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“What do you mean by that?”
“Nothing.” I inhaled sharply, stepping out of his shadow.
“I am not some mortal, Seraphina. No matter how quiet you are, I hear everything you say. So do not speak words unless you intend to clarify them.”
Shit. I wanted to tell him, but as I gazed up at the man who might have looked like me, but could not have been more different, I couldn’t find the words. How could I know he would believe me? He and Kalon had centuries of memories between them, a bond far more substantial than anything I held with him. If he believed my accusations, he would have no choice but to kill his brother.
No. He wouldn’t accept it, even if he thought there might be any truth to my words. I saw it in his fear-filled eyes and kept my mouth shut. I’d keep to my original plan, and deal with Kalon myself. “He’s not trying to get to know me either,” I said, hoping that would excuse my words. “I don’t think he has any intention to.”
“My brother will do what is asked of him, and I require you both to make peace. Don’t think I haven’t noticed your disdained glances in his direction. He is the prince, and the blatant disrespect you hold for him cannot be tolerated once you are officially the princess.”
I swallowed my anger behind gritted teeth, my face flooding with heat. Night swallowed the sun outside the windows, and my time was almost out. “I’ll try,” I lied and white-knuckled my towel.
“Good. With that handled, I have other matters to discuss with you. Now that you will officially join the family, certain things are expected of you.”
I sucked my bottom lip between my teeth and sat on the bed. “Can I get dressed first?” The cold danced over my arms, standing my hairs on end.
He waved a hand dismissively. “You can get ready while we talk.”
My jaw clenched. “Boundaries.”
The vein on his temple darkened, pulsing as he moved his incredulous gaze to mine. The room somehow felt ten degrees colder. I shuddered and swallowed the lump forming in my throat. There was something off in the way he stared. Behind the smiles, and the charm to the rest of the court was a possessiveness. It sliced through the room as my barrier lowered and his emotions crept in.
His tone sharpened, and his voice lowered to a threatening whisper, although no one could hear us. “Since arriving, you have done nothing but show disrespect for me and the kingdom. I have given you everything, and you continue to act with selfishness. Don’t you understand what is on the line here? I have tried being kind to you.”
I blinked twice, attempting to recall this kindness. Maybe in his warped perspective he saw making me kill Draven after the ceremony and only taking Erianna wings instead of her life as a kindness. I did not. He didn’t have to do it. As king, he could make a different choice, one not out of cruelty and punishment.
He continued, reining back some of the rage which thickened the air, an emotion so heavy it was suffocating. I flinched when he moved, and he paused, his fingers flexing. “The King of Asland is coming, as you well know. If we do not convince him we were not trying to turn that annoying bitch daughter of his into a vampire, then he will wage war on Sanmorte. Unfortunately, as you and your mother pointed out, we do not have technology and weapons. I do not have enough days to counter an attack.” He looked over at the windows, as if recounting a memory that no longer existed. “This world has changed—for the worse. I remember when we were the ones to be feared, above all else.”
Thank the gods that times have changed, I thought, but didn’t dare say. I glimpsed his fangs under the dim, white light and shivered.
“They still fear us,” he said, lifting his chin, “but not like they used to. We must play politics with them now. We will let Asland pretend they have power, treat them as equals if we must. You will charm the king.”
“Would he not be more charmed by me…” I began, tentatively, “…if I remained mortal? For now. Like him,” I asked, stalling the inevitable, but I wanted nothing more than to remain mortal for as long as possible. “We know they don’t like vampires.”
“What matters more is we present ourselves as strong, powerful, and unified. You will take your place as the princess, which you cannot do unless you have been Shadow Kissed. The gods must be the ones to crown you.” His eye twitched, and he averted his gaze. “I cannot be worrying about what you may do or say. Asland is not the only threat.”
“Hamza,” I said slowly, recalling my father mentioning his followers from the south.
“Yes, but there are others, too. The little guild your mom was a part of has been sending spies here to find her.”
I felt like my heart leaped into my throat. “Since when?”
“Since she returned home. She is Sanmorte’s rightful queen. They have no business trying to return her to a kingdom she wasn’t even born in. I have taken the heads of the spies I have found, but they send more.” He shook his head. “Mortals. They never learn.”
The screams from the night the vampires killed everyone in the guild, rang in my ears. I rolled my shoulders back, clamping my eyes to shut out the memory. “Maybe they see it as a kidnapping,” I offered, which was one hundred percent true. My mom didn’t want to come back. She’d killed to get away from here and hide me from his monstrous kingdom and his king. To keep me from the father I’d always been curious about, who I wanted to know.
How wrong I had been.
He cleared his throat. “We are being attacked from all sides. I am trusting you with the information. Sanmorte has never been so fragile. We are surrounded by kingdoms with armies growing by the week. One has put forward their intentions for war, which has never happened before. People are becoming suspicious of vampires, with more of my subjects leaving here and traveling the world, confirming rumors which are to the detriment of us and the mortals.”
“They know vampires can be made?”
His nostrils flared. “Asland’s princess has become one. How do we explain that? The Aslandian people have grown suspicious, and while it ails me, I understand why their king has declared war. I would do the same if I were in his position.” He scratched the back of his head, then ran his fingers up to the crown. I wondered how heavy it felt, figuratively. “You and your friends committed treason, with your betrothed at the root of this. He killed Penelope, and now we will fall for his crimes.”
“He didn’t kill her,” I snapped, unable to contain myself. “I know you won’t believe me, but he is innocent.”
He arched a brow. “She says otherwise.”
