Rikkon’s frowns. “Of course not, Mir. But you haven’t seen the king when he’s not himself. He’s strong and lethal. The more protection, the better.”
“That sounds good to me.” I turn and kiss Vivi’s cheek. “All will be fine, my love. I promise.”
She nods, but I know she’s not convinced by my assurances.
Miranda stands next to her with a matching expression on her face. “Be careful, Rik,”
He grins. “Always.”
We follow Mauricio in silence, and I let King Ruel walk ahead of me because I don’t trust the male at my back. Rikkon is by my side. Only when we’re down in the basement and out of earshot does he speak. “What did you see in your vision, Father?”
“A way to buy us more time and save your friends. Lucca is right. Vryenn can’t travel to Ellnesari before her child is born.”
Mauricio stops in front of my uncle’s door and watches the feed from the security camera. The image on the screen makes my stomach turn over and my chest tighten. All the furniture has been removed from the room after my uncle destroyed most ofit. We padded the walls, but now the padding has been torn to shreds, and he’s moving like a rabid beast, snarling on all fours.
I look away from the camera before I get nauseated and study King Ruel’s face. He doesn’t show any emotion, and I wonder how Vivi and Rikkon are so different than him and his odious wife.
“Unlock the door,” King Ruel commands.
It’s like the wordpleasedoesn’t exist in his vocabulary.
Mauricio types the code into the pad, and the lock releases with a click that sounds ominous as fuck.
“Stay back,” King Ruel tells us before he opens the door using his gift.
Dread licks the back of my neck. What if my uncle kills Vivi’s father? That would condemn Manu and Karl to certain death at the hands of Queen Maewe.
I pull the dagger laced with vampire’s bane and prepare to use it in case the need arises. Rikkon and Mauricio do the same.
There’s a snarl as soon as King Ruel enters the room, and my uncle pounces. To my horror, Vivi’s father does nothing to defend himself. Uncle Raphael sends him to the floor, tearing his neck in a vicious bite.
At once, we rush into the room. Mauricio tries to pry my uncle away from King Ruel to no avail. Rikkon and I have no choice but to stab him with our daggers, but that only makes him more furious. And yet, he doesn’t release King Ruel to attack us. He keeps drinking from the Nightingale. If he doesn’t stop, he’ll kill him.
“You need to use your powers, Rik,” I tell him.
“No. Let him drink,” King Ruel rasps.
“He’ll kill you!” Rikkon argues.
“He won’t.”
The certainty in the male’s voice gives me pause. Whatever he saw in his vision, he already knows the outcome. I hold Rikkon back. “Let things unfold as they may.”
I don’t know for how long my uncle drinks from King Ruel, but it’s long enough to kill a person or even a vampire. Eventually, he stops of his own accord and pulls back, sliding off King Ruel, whose face is much paler than before. His throat is in shreds, but he still breathes. Rikkon crouches next to his father and heals the wound.
“Thank you, son.” He sits up and stares at my uncle, who has his back to us.
I can see a couple of glaring differences about him. His hair is black like it was before he was cursed by Queen Maewe, and his clothes are tighter, as though he gained a few pounds of muscle.
“My king?” Mauricio approaches carefully.
Uncle Raphael holds his head in his hand. “Where am I?”
“You’re in your bedroom.”
He finally turns, and I can’t help the gasp that escapes my mouth. “Uncle?”
His eyes widen, recognition shining in them. “Lucca.”
