Tempting Raven (Curse of the Vampire Queen #1)(24)

Kingsley chokes on a laugh. "This is always so much fun to watch. She hates him so much, and he l  … " His words fade as his mom gets up and smacks him upside the head. "Ow, what the hell?"

"Watch what you say," she warns, wagging a finger at him. "This isn't your secret to tell."

"Another secret," I groan at the amount of drama being dumped on me. "I don't think I can take much more."

"Just be strong and hang in there, okay?" my mom says. "You're tough, Raven. If anyone can handle this, it's you."

Nadine lets out a bitter laugh. "No, if anyone can handle this, it's me. It should've been me."

"No, it shouldn't have," Rhyland states, his dark gaze boring into her. "You're too arrogant, which would make for an awful queen."

Nadine's eyes narrow to slits. "Fuck you, Rhyland. Just because you're king, doesn't mean-"

"Yes, it does." Rhyland's cold tone sends eerie warmth across my chilled skin. "It means a lot more than you think. A lot more than you'll ever realize."

"So, you're going to just what"-she folds her arms, glaring at him-"throw our friendship away now that you're royalty?"

"I was never friends with you to begin with; you just didn't know. No one did. No one knew anything about what was really going on, except for a handful of us," he mumbles so quietly I can barely hear him. 

I glance around, curious if anyone else knows what he's talking about, but no one else appears to have heard him at all. I did, though. I heard him loud and clear. And his statement only makes my puzzlement crack even more.

What is he talking about? He was never friends with her? Sure as hell fooled me.

Raising his voice, Rhyland says, "We have bigger problems to worry about right now than whether you and I are still friends, Nadine." He twists to face me, the iciness in his eyes melting like thawing blood. "Whose blood did you drink tonight?"

I stare at him with what I hope is a neutral expression. "That's not any of your business."

His lips twitch, either from amusement or irritation. "It's completely and one hundred percent my business. I'm king."

I resist an eye roll. "Well, I'm queen, so technically, I have more power than you, which means, if I don't want to tell you something, I don't really have to."

His fangs briefly descend from his gums, but he hastily smashes his lips together. After taking a measured breath, he leans in so closely I can feel the chill of his breath. "You're not more powerful than me yet."

"Is that a threat?" I ask in a low, shaky tone as all the hate I've ever felt for him threatens to explode.

He quickly shakes his head. "No, not at all." A crease forms at his brow. "I already promised you that I wouldn't hurt you." His throat muscles work as he swallows hard, and his eyes soften in a way I've never seen before. "And if I ever do one thing right in my life, it'll be that."

The passionate look on his face throws me off balance. For some reason, it makes fear lash through my veins. What is he up to? He must be up to something.

"Too bad you didn't make that promise a decade ago," I bite, refusing to cower. Still, I'm nervous. I can't help feeling that way.

For years, Rhyland has tormented and tricked me, and I can't help wondering if perhaps this nice guy thing he's pulling is just another trick. I might be wrong. Maybe him being king means he has to be nice to me. I'm not about to let my guard down, though.

"You have no idea what's been going on over the last decade," he grits out, his body stiffening. "What I've been do …  What you … " He gulps, looking away, but not before I detect a flash of pain in his eyes.

The look makes me pause. Almost makes me ask him what he means. Almost makes me soften toward him.

Then he opens his mouth and ruins it.

"And FYI, no matter what happened over the last decade, it's my business to know whose blood you drank." That I-don't-give-a-shit-about-anything smile rises on his lips. "Just like it's my business to make sure you never drink anyone else's blood again."

"So, you want me to die?" I ask. "It doesn't even matter if you do. King or not, you don't control me."

He studies me blankly, although his eyes flicker with a drop of intensity. "You really don't know, do you?"

"Yep, I must be stupid," I snap with a shake of my head.

His smile starts to plummet. "That's not what I-"

"Why does this even matter?" I cut him off, holding up my hand, then turn to my mom. "So, I took a little blood boost. Who cares? It didn't even do much, except make me feel content. Which, according to the rumor in the crypt, that's not how I was supposed to feel."