House of Kings(27)
I laugh, so very relieved to have my family return to me.
By the eleventh day, everyone from court has returned except the big bearded man that arrived with X the first night—and Nial and Lillian. I try not to panic.
By day twelve, the work on the Institute is completed. Still, Nial and Lillian have not returned.
On day fourteen, my heart sinks into my feet and disappears into a cold puddle.
They’re not going to make it back in time.
I’m going to lose them.
On that fourteenth day, Cyrus orders all of the Bitten to come to my House. They stand around, terrified. Looking exhausted.
And, I feel sorry for them. None of them had any choice in this. They all have been slaves these past few weeks, first to Jasmine, second to the King.
“Gather around, everyone!” Cyrus bellows from the ballroom. I’m up in my office talking with Markov and Samuel about tracking down Nial and Lillian when we hear his voice bellow throughout the House. “We have a special treat today!”
“This can’t be good,” Samuel says quietly as the three of us exit the office and head down the stairs.
There are so many bodies in this House now. With my returned House members, almost all the Court members, and thirteen new subjects, there are twenty-nine vampires and Rath. Plus, fourteen Bitten. It’s a good thing the Institute is finished. It’s getting overly crowded in here, even with such a big house.
I walk into the ballroom to find Jasmine standing beside Cyrus. Her face is drained of color, black veins covering her face and neck, and I can smell the fear rolling off of her.
“Thank you so much for joining us,” Cyrus says with a disingenuous smile. “I’m very proud of the hard work you’ve all done the past week and a half. You’ve done well. And to those who have joined the House of Conrath, welcome.”
The newcomers shift uncomfortably. I do wonder how many of them will desert me the second Cyrus leaves Silent Bend. Fear only controls people for so long.
“Accidents happen,” Cyrus continues loudly. “Our thirst is a terrible, often times uncontrollable thing. The Bitten are an unfortunate side effect of what we are. But what has happened—this was no mistake.”
Cyrus looks over at Jasmine, and his eyes grow cold. He begins walking around her, circling her like a vulture. “This was a deliberate move. This was reckless. Turning even one Bitten in the town of a House is always frowned upon, but turning so many… Well, you’ve asked for what is coming.”
My heart leaps into my throat and I look around at the Bitten Jasmine created. Tony. The contractor. All residents of this town we call home. Terror fills their faces. Tears leak down more than one face. This wasn’t their fault. They didn’t ask for this.
But we can’t trust them. They cannot control their hunger. They will attack. They will feed. They will kill. Some of them will accidentally create more Bitten.
It’s terrible, what’s about to happen. But there’s no way around it.
Cyrus hands Jasmine a set of sun goggles. She looks terrified as she accepts them. “Please,” she begins to beg. “Don’t do this. Exile me. Send me away. Just don’t do this.”
“Oh, you should have thought about the end when you began this,” Cyrus says with a manic smile on his face. “I believe this is yours. And that you’ve ended other lives with it.”
Cyrus produces the long bladed knife—the one that may as well be called a sword with its extreme length. The very same one Jasmine drove into Ian the night I tried to die. The one that ended his human life and revealed the traitorous truth.
Jasmine’s hand shakes as she accepts it.
“Let’s have us a little game, shall we?” the King says as he turns back to the silent crowd gathered around him. “You’re going to try to kill your sire, because she’s going to tell you to do so. And if you succeed in killing her, I might let you run free.”
Cyrus beings walking around Jasmine in a circle once more. “But let’s not make the stakes to easy. Every Born, you’ll want one of these.” He picks a box up from the floor and begins tossing a pair of sun goggles to each and every one of the Born. “Because our little event will take place outside.”
“No! Please!” Cries break out from the Bitten. Because it’s only five in the evening. The sun may be hidden behind the clouds of the curse storm, but even the dim light is blinding to the eyes of a vampire—Born or Bitten.
“Let’s head outside, shall we?” Cyrus says. The look in his eyes grows to a crazed gleam. His smile stretches wider and wider, as impending death grows closer.
X crosses the ballroom and opens the door out onto the veranda. With her goggles securely in place, she holds it open, extending her hand out in invitation to exit the carefully blacked out house.