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“What if I did?” He didn’t need to know where the stone was or what I did with it. If he was being honest about us being stuck here till sunrise, it didn’t matter. He’d trapped me for no reason.
“He’s working for the vampire queen,” he said. “She’s part of this.”
“We know,” I said. “She’s tried to have me killed a few times.”
David walked to the couch and sat down. His shoulders slumped and he looked tired. The confidence and seductive smirks I’d come to associate with him were gone.
As unsettling as being trapped in here with him was, seeing him like this was far worse.
“Maybe you should start at the beginning.” I walked over to the living room and sat down on the coffee table so I was facing him. “Tell me what’s going on here. The truth.”
“What did you say about Clara?” His tone was missing its usual bravado. It kind of freaked me out. I’d gotten used to cocky David. What was I supposed to do if he turned into sullen David?
“Elias saw a video of someone who looked like her. She was robbing a jewelry store,” I said.
“That doesn’t make any sense,” David said.
“Elias thought so too but what he saw was enough to make him think it might be authentic,” I said.
“If this is true, it changes everything.”
“Explain what you said about Elias arranging a marriage,” I said. “Who are the Knights and why have I never heard of them before? I chase down villains for a living. How have they managed to evade notice by hunters?”
“We used to think they lived in the shadows,” David said. “Now, I suspect they live in the open, hiding their identities while they bide their time.”
“What do you mean?”
“The Knights were an elite group of vampires. An organization that oversaw all the royal families. They were higher than the kings and queens. A vampire governing council. Their cruelty and bloodlust were well guarded secrets. Hidden from all but their inner circle until recently. As they gained power, they grew bolder.”
“You’re kidding,” I said. “That’s not possible to hide. We’d know about this.”
“They protected the secret well,” he said.
“So how did Clara play into this?” I asked.
“We were seeking an alliance to re-open the portals between our realms. It’s been a thousand years since the last war. If you haven’t noticed, none of the demons you met tried to steal your soul or eat your eyeballs.”
“I noticed. Though, the soul thing could still happen.” I smiled.
David laughed. “You really never know.”
“So marriage alliance? Like it’s the Middle Ages?” I pressed.
“Yes. I was opposed but I didn’t have say. Our father took a sabbatical, leaving Elias at the helm for a decade.”
I blinked a few times, letting the news sink in. Not only was Elias a member of the demon royal family, he’d actually ruled. For a decade. Not a few days. Ten years. He’d been the literal demon king for nearly half my life.
While I let that bombshell settle in, I couldn’t be around David. There was so much I didn’t know about Elias. I’d given him my heart without knowing anything about him.
I stood and walked toward the window. It was still dark, but when I peeked out, I saw a few vampires pacing around the front of the building. The guard was still in place. Even if I could get out of here, I’d be leaving one trap to walk into another.
“Why did you choose this place?” I asked.
“I told you, I asked Shelly for help.”
It was starting to feel like I couldn’t trust anyone. If David wasn’t against me, what did that make him? And what the fuck did that make Elias?
“You know why Elias is here, don’t you?” I asked.
