The Vampire Gift 2: Kingdom of(56)
“What?” April’s head snaps to me. “Her? She’s nobody, some human wench—”
I slap her. “Don’t lie to me, girl,” I hiss. “You and I both know she’s already a vampire. What I want to know is why she is important to you.”
“She isn’t—” April begins.
I spin her around and take a deep breath. “You’re trying my patience. We’ll give this one more go, from a different angle. Tell me, please, why you might be important to her.”
April looks at me. I see the conflict in her eyes.
Finally, she sags down and speaks.
“I was her very first friend. I was the first human she met in The Haven.”
“Hmm,” I say. “That’s interesting. Very, very interesting.” I trace a claw under April’s chin. It draws a thin line of blood. “So if something were to happen to you… Eleira would not take it well.”
April closes her eyes and shakes her head vigorously.
I step away. “Thank you. You’ve been very forthcoming. I’ll let you go, for now… but a word of this to anyone, and your life is forfeit.”
“You… you promised me the Gift,” she mutters.
I sneer. “You think I would give it to you now? No. Remain cooperative, don’t betray my confidence, and stay alert. I’ll give you orders when the time comes. Follow through on them, and eternal life can be yours.”
Her eyes widen. Her breath hitches. “I’ll do anything.”
“Good. For now? Stay quiet and observe. I’ll come to you when I need you next. Should you do anything to compromise our little arrangement, however—I will know. And trust me. You do not want to get on my bad side.”
She nods quickly. “I won’t say a single word.”
“Good,” I tell her. “That’s all I ever asked.”
Chapter Thirty-Five
ELEIRA
Raul, Phillip and I rush through the scattered remains of the village, searching for April amongst the humans.
She’s nowhere to be found. Even worse is the reaction I receive when I try talking to the villagers. They regard me with a mix of suspicion and fear.
It’s a nasty way to be looked at by people you want to do good things for.
Raul and Phillip don’t seem to notice. That reaction is nothing unexpected for them.
I do catch an attractive woman somewhere in her thirties casting furtive glances at Raul. It’s almost like she knows him—but then again, everybody here should know the Prince.
When I point her out he becomes strangely defensive. “Just a slave,” he offers curtly. “Nothing more.”
Could she be the one he rescued from the vampire guards?
But I don’t press. April is our most pressing concern right now.
On my suggestion, after conducting a thorough search of the village grounds, we start for the castle. My thinking is that if Morgan set tracers on me to know where I am in The Haven, she might have done the same with April.
But we don’t even get that far. Halfway there, we run into April walking on her own in the opposite direction.
“April!” I exclaim. “We were looking for you!”
She looks puzzled—then breaks out into a big smile. “Good. Because I was looking for you, too.”
As she joins with us, Phillip gives her a quick once-over. “You’re unharmed,” he says. “I was worried.”
“Needlessly,” she tells him. “I felt better, so I went for a walk. It’s amazing the things you see in The Haven when the blocks are lifted from your mind.”
I wince. Every reminder of the blocks is a reminder of how the Queen keeps the humans grovelling.
“You shouldn’t be out by yourself,” Phillip says. “Other vampires know who you are—“
“Of course they know who I am,” she says imperiously, eyes flashing. “I was introduced to all them with Eleira, remember?”
“That’s not what I mean. They know who you are with regards to us. You don’t know what the Queen has been doing. You’re in more danger now than before.”
“Phillip is right,” I say. “You need to be careful.”
She crosses her arms. “I’m always careful.”
“You need to be more careful,” Raul says. His voice is low and grave. He takes hold of her elbow and pulls her into our little group. “If you value your life, you’ll stay with one of us at all times.”
She casts a glance at all of us. “Is that why you’re looking for me? To babysit me?” Then she sighs. “So be it. But if it’s anyone I’m staying with, it’s Phillip.”
She crosses over and links arms with him. He looks befuddled, but then gives a short nod, all resolute again. “Fine by me.”