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You won’t be able to keep her forever.I grunted in frustration at the thought. Our curse was already turning her into something deadly, and I had to find out what. No monster I’d heard of could turn rock to sand. If my brothers and I didn’t figure it out soon, we’d have to hand her over to the Taratun council.
Rolling my shoulders, I felt the weight lift from my back as my wings disappeared, my claws retracting back into my fingertips. I didn’t need my father knowing anything was off.
I should have been on my way to the training room to burn off some of the anger and frustration pent up inside me, but I couldn’t avoid seeing him. I’d already delayed my visit in favor of watching the human’s second trial. Fuck, if we couldn’t figure out what she was, I had no doubt it would be my father who would be tasked to extract her secrets.A low growl tore from between my lips and my scowl deepened at the thought.
I ground my jaw as I wove through the tunnels to the lowest depths of the mountain. Gradually, the torches on the walls dimmed until it was almost black, and a bloodcurdling screech warped the air, a sign that I was close.
I passed huge iron doors, twice the size and thickness of those of my own room and marred with deep lines of scratches, carved by the creatures locked inside.
One of the creatures howled and slammed into the door on my right, denting the iron from within, but I didn’t pause and strode straight to my father’s lab. ToWarrick’slab. I didn’t often call himFather.He didn’t deserve the title.
Set up in a wide cavern, the walls of Warrick’s lab were lined with thin wooden shelves holding the vials of blood and specimens he had collected over the years. I wrinkled my nose at the scent of monster blood, sulfur, and decay permeating the air.
Warrick’s tall frame craned over the monster carcass sprawled on the stone table in the middle of the room. The creature was hard to distinguish with its body carved open, the contents of its stomach removed, but the top of its head was still intact, the long horns of the chimera reaching longer than the stone slab. I looked away in disgust and guilt from the monster Asher, Kade, and I had captured mere nights ago.
The monster wasn’t like the rest of us. It was an outlier—an animal warped by the magic of the curse. Only humans used to be affected, but over the past decade, batches of animals had started turning as well. But unlike turned humans, animals had no conscience or remorse and seemed to have the sole goal to destroy other monsters. It was bad enough we were still at war with the fae, but now we had this to worry about. And in the past year, their appearance was increasing. The magic of the curse was changing, and no one knew why.
I knew I shouldn’t feel guilty about bringing the monsters to Warrick. The creatures had to die, or else they’d slaughter countless citizens of Katakin, but my father wasn’t known for killing his subjects quickly. No animal deserved that, whether it had been turned into an abomination or not.
“He called for you hours ago,” hissed my father’s assistant, a green-skinned goblin with gangly limbs, pointed ears, and a bloodied apron tied to his bulbous body. He’d been standing near a movable table filled with surgical tools, but he stepped over to stand before me and planted a hand on his hip.
I glowered at the goblin, letting him feel the full impact of the anger that was still pent up inside me from the encounter with the red-haired human.
The goblin stared back at me with a fanged smile, but after a moment, his shoulders curved inward, his body instinctively submitting, cowed by my dominance. Despite this, his smile grew, as if the simple fact of knowing he got under my skin made him happy.
If my father ever found a cure for this damned curse and made us mortal again, the goblin would be the first one I’d get rid of. For now, I had to play nice.
“That’s quite all right, Gosren, I’m sure my son had more important things to do,” said my father sharply, peering up from his work.
My gaze roved over Warrick’s appearance. He likely hadn’t left this part of the mountain since we’d delivered the chimera, but his sleek black hair was combed neatly back, his red coat impeccable despite the black blood smeared on his apron. Warrick’s bloodshot eyes fixed on me, and he faked a smile. “I trust all is going well with the trials?”
My face was neutral, but my shoulders tensed betraying my displeasure at being forced to be a part of the trials. “As well as can be expected.”
“I’ve heard over half the humans are now in their monster forms and are being inducted by the Taratun. Your mother tells me the new vampire looks promising.”
I resisted the urge to curl my lip. “The new vamp isn’t my problem.”
Warrick raised a brow, his suggestive look making my anger simmer. “You’re quite right, she’s not a problem. She’s anopportunity.It’s time you took your place as alpha of our house. It would look good if you took her as your mate.”
I tried to contain my fury, but the thought of me standing beside my father as alpha of the House of Nesarin—the high house of vampires—with a vampire mate on my arm had a low hiss releasing from my lips. “There are others more suited to the position. I don’t want to be part of your house.”
“Those pretenders don’t have the power you do. If you applied yourself, you could…” He shook his head in frustration and sneered. “I’ve allowed you to play your games and waste your time with those monsters you call your ‘brothers’, even though they aren’t your vampire kin, but enough is enough. Leave them to finish the trials. It’s time for you to focus on more important matters.”
Claws shot from my fingertips, and I fought back the urge to sink my fangs into flesh. “I willnotleave Kade and the others.” Blinking, I took a deep breath, surprised by my own sudden outburst. I hated Warrick—all I’d ever been to him was another experiment,—but his comment wasn’t anything new. Warrick insulted Kade and the others often, and while it angered me, it never made me feel like ripping my father’s head off.
The trials. The human.I didn’t let my realization show on my face. Just a week ago, I’d been grumbling about the fact we’d been assigned to carry out the trials. Now I didn’t want to give them up. If I left my brothers to the trials, I’d also be leaving the human girl. Something I was not prepared to do. That human was a mystery, and I intended to find out everything about her without letting Warrick dissect her.
Even at this moment, it was almost as if I could smell…
My gaze flicked to the glass vials of blood lining the cavern. Most of the vials were an inky black, filled with monster blood, but a few of the samples were taken from the humans before they turned.
The samples of blood dried out over the years, but a small section of the wall contained the fresh samples from the latest round of humans. My nostrils flared when I spotted the red vials, and my gaze narrowed as I identified the two that containedherblood. Her irresistible scent found its way to me, tempting me, and fueling the hunger deep inside me. Saliva dripped down my fangs, but I kept my lips clamped together.
Warrick was visiting the humans every night to take samples and analyze their blood during the change. He believed the secrets in their blood formed part of the key to unlocking how to break the curse. But the thought of him with the humans while they were unconscious made me sick. Fuck, I hoped her blood didn’t smell as delicious to him as it did to me.
I forced my attention back to him. “You didn’t ask me here to talk. What do you need?” I knew if Warrick was serious about forcing me to take my place as alpha of the House of Nesarin, he wouldn’t be standing there saying idle threats. The old fool still hoped I’d take my place willingly. I would be glad to disappoint him. I wanted nothing to do with that house of horrors.
His mouth widened to a cold smile, and an eager spark lit up his eyes. “I need more subjects.”
