Phillip goes absolutely still. “You meant for me to kill her,” he says stiffly. “So that Eleira would be turned against me. Isn’t that true?”
“Oh, pah, pah,” Mother says dismissively. She glides to an unoccupied white leather chair and drops down into it. “How you and your brother enjoy making baseless accusations against me. If I were a tad bit stricter—” her eyes flash at us, “—you would not be so free with your tongues. Especially not around such esteemed company as we have now.”
“What is she doing here?” I demand, looking at Victoria. “You know who she is. You know how dangerous she is.”
“And that’s why I’ve invited Captain Commander Smithson to provide protection for this meeting,” Mother flutters on. “Victoria wouldn’t be fool enough to try anything while he’s here. Would you, darling?”
To my surprise, the blonde vampire bows her head with the utmost respect. “Certainly not,” she tells Mother.
“See?” Morgan asks me. “There’s absolutely nothing to worry about. Now, why don’t we resume our previous discussion? Before we were interrupted.”
“James,” I start to say.
“—WILL NOT BE SPOKEN OF HERE!” Mother screams.
Her voice rocks the room. In the ensuing silence, not a single breath can be heard.
“I’m sorry,” Mother says after a moment, having regained control of herself. “That was… unladylike of me.”
“You were provoked, my Queen,” Smithson says. He shoots an evil glare at me as he comes to her side. He kneels down and takes her hand. “Just say the word, and I’ll escort the two of them out.”
“No, no,” Mother sighs. “They should both hear what Victoria has to say. After all, if I cannot trust my only two sons with such information… who do I have left?”
It rankles me how easily she dismisses James—and makes light of how easy it was for her to treat Phillip and me as nothing more than vermin when Eleira got away.
“Shall I continue, then?” Victoria asks.
Mother nods. “Please.”
I listen on as Victoria starts to describe the inner workings of The Crypts. She talks about their defenses, their strengths, their weaknesses. She goes on and on about the ruling class, and how Father has fortified his coven to be a near-impenetrable fortress.
But her information is only surface-deep. There are no great insights she provides.
I grow tired of it. “Enough,” I say. “Mother, James or I could have told you as much from having visited. She is not telling you anything useful.”
Victoria sneaks a malicious glare at me when she thinks I’m not looking. I catch it.
“She should remain in chains underground,” I say. “I came here with Phillip to discuss things of actual importance to The Haven. Not to listen to her prattle on and on about frivolities in The Crypts.”
Mother ignores me. “You must excuse my son,” she says. “He’s had a difficult few days. He thinks only of himself—”
“That’s not true,” I growl.
“Perhaps of Eleira, too,” she concedes. “But little more.”
Mother stands and walks to the open window. She looks out into the night. “Victoria, why don’t you tell all of us of the link you have with my eldest son’s beloved?”
That request makes Victoria stop short. Her confidence wavers. “Excuse me?” she asks, thrown off-balance.
Phillip and I make eye contact. Ever so subtly, he shakes his head, indicating he doesn’t know what Mother’s talking about either.
Neither of us missed her referring to me as “eldest,” either.
It means she is truly set in her verdict against James.
“The link, sweetest,” Mother repeats, still looking out into the night. “Oh, poor thing, you didn’t think you’d be able to hide it from me, did you?”
Victoria looks like she’s swallowed a plum. “It’s only a trifling thing— ” she begins.
Mother turns on her in a fury. “Do NOT lie to me!” she screams. Power crackles out from her like a storm. A sudden wind blows through the window, making her dress and hair flare. She looks more menacing than ever. “I know it was your blood Eleira tasted first! I know the ritual you attempted to perform! How else, why else, would my precious human witch come back here bearing the full powers of The Ancient? It is only through you!”
The wind dies. The storm of electricity ebbs away. Everything goes still again, but the reverberations of Mother’s words echo around us and through the room like ghouls haunting the place.