House of Royals(62)

In a move that surprises me, Rath closes the distance between us and wraps his arms around me. “I meant it when I said that I am always here for you. After you resurrect, I will come get you, and I will help you through this transition. The house will be prepared for you.”

“Thank you,” I say through my tight throat.

“Are you ready?”

I let go of Rath and turn to see Lillian standing behind us. She looks tired, but recovered. I just nod.

A minute later, we back out of the garage. I understand now why all of the windows are so heavily tinted. My father wanted to be able to go out at any time. Lillian does wear sunglasses, but she doesn’t seem too bothered by the still shining light. It’s nearly dusk.

Silently, I say goodbye to the daylight. Goodbye to the sun. Goodbye to swimming in the heat of the day. Goodbye to tanning. From here on out, the day is only going to cause me pain.

“If she won’t kill me, you’ll do it, right?” I say, trying to distract myself. “You’ll do it right away if she won’t agree to the plan?”

Lillian nods and pulls a gun from her purse. “Within the hour,” she says.

I nod, gripping the steering wheel tighter. My knuckles are white.

I’d be so much less terrified about this situation if the resurrection process didn’t take so long. I can go offer my death as a distraction, but once I’m dead, it will take four days before I’ll rise again. I have to hope that Lillian and Rath will keep Ian safe during that time.

“Thank you again,” Lillian says. “For your blood. For trusting me. I won’t forget that.”

I look over at her, and my chest suddenly swells with appreciation. I don’t know that she’s a friend, but she’s the closest I’ve got in this demented town. “I know. And thank you for your help.”

She reaches over and pats my leg. “You’re a brave girl, Alivia. This is a terrible fate, for anyone. It isn’t fair you’re being forced into it before your time.”

And the haunted tone of her voice, I wonder again. “How long have you been a vampire?”

Lillian sighs and looks out the window. “It’s been twelve years,” she says. “I grew up in Matal, just about an hour north of here. Terrible, little run-down town. I was into fashion and couldn’t wait to get out of there. So I moved to New York as soon as I turned eighteen. I started making a name for myself. My designs were starting to catch fire. And then one day I was mugged. I was stupid, tried to fight back. The man shot me.”

It’s so easy to imagine, just like you see on those crime TV shows every night. Except the detectives didn’t get the chance to solve her murder. I imagine her waking in a morgue and walking out of the building in complete confusion.

“I was older than you,” she continues. “Forty-one and it still feels like my life was cut short.”

“You didn’t know you were a Born, did you?” I finally ask the question I’ve been suspecting for a while.

Lillian shakes her head. “I never knew my father. My mom said my dad died when I was little and I didn’t ask too many questions.”

“Vampires sure do like to sleep around, don’t they?” I ask.

Lillian actually chuckles. “Well, when you’ve got eternity, you tend to get bored easily.”

I shake my head. It’s ridiculous.

But our light mood doesn’t last long. We turn for the drive of the House and into the swamps. I remember Jasmine saying the land was cursed after Elijah’s attack. I think I’d like to learn more about these curses. Maybe in four days.

The light begins to fade, but clings to the sky. I don’t have much time until the sun goes down and Micah tries to take off to kill Ian. I very much doubt that he won’t go ahead and do it now.

I park the Jeep right in front of the doors, as I did last time. The gravel squishes more than crunches when I get out. The ground is soggy and littered with moss and grass.

I would have knocked, but Lillian just opens the door and walks inside. This is her home, after all.

It’s quiet inside. I wonder how many of the House members are still sleeping. How many hours of the day do they sleep when their preferred hours are so few? And do most of them sleep right as it gets light, or wake just as it gets dark?

We walk into the great room at the back of the house. It is laid out similarly to my own house, but this room is certainly not a ballroom. Instead, there’s a giant, empty fireplace. Large enough that I could stand inside it and not bump my head. There’s a TV stand set up in front of it, though. And several broken down couches surround it. Sitting on one, munching on a bowl of popcorn, is Cameron.