The Red Lily (Vampire Blood #2)(10)

"We're almost there. Are you all right?"

"Yes." The slight tremble in her voice told him she was not.

Then a faint gray light appeared ahead. The silhouette of Riker disappeared beyond the opening. She quickened her steps. Nikolai smiled, feeling the tension dissipate from her tight frame.

"Thank God," she murmured as they stepped into the spacious cavern.

Just as he remembered, there was a natural opening at its center, and the blackened fire pit beneath it that he, Marius, and Riker had used a hundred times. Autumn had blown in leaves and twigs from the towering treetops above, littering the floor. One huge branch had also fallen in, probably from a storm. Two large boulders and one log circled the fire pit.

"This place never changes," said Riker, lifting and tossing the heavy branch out of the way before taking a seat on one of the boulders.

Nikolai led Sienna to the circle, where she took a seat on the weathered log.

"Where are we exactly?" asked Sienna.

Nikolai sat next to her. "Far enough away from prying ears."

"So tell me, cousin," began Riker, "why have you risked yourself coming here?"

"I need information. About the queen and her movements."

With a stiff nod in military fashion as he so often did when Nikolai was still his lieutenant, he answered, "You must know I am not one of her favorites."

"But you have been promoted to lieutenant, I see. Congratulations."

Riker smiled awkwardly. "Aye. She put me in your position over your troops. But I know it was a ploy on her part. She keeps me close to be sure I am loyal. But she also doesn't allow me into her inner circle."

"And who would be in her inner circle?"

"Radomir. Her personal guard."

"Of course," scoffed Nikolai. "That bastard will guard her with his life."

"Aye," agreed Riker. "And believe it or not, she keeps men like Volkov close to her."

"Who is that prick? I've never seen him before. He has the scent of one recently made."

Riker clasped his hands together between his knees and clenched his jaw. "He is. He's one of hers. She feeds him her elixir to give him strength, to increase his power. And she's making far too many."

He stood and paced two steps before facing Riker. "She's making an army, isn't she?"

Riker's mouth firmed into a thin line. He gave Nikolai another military nod. "Not only that, but she's spreading sanguine furorem."

"Spreading? How do you mean? There has never been a pinpoint of the origins of the virus."

"I know the origins." Riker leaned forward, voice gravelly when he said, "It is her."

"What do you mean?" asked Sienna. "The virus comes from her?"

"No," he answered, shifting his attention to her. "She is the virus. It's in her elixir. That fool Volkov bragged about his liaisons with the queen. About how she bestows her royal elixir only upon those she chooses. He claims sanguine furorem isn't a virus at all, but a gift of power. It gives them added strength."



       
         
       
        

The tension steeling Nikolai's shoulders stiffened his entire body painfully. When he saw Volkov toying with Sienna, it took all of his willpower not to launch through the air and rip out his fucking throat. Now that he understood that the blood madness held him in its thrall, he realized how much danger she had truly been in. Raw fear dampened his brow. A vampire under the curse of the madness could savage and kill an entire village to satisfy the blood lust. A dark memory tried to rise from the recesses of his mind. He pushed it back.

"How long do you think Queen Morgrid has had the blood madness?" Riker asked. "I've been unable to discover any answers myself."

"Marius and I spoke of it." Nikolai brushed his knee against Sienna's, the comfort of even her slight touch grounding him. "It's my belief that she always has. Marius discovered that she'd had men in her employ for some time, using a secret chamber in the dungeon of the Glass Tower to feed their blood madness."

"That's true," said Sienna. "Arabelle said that the bodies of peasants from Sylus and from abroad have been turning up in Larkin Wood for years. And many people have gone missing, never to be heard from again."

Nikolai stared down at Sienna, fearful for her mortality on this mission they must complete to help the Black Lily. "This is why it's imperative we recruit many if we are to beat them."

"Aye." Then Riker added, "You must be aware that she has sent scouts abroad, trying to find someone to give her the whereabouts of your training camp."