"But he was an emperor." It's not a question, but he nods, anyway.
"He was. By then, the council had become suspicious of where his loyalties lay. They thought he might be secretly working for the rebellion."
"Who is the leader of the rebellion?"
His fingers twitch. "No one knows for sure."
I have a feeling he's lying, but don't know why. Then again, this is Rhyland …
"If Gabe's so terrible then why were you with him that day at the school?"
Another twitch of his fingers, an indication that he's lying, I think.
"I was trying to find out what he was up to," he says.
"You were working undercover?" I ask. "How? That's an emperor's job and you hadn't even gotten your Eternal Reading yet."
He sucks on his lip ring, deliberating something. "I can't really get into that right now, but you need to understand that not everything you've seen over the years was real. That's very important."
"So, you're saying you really didn't shove me into the locker the day the demon got loose?" I question with an arched brow.
"No, that's not what I'm saying," he grimaces with a frown.
"Then what are you saying?" My tone comes out less clipped than I wanted. "Other than you can't tell me much of anything."
"I will when I can," he assures me. "What I can tell you is that there are a ton of vampires like Gabe who are not only trying to overthrow the council and most of the vampire population, but are going to try to come after you. And if they find out who you are before you get all of your powers and break the … " His throat bobs as he traces his finger along my collarbone before returning his fingertips to my hammering pulse. "But don't worry; there are a ton of vampires, including me, who are going to make sure that doesn't happen."
"They might already know what I am," I say quietly. "Gabe said something about me being different."
He shakes his head. "He doesn't know yet. If he did, he would've put up a hell of a fight to try to kill you. Not just vanish into ash." His lips thin into a firm line. "If he sensed something was different with you, he'll definitely be back." When I start to frown, he smirks. "Don't worry. Despite your self-proclaimed rule that the queen is supposed to take care of herself, you will be protected."
I roll my eyes, but relief douses over me. "I'm glad I'll be protected, but I also want to be able to protect myself in case something like what happened tonight happens again."
"It won't happen again, because you won't be running off alone again." A fire smolders in his eyes. As rapidly as the flame ignited, it fizzles into smoke. "But I like the idea of you being able to protect yourself, so you can start training with me every day if you want to." The corners of his lips quirk. "I'll have to go easy on you until your full powers manifest."
"And I'll make sure I return the favor once they do," I quip with a smirk.
He smirks back, but his smile falters. "I do have some bad news about the burn Gabe gave you … It's not curable with vampire's blood. But drinking vampire blood will keep it from spreading."
"How do I get rid of it completely?"
"With dragon's fire."
"You cure a dragon fire burn with dragon's fire? That doesn't make any sense."
"Everything in life rarely does."
"Are you sure you're not lying to me and trying to get me to take something that'll make it worse?" I question. "Are you maybe trying to get rid of me?"
His jaw ticks. "I already promised you I won't ever hurt you." He rests his fingers against my sprinting pulse again. "I want to take care of you … " His gaze briefly drops to where his fingers are, and then zeroes in on my lips. "I want to help you heal until we can get ahold of some dragon fire … And I want to heal your leg, too." He seems enthralled by my mouth.
My heart rate pulsates and I know he can feel it against his fingertips.
"Don't I just wait a few days for my leg to heal?"
He won't stop staring at my mouth. "No, you drink blood."
"Okay … " What he's fully saying clicks, and my body goes rigid. "No. No way."
His nostrils flare. "You have to. My blood is the only thing you can drink from now on if you ever want to get your powers." He shakes out his shoulders, attempting to relax. "Plus, it'll heal you a hell of a lot faster than normal blood."
I shake my head. "I'd rather just let my leg heal the old fashion way."