‘So, it is true. You would give up all that your parents fought to achieve. I wasthere,child, at the Rising. I fought with my queen until our swords were red with blood, and we gloried in it.’ She leans forwards, hissing the last few words.
‘That was a long time ago. Things change. And I cannot see how what I do in my own realm affects you.’
‘Why would you?’ Nari snarls. ‘You’re a child. A child who, in my realm, would not be suffered to live.’ Suddenly Nari is pressed against me, one hand around the back of my head, pulling it to one side. Exposing my neck.
There are gasps, then silence, like a breath held. Raven guards surround us immediately.
But I already have a dagger to her throat.Herdagger.Thanks, Varin, I think as I hold it there, pressing the tip into her flesh.
‘Don’t carry a weapon unless you want it to be used against you,’ I hiss. ‘Though I’m not sure why you felt you needed to carry one here. After all, I’m just a human.’
Nari laughs, throwing her head back so the dagger scores her skin, blood running down her neck. ‘So, this Raven has claws, after all. You know you cannot kill me with that.’
‘I know,’ I say. ‘But I can slow you down long enough that they can.’ I nod at the guards, swords drawn, and Varin, poised to strike.
She releases me as suddenly as she took me, snatching the dagger from my grasp. Before anyone can stop her, she throws it.
There’s another gasp. The young man on the chain slumps to the ground, the hilt protruding from his chest. Nari jerks the chain, dragging him to her, biting into his throat. He trembles in her iron grip, blood dripping where her nails pierce his skin.
‘What the fuck?’ I can no longer hold back. ‘Help him, somebody.’
But it’s too late. With a swift twist, Nari snaps the youth’s neck, letting his body slide to the ground. ‘Hmm. Tasty. And so very easy.’
Air displaces, darkness at my side. Joaquin. His fangs dropped, lips drawn back, eyes blazing. And on my other side, heat. Michael, his expression just as ferocious.
Nari just laughs, wiping blood from the corner of her mouth, the movement delicate. ‘It seems I’ve outstayed my welcome, such that it was.’ She nods to Joaquin. ‘Interesting. We heard tell of this, too. Is it true, then? Does the Jaguar stand with the Raven?’
Joaquin’s answer is a snarl.
‘The Lion also stands with Raven.’ Anbesa, his robes swirling like smoke, comes to me. ‘And we do not tolerate such displays, Nari.’
‘I think it best you leave.’ The words cut through the tense atmosphere, brittle as ice cracking. My mother stands nearby. My father is behind her, all ash and granite, a sword in his hand.
‘Lady Raven.’ Nari bows her head a fraction. Darkness, she has nerve! ‘Thank you for such a lovely evening.’ Her lip curls as she takes in the ballroom full of shocked guests. ‘I’ll be sure to tell Jang-mi the depths to which Raven have fallen. I’m sure she’ll beveryinterested.’
Then she’s gone in a whoosh of air, a stunned silence settling in her wake. My mother claps her hands, and the music starts once more. Then she comes to me. My father and Varin are also gone, I suppose to make sure Nari leaves the estate.
‘Are you all right?’ Her voice is low, rage glittering in her onyx gaze.
‘I’m unharmed.’ Shaken, but that seems to be the way of things at the moment. I take in a breath and blow it out. Joaquin waits nearby, as does Michael. Darkness, what a mess this night has been. I try not to look at the dirty bare feet of the dead youth, curled on the floor. Guards are already around him, lifting him.
‘Penelope, we must take our leave.’ Anbesa’s mouth is pursed with disapproval as he takes in the scene. I’m embarrassed, and furious. If I were vampire, none of this shit would be happening. Scorpion wouldn’t dare to show such disrespect to a vampire heir. And with that thought comes the knowledge of who I have to choose.
‘Will you not stay longer?’ My mother sounds surprised. ‘We have rooms prepared for you.’
‘I’m truly sorry, Penelope, but after what happened to Daniel, and now this … I hope you understand.’ He pauses, turning to me. ‘I told the truth when I said Lion stand with Raven,’ he says. ‘And we will not be involved in any … unpleasantness. However, I bid you be careful. Yours will be a reign unlike any other. I cannot say I wouldn’t do the same, if I had a child like you. But it is not an easy path you wish to tread.’
My mother purses her lips, blinking. ‘We want to change the world, Anbesa. Can you not see that? The old ways no longer work for us.’
‘All I see is that you have a human child, and it’s changed how you view things. I have a dead child. Can you not see how that would change things for me, as well?’
He takes Tau’s hand. She inclines her head to me, her dark eyes soft with sympathy. Then, with a whisper of silk, they’re gone from the ballroom.
The body is gone, too. People dancing, as though someone’s life hasn’t just ended. Poor young man, buried so far from home, another casualty of all the twisted shit vampires have done to humans. That’s why things need to change. That’s why, despite how I feel about Michael, I need to stay with Joaquin.
I sit down, heavily, on a nearby chair. I’m exhausted. And this night has been a disaster.
ChapterThirty-Eight
