Before Kahli could say anything, Will turned to Reggie. Cutting Kahli off, he said, "The Queen might be more powerful than you think."
Reggie's voice changed from certain to irritated, "Just let me handle my sister. I know things you don't, all right?"
"Such as?" Will promoted, not thinking that Reggie would answer him. The vampire was strange. He never acted predictably. Reggie probably thought it was too mundane to behave in a normal fashion.
Reggie tightened his grip on the steering wheel, making his knuckles crack. Finally, he growled, "All those fights you saw over the years, well, guess what? They were staged. STAGED, as in fake. As in not real." Reggie glanced at Will, but Will didn't speak. He knew Reggie was holding back for some reason. Now he knew why. Reggie rolled his eyes, his gaze narrowing as he looked out the windshield. "Sophia's insane, in case you haven't noticed. She's weaker than I am. I let her win."
"Why?" Kahli asked, her lips pulled back in disgust.
Reggie arched a dark brow at her, like she was a moron. "Blood. She gave me extra, sometimes it was even fresh." He scoffed at her, "Why else would I do anything?" Will knew Reggie well, and had no doubt that he was telling the truth, but he could sense there was more to the story. Reggie continued, "Sophia has been staging those fights for years. She wanted to make the other Regent thought she was stronger and more fearsome that she actually was. It kept her from real fighting, from dealing with challengers that would try to take her throne."
While that may have been true, Will knew she was strong and merciless. He'd been by Sophia's side since he was sold to Reggie. The Queen favored his looks and his wit, so Will had gotten access and heard things that no one else knew. Reggie had been able to pry most of those secrets from him due to the runes. Ownership was nearly all of the law, but one rune trumped them all, and no one knew he had it. Reggie had no idea how deep Will's debt was, neither did Sophia. While the King thought about branding him with another rune, he never did. At least that was one person Will didn't owe a damn thing, but at the same time, Will couldn't escape his bonds without the King. There was a reason for all those years of favors, all those things he'd done that he shouldn't have. Loyalty, runes, and blood compelled him. Will's hand tightened around Kahli's.
When neither of them spoke, Reggie blurted out the obvious, "You know you can't save her, William, so why have you allowed yourself to grow attached to this one?"
The way he said, this one, made Kahli glance at Will. The expression on her face made her thoughts transparent - there were others?
Damn you, Reggie, Will thought. "I can do what I like, as long as I'm loyal to you, so what do you care if I favor her?"
Kahli's green eyes sparkled like gems. They darted between the two as they spoke, but she said nothing. Will could feel a pulling sensation in her gut like he was hurting her, stretching her too far, too fast. There was no time to deal with that now. There was no way to explain what he was and what he'd done. The part that Will wanted to reveal the most was the one thing he could never say. It was the thing that would destroy any chance they had of being together. His thumb brushed the rune on the back of her wrist as he thought about it. Kahli was promised to someone else. Reggie was right, even if the vamp didn't know why.
"Just don't do anything stupid, and stop drooling on her," Reggie responded not looking at them.
"I'm right here. You can act like it." Kahli said and leaned back in her seat, folding her arms across her chest.
Will laughed.
Reggie responded, "Yes, I don't see how we could forget. You are the one that caused all these problems. It seems fitting that you're the one to end them." Before Kahli could say a word, Reggie broke formality and blurted out, "Oh, shut up and listen. This is what we are doing once Sophia's guards find us." Reggie began to speak, filling in bits of information that Will suspected and other things that he already knew. Kahli remained leaning against the door, looking bored, but her sharp gaze didn't fool him. She was listening, trying to figure out every scenario, looking for a way to win - to escape. No matter what Kahli said or promised, she was wild and no wild creature willingly surrendered their freedom.
Chapter 27
Cassie's heart pounded in her chest, as she walked to her Pairing. Two guards accompanied her, one trailing behind to make sure she didn't try to run away. Cassie was somber, watching her bare feet fall one in front of the other, as she followed the guard in front down the long hall. Each of the girls was taken out one at a time. Alice was escorted away first. She was beautiful, but the sullen expression in her eyes made Cassie's heart break. There was no way to stop the Pairing.
As they walked down the long hall, two maids entered and started to pull the long drapes closed to keep out the night chill. Cassie watched them do it as the last rays of light spilled through the floor to ceiling glass. This was the last time the sunlight would touch her face. After tonight, she'd be a different person. There was no way she could go through with this and remained unchanged. Lowering her gaze to the carpet, Cassie knew Cole was neck-deep in his escape plan by now. She hoped that sacrificing herself gave him the chance he needed to get away undetected. No one was watching for him this evening. He wasn't Paired with anyone.
As they neared the room where Brent was waiting, Cassie's stomach turned to lead. She shivered, even though the palace was warm. Her steps became smaller, resulting in slower movements. The guard at her back pressed a hand to her shoulder and shoved. "Hurry up."
