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“Ugh, I’m sorry, Kat. I’m just flipping out,” I admit, hiding my face with my hands. “Our relationship just started and already it’s been flipped on its side by Marcellus. I feel so out of control.”And I feel like we’re falling apart.
She pulls me into her side, squeezing gently, which is so unlike Katina.
“He wants to take down the Council and help save humans. He has a revolution to organize.” She turns so that we’re facing each other. “I know this is going to be hard for you to hear, but a normal relationship isn’t something you’re ever going to have with Julian, Marina. He’s the king of vampires. Did you hear that?” she says, placing her hand at her ear. “King. Of.Vampires,” she stresses the last word.
“I’m not sure I understand what you’re saying,” I mock, rolling my eyes at her.
She sighs. “I’m not saying it won’t work between you, I’m just trying to point out that normal and Julian don’t mix. You can have your fairy tale, Marina, but it’s not going to play out like you’ve dreamed. It’s going to be tough. You’re going to take a back seat at times.” She grabs my hand and squeezes. “Are you prepared for that?”
Am I?
“Any idea what Julian hopes to get from the count?” I ask, trying to guide the subject back to safer ground.
“Not much. He’s been pretty tight-lipped. All I heard was that they were moving up plans with the new bites. They’re trying to speed up their rehabilitation and training.”
“Preparing for war, then.”
“There doesn’t seem to be another option,” Katina says morosely. “Marcellus all but declared it.”
“I wonder what the Council plans to do. I know there are many who want to see Julian overthrown, but is it all of them? Do any of the elder families stand with us?”
“From what I heard, Julian is trying to leverage his relationship with Dupré to get an audience with a couple of the families who have been on the fence. He’s hoping to gain a few alliances within the Council.”
“That sounds promising,” I say, feeling a bit more hopeful than I did moments ago.
She lifts her shoulders. “I guess we’ll see.”
Being with Katina is everything I need. But as much as I love our time together, I yearn to be next to Julian. That intense pull I’ve always felt around him is even more powerful given the distance from him this past week.
“Oh my God, get out of here. I can practically hear you whining in that head of yours.”
“Thank you, Katina,” I say, laying my hand on top of hers. “For everything.”
She nods. “Remember what I said, Marina. You’ll have to get used to royal life and be all right with taking a back seat every now and then for the good of Julian’s kingdom.”
I know she’s right and I want to believe I’m strong enough. Only time will tell.
* * *
Maneuvering my way down hallways trying to get to Julian’s office, I come to the crossroads of my wing and what was formally Julian’s father’s. I stumbled upon this section before and came across the gruesome remains of the man. Tingles course through me at the image that pops into my mind. His charred remains were positioned as though he were still asleep atop his four-poster bed.
Could he still be in that exact same place? Or did Julian have his body—or what was left of it—removed? As I ponder these questions, an unseen force beckons me toward that hall. My feet stay rooted as one part of me aches to move forward, while another begs me to turn and go in the opposite direction.
It’s the magnetic pull that eventually wins the tug-of-war. My feet follow orders from an otherworldly master that neither terrifies nor comforts me in this moment. I’m mystified by my lack of control over my own body.What’s happening?
Before long, I stand outside a heavy wooden door that I know to be the entrance to Julian’s late father’s room.
“Nooo,” I grate, trying to stop my hands from lifting to the knob, but it’s useless. Something or someone has different plans for me, and I’m powerless.
The door creeps open to reveal a chamber much the same as the last time I entered it. A combination of stone and brick walls, with dark wood trim, give the masculine room a medieval feel. The large bed is still in the same place it was before, but this time, no burnt corpse is to be found.Thank God.
Whatever power had me in its clutches moments ago evaporates, and I’m left standing idly in the center of the room. For reasons unknown to me, I call out, “I’m here. What do you want from me?”
Nobody replies. Not surprising. So here I am without a clue as to why. My eyes scan the room and nothing appears to call to me or stand out. I sigh, frustrated and no less puzzled by this entire event. I turn in a clockwise circle, slowly, examining the room inch by inch, until a protruding brick on the wall opposite the door catches my attention. The placement of the brick is so mundane, it’s no wonder I didn’t notice it before. It hardly merits examination, yet, it’s the only thing that’s caught my eye since I’ve entered the room.
My fingers run over the brick, finding it to be nothing special.
Push it in.
