Chapter 5 Dinner with Wolves
"Lyra Silvane. Royal advisor. Keeper of secrets. And the person who is going to decide whether you live or die." She walked closer, circling me like a predator. "The king may have claimed you. But he is not the only power in this palace. And you have made enemies without even trying."
"I did not ask for this."
"No one ever does." She stopped in front of me. "But here you are anyway. Bound to our king. Living in his rooms. Wearing clothes I had made for his dead wife."
My blood went cold. "What?"
"Did he not tell you?" Lyra smiled. It was sharp as glass. "Those gowns you are wearing? They were supposed to be for Queen Elena. She died before wearing them. I suppose it is fitting that another dead woman walks around in them now."
She turned to leave. Stopped at the door.
"Oh. One more thing. Cassian Morweth is hosting a dinner tonight. All the great houses will attend. And you are invited." Her smile widened. "Sleep well, little half-blood. You are going to need your strength."
She left.
I knelt in the courtyard surrounded by blood and stone and realized something important.
Training with Theron was not the real test.
Tonight was.
I tried not to throw up as I stood in front of the mirror.
Fresh blood was the color of the garment that Lyra had sent. Waves of deep red silk dropped to the ground, clinging to curves I was unaware I had. My collarbones were visible at the neckline. My throat. Even though the mark had already disappeared, this is where Kael had bitten me. For once, my hair was down, tumbling in dark curls that caught the light as it fell over my shoulders.
I had a vampire-like appearance.
I appeared to fit in with this world of blood and horror.
I detested it.
Without knocking, Kael entered through the open door.
Because why would he? These were his rooms. I was his property according to everyone in the palace.
He stopped when he saw me. Just for a second. Something flickered in his eyes before the cold mask slammed back down.
"Lyra has excellent taste," he said.
"Lyra sent me clothes meant for your dead wife." I turned to face him fully. "Was that on purpose? Some kind of message?"
"Probably." He moved to the table and poured two glasses of wine. Bought one for me. "Lyra is many things, but subtle is not one of them. She wants to see how you handle pressure."
"By dressing me in a dead queen's clothes and throwing me to the court that wants me executed?"
"Yes." He held out the glass. "Drink. It will help."
"I do not want—"
"It was not a suggestion." His voice went cold. Hard. "You are about to walk into a room full of vampires who would happily tear you apart if I gave them permission. You will drink the wine. You will smile. You will show them you are not afraid, even if you are terrified. Because the moment they smell fear, you are dead."
I took the glass. Drank. It burned going down, but warmth spread through my chest after.
Kael watched me with those red eyes that saw too much. "You did well today. With Theron."
"He beat me into the ground."
"And you got back up every time. That matters more than winning." He drank his own wine. "Most people quit after the first real hit. You did not."
"I did not have a choice."
"Everyone has a choice. You chose to stand." He set his glass down and stepped closer. Too close.
I could sense the chill emanating from him. I could smell cold, blood, and something worse underneath. "Compared to training, tonight will be terrible. They are not military personnel. They work as politicians. As they plot your murder, they will grin. They will serve you potentially poisoned food and beverages. They will say things that are intended to elicit a response from you and make you appear weak or unstable.
"So what am I supposed to do?"
"Survive." I was forced to look into his eyes as his hand reached up and tipped my chin. "You are my blood bond. My property. As a result, you are legally untouchable. However, laws are only effective when people fear the consequences of disobeying them. Thus, you will remain with me. You won't consume any food or liquids unless I give my permission. And you'll let me know right away if someone directly threatens you."
"Why do you care?"
"I do not." If it weren't for the coldness in his voice, his thumb would have been almost soft when it touched my jaw. However, the only blood that can sustain me is yours.
Which means that keeping you alive keeps me alive. Do you understand?"
I got it. It didn't matter to him. His own survival was more important. To him, that was all I was. A tool. A means to an end.
I felt the bond flare up in my chest as if it were furious. As if it didn't agree.
I ignored it.
"I understand," I replied.
"Good." He let go of my chin and took a step back. "One more thing. Tonight, you won't bring up House Shadowborn. You won't discuss your ancestry or parents.
To the best of everyone's knowledge, you are a servant with vampire ancestry. Nothing more.
"You do not want them to know I am Shadowborn?"
"I don't want people to know that you are the last member of a lineage that I was meant to eradicate entirely. You become more than simply a curious half-blood because of that. You are, therefore, a danger to my legitimacy. For a brief moment, his eyes turned black.
"So you will keep your mouth shut about who your mother was. Understood?"
"And if someone already knows?"
"Then we deal with it when it happens." He walked to the door. "Come. We are already late."
I followed him out into the corridor. The bond hummed between us, satisfied to have proximity. I wanted to claw it out of my chest.
We walked through the palace, and I felt eyes on us everywhere. Servants stopping to stare. Guards are watching with their hands on weapons. Nobles in their fine clothes, looking at me like I was an animal that had wandered in from the Shadowlands.
Let them look.
Kael led me to a dining hall I had never seen before. Massive. Candlelit. A table that could seat fifty people stretched down the center. And standing around it were the vampires who ruled Nocterra.
I recognized some from the throne room. Lady Serina Blackwell, in a gown of ice blue, her perfect face twisted with disgust when she saw me. An older vampire with grey hair and sharp green eyes who had to be Lucian Ashford. Others I did not know, but who all turned to look when we entered.
And at the head of the table stood Cassian Morweth with his golden hair and poisoned smile.
"Your Majesty." He bowed, the picture of respect except for the mockery in his eyes. "How kind of you to join us. And you brought your... pet."
The room went silent.