The Vampire Gift 2: Kingdom of(19)

“What do you mean, unexpected?”

“You’re supposed to be the one to have rejected human blood, aren’t you?” she asks. “And yet here I find you, feeding on a timid human girl.”

A growl rises from my throat. It’s the darkness inside rebelling against the insult.

“Enough,” the Captain Commander interrupts. “I’m here for you to swap places.” He leads the blonde vampire into a cell and slams the gate shut.

But there’s a certain deference in the way he treats her that is unlike any I would expect the Captain Commander to show a prisoner.

It’s unnerving and intriguing. Something is going on between the two of them. Both are Outsiders with uncertain loyalties.

I’m going to be careful with them both.

The Captain Commander returns to the entrance and holds the door open for me. “Come on, then. Let’s get you out of here. Your brother is back, as you’ve heard. As is the girl. I’m sure you lot have much to discuss.”

I start for the exit. The Captain Commander suddenly raises his sword and points it at me.

“Just you,” he says. “The human stays.”

It’s a meaning of how much April’s blood has invigorated me that I make no move to obey, despite our difference in strength. “She’s coming up,” I say.

I expect a rebuttal. Even my position in the family doesn’t protect me from being subject to the hierarchy.

Yet the monster that’s slowly waking inside me is making me recklessly bold. It thirsts for blood. Even though I’m under no illusion that I could win, I still see myself attacking the Captain Commander if he decides to stay in my way.

To my surprise, he lowers the sword. “As you command,” he says considerably, “my Prince.”

Just before we leave the cavern, I notice his eyes flash to the blonde prisoner left behind us. Again, I wonder what that means.





Chapter Ten




RAUL



I walk briskly through the charred remains of the village, my guilt eating away at me for having ruined so many homes.

I try to justify my actions by telling myself this was essential to getting Eleira away. But now that we’re both back, all the destruction I’ve caused seems to be so… meaningless.

I look at her walking at my side. She’s kept her arms hugged around herself this whole journey.

But her eyes take in everything. She is as troubled by the state of the village as I am.

“Hey. You all right?” I ask.

She starts in surprise. “What? Yeah. Yeah, I guess I am.”

“You don’t look it,” I note. I hate the growing distance between us. Eleira has withdrawn more than I would have thought possible after the meeting with my Mother. She hasn’t told me what they discussed.

“Neither does the village,” she tells me. Her eyes sweep over the charred remains of the buildings. “What happened here? Where are all the humans?”

“Most are safe,” I say. “They were brought underground for their own protection, once Morgan sensed we were returning. My Mother took precautions…”

“To keep them away from me,” she interrupts. There’s a sad inflection in her voice.

“No,” I say. “Eleira—”

“Don’t lie to me!” She stops and looks right into my eyes. Hers are glowing with determination. “I know what I’ve become. I can feel it. Don’t tell me it’s not me the humans are hiding from when I know it really is.” She blinks, almost in surprise, then says, “I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me.”

“I do,” I say. “It’s the darkness. I’ll help you navigate it. But you need to trust me.”

“I do trust you,” she murmurs. “And Morgan offered me the same thing.”

I look at her and ask her for clarification. “What thing?”

“To help me navigate my new… powers.” She slumps back in on herself. “But I don’t want help. I want to do it on my own.”

“You’re not on your own,” I tell her firmly. I reach across and take her hand. “Don’t you forget that. You have me.” I touch the large gemstone on her finger. “You have this. It’ll help.”

“And who will help the villagers?” she asks, her voice a shadow of its former self.

I look into her eyes. “What do you mean?”

“Their homes are destroyed,” she says. “They’re the ones you should be concerned with, not me.”

I frown. “Eleira, you’re speaking madness. The villagers have always managed. They’ll rebuild and resume. Their lives will be back to normal in short order.”