Chaucer grumbled, nodding, and dropped the questions. Cole wasn't in the mood for explaining why he was different. It was a secret he managed to keep from Cassie all these years and he wasn't about to spill his guts to Chaucer. Cole held out his arm as they neared the end of the hall. The group behind him stopped. Complete silence filled the air. The hairs on Cole's neck prickled, standing up one at a time. He shook his head at the group and signaled for them to stay behind.
His eyes met Cassie's for a moment and held her gaze. One day he wouldn't be around to protect her. One day, he'd round a corner and his luck would run out. Then there'd be no one left to watch over Cassie. They nodded at each other. Cole looked away. He couldn't think like that, not now. Too much was at risk.
Gripping his weapon in his fist, Cole's heart pounded hard as he rounded the corner.
Chapter 31
Sophia called the entire guard to her side. Her brother was approaching from the front, but that wasn't what unnerved her. The Captain of her guard disappeared hours ago. No one had seen her since. The woman was either dead or a traitor. Either way, Sophia wasn't taking chances. All remaining vampires were armed and called to the throne room where Sophia sat on her dais in the center of the room. Vampires surrounded her on all sides, ready to fight.
Certainty washed over the Queen, as she counted her loyal vampires again and again. Let them come, she thought. Then this entire charade could end. It gave Sophia a chance to demonstrate her power. No one would doubt her after this. No one would challenge her for centuries. With the human blood running through her veins, she was stronger than anyone who would dare challenge her, the King included.
A Regent vampire stood to her left. It was a position of power, a place of respect. The vampire was pale and thin with tousled dark hair and a scattering of scruff along his jaw. Sophia thought James looked unkempt, but it's not like she could instruct him to dress properly, not right then. Many of the Regents were dragged from their rooms, from their homes, and ordered to protect the Queen. Those who refused were executed. Sophia didn't earn her throne by being patient.
James didn't look at the Queen. He stared straight ahead, his hands wrapped around a shotgun. At one time vampires couldn't be killed by such silly weapons, but now they were weak. A knife to the throat or a shot to the head stopped them swiftly, and to make sure that they didn't awaken again, Sophia burned their bodies until only ashes remained.
Sophia's eyes were locked on James, "Do you remember the first Deliverance Day?"
James looked over his shoulder at her and bowed his head slightly before answering, "Yes, my Queen. I was there, fighting for you."
Sophia straightened in her throne, a pleased smile snaked across her ruby lips. "I thought so. That day ended well. The humans were saved and things finally shifted into our favor. I intend to keep things that way." Sophia wanted a mirror, but her reflection faded more and more each day. She wondered if she looked regal enough to be sitting there, commanding all the vampires surrounding her. A pang of irritation shot through her. While it was safer to wait here, Sophia hated waiting. "This is not how we won Deliverance Day," she said smoothly.
James nodded in agreement, "That is correct. You were bold on that day."
"I was bold that day and things ended in my favor, and today, I sit here like a bird on a perch waiting for the King to find me." She shook her head. It made her brown curls bob around her face. Sophia felt their smoothness brush against her cheek. She breathed hard, a habit left over from her human years. Sophia hardly ever felt fear, but when she did, her mannerisms mimicked the scared girl she was before she was changed. Sophia's hand lifted to her heart. Although it didn't beat, the memory of it slamming into her ribs filled her body. It made her think the fear was real and not a memory. Dread flooded her body, making her feet twitch in her satin slippers.
Sophia stood slowly and looked over the room of vampires. Her forces were well over two hundred. As she rose, dark heads turned slowly toward her. Their eyes watched her silky red gown, as the fabric fell into long sweeping folds at her feet and accentuated the narrowness of her waist. A belt studded with rubies was just under her bust, making her h*ps look non-existent, just the way she liked it. At one time, Sophia's name was enough to strike down her enemies. Over the years she'd grown tame. Staging the fights with her brother kept most of her challengers at bay. It worked, too, on all but one.
Every set of eyes was on her. Sophia held her head high, making her slender, pale neck look longer - more aristocratic. Her beauty was the envy of women, and the desire of men. Sophia's dark eyes narrowed as they swept over the room. "We will not wait here like scared dogs, cowering."
"Your Majesty," one her guards spoke out. "It is easier to protect you here. We can predict with certainty that this location, guarding you in this position, is to your advantage."
Sophia stepped off the dais and swiftly crossed the room toward the guard. She looked like she was floating. The vampire surrounding her gasped. Sophia caught whispers of shock, "She moves like the vampires of old." Before the flood, Sophia was swift. Her ancient body was powerful enough to fly, to move without being seen. She was ruthless and attacked without provocation. The others feared her, and seeing this display of power reminded them of the former glory of their Queen, and left them in awe.
Stopping in front of the guard, Sophia looked him in the eye. "You think we should hide like scared children? Do you not know your Queen is more powerful than those who threaten us?"
The guard's lips parted to reply, but Sophia didn't give him the chance. Her hand swept across his throat, severing it from his body. It thumped to the floor as his headless body teetered and fell. Sophia didn't even watch. Instead she turned to her loyal subjects, smiling like a saint.