Cassie stumbled forward. She hurried, not wanting the vamp to touch her again. His hand felt like a rotten apple. The outside was still smooth, but the muscle beneath was soft. Her stomach twisted, threating to heave. Cassie steeled herself and kept walking. She ignored the tension in her throat that was choking her, ignored the rising bile, ignored her trembling hands, and held her head high. She chose this path. It was her life and this was what she decided to do. It was best for her and Cole.
"No regrets," she whispered to herself when they stopped in front of a large wooden door. The dark wood was carved with cherubs and swags of flowers that existed when the world was warm. Blinking, she stared at it for a moment. Before the guard had a chance to open the door, Cassie reached for the handle and twisted. "No regrets," she said more firmly and walked inside.
Her chest felt so tight that Cassie could hardly breathe. Stepping further into the room, she looked around. The ceiling was made of black glass. It was smoked, tinting the panes gray, so that it didn't draw attention to the row of windows that lined the ceiling of the room. Cassie swallowed hard. A poster bed with a slatted headboard was in the center of the room, the windows directly above. There were a few vampires looking down at her. She could make out their shapes through the glass. Cassie ignored them and walked toward the bed. She didn't see Brent. For some reason, he wasn't here yet. That was odd. Cassie always thought that they brought the girl in second. There were things that the vampires told the males they had to do to make sure they did their job right. That included the location of rope, amongst other things to make their encounter more successful.
Cassie stopped when she reached the bed. Turning slowly, she looked around the room. The walls were perfectly bare, nothing but black paint. A lamp flickered on a nightstand next to the bed. When examined more closely, she could see that the flame was contained within a safety housing. It was a safe-lamp, made from glass that wouldn't shatter and oil that wouldn't burn if the lamp was damaged. Cassie bent over to watch the flame dance, wondering how they lit the thing in the first place.
At that moment, the door behind her creaked open, and Brent said, "Stay just like that and things will go well for you." His voice dripped down her spine like ice. Cassie straightened and turned quickly, her hands flying up to cover things that she didn't want to reveal. Brent laughed, "The vamps took a little extra time with me. They think you and I are a good pairing, Cassie. And I told them I'd do whatever it takes to make this happen. So what's it going to be? The easy way?" He grinned wolfishly and Cassie's pulse shot into heart attack territory. A piece of rope appeared in his hands. He snapped it, and it made a loud cracking noise as he moved toward her. "Honestly, I prefer the rope."
Cassie's spine straightened. Her heart pounded relentlessly against her ribs, telling her to run, but she didn't. Cassie forced her arms to her sides and held Brent's gaze. She moved toward him slowly, gracefully. The only thing she didn't plan for was her voice, but when she spoke she didn't recognize it, "Honestly, I'll let you do whatever you want as long as this Pairing is successful. The girls told me that there are certain things you need to do to make sure it is."
Brent stopped in his tracks, his jaw fell open. Cassie grinned in response. "You're going to let me?" he asked, baffled.
Cassie folded her arms over her chest, forcing her cl**vage higher, before throwing her hip out. Brianna had done it so many times. It made her figure look curvy. "Why wouldn't I?"
"Your brother, he said - " Brent stammered.
Cassie cut him off, "Cole's not here. Do you seriously want me talking about another guy? Or would you like to get on with things?"
"Get on with things," he said obediently. For once, Cassie was glad she listened to the girls gossiping. They said a powerful woman was attractive, that a man couldn't resist a girl who knew what she wanted. Cassie played the part to the extreme. She walked up to Brent and yanked the rope from his hands.
"Save this for later. Right now, I want you on the bed." When he only managed to stare at her, she barked, "Now!"
Brent ran to the bed and jumped on. He was beaming, suddenly compliant. Cassie felt sick. She didn't know how far to push things. Walking slowly toward the bed, she held her shoulders back, forcing her chest out. Swaying her h*ps as she walked, Cassie stole a peek at the windows above. One figure stood at the glass watching them. The pit of her stomach fell as she looked away. Looking up was stupid. It made her lose her nerve, and if anything she needed more guts right now, not less.
Cassie's lips pulled into a smile. It felt fake, but Brent beamed back at her. Lifting one leg, Cassie climbed up onto the bed and crawled toward Brent, moving slowly, letting him watch her.
"Cassie, I had no idea - "
"Shut up. If you talk again, I'll gag you." Brent's smile widened and he shook his head vigorously. The stories that were going to circulate about her tomorrow would make her face burn for a year. There was no way to hide something like this. Pushing away the thought, Cassie did what she had to. She crawled to Brent, where he lay in the center of the bed with his back against the pillows. He was looking up at her with excitement clearly strewn across his face. Cassie smiled lazily as she leaned closer to him, making him breathless. Her dark long hair fell over her shoulders; her dress gaped giving him a good view of her slender form. "You are never going to forget tonight, Brent. Ever." Before he could grin any harder, Cassie leaned forward and pressed her lips to his.
Revulsion shot through her, but Cassie didn't pull away. As the kiss deepened, Brent's hands lifted and slid down her sides, cupping her butt and pulling her closer. Cassie wanted to punch him in the face, but she didn't. Instead she managed a moan, like she liked his man-paws crushing her. As she kissed him, one of her hands tangled in his hair, while the other reached down the front of her bodice.