Chapter 32
Istare down at Lissian Blackwood’s mangled body, a hole in his chest where his heart used to be.
Eamon wasn't lying when he said that we had a problem. We all rushed here as soon as he came into the room with that announcement. But it is not Lissian’s corpse that makes me gasp—it is the body lying beside him.
Its eyes are completely black, veins streaking down its cheeks, just like all the other impures. Ember.
I sensed that something was off about her that day when she told me about the blood vows, but I hadn’t expected this. She was still kind to me, and all this time Julian had his hold on her, keeping her prisoner until he was ready to use her. He’s going to pay for every life he’s destroyed.
“You knew her?” Eamon asks.
I nod. “Karius asked her to help protect me from the other humans in the palace.”
Karius’s attention turns to me. “No, I didn’t.”
A sinking feeling fills my stomach. “She said that you…”
My words trail off as my thoughts ring louder. Julian.
“He sent her,” I whisper. “She’s the one who told me about the blood vows. He wanted me to know.” I’m careful with my words, given Celeste’s presence in the room.
“I’m going to kill that bastard when I find him,” Kaia sneers.
How many more impures are lurking in the castle waiting to do his bidding? The thought sends an eerie shiver down my spine.
Celeste hovers over her father’s body, sobbing, and despite how much I dislike her, I wouldn’t wish this on anyone.
Flashes of me crying over Tori’s body assault my mind, and I have to fight hard to push the gruesome memories away.
Ajax tilts his head toward me, a silent gesture asking if I’m ok.
I return the gesture before turning my attention back to the dead vampire.
Celeste gets up and spins to face us all as she wipes away angry tears. Her sharp eyes narrow on me instantly.
“What the hell is she doing here? Get her out of here.” Her words are screamed with so much venom that I almost taste them.
“She’s not going anywhere,” Karius says, a deadly calm to his voice. It always surprises me how playful and teasing he is when we are alone, but in the presence of the nobles, he is a fierce leader not to be reckoned with. Other than his royal guard, I’m not sure anyone else sees him like this.
She turns her attention to Karius, shock filling her face, but when she realizes that he is not changing his mind, she relents.
“The other houses are going to want answers as to how this happened under your roof.”
“Careful, Cele.”
Cele? The nickname sounds too familiar, and my stomach flips.
“Calm down, Karius, not everything is a threat. It’s a simple fact. I’m not a fool. I know what killed my father.”
The entire room seems to still.
“And what exactly do you think that is?” Eamon asks.
She looks at him as though he is beneath her, yet she still answers.
“The same thing that has been leaving dead vampires all over the court. An impure.” She looks at them all and laughs. “What? You thought we didn’t know? We Blackwoods make it our business to know everything about the court we reside in.”
“What is your point?” Karius asks.
She blows out a breath, and I can’t ignore how quickly the tears for her dead father have dried away.
“My point is that if I go out there and tell them all the truth, then this court's numbers are going to look very light for the next century.”
Kaia lets out a growl at the threat, stepping forward, but Karius raises a hand to stop her.
“But you won’t tell them, will you?” he says confidently, and a wicked grin curves her mouth.
“Not unless I have to,” she says, and something about her words makes my stomach tighten. What the hell is she up to? “Honestly, my father’s death is somewhat of a blessing.”
I almost gasp at her words. Lissian was no doubt a monster, but to speak of her own father that way two seconds after supposedly mourning him is truly cruel.
“You see, with him gone, I’m the only Blackwood left alive with the ability to do what I can.
” She holds up her hand and wiggles her fingers for emphasis.
It’s no secret that the Blackwoods keep the sky covered and the sun away, and while the Blackwood line is filled with those who can cast shadow masses, there are none as powerful as Lissian or Celeste.
None that can keep an entire sky shadowed.
“I’m now the head of my House, and if I decide to leave, then I will take every mass in the sky with me, leaving you all to hide in the shadows from the sun once again. ”
She walks to where her father lies on the floor and looks down at him. “And with what these unknown creatures can do, it would be such a shame if you were trapped to only walk at night again.”
Karius’s jaw ticks as he watches her, but he says nothing. The flex and curl of his fist are the only true indication of his anger. Everyone is dead silent, and I feel that I’m somehow missing something.