"Under my reign the old ways will return. The power we once held as vampires is within our reach again. Those who follow me will share in it, and those who question me, will be silenced." Her dark gaze fell back to the dead vampire on the white marble floor. A pool of blackened blood oozed from his body. It was impossible for the vampires in the room to ignore him, but many of them refused to look. They feared their Queen, Sophia could see it in their eyes. The corners of her reddened lips pulled up, revealing her teeth. They were glittering white. The vampire's in the room had various reactions, but most had wide eyes, watching their Queen as she smiled. Some even leaned forward to see how sharp and beautiful her eye teeth had become. Content that they all saw her newly forming fangs, Sophia said, "After tonight, we return to the old ways."
The vampires roared with approval, their voices cheering their Queen. Without another word, Sophia turned toward the door, her crimson gown billowing around her ankles. While she could float, Sophia didn't want to expend the power, not with Kahli still missing. While she had a few extra drops of Kahli's blood on hand, it was not enough. Her supply would be diminished in days. Sophia knew that if she failed to get the girl back, everything she gained would be lost. There was one thing Sophia couldn't stand, and that was losing.
The vampires cheered behind her. They lifted their voices, and their weapons, following their Queen out of the ballroom and through the front doors of the palace. Sophia grinned widely. She would not lose this battle.
Chapter 32
Kahli could sense his presence. The King's mood slipped over her like a disgusting blanket, covered in slime. The sensation made her stomach lurch. If she could feel him, and knew that he was close, then he must sense Kahli as well. Proximity did not work in her favor. The closer she got to the King, the more she could feel. It made her heart race faster. Sweat beaded on her forehead, and dripped from her temples. Her hair matted to her face, as Kahli inched through the garden alone, each step taking her closer to the palace - closer to the King.
Every tree, every shadow, every noise made her want to scream. He could be anywhere and she wouldn't see him until he was right in front of her. Kahli sucked in the frigid air and held it in until her lungs burned. Steadying herself, she moved forward. The King was just a vampire. He was like the rest. She said these things to herself over and over again, but the thoughts didn't reassure her. Instead, they made her more jumpy, because they were lies. The King was not like the rest of them. There was something different about him. While she saw the other vampires as vulnerable, the King was not. He wasn't weak. There was nothing to exploit, and yet, Kahli crouched through the garden of ice and stone, inching closer to him with the intention of killing him.
The iced trees cast a canopy of lacy shadows on the frozen ground. Patches of light and darkness mingled together, masking anyone who was near. The moonlight was weak. Thin gray clouds covered the sky. Every few moments, the world went black as another cloud crossed the moon's surface, darkening the night.
Kahli swallowed even though her mouth was dry. As she moved through the frozen garden, Kahli snapped a shard of ice from a tree limb. The piece of ice was heavy, with its tip formed to a perfect point. Holding it in her hand, she could feel its mass through her glove. Kahli clutched the weapon and moved forward, knowing each step was bringing her closer to the King.
There was a question burning brightly in her mind. Normally, Kahli would sneak up on a Tracker and demand an answer before killing the vamp, but she didn't think that was wise. Not with the King. He was too strong, too powerful. Memories of their last meeting played through her mind and Kahli shivered. The compulsion scared her the most. She didn't know how to resist his commands. The King's threats rang in her ears as she stalked closer and closer to the palace.
When she reached the back of the garden, a long shadow caught her eye. The stake rose in her fist. Kahli moved forward silently, ready to strike. But, when she realized what she was looking at, she lowered her arm. The ground was open, like someone placed a door in the frozen earth. Kahli glanced side to side before moving forward. The metal doors were thick and coated with ice. Each door was covered in a sheet of ice that cracked along the edge. Glancing into the hole, Kahli saw a set of stairs that descended into the dark earth.
Carefully, she moved toward the hole without making a sound. Reaching out, she touched the ancient door with her gloved hand. It reminded her of the doors in the older safe houses. The metal was thick, and rust-colored, caked in ice. The snow at the throat of the hole was disturbed, pushed away. There were two sets of prints that descended the tired old staircase. Kahli pressed her eyes closed hard. Steeling her nerves, she took a deep breath and descended the stairs alone, immediately swallowed by darkness.
Chapter 33
Cole moved ahead by himself, methodically slaughtering every vampire he came across. He smiled and walked toward them, alone. The vampires didn't fear him. Most thought he was wandering the halls because he could. They tried to force him back to his room. That was when Cole attacked. They never saw it coming. They never suspected him capable of murder.
As Cole wiped the inky blood off his knife he muttered, "Arrogant bastards." His foot connected with the dead vampire in front of him, kicking the body hard. Killing them wasn't enough. It didn't fix what they did to him, to his family. Cole tried hard to contain his emotions, but they threatened to pour out. Killing brought out the worst in him. Cassie knew it, which was why she wanted him to show mercy, but Cole didn't want to show mercy. He wanted to annihilate their kind, and wipe vampires from the face of the Earth.