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Ah, the blonde woman with the bitchy smile. “I recall.”
“I’ve known her for a century. She’s the daughter of the leader of Nightshade.”
“I remember.”
“We’ll find out why they agreed to turn him,” she assured, but from the look on her face, I wanted to bet she already had an idea, one she wasn’t going to share with me.
“Do you promise?”
She chewed on the inside of her cheek. “Yes.”
I wanted to trust her, but I’d been duped by people I trusted far more. “How long have you been a vampire for?” I asked, changing the subject.
“A hundred and fifty—” She looked up in thought. “Nine years.”
“Are Zach and Sebastian that old too?”
She shook her head. “Seb’s young. We found him a few years ago, newly turned. He learned fast and climbed the ranks in society. The boy knows how to survive.”
A flicker of compassion swept through me, but I pushed it away, reminding myself of how horrible he’d acted at breakfast yesterday. “What about Zach?”
“Zach’s older than me. He’s been around for a few centuries.”
“He hates me,” I finally said aloud.
“It’s nothing against you. He’s old-fashioned, and you’re different to how he expects women to act.”
“It’s a good thing I don’t care what he likes.”
She smirked. “He’ll warm up to you. He did with me, eventually.”
I shrugged. I really couldn’t care less about a vampire’s opinion of me. “Where is Sebastian anyway?”
“He’s getting ready. We have guests coming tonight, which is another reason I’m here. We need you to stay out of the way for tonight.”
I forced a heavy breath through my nose. “What about finding my mom and Draven?”
“That needs to wait.”
I ground my teeth together but quickly reined in my temper. “Why does he have so many guests coming?”
“He’s the master of travel. It’s just some silly title made up by the vampire king, so Sebastian can remain in the city while carrying out his courtly duties.”
“I had no clue he was a member of the court,” I confessed, but then I had no knowledge about much in this kingdom.
“He’s tasked with entertaining royals, nobles, and dignitaries from around the kingdom who wish to see the city.”
“I can see why vampires would want to come here.” I thought back to the cubicles in the blood den and swallowed my nausea. “I’ll stay up here.”
“You could come down.” She shifted in the chair. “But you’d have to play prisoner or Sebastian’s lover again, and I can’t imagine you’d enjoy that.”
“It might be worth it if I get to leave this room.” It would be great, in fact. It would allow me to find out more about the people coming from the royal court, where I now knew my mom was being held. “Can I attend? If I play the part?”
“I suppose. It’s not uncommon for Seb to have a mortal woman around.”
I made a face. “Gwen said the same thing yesterday.”
“Not all mortals in this city are treated poorly. Some women choose to be here, like Anna. They usually live with someone powerful or rich to keep safe, but they have free rein for the most part. Seb likes what he likes.”
