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“Make sure the codes are changing every six hours. I don’t want to risk someone else stealing what belongs to us.” He removes his hand from my neck and straightens in his chair. “We’ve lost too much agrodolce already. I don’t want to see more of it on the street where humans can get their hands on it.”
“Yes, Sire.” The giant vampire nods his head. “We’ve doubled the guards at all locations to help ensure there are no breaches.”
Agrodolce.
I’ve heard that word before. Whispered behind the heavy wooden doors of my father’s office. It’s some kind of drug, if I remember correctly. One my father has been trying to get his hands on for years.
Here’s the thing about being the forgotten child.
No one notices you’re there.
“Very good.” Drystan nods his head to Weylen.
“The Elysium fights are coming up in a few weeks,” Weylen tells them. “Each clan is to put up five members this year. Have you picked from your ranks?”
“Lorenzo volunteered,” one of the vampires says with a grin. He’s younger and leaner than the ogre vampire, dressed casually in a pair of jeans and a T-shirt that reads Drive fast and party on. “He heard Kieran Murphy was nominated, and there is no way in hell he’s going to miss a chance to take a bite out of him.”
The vampire bares his teeth, turning his boyish grin into the dark smile of a predator. One my body recognizes as a threat. I can feel my heart quickening in my chest as fear rolls through me like a sudden fog. The hand on my thigh moves to my back, rubbing reassuring circles. The vampire turns sheepish when Asher shoots him a warning glare.
“Who else was chosen?” Weylen asks.
“Blake, Castor, Cillian, and…Irena.” The last name is murmured so softly I barely hear it spoken. The younger vampire bites his lower lip, his eyes turning to stare at his feet. Drystan curses. “She volunteered as well.”
“Take her name out,” Drystan hisses at him. “She has no place in the ring.”
Something foreign stings my chest at how possessive his tone is, the feeling growing inside me like a diseased cell. Who is Irena, and why does Drystan care so much about her being in these fights? It never crossed my mind to think that the three vampires who stole me might have lovers.
Remember what Evan said. They only want you for your mother’s heirloom.
Weylen told me they took me because they wanted me, and the stupid, foolish girl that I am twisted it to be some kind of fairy tale. Three dark princes who rescue the princess from her tower. But in reality, they want to use me.
I’m so naïve.
“We can’t.” Another vampire grimaces. This one is wearing a suit and tie and holding a briefcase on his lap. He possesses all the modern trappings of a lawyer. “Rules state that any vampire of the clans has a right to enter into the Elysium fights.”
“As long as the sire permits it,” Drystan adds.
Another grimace from lawyer vampire. “You are not her sire.” Something dark and painful flashes through Drystan’s eyes at the man’s words. “Even though she’s under the rule of Clan King and has sworn fealty to you, with her sire being alive, only he has the right to pull her from the fights.” Whoever this Irena is, he loves her and doesn’t want to see her hurt.
No one has ever shown that kind of care for me.
“He won’t do that,” Drystan growls. “He’ll find pleasure in watching her bleed. If only to get back at me.”
“Unfortunately, my hands are tied in this manner,” the lawyer tells him solemnly. “This is what tradition states. In any other circumstance, you would have a say in the matter, but not when it comes to the Elysium fights.”
Drystan curses. “Those fights should be banned.” He shakes his head. “Andre, bring Irena to my office tomorrow morning,” he commands, his gaze sheathed with daggers. “Force her if you have to.” The ogre vampire nods before bowing his head to the three Kings in respect and walking out.
“That’s not going to solve anything, brother,” Asher murmurs. “Irena is stubborn. She isn’t going to back down.”
“I don’t care,” Drystan sneers, gathering up a stack of papers and tapping them on the desk. His lips press together and his eye twitches in annoyance. “She knows how reckless her decision is. Jedidiah manages to get the roster leaked to him every year. He’ll know she’s on it, and he will try to fix the fights.”
“Irena can fight, Drystan.” Weylen shoots him a look I can’t decipher. I wonder who this woman is to cause the three Kings to bicker amongst themselves. I’ve never heard of the Elysium fights before, but then, I didn’t know about fae either. Evan made it sound as if Father knew more about the supernatural world than he ever let on. If so, why did I never hear whispers of his dealings in the group he was said to be a part of.
“Doesn’t mean she should.” He sighs. “He’s been looking for a weakness, and she’s giving it to him.”
“She saw that Jedidiah was up to something,” Asher starts. “Maybe her vis—” Drystan cuts Asher’s sentence off with a warning growl, his eyes narrowing on me. Asher nods his head and quiets without protest.
They don’t trust me.
