House of Royals(63)

“Hey, princess,” he says to me with a smile when he sees me. He stuffs another handful of popcorn into his mouth. “And I’m glad to see you, everyone’s been worried about you.” He indicates Lillian.

“Is Jasmine still sleeping?” Lillian asks. She doesn’t use the same annoyance with Cameron that most everyone else in the House does. She’s patient and grants actual respect to him. As if he really isn’t the waste of space the rest of them treat him as.

“I don’t think so,” Cameron says, his eyes still on the TV. “Not with the racket going on in her bedroom. I think her and Micah have been busy, if you know what I mean.”

Gross.

Someone bumps into me from behind, nearly sending me to the ground. Trinity walks past me and flops down onto the couch next to Cameron.

“Excuse you,” I blurt in annoyance.

“Watch where you’re standing.” She glares at me with malice, even as she reaches for a handful of popcorn and starts in on it.

“Have some respect,” Lillian chides Trinity. “You’ll do well to remember that Alivia is royalty.”

“She’s also a human.” But there’s conflict in her voice when Trinity says this. Disgust, yes, but also a hint of longing. In their own ways, I suspect everyone here misses their human lives. Except probably Markov.

“Not for long.”

Speak of the devil.

I turn to see Markov standing in the doorway. He wears trousers, his hands in his pockets, and a light blue button up shirt. He may be psychotic, but he’s a well-dressed psycho.

“I need to speak to the House,” I say to him. Because he feels the next highest ranked beside Jasmine, and I guess Micah. I also get the impression that he’s one of the oldest vampires in the house and not just because he looks to be in his seventies. “I’m ready.”

“Oh, my dear,” he says with that scary smile of his. “No one is ever ready for this life.”

“Probably not,” I say. I try to subtly wipe the sweat of my palms on my pants. “But I’m tired of anticipating this. I want to get it over with.”

My eyes flick behind Markov to see Jasmine walk down the stairs wearing a silk robe. Her hair is a wild mess that somehow still manages to look incredible. Micah follows behind her, wearing only a pair of boxers. The second he sees me, his eyes are filled with disdain.

“But there’s still nearly three weeks until your birthday,” Jasmine says. She steps into the room and I swear Cameron and Trinity both sit up straighter. “We agreed to not call the King until then.”

I swallow hard. “I’m not talking about just calling the King. I’m talking about resurrecting. I want you to turn me. Tonight.”

The countdown thunders inside my chest. The race to the finish.

The wheels are turning inside Jasmine’s head. Once again, I’ve taken control of the situation from her hands. I’m turning the tables once more.

“I’m glad to see you are alright, Lillian,” Jasmine says, changing the topic. “We began to fear the worst after you went missing for so long.”

“I went for a walk to clear my head,” she says. Not quite the truth, but I suppose it isn’t a complete lie. “I was attacked. Thankfully, I wasn’t far from Alivia’s house and luck was with me I suppose because she found me. And killed my assailant.”

“Another rogue Bitten?” Jasmine asks, tensing up.

I nod. “I didn’t recognize him. I don’t think it was anyone from town. But they had the same toxin as before and the brand on the back of his hand.”

Jasmine mulls this over. This entire war from the dark has everyone reeling and not knowing what to do. “Thank you for taking care of one of our House members. That won’t be forgotten.”

As Markov told me once, proving loyalty in this House means far more than blood.

“Back to the reason I’m here,” I say with a deep breath. “I want to do this. Now. And I am tired of anticipating this King coming and seeing if I am his queen, which I know I’m not. But I want him called here as soon as I’ve resurrected.”

“Why are you in such a rush?” Jasmine asks, cocking her head to the side just a little.

“Because,” I begin. I’ve been practicing the lie in my head since I made the decision to drug Ian. “Everything has been out of my control since I got here. I’m tired of it. This is me facing my fate and dealing with it.”

For some reason, my eyes drift to Markov. He’s wearing that terrible smile of his. But there’s respect in his eyes and that surprises me.

“I think we should make it a grand affair,” Lillian says. She embellishes my lie. “A ball at the House. Even though Alivia has said she does not wish to rule over us, we will be a part of each other’s lives for many, many years to come, and we all hardly know each other. A House party, if you will. We could invite…guests.”