The Vampire Gift 2: Kingdom of(87)

“Go!” Morgan grabs my shoulder and shoves me up the stairs. “Go, check on Eleira and Victoria! You cannot fight the Narwhark. Only I can!”

“I won’t leave you,” I start.

At that moment the demon mounts its own attack.

It leaps up and hits me in the side. Both of us go hard into the wall. I only just manage to get my hands up in time to prevent it from digging its teeth into my body. Then there’s another beam of light, more compact and thinner this time, like a laser beam. The Narwhark cannot get disentangled from me in time.

It screeches as the ray of magic hits. In a fury, it spins around and jumps off. Then, seeing the way down blocked, it bounds up the stairs, back the way it had come.

For half a second I’m too dazed to move. The Queen’s attack was precise, and perfectly aimed, but if the Narwhark had moved even a fraction of an inch… if that beam had hit me…

In that brief moment, I fully realize what sort of woman she is. And the guilt that has started to creep up about my true intentions after she had taken me to bed instantly vaporizes. I’d let myself grow soft, let myself be taken in by her.

Well, no more.

I jump to my feet. I share a look with Raul. He realizes, at the same time, exactly what I did: The Queen would have killed me if she missed.

There is no sympathy in his eyes.

“Come on,” he grunts, and chases after the Narwhark.

I follow him, Morgan quick on my heels.

We get to the top. I skid to a halt and curse. The door to Victoria’s room is wide open. But the tanned vampire lies on the floor in front of us. There are nasty, infected wounds all over her body.

I scan the surroundings for the demon. I don’t see it.

“It must have gone in the silver cell,” I exclaim. I run forward to close the door. “If we seal it inside—“

Just then, a tall, man-shaped streak blurs toward the Queen. I’m too startled, too thrown off, too distracted by the loss of my sword, to do anything.

I hadn’t noticed the vampire hidden in the shadows.

He collides with the Queen and knocks the staff from her hand. It skitters across the floor.

I catch a glimpse of his face, and realize that it’s James.





Chapter Fifty-Six




JAMES



The creature comes leaping up the stairs. I watch from my hiding place as it pauses for a flicker of a second, looking at Victoria.

My body tenses. If it tries to attack her, I won’t just turn the other cheek. I’ll need to help.

But the decision is taken out of my hands when the sound of pursuit scares the thing into the silver cell.

I go absolutely still as three vampires spill out into view. First is Raul. Next is Smithson. And finally…

My own Mother, the Queen. She is carrying her staff.

I can hardly believe my luck.

If I’m only given one chance, this is it. As Smithson rushes to slam the door shut, I spring from my hiding place and go straight for Mother. The only reason I stand a chance is because she is momentarily distracted by the sight of Victoria on the ground.

I body-slam into her. The staff flies out of her hand. Such a look of surprise flashes on her face—she hadn’t been expecting to be taken unaware. But then she sees that it’s me. Her mouth twitches up in a crude smile.

“Come to claim your place as one of The Convicted?” she mocks.

I have no time for fun here. I push off and dive for her torrial.

But somewhere in all the confusion I had forgotten about my brother. Raul reaches it at exactly the same time as I do. His hand wraps around the staff simultaneously with mine.

“Don’t get in the way, little brother,” I snarl. “This doesn’t involve you!”

He flashes accusatory eyes at Victoria. “You did that,” he condemns.

I laugh, even though I don’t feel it on the inside. “Don’t tell me you care about her. I thought Eleira was the one true love for you. Bored of her already?”

“Never,” Raul snarls. He tries to jerk the staff out of my hands. I hold on tight.

In the back of my mind I wonder how it is neither Mother nor Smithson have tried to interfere.

I cast a quick glance back. Mother is kneeling over Victoria’s body, eyes closed, muttering some sort of incantation while running her hands over the other woman’s wounds. Smithson has his shoulder jammed against the door of the silver cell. It shakes and trembles as the thing inside tries to break out.

“What are you doing here?” Raul demands. “You got out, you were free. Why did you come back?”

We grapple some more over the staff. “I came for precisely this,” I hiss. “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll give it to me now!”

“Why should I?” Raul challenges. “What do you want with it, James?”