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“You want to walk to the tavern and feast on all the naked girls there?”
A subtle grin moved on to his lips. “I’ve got a woman now—and she’s the jealous type.”
“You’ll need to feed at some point,” Viper said, sitting in the armchair, stiff and straight like he was still on the clock.
“Animal blood will do until we’re reunited.” Cobra took another drink.
“She requested that?” I asked in surprise, knowing Larisa would never ask for such a sacrifice.
“No,” Cobra said. “But I know it bothers her.”
“How would she ever know?” Viper asked. “Feed. You need your strength.”
“She wouldn’t know—but I would know.” Cobra sat upright and sank into the back of the couch. “It’s not like we have any upcoming wars, so I don’t need to be at my best anyway. It’s fine.”
Viper stared at him a moment longer. “Never imagined you for the pussy-whipped type.”
His smug grin returned. “For a pussy like that…absolutely.” He swirled his glass as he looked at me. “Second thoughts? Cold feet?”
My answer chimed like a bell. “No.”
“You’re pussy-whipped too, huh?” Cobra asked.
I ignored the question by taking a drink.
“Larisa, Queen of Vampires and Lady of Darkness…” Cobra savored the words on his tongue. “Sounds great. When you see her in her dress, you’re going to lose it, man.”
“It’s nice,” Viper said. “She made it her own.”
I hoped it showed her beautiful skin, the sexy hollow of her throat, maybe a shoulder. She had the sexiest legs, so I hoped there was a slit that put one on display. In a white gown, she would have a glow that rivaled a diamond.
One of the commanders knocked on the door before he opened it. “King Serpentine has arrived. Wishes to speak with you in private. Shall I fetch him?”
I gave a nod.
The commander disappeared.
“I can’t believe he came,” Cobra said. “And wants to give you a little pep talk before the big day.”
“He wants to talk about the Ethereal.” It was his top priority, at all times, and he didn’t even know of the horrible tragedies that the Ethereal had inflicted. “I sidestepped it in Crescent Falls, and I know he wants to pursue it now.”
“So, he knows nothing?” Viper asked.
“His spies know about our visit to their border,” I said. “I know he suspects what I’ve tried to hide. He’ll drill me for that confirmation, and I can’t lie to him. Larisa was resistant to her new identity but had a change of heart, and I know he’s suspicious of that as well.”
Cobra set his empty glass on the table. “What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know.” Once my father knew the truth, vengeance would be his only thought. “Stall.”
“You’ll only be able to stall until the coronation is complete,” Cobra said. “That buys you almost no time.”
“And he’ll declare war against the Ethereal,” Viper said. “The final war.”
“More like a massacre.” Cobra sat with his forearms on his thighs. “We can’t let that happen.”
“I’m not sure how to stop him,” I said. “Unless I lie.” My relationship with my father had finally been repaired, and if he discovered that I’d denied him the truth, that relationship would be forever broken. An apology wouldn’t fix it. But refusing to kill the people who harvested Mother’s soul would also be seen as an epic betrayal. “I’ll tell him that we’ll have this discussion when the coronation is complete…and we’ll have to do our best to convince him to let it go.”
“That won’t work,” Viper said. “Nothing will work.”
