Tempting Raven (Curse of the Vampire Queen #1)(21)

"Temper tantrum much?" I slap my hand over my mouth as soon as the words leave my lips. Kingsley was right; I am feisty when I'm riding a blood high.



       
         
       
        

Mr. Midnitegale gets to his feet and places a steady hand on Rhyland's shoulder. "Son, relax. Everything's going to be fine. We just have to wait for the blood to work out of her system. That's all. Nothing's changed."

Rhyland's fierce gaze locks on mine, his eyes burning with  …  well, I'm not quite sure, but it makes me step back.

I glance at my mom, her face a mixture of worry and terror. Then I glance at my dad, who is rubbing his hand across his forehead. Finally, my gaze falls to the black hardwood floors, covered in fragments of what used to be the coffee table.

"What's going on?" I whisper, no longer feeling very confident.

My mom swallows hard. "There's been a recent development  …  Well, development might be the wrong word." Her throat bobs again. "I guess there's no easy way to say this other than to just say it." She clutches my hand. "Earlier this week  …  the lead empress requested that every empress and emperor go to the Eternal Reading room  …  that the Eternal Readers had requested that everyone receive an unexpected reading."

"Is that normal?" I wonder aloud.

She nods, her gaze flicking toward Rhyland, a movement I find odd. "It happens occasionally, but usually it's to weed out some of the more unfit emperors and empresses who aren't doing their job properly. This time it was for a different reason." Her fingers tremble against my hand. "It was to announce a king."

My lips part in shock. "Holy shit, Hawk's friend of a friend of a friend was right."

"Who's Hawk?" Rhyland bites out, his body trembling with rage as he inches toward me.

His dad throws out his arm, holding him back. "Easy. You're too amped up right now to get that close to her. You need to calm down first. You should know better."

As my confusion soars through the roof, I find myself longing for the blood boost to return to my body, longing for that contentment again.

Ignoring Rhyland's question, I ask my mom, "So, who is he?"

She lets out a deafening breath, and then her gaze shifts to the left.

Right at Rhyland.

I cringe. Fuckety fuck of all vampires, he has the power to punish me now? He has so much power. Arrogant, coldhearted, lock-me-in-a-locker-and-try-to-kill-me-with-a-demon Rhyland has more power than almost any vampire in the world.

"I know what you're thinking, but it's not like that," Rhyland says, his fiery gaze carrying mine, his voice surprisingly gentle. "I promise I won't ever hurt you." Passion blazes from his eyes, a passion that shouldn't be shown toward an enemy.

I literally have no damn clue what the hell he's talking about, but something is going on. More than just Rhyland becoming king. 

My gaze glides around the room at all the vampires staring at me, watching me with troubled expressions. Even Nadine looks a bit tense.

Something's not adding up. Why drag me up here to tell me Rhyland is king? We're not friends, so what's the big deal? Why not just tell me when I got home? And without the vampire mafia around. They look like the same mafia that was hanging out in his driveway earlier. Are they here to protect Rhyland?

Suddenly, all those SUVs parked next door make sense. The vampires inside are probably Rhyland's bodyguards.

"Raven." My mom's gentle tone draws my attention away from the strangers crowding the room. "There's more I need to tell you."

I swallow down a shaky breath, feeling a heightened shift in the air, as if my senses have turned up to full volume.

Giving my hand a gentle squeeze, my mom guides me over toward where Rhyland is standing. She gives Rhyland a small, encouraging nod. He returns the nod and sits down on a red leather sofa, releasing a shaky exhale. My mom then takes a seat, too, and pulls me down with her, positioning me between the two of them and leaving me very little room.

Warning flags start popping up, and I instinctively lean closer to my mom.

Rhyland sucks in an uneven inhale, as if battling to keep his temper under control. I remember how he grabbed my arm right before I left the house for the club. While his grip wasn't rough, it was intense enough to startle me. With how intense he looks right now  …

I lean even closer to my mom.

"Raven, honey, you need to calm down a bit." My mom offers me a small, tense smile.

I peer around the room and frown. "It'd be much easier to do that if everyone wasn't standing there, staring at me like I'm a one fanged vampire at a freakshow."