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“Thorne loves me,” he tried meekly.
“Thorne loves no one but himself. You’ve seen the worst in him. Come to me and let me fix it. Let me make it all better for you, Haven.”
So badly, Haven wanted to let Gaius do just that. To take his pain and make it go away. But it had been too long, too many years of living among vampyres who would use him over and over again without his consent, who had never cared for him or shown him any compassion. For whatever reason, his thoughts returned to Cypress. To the human that, despite all the ire between them, had shown him kindness and some strange semblance of respect.
Clarity gripped him then. “Thorne has Cypress,” he whispered, and Gaius studied him in confusion. “Cypress,” he said again. “My…pet.”
He stumbled over the word, and Gaius nodded, not seeming to understand. “Your pet?”
“You thought Thorne wanted a scapegoat. He’s going to use Cypress. To gain my compliance.”
“You’ve never been one to care for a human.”
“This one is different. He’s…” What could he say? He’s special. He reminds me of someone I lost. Someone I loved. I have feelings for him. Feelings I don’t understand.
Gaius’s expression was full of reproach. A warning that he didn’t need to speak. Becoming attached to a human was foolhardy. Treasonous. “Humans are below you, Haven. Why would you open yourself to such weakness? And allow Thorne to see it?”
“I didn’t mean to,” Haven admitted. “I can’t explain it. I just don’t want to see him hurt. I need to get to him before Thorne hurts him.”
“Haven, there are much more important—”
A sharp knock at his bedroom door had him meeting Gaius’s eyes uncertainly. Gaius shook his head. With trembling hands, Haven grasped the knob and turned, opening the door to reveal the leader of the Dominion, smirking from the hallway.
Reyber Tepes’s power radiated like a beacon, proof of his lineage and strength. “Haven Bathory, you’ve been summoned for questioning. I’ve been told you have…information pertinent to our investigation.”
Haven felt Gaius’s heavy gaze. “I...I don’t know anything.”
Gaius’s hand slipped down to his own, squeezing it gently. The folded envelope was placed in his palm, sliding in ever so gently. He knew what Gaius wanted.
“I’m afraid I’m otherwise occupied. I need to attend to a personal matter at the moment. Can we speak another time?”
Reyber glared down at him imposingly. “No. We have a tight schedule to keep. I need to speak with you now.” He turned on his heel and curtly headed in the opposite direction, expecting Haven to follow. “Come with me.”
Haven twitched. Gaius nudged him forward, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. “It will be all right. Just do as I said, and it will all turn out.”
He felt almost compelled by the overwhelming power of Reyber’s presence. It tugged him, beckoned him, as if he were being led on invisible strings. Was this a part of Reyber’s sway? Even as a young vampyre, he shouldn’t have felt so affected by it. He felt strangely calm when he knew anxiety would have ordinarily ripped through him like wildfire.
Slowly, he stepped from his bedroom with Gaius beside him and shut the door behind. Gaius’s presence was steadying, almost comforting. But his mind seemed unable to process worry or concern. He was able to discern the strangeness of it. He should feel nervous, about to be questioned by one of the oldest and most dangerous vampyres alive. Yet, he didn’t.
He followed Reyber down the long corridor to where he knew the Tepes court was being housed. The guest quarters. Fine and immaculately cleaned, they were occasionally lit with lanterns along the stone walls, providing minuscule light to see by. Not that they needed it.
When they came to Reyber’s quarters, he held the door open and escorted Haven inside with a smile. “Have a seat, Haven.”
Haven settled down on the reclined chaise just opposite the bed as Gaius stepped inside just after him. Haven was glad for the bulk of his imposing frame. He stood beside Reyber as they looked down at Haven. Together, they were unmoving, unreadable.
“Tell me what you know about Thorne’s doings,” Reyber said calmly.
Haven shuddered, feeling the tug of persuasion from Reyber’s powers acting on him, compelling him to speak. He fought the urge to open his mouth, to reveal the letter folded in his fist. “I don’t know anything.”
“You don’t know anything? Not anything at all? You haven’t found anything of interest? Anything the council would have wanted to see?”
Struggling, Haven shook his head.
“You know what a mess your sire has created for the Council, don’t you? The unrest he’s stirred?”
Again, Haven shook his head.
“Thorne is war-mongering. He thirsts for it. He’s only happy when he has one leg up, a throat beneath his boot. And he wants to lead the Dominion. We can’t have a vampyre like that in a seat of power.”
