The Vampire Gift 2: Kingdom of(2)

A nasty feeling rises in my throat. Enough time has passed for Raul to find Eleira. It feels like I’ve been here for days.

“Then where are we going?”

Morgan gives a coy smile. “You’ll see.”

I follow her down the long, icy hall of her castle. Empty canvases framed in gold hang on the walls.

They’re an eerie reminder of what she’s capable of.

Nothing—nothing—could be worse than severing a soul from it body. It’s a crime against nature. If the thought of feeding on human blood makes me ill, what Mother has done to every one of these vampires in the paintings… the way she did it… it makes me want to throw up.

We walk to a curling staircase leading down. Mother glances back at me. “You’re not stupid enough to try to run, are you?” Out of nowhere, that silver collar she’d flung around my neck appears in her hands. “Please tell me you’re not. You don’t know how it pains me to use this… device… against my own flesh and blood.”

“No,” I say stiffly. “I won’t run.”

“Good.” The collar disappears up her sleeve. “That makes me so happy.”

We descend the narrow stairs. At first I think we’re going to the ground floor. But then Mother takes me lower, deeper into the earth.

I begin to grow wary.

At the very bottom is a set of dungeon doors. Morgan shares a conspiratorial look with me. Then she opens them.

My heart sinks when I see what’s on the other side.

Patricia and Jacob are hanging limp from the walls. Silver gauntlets bind their wrists and ankles. Their heads droop low, but Patricia manages to look up—weakly—at our entrance.

Mother pulls the doors closed with a bang. The sound echoes through the dark, rocky chamber.

As soon as that happens I sense we’re not the only ones here. Sure enough, from behind a jagged column emerges an ensemble of the Queen’s personal guard.

There are six of them altogether. I scan the faces. Two of the six I know from before, but the other four are new. Their Commander, identified by the gold stitching on his black coat, is no one I’ve ever seen before inside The Haven.

“You’ve changed your guards,” I say. My mind searches for an explanation. Mother’s previous guards had been stable for decades. They had the utmost loyalty to her. “Why?”

“I was hoping you’d be able to tell me that,” Mother coos. “After all, it was you and Raul who started the fire in the village—along with these two accomplices.”

She casts an arm toward Patricia and Jacob.

“What does the first have to do with anything?” I ask.

“Well…” she taps her lips. “Four of my most trusted guards were found dead in the aftermath.” She turns to me. “They didn’t burn. They were murdered.”

A wave of shock passes through me.

Who would kill four vampires?

“These two,” Mother continues, walking closer to the husband and wife pair, “have proved surprisingly stubborn in admitting their guilt. But that’s not a problem. Because, down here, my word is law… and the law finds them guilty of murder!”

I give a strangled choke. “No!”

“Yes.” She looks like a puma glorying in the moments before the kill. “Patricia and Jacob have proven their unworthiness to remain part of our coven again and again. This final insult, it was too much.”

The hanging woman’s eyes roll up and meet mine. The despondent resignation in them breaks my heart.

I look at the guards again. They all have smug smiles on their faces. They know what’s going on. And I’m starting to suspect that I do, too.

Mother brought me here to witness an execution.

“You think they killed your guards?” I say. “Look at them! They barely had the strength to stand after you kept them prisoner and brought them to Eleira’s introduction ceremony. How could they have gone against four of The Haven’s most accomplished fighters?”

Mother gives a little laugh. “Oh, that’s the same story they’ve given me. It’s funny how such things align. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that you three are colluding against me.” She glances at the ring of guards. “Wouldn’t you say, Smithson?”

The Commander instantly drops to one knee and holds a fist to his chest. “Yes, my Queen.”

Morgan strolls up to him and casually rakes a hand through his hair. “Oh, you’re most obedient now, aren’t you? Of course, that’s just how I like my companions.”

The commander glances up and meets her gaze for the briefest moment. There’s something more going on between them—I wouldn’t be surprised if Mother has already taken him to bed.