviously guilty’ when Geoffrey has been shouting that it was Tristan responsible gives legs to the idea that it couldn’t have been Geoffrey behind it all.”

With my mouth full, I exchange a glance with Anna. This is getting way too convoluted.

“What I don’t understand is where Misha connects to all this,” Pierce continues. “He could easily have killed Steven—likely did—but was Steven’s attack on Adam part of the plan? Or did he go off-script and prove to be a liability?”

I swallow. “If it was part of the plan, then what was the goal? For me to tell everyone that Misha saved me and show him in a good light? Why didn’t Geoffrey save me, then? Misha hasn’t even officially aligned himself with Vampremacy.”

Tristan shakes his head. “Nobody would believe Geoffrey would save a feeder, or any human, without ulterior motive. He’s made his feelings on the subject of humans very clear.”

“So has Misha,” Clive points out, surprising me. He doesn’t often join in conversations like this, and he never challenges Tristan.