House of Kings(13)

I wish nothing more than for his return. But I cannot guarantee I will not hurt him yet.

Even now, I feel the burn spreading from my throat to my chest, just thinking about having a human around.

“Two minutes!” I hear Cyrus yell from the kitchen. I follow the sound of his voice and find him munching on a bowl of nuts.

“Since the body and blood obviously bothered you, and your help is nowhere to be found, I asked Sebastian to take care of the mess, in exchange for not killing him for his insubordination.” Cyrus says it like he’s just done the kindest thing he can think of.

“Thank you,” I say without conviction. I grab a few nuts from the bowl. I am surprised to find my appetite for food has not changed since my resurrection. “Is everyone nearly ready?”

He shrugs, an indifferent look on his face. “They’ll depart whether or not they are prepared.”

I am finally remembering this man’s two faces. The reason why everyone fears him. He’s cold and selfish.

I turn and leave the kitchen, only to have Cyrus follow me. He stops beneath the Conrath chandelier. “Ten!” he yells. “Nine. Eight.”

I hear people scramble to finish their last seconds of preparation. And feet thunder down the hall and down the stairs.

“Three! Two! One!” Cyrus bellows just as the last of the Court members scramble into the foyer. They wear coats and bear suitcases. They look completely out of sorts, and I wonder how long it’s been since they’ve had to fend for themselves. Apparently, Court life is quite cushioned.

I meet Raheem’s eyes for just a moment and force myself not to smile like I am so tempted to do. His poker face is much better than mine.

“You all know the first task,” Cyrus says as he wraps an arm around my shoulders. “Track down any Born you can find. Convince them of the benefit of joining a House and bring them back here, ready to pledge allegiance to Lady Conrath. You have two weeks. If you fail to bring a new recruit, do not bother returning. This goes for current House members, as well as Court.”

He looks his own people in the eye, daring them to speak out against him. But no one says a word.

I observe my House members. Anna. Nial. Samuel, Lillian, Markov. I will miss them over the next two weeks. I’ve grown to consider them family. I can’t bear the thought of them not returning.

I hope they all know that I will accept them back, no matter what. As soon as the King leaves Silent Bend.

“Go.” Cyrus says it with a dismissive wave of his hands.

And one by one, they all file out into the big, wide world.





I ROLL THE CHICKEN IN the cornflakes and set them in the pan. The oven beeps, letting me know it’s preheated. Putting the finishing touches on our main dish, I grab it from the island, place it in the oven, and set the timer.

A King sits at the island on a stool with a block of wood and a knife in his hands. He’s watching me—with great interest.

“I will confess, your ability to cook does concern me,” Cyrus finally says after so long in silence. “Sevan never was much good when it came to food.”

“She wasn’t skilled in the kitchen?” I ask, trying very hard to make easy conversation. The reality of being alone with the King is far more uncomfortable and intense than I expected.

“Not that what we had was much of a kitchen before…everything,” he says. And he attempts to smile, but there’s sadness in it. “Just a chimney and a fiery opening. Somehow, she managed to burn most everything.”

“Can’t really blame her without much to work with,” I say, trying to keep things light when we’re approaching such a black cliff of this weighted topic. “I mean, it’s so easy now, these days. I think just about anyone could become a master if they had a desire.” I look around the beautiful, huge, immaculate kitchen that I have the run of.

“The world certainly has come a long way,” he observes quietly.

I return to my work, preparing a pasta salad. I set water to boil on the stove and collect my ingredients from the pantry.

“Tell me about your mother,” Cyrus says, changing the subject. “I did not know Henry well, he always did keep to himself. But I’d like to know about the woman who raised you.”

I look over my shoulder at him, surprised at his normal request. It’s…friendly. This man is whiplash darkness and sincerity. “She…she was a good woman. She was far from perfect, but she tried really hard and made do with what she had.”

“How did she meet your father?”

I add some salt to the water before turning to lean against the counter. “She was here in Silent Bend for the summer, working. Just before she was going to leave for college in Colorado, she went to a party. I can’t imagine Henry going to a party, but I guess that’s how they met. It was a one night thing.”