House of Kings(19)

Without hesitation, every one of them files toward the front door.

“You’re going to kill them when they’re done, aren’t you?” Trinity says. Her voice is flat, but there’s a hint of bite to it.

Cyrus turns to her. He observes her for a moment, taking in her greasy hair, the nose ring. The general unkempt look to her and her all-black clothes. “You’re a young one, aren’t you?”

“Doesn’t matter,” she says with the shake of her head. “I’ve been dead for over forty years.”

“It still makes you a young one, love,” Cyrus says with a laugh. “And yes, I will kill them when this is over.”

Jasmine’s expression tells me it is not them she fears for, not one bit.

“Alivia!” a voice yells from upstairs.

Cameron.

I’m upstairs the next instant. I break down a door at the end of a hall. It leads into a bedroom and, tied to the bed, spread eagle, is Cameron.

“Holy shit, I’m happy to see you!” he laughs, but it’s filled with pain. Because, carved into the flesh of his chest, is the word TRAITOR.

“Cameron,” I breathe in horror. I claw at the chains that have him bound to the bedposts. It takes me two good tugs before I break the first. When he’s freed, I wrap my arms around him in a hug.

“She had three of her Bitten nab me during your party,” he says. His entire frame trembles, and I wonder what kind of poison they immobilized him with. I’ve seen no evidence of Elle’s toxin anywhere around. “It’s been a damn long two days.”

“I’m so sorry,” I say as I squeeze him harder. The thought of anyone hurting Cameron makes me want to break things. He’s become like a little brother to me. “She’ll pay for this. I promise.”

“Just get me the hell out of his place,” he says as he lets me go. With shaking legs, he stands and starts for the door without a shirt. “And it’s good the King got them out of here before they all killed him.”

“Killed who?” I ask as we make our way down the hall.

“Mayor Jackson,” Cameron says.

I hear him, his breathing labored and harsh. Down at the very end of the hall. I start toward it. I place my hand on the door.

“Please, just leave.” An unsteady voice calls from behind the door. “Just…” a struggled breath rattles in his chest. “Take them and leave.”

I let go of the doorknob. I take a step back.

I did my best to get everyone out of Silent Bend. The curse storm had that unexpected benefit. But I couldn’t protect them all. I couldn’t save everyone.

The Mayor couldn’t protect himself.

I turn and walk back down the hall, joining Cameron on the stairs. “They’ve been feeding on him, almost constantly,” he says quietly. “She made sure he didn’t turn, but he’s been damn close every day.”

“We’ll do our best to protect him now,” I say as I help him down. “Cameron, what did they do to you?”

“Apparently human allergies don’t die when we die,” he says with a weak smile. “I was deathly allergic to peanuts before. They’ve been stuffing peanut butter down my throat for the past two days.”

We reach the bottom of the stairs and I fly at Jasmine, knocking the both of us to the ground. “What is wrong with you?!” I scream in her face. “Why are you so vile?”

Jasmine spits in my face and not a second later, she’s gone. Cyrus flings her across the house, where she slams onto the tabletop, and the legs buckle under the force. The next instant, he is on top of her, his forearm pressed against her throat, his blade in his hand, pressed into the side of her cheek.

“Did you know that when a Bitten’s sire is killed, the Debt instantly goes away?” Cyrus hisses in Jasmine’s face. “I would have killed you the instant we entered this house, but generally, I find it easier to keep them under the influence. They have a way of exposing our kind with their lack of self-control. So for now, I will keep you alive so we can keep them in check. But my patience is a thin and fragile thing. Make no mistake, I will kill you and then slaughter them myself, no matter if the job gets done. Just because I can.”

I walk over to the table, my fingers curling to form fists, and Cyrus moves to the side as I straddle Jasmine, my eyes burning into hers. I want to spit back in her face. I want to sink my fangs into her throat and rip it out. I want to carve the words traitorous bitch into her flesh, just as she did to Cameron. But I am a Royal, and my behavior is always watched. “You’ve toyed with me and tried to control me since the moment I arrived in this town. The tables have turned. They turned months ago. It’s time to accept that.”