Chapter 4: Kiev
I was woken by a knock on my front door.
Groaning, I staggered out of bed. I wrapped a robe around me and opened the door.
My brother stood in the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest.
“Erik?”
His mouth hung open as soon as he saw me.
“Your eyes! They… they’re green.”
I heaved a sigh.
“Yes.”
“How?”
“I don’t know. They change every now and then. What was it you wanted?”
Still staring at my eyes, he said, “You’re going to be late for lunch. It’s in five minutes.”
“I’m not hungry.”
I motioned to close the door, but he held out his hand. “Rhys’ orders.”
I scowled.
“All right. I’ll be down.”
I closed the door and pulled on some clothes before heading down to the dining room. The high-ceilinged hall was already almost full with vampires and witches. I made my way over to the end of the table where I took a seat in between Helina and Erik.
“Kiev! Your eyes,” Helina gasped as soon as she saw me. “They’re green!”
“Yes, I’m aware,” I said dryly, rubbing my temples.
“How?”
I gave her the same answer I’d given Erik. And before she could ask more questions, Rhys stood up and raised his hands for silence.
I glanced briefly at Mona. She sat next to Rhys, her eyes fixed on her plate. Her face was ashen.
Silence fell upon the hall.
“I assume the word has got out already.” His eyes traveled along the table. “We have a traitor in our midst.”
I stared right back at him as his gaze reached me. He didn’t linger on me any longer than the others.
“What I thought might have been a foolish mistake is now clearly much more. Somebody released the humans on our island just after the humans here went missing. Since the Novalics have been unsuccessful at finding the culprit, Efren and I will take over from here. We will be interrogating each and every one of you. We will get to the bottom of this, so I suggest that you admit it now rather than drawing out the pain. Because we will find you.”
Mona’s hand clenched around her fork. Helina tensed beside me.
I kept my breathing calm and steady as I watched Rhys.
“Interrogations will be conducted in here. We’ll begin directly after lunch.” He turned to the right of the table and pointed to the first two vampires sitting there. “You two will be first.” He looked back at everyone else. “Make sure you’ve finished eating by two o’clock sharp. Nightly rituals will also be paused until we’ve caught this traitor.”
Rhys sat back down and continued to glare at us.
I swallowed back three glasses of blood and stood up. I didn’t give Helina the chance to hold me back. I melded in with a group of vampires hurrying out of the hall. I slipped out of the entrance and walked around the back of the castle, where one was less likely to bump into people.
I needed some fresh air to clear my head.
If I was to be suspected, it would be due to Tiarni. I needed to make sure she wouldn’t tell. Because if she did, although I wasn’t particularly worried about what would happen to me, it would affect my siblings.
A hiss came from behind me.
“Kiev!”
Mona stood ten feet away from me. She wore black gloves and a cloak over her long dress. I closed the distance between us.
Her eyes were wide. “I need to meet you back in your room. While Rhys is busy with the interrogation. Go there now. I’ll follow in five minutes.”
She turned and walked away.
I did as she requested and returned to my apartment.
She knocked on the door a few minutes later.
“Tiarni,” she breathed.
I nodded.
“Have her here in your room by ten o’clock tonight. I don’t have time to explain. Just do it.”
She turned to leave. I reached out to grab her hand.
“Leave me.”
“What are you planning?”
She struggled against me. “I don’t have time to—”
“You’ll kill her too?”
She stopped struggling and stared at me for several moments.
Her lips parted, and I thought she was about to answer. But then she vanished into thin air.
Chapter 5: Mona
Rhys didn’t pay attention to me for most of the day. He was busy interrogating vampires and witches, and then scouring the island along with his two sisters in search of Celice.
I spent most of my day round the back of the castle, watching the entrance to the island’s underground spell room. Efren was in there for hours and I was beginning to lose hope that he’d ever leave, but finally he emerged from the trapdoor, leaving me less than two hours to concoct the potion I needed for later that night.