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"I don't understand," I whispered, my voice shaky. "Why did Papa do this to her?"
"We don't know who did it, dear," Astrid said, wrapping her arm around me. "The shadow watch is still looking."
I shook my head. Astrid was trying to be nice, but I knew the truth. My papa was the one who did this. And someday, when I found out who he was, I was going to make him regret it.
A wave of sudden nausea jerked me from the dream, and I blinked my eyes open to find myself tangled in the bedsheets. Groaning, I sat up so I could extricate myself, then glanced at the clock at the wall. Three in the morning. Way too early to be up.
I flopped back onto the mattress, hoping to fall back asleep. But the grief from the memory-dream sat heavy in my chest, and as I touched a hand to my cheek, I realized the tears I’d cried were real. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to recall the details, but they were already hazy, slipping back into the recesses of my mind.
And to make matters worse, my stomach let out an angry rumble.
Sighing, I threw back the sheets and got up, giving up on the idea of sleep. I’d been so keyed-up by our arrival last night I’d completely forgotten to eat, and now my body was throwing a tantrum. That’s probably why I’d woken up in the first place. There was no way I was going to fall asleep now, not until I got some food.
Rummaging through my closet, I found the dressing gown I’d packed and tied it over my nightgown. I had fallen asleep withthe thigh sheath still fastened to my leg, so I slid the dagger into it, then shoved my feet into a pair of slippers.
If my mental map of the Iron Spire served me correctly, the castle kitchens were on the ground floor of the central hub. Silent as a shadow, I slipped out of my room, the halls eerily quiet at this hour. I crept down the spiral staircase to the common level, then crossed the covered bridge, leaving the safety of the Psychoros Spire.
To my annoyance, it took far longer than I expected to navigate the series of corridors leading back to the main hall. By the time I arrived, I was disoriented, my hunger pangs wreaking havoc on my sense of direction. Frustrated, I stopped in the middle of the hall and looked around, trying to reorient my mental map. The kitchens weren’t far from here, that much I knew. But which direction to go in?
A movement to my right caught my attention, and I turned to see a tall figure step into the hall from a shadowed archway. He was nearly a hundred yards away, yet he spotted me right away, his citrine eyes flaring with recognition.
But how did he know me, when I had never set eyes on him before?
The vampire began to walk toward me, his long-legged stride closing the distance far faster than I was comfortable with. As he drew closer, his features became more clear—square face, strong, stubbled jaw, patrician nose, and a hard, unsmiling mouth. His wavy, jaw-length hair was slightly disheveled, and he was shirtless, dressed only in a pair of cotton trousers and combat-style boots. The sweat glistening off his broad chest and shoulders suggested he’d just come from some exercise or training session. A member of the palace guard, maybe? But wasit normal for them to have training sessions at such an early hour?
I was so busy studying his features that it took a second for me to realize that a peculiar sensation had started up in the center of my chest. It felt like someone had hooked a finger into my ribcage and was trying to pull me forward, and I didn’t like it one bit. Digging in my heels, I forced myself to stand still even as all kinds of conflicting instincts flared to life inside me. Part of me wanted to run, part of me wanted to fight, and another part of me…
Well. Another part of me felt like I had been waiting my whole life for this moment.
The vampire stopped a few feet away from me, his eyes narrowing as they scanned me from head to toe. “Has your master not informed you of the dangers of wandering the Iron Spire alone at night?” he asked in a low, ominous tone. “That when you are not by his side, you are fair game for any other vampire who may be lurking about, looking for a midnight snack?”
His voice was deep and resonant, and there was something so familiar about it, even though I was certain I’d never heard it before. Seconds of silence stretched between us, and as he arched a dark eyebrow, I remembered I was supposed to answer.
“Umm. I’m very sorry, Sir.” I ducked my head as a flush came over my cheeks, not finding it difficult to play the part of a contrite and submissive human in that moment. “But I haven’t eaten in almost twenty-four hours, and I woke up hungry. I didn’t want to trouble my master by waking him, so I thought I’d sneak down to the kitchens on my own. Only, I can’t quite figure out how to get there.”
I expected the vampire to scold me, but he didn’t speak. After a few more seconds, I risked glancing up at him through my eyelashes. He was still staring at me, his muscular arms crossed over his broad chest, a scowl darkening his face.
“You don’t know who I am?” he demanded.
Oh shit.I straightened up, wracking my brain for any clue that would reveal his identity. “Am I supposed to?” I blurted out.
The vampire chuckled, a sinister sound that sent a chill racing down my spine. “Oh, Lord Starclaw is playing a dangerous game, bringing you as a candidate for the Descendency even though this is only your first Summit. If you continue to display your ignorance like this, the others are going to eat you alive.”
I bristled at the taunting note in his voice, unable to stop the instinctive reaction. “Are you going to tell me who you are, or are you going to stand there and watch me continue to embarrass myself?”
I regretted the words the moment I spoke them, and nearly clapped a hand over my mouth in horror. What in all the hells was I doing? I was supposed to be acting like a submissive human, not sassing high-ranking vampire nobles. If Lucius was here, he would be throttling me right now. And I would deserve it.
I needed to get my shit together before I got myself killed.
“Oh no,” the vampire noble said, an amused smirk slashing across his handsome face. “I think not. It will make the opening ceremony far more entertaining for me to watch the look of horror on your face when you see me tomorrow and put the pieces together yourself.”
Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuckity,fuck.
The vampire turned away, heading toward one of the arched doorways at the back of the hall. “The corridor leading to the kitchens is on that side of the hall,” he said without turning around, flinging an arm out to indicate the direction. “I heard Cook stashed a few tarts in the larder left over from today’s baking, but don’t let her catch you taking them, or she’ll gut you and serve your entrails at dinner.”
He disappeared into the shadows of the hall, leaving me with that wonderful parting shot. And none the wiser as to who he was.
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