The Vampire Gift 2: Kingdom of(24)

“Well?” I demand, louder this time

Bella shakes her head. “We don’t know. Some of us were there when the plane landed and she made the pronouncement. But we all split after she dismissed us.”

“What about the humans?” I ask. “What has she done with them?”

“They’re still clustered in the caves underground,” a voice answers. “They were taken there in advance of Raul’s arrival.”

I nod. That makes sense. Mother must have taken precautions…

“I apologize if I scared anyone,” I say. “I’m not… quite myself at the moment.”

Before they can ask me why, I stream straight out the room and into the hallways of the compound.

I walk briskly toward Mother’s room. I fling the door open with force.

She isn’t there.

I grunt in frustration. I still can’t believe what I was told about James. Could she have really sentence one of her sons to such a fate?

Then again, should it really surprise me? Knowing what she did—or tried to do—to me?

Without thinking, I start going through her things. I don’t know what it is I’m looking for. Some piece of evidence I can use against her, something that will give me some sort of advantage in the looming confrontation…

“Enjoying yourself, are you?”

I spin around. The Captain Commander is standing at the doors, his arms crossed, glaring at me with no attempt to hide his disdain.

I shift away from Mother’s desk. There is nothing there except make-up, perfume, and other such frivolities.

“You know…” he strolls casually into the room and closes the door behind him. “This is probably the last place I’d expect to meet you.”

“Oh?” I say. In my mind, I size him up. He’s a complete unknown, brought in from the Outside at a time when my Mother needed help.

“I thought you’d be lost in the underground caverns, feeding on humans to satiate your bloodlust.”

“You thought wrong,” I say.

“So I see. Still, that doesn’t explain what you’re doing here.” He takes hold of the hilt of his sword and withdraws it a quarter of an inch. The metal gleams in the artificial light. “Or if I should let you go.”

That anger tries to bubble up again. I know better than to give in to it. I need all my mental faculties intact if I am to negotiate my way out of this.

“So why don’t you tell me what you were doing,” the Captain Commander continues. “And help me make my choice?”

“I could ask you the very same thing,” I deflect. “Why did you come here, by yourself? Aren’t you supposed to be at the Queen’s side?”

He shrugs. “I have others posted. Besides, your Mother is quite the spectacular woman. She’ll have no trouble taking care of herself.” He flashes a wicked grin. “As she’s so aptly demonstrated in her treatment of you.”

I walk around the table. The Captain Commander pulls out his blade another inch.

“You think you can threaten me with that?” I ask. “All you do is show your own fear.”

“Oh, you mistake me,” he offers. “That’s not me threatening you.”

In one smooth motion he withdraws the entirety of the weapon.

“This,” he says, pointing it right at me, “is me threatening you.”

I go still. His blade is coated with silver. I’ve had enough experience with that horrific metal to last a lifetime.

“They way I see it,” he continues, “we can go about this in two ways. One, I do the task that was assigned to me, and arrest you for trespassing—which is entirely in my right as Captain Commander. Or, two—” to my surprise, he sheathes his sword, “—I simply let you go. You walk out the door. We forget this ever happened.”

I eye him suspiciously. “Just like that?”

He nods. “Aye. Just like that.”

I start to move—but—then a question comes to mind. “What are you doing here?”

“I heard a noise and came to investigate.”

“Sounds convenient,” I note.

“Are you questioning me? Remember who has authority here, Phillip.”

“I’m sure Mother gave you all the assurance you need, Smithson,” I say. “But I still am her son. So whatever happens to me reflects directly onto her.”

He scoffs a laugh. “You want to pull that card on me? After everything she’s put you through? Please. I know just how much the bloodline means to her.”

I think of calling his bluff—then decide against it. I raise my arms.

“Fine,” I say. “You see me walk, and I’ll pretend I never saw you.” My eyes flash to him. “Because I know you were not expecting to find this room occupied when you came here.”