“Or I can stay. I can pretend that my father has returned to the estate due to an emergency, and then, when the blood vows ceremony begins, I will pledge my house’s allegiance to you before anyone knows a thing.”
“And why would you do that?” Kaia asks.
Celeste’s eyes flicker to Karius, and a cunning smile splits her face.
“He knows why, don’t you, Kari?” He remains unmoving, frozen, looking at only her.
His fists are clenched at his sides, but he makes no moves, and I realize that for the first time, he is somehow being bested.
Something inside me wants to rip her open.
I want to wipe the smile off her smug face, but I remain still, knowing that there is something that I’m missing.
“Are you going to tell them or should I?”
When he doesn’t speak, she turns to face us all.
“You see, Karius here was offered a deal by my father to secure my house’s allegiance.”
“What deal is she talking about, Karius?” Kaia asks, her voice coated in anger, but he says nothing.
“He was offered my hand in marriage, but he has yet to accept.”
The air seems to drain from the room at her words.
“So, I will extend the offer one last time. Accept the proposal, and I will remain at the court by your side, ensuring that the shadows in the sky stay exactly where they are and your secrets remain hidden. Or don’t accept, and my magic and I will leave. It’s up to you.”
“You can’t be serious,” Kaia says.
“I accept.”
Karius’s words hit me like a ton of bricks, and the world around me spins.
My ears ring, and the voices that are raised fade into the background.
Betrothed. He accepted her offer. That’s what Lissian was trying to blackmail him with back at the bloodhouse.
His own daughter. And she is every bit as cruel as he was.
Karius keeps his head down, not even daring to make eye contact with me, and somehow that hurts even more.
I back away from them all. I don’t hear the rest of the conversation because I slam out of the door before another word can be spoken.
I imagine Celeste’s stupidly beautiful face every time I try to hit Ajax.
Apparently, it makes no difference since my mind is so distracted that I haven’t even managed to hit him once yet.
This seems to be happening a lot lately, and it all leads back to a frustrating vampire with dark eyes.
I hate that I still think about him. He is planning to marry another woman, so there is nothing left to think about.
Interesting, Athriel says.
What?
It is just the first time I have heard you refer to a vampire like that.
Confusion fills me.
I don’t understand.
He chuckles darkly.
You called her a woman…not a female vampire but an actual woman. A person. You see them as more now.
Surprise fills me at his words. I’ve not noticed that before, and the acknowledgment of it stuns me. Have I truly changed my views on vampires? Do I see them as people now and not just violent creatures who kill and destroy? I sigh. I’m not even sure when that happened.
I take a swing at Ajax, but he ducks. My senses are coming together well. Piper pointed out that I no longer moan about my eyes blurring, and yet I hadn’t even realized. I’m getting better at focusing in loud spaces, too, just like Ajax taught me, tuning everything out until only one sound remains.
“I can’t watch this anymore. Get out of the way.” Kaia’s voice fills the room as my attention is drawn to her.
“What?” I ask, and she rolls her eyes.
“Really? You’re too busy sulking over Karius's marriage to land even one hit. My brother is good, but your technique is unique, so I think you need to be challenged.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Ajax interjects.
“It means that all of our lives are bound to her, and if she doesn’t get her shit together, then we all die.”
He pauses for a moment to take in her words. “True. Take it away.”
“You need to learn how to stop letting your emotions control you.”
“I’m not.”
“Yes, you are, and it’s going to get you killed. You must learn to feel it and then channel it. And for the love of the gods, stop moving around.”
I take her advice and stand still.
“Take a deep breath.” Before I can even inhale, she lands a punch in my stomach. I double over.
“What the fuck?” I groan.
“Always be alert and always expect the unexpected.”
She throws another punch in my direction just as I stand up straight, and it lands hard against my cheek.
“Ouch,” Piper says from the side as she watches.
“Stop letting me hit you,” she hisses.
“I’m not.”
Actually, you are.
Unless you’re offering up your help, stay silent.
The only help you need is to get that dark-eyed prince out of your mind.
Not helping, Athriel.
He laughs.
Kaia throws another punch, but this time I lean quickly to the side, avoiding the blow.
“Better, but your moves are still too sloppy, too human. You’re siphoning the most powerful vampire in the kingdom, act like it.”
I grit my teeth and pull my fist back, aiming it straight at her face. She dodges it with minimal effort.