My inner predator grinned with dark satisfaction.
Meanwhile, my practical side focused on my watch.
“Answer,” I growled at it, my gaze narrowing at the image floating in the air.
Mira’s calm features appeared, her icy irises vivid on the screen. “My liege,” she greeted. “Helias is here.”
I blinked. “What?”
“His jet just landed. Apparently, the humans running the flight towers assumed he was here for the Coventus and assisted with his arrival. Not that they could refuse him, anyway. He’s a royal, my liege. The royals and alphas are treated as royalty among the humans.”
“I’m aware,” I muttered, her explanation frivolous and unneeded. All Helias would have had to do was announce his arrival and the humans would have bowed to the request without question.
It was as it should be—vampires and lycans were superior. Humans were lucky just to be alive.
But if that’s all true, if this is truly my desire, then why do I enjoy Ismerelda’s bravery?I wondered.Why did her courage make me feel proud?
I should want her to kneel. To bow. Tobegfor her life. To thank me for choosing her. To make her crawl and supplicate and obey.
Yet I didn’t.
Instead, I wanted to reward her with immortality for proving to be stronger than the rest of her kind. For proving to be courageous. For proving to be opinionated and challenging and very much unlike the other humans in this world.
However, Ismerelda came from a world where her behavior was normal. A world where mortals had equal rights.
Vampires and lycans had stripped away those rights and enslaved the human race.
For what purpose?I asked myself.How is any of this logical? To want to praise Ismerelda for her bravery but also squash it at the same time?
“My liege?” Mira prompted, drawing my focus back to her. “How do you want to proceed?”
“On what?” I asked, momentarily confused.On Ismerelda? On the plan for this world? On?—
“Helias, my liege,” she said, her brow crinkling just the slightest bit. “Should I tell him to fly home?”
Right. Helias.
Focus, Cam.
I cleared my throat. “Did he say why he changed the parameters of our call?”
“Yes. He said that video and audio can be manipulated, while an in-person meeting cannot.”
My lips curled down. “Is he implying that we intend to record him?”
“No, my liege. I believe he’s saying he wants proof that you’re alive.”
I stared at her. “And he thinks that can be faked with a video call?”
“Yes.” A single word with no elaboration.
“I see.” I’d read in Lilith’s files that several royals suspected I might be dead; it seemed the revolutionaries had spread that rumor to undermine me.
Apparently, Helias had concerns that those rumors might be true.
I could tell him to fuck off, but it would likely benefit me later to appease him now.
One never knew when an allegiance might be needed.
