The guy straightened, hands on his hips. “Phew. I think we’re trapped.” His forehead creased. “I am, anyway. What are you doing here?” He looked me up and down.
Once again, my mouth wouldn’t work.
“Did he put you here too?” he probed.
Took several deep breaths, hands balled into fists. “Shit.”
“Hey, don’t panic. We’ll get out of here.”
He came closer and I moved back, shaking my head. “There’s no way out.” Man, my voice was tight as fuck.
“What? That’s horseshit. There’s always a way out.” He summoned his stakeblade into his hand. “Even if I have to kill a thousand vampires in the process.” His grin would soon be lost when he realized he was screwed.
Dammit. I’d lost myself too. I was dragged here by the urge to save him, all of them. They were my people, like the vamps were the king’s. How could I watch TV while they starved to death? How could I do anything else until they were free?
I’m not doing it.
But what was the plan, then? To die with them?
Bollocks. I’d really shoved myself into a corner.
CHAPTER TWENTY
SILVANUS
There were three ballrooms in the palace, and I gathered everyone in the one on the north side of the palace. It was smaller than the others, but large enough for most of the vampires and thralls to gather in.
Those who couldn’t fit, watched on screens from other rooms in the palace.
Vaughn had led the charge in gathering everyone here, along with sending communications to connect me to the other palaces. The were cameras pointed at me, and techpads at the ready to livestream my address.
I stood on the stage, looking out to battle-weary faces, palpable fear infecting me from within the Heart of All.
I have a sister…
Aidan stole something from me…
Moonlight under my skin…
Fortifying myself against my emotions, I beckoned two thralls to join me on the stage. Rebecca, a human, and Daniel,a werewolf. Two sweet things who’d been weeping in the front row, my thralls for the past year.
“Come to me,” I said.
They climbed up, wrapping their arms around me and holding me tightly, such sweet mortals.
My charges, thralls, were created by me and me alone. They chose to be mine, giving their lives to be close to me and dependent on my blood. If they failed to feed from me every three days, they would die.
“There, there,” I soothed.
I reveled in the soft joy of being with my thralls. I loved them as deeply as my vampires, the responsibility of their mortal existences a constant weight on my shoulders.
I couldn’t go off on a quest without factoring feeding in. I’d have to rely on Medusa to ferry me back and forth, depending on how long we were away.
Thralls. Created to expand my power in this realm. Despite my deep-rooted love, they were still pawns on the chessboard of domination, along with my vampires.
How did my rise to power differ from Aidan’s goals? I’d killed many. I’d changed this world.
Don’t do this,I chided myself.
