The Vampire Gift 2: Kingdom of(15)

“Just try me,” I snarl, so close to her that I can feel her breath on my face.

She looks into my eyes and sees that I am serious. We clash for a strong, silent moment.

Then she nods in final defeat.

As I lead her the rest of the way to her prison cell, I cannot do anything to stop the triumphant smile from spreading across my face.

Without knowing it, Victoria has just given me more information about the Queen’s succession plans than I could have hoped to discover by myself in an entire year.

All because she thinks my loyalty lies completely with The Haven’s monarch.

What a sweet, naïve little fool she is.





Chapter Seven




JAMES



“Mother,” I say grandly, stepping off the plane and placing my foot on the safe, familiar ground of The Haven. “Are these handcuffs really necessary for the triumphant return of your eldest son?”

I roll my shoulder and bring my bound arms forward. Mother’s eyes gloss over me, just as they’ve done so many countless times over the centuries.

Everything I’ve done and she still hates me, I think. Some things will never change.

For a long moment she considers my request. And then:

“Un-cuff him,” the Queen orders a member of her guard.

“And when did you find this one, I wonder?” I ask after my arms are free. He’s a fresh-faced vampire I’ve never seen before. I rub my wrists. “A castaway from one of the neighboring covens?”

“Easy,” Raul warns from my side.

I look at my younger brother, and then back at Morgan. “So,” I say, “Is it true? Did you really send Raul after me and threaten to kill Phillip if he failed to get Eleira back?”

Morgan doesn’t answer. Instead, she sweeps up right to me, and slaps me across the face.

My head snaps to the side. I scowl as I straighten and rub my cheek.

“I suppose there could be worse ways of greeting me,” I grumble.

“Be thankful I granted your first request,” she says. “It was not an act of mercy, nor do you deserve to be free. But you are right. A member of the royal family should not be held prisoner without trial.”

“Is that what you intend?” I can scarcely keep the incredulity from my voice. “You want to make an example of me? Just like you wanted to do of Patricia and Jacob?” I look at the rest of her guard.

I don’t see my friends in their numbers.

“Where’s Andrey?” I ask.

“Dead,” she says flatly.

The revelation staggers me. From the corner of my eye, I notice Raul stiffen.

“Along with three of those closest to him,” Morgan finishes. Her eyes swerve over me, searching for any emotion on my face.

I keep it locked inside. News of his death comes as a shock, but I cannot show it with the audience around us.

“It seems your rule is crumbling around you, Mother,” I say under my breath. “No wonder you went through such extremes to ensure Eleira’s arrival. But don’t worry,” I gesture back to the plane. “The girl is on there, stronger than even you could have envisioned her to become. All thanks to me.”

I take a bold step forward. If Morgan calls me on my bluff, I might suffer the consequences for decades… but if I can angle my perspective properly…

“I’d always intended to bring her back,” I announce grandly, so that all the vampires around me can hear. “I saw what Father has done in The Crypts. It’s quite extraordinary. You sent me there to destroy him—” Gasps sound from the vampires surrounding us. Usually they are not privy to the inner workings of the royal family, “—But I did you one better. I earned his trust. And with it, free passage in and out of the coven. He commands power such as you’ve never seen. It’s harnessed from the blood of The Ancient. Had you had just a little more patience, Mother, I could have brought you a vial of that vampire’s most powerful blood. I’m sure with your advanced witchcraft you could have made great use of it.”

I sigh and tilt my head to Raul. “But instead you send him to bring me back prematurely. I cannot fault my younger brother for listening to your command. I only wish you would have had the foresight to realize that all I did… was done for the good of The Haven.”

I stop talking and wait for her reaction. Tension rises in my body, but I do a great job masking it. I’ve laid it all out on the line: lie after lie after lie after lie.

Now we see if Mother takes the hook.

The silence stretches. I can tell Raul is eager to speak his bit. But I also know that he’s nearly as cunning as I am. He understands my gambit. He knows what I’m playing at.

Above all, he understands just how precarious our Mother is